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The NCPR Executive Council Home

NCPR Executive Council Meeting Minutes 10/20/16

by on January 12th, 2017
Council Attendance:  Rod Giltz, Cali Brooks, John

Ernst, Mark Dzwonczyk, Hannah Hanford, Steve Hopkins, Nancy Keet, Dale Kramer,
Alan McLeod, Stephen Meier, Cathy Pircsuk, Melissa Farmer Richards, John
Rosenthal

Staff Attendance: Ellen Rocco, Jon Sklaroff

Excused:
Linda Cohen, Sarah Johnson, Dick Munro, Marion Roach Smith, Chris Robinson,
Mark Scarlett

Call to Order:   1:35 pm

RECORDED BY: Jon Sklaroff

Adjournment: 2:25 pm

Chair: Rod Giltz

Agenda Item/Topic

Details/Discussion

Action/Follow-up

Introductions

Rod Giltz called the meeting to order.  Roll call taken.

Information only

Item 1:
Meeting
Minutes Approved

1) July 14, 2016 meeting minutes approved.

Information only

 

Item 2:
SLU Board Report

1) SLU VP of Communication, Melissa Farmer Richards, provides update on ex officio EC member, Marion Roach Smith’s behalf.

2) Not much to report as SLU Board to meet the following weekend.

3) Ellen and Melissa continue discussions of new potential new location for NCPR. Nothing new to report at this time.

Information only
Item 3:
Station Report

1) Ellen putting together a 50th Anniversary committee, will have more details at February EC meeting.

2) Personnel update:

a. Jon Sklaroff officially taken over as Underwriting Director with Sandy Demarest’s retirement.

b. Jim Goodspeed starting with NCPR on 11/14 to work as a part-time underwriting sales rep in the Glens Falls / Southern Adirondack region.

c. Danielle LaCourse hired to replace Jon at front desk and assist development team.


i. She’s been great, so far.

d. Since June Peoples’ departure from the station her duties have been divided among multiple station employees.


i. Bob Sauter now acting as comptroller. Bob previously managed the station finances prior to June taking the responsibility.


ii. Lizette Haenel hired as Giving Manager to work alongside Monique Cornett in
Membership.


iii. Monique’s position is temporary with plans to hire permanent soon. NCPR will run a regional search.

3) Fundraiser update:

a. $330,000 goal, a bit behind at this time, but no panic at the station, optimistic in the process.

4) Programming:

a. Adjustments to middle-of-the-day programs such as A Way With Words, and RadioLab. These programs moved to other time slots to expand our airtime of Here & Now, to now run for the full 2 hours the program offers.

5) Projects & Outreach:

a. More substantive outreach in our communities.

b. The Howl Story Slam, partnered with the Adirondack Center for Writing.


i. More successful than anticipated.


ii. Most successful outreach since Ira Glass or Garrison Keillor shows.

c.
North Country at Work.


i. Amy Feiereisel – former NCPR intern – brought on to work on project with Ellen
and the digital team.


ii. Funded through foundation grant money.


iii. Going town-to-town to archive photos and stories.


iv. Adirondack Museum alone offered an archive of more than 30,000 photos.

6) News:

a. Reorganizing the structure of the News Department, more cohesion between on-air and digital.

b. Tremendous reporting success surrounding Oral ‘Nick’ Hilary trial.


i. Brit Hanson was 1 of 2 pool reporters for the trial.


ii. Successful reporting collaborative with the Watertown Daily Times.


iii. Day-by-Day podcast had an estimated 14,000 plus subscribers – Bill Haenel still working on numbers.

7) Finances:

a. Ellen is looking to raise $300,000 in Major Giving in FY17.


i. Margo & John Ernst offered to host party in NYC for potential major donors.

b. Ellen is also exploring grant options.

c. Will have a better idea of the numbers at the February meeting.

Information
only

Item 4: Listener
Comments

1) Community members Rich Paolillo and Mike Owen again expressed their desire, via email,
for NCPR to carry the program, Democracy Now.

a. Emails attached.

2) Ellen reiterated her previous position that the program’s political views are slanted and does not line-up with our station’s mission neutrality.

a. Need to confirm the number of NPR affiliated stations that actually carry the program, Rich indicates that there are 47 that do.

3) Ellen invited the EC to listen to Democracy Now, on their own and if they feel that it does indeed fit the station’s mission, to please bring to the attention of SLU board.

4) Ellen also thanked Rich and Mike for their efforts in helping NCPR be more accessible for the community at large.

5) EC Chair Rod Giltz acknowledged that he – and without objection – the council as a whole, support NCPR’s programming decisions.

a. John Ernst seconded Rod’s comments; programming should be left to the radio
professionals.

6) Ellen asked Melissa to discuss with Marion and decide if they should bring it to the SLU Board’s attention.  

Information only

Item 5: 50th
Anniversary

1) NCPR first signed-on March 7th, 1968.

2) Committee will plan a yearlong tribute and celebration.

a. Possibly asking SLU to host an event.

b. Inviting former employees / interns to help celebrate.

3) Ellen asked the EC to submit any ideas to celebrate.

Information only
Item 6: Additional Listener Comments

1) In regards to Rich Paolillo’s comments, Ellen defined CPB regulations for Public Radio stations with University licensees.

a. SLU is NCPR’s governing body.

b. Executive Council is mandatory and intended to report to governing body. 

c. Oversight by EC is made in “good faith.”

2) Ellen notes benefits of SLU holding license v.s. community license.

a. Significant financial support from SLU.

b. SLU administration is respectful of NCPR’s employee’s collective experience and does not interfere with operations.

c. Numerous community license stations are financially struggling / are not financially solvent, including Pacifica Stations.

Information only

Next
Meeting

Thursday, February 2nd at 1:30 p.m. via conference call

Information only

Adjournment

 

2:25 pm

Attached, emails from Rich Paolillo, with responses from NCPR

From: Richard Paolillo / Broom Farm

Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2016 2:36 PM

To: Jonathan Sklaroff

Subject: Additional Information from Richard Paolillo

could the CAB advise Ms. Rocco and the SLU Trustees to explore the cost/benefits of
the station becoming a Pacifica Network and/or an independent Community Radio
Station.  This would enable the station to slash costs, reinvigorate
listener/supporters, begin a return to the stations grass roots, bring the
station more in line with its mission statement and most importantly bring
back ex-supporters and ex-listeners.  

Thank you Jonathan

How about past instances/examples of advisement that the
board has conducted with Ellen to demonstrate you are and have been
functioning as a board.

[email protected]  to find out number of stations that carry Democracy Now!

47 NPR stations

Thanks

On Thursday,
October 20, 2016 1:53 PM, Richard Paolillo / Broom Farm <[email protected]> wrote:

I just called Democracy Now!’s station outreach coordinator Angie.

This is “Public Media” and accepted on all CPS controlled stations.

Democracy Now! is on 350 radio stations

47 are NPR

200 Pacifica

66 PBS TV

Thank you for your consideration

 

From: Richard Paolillo
/ Broom Farm

Sent: Thursday, October 20, 2016 1:08 PM

To: [email protected];
Jonathan Sklaroff

Cc: David Sommerstein; Martha Foley; Jackie Sauter

Subject: CAB Executive Council meeting for today

Greetings Ms. Rocco and the Community Advisory Board (CAB),

Please discuss the following and answer with specific actions
and plans for action.

Please address and answer each issue separately.

1. CAB Chair, Please name several actions in which the
Board advised the station management and SLU Board of Trustees that reflect
the duties of a CAB under Corporation for Public Broadcasting Rules?
The minutes of past meetings do not reflect much deliberation, if any.

2.  I request that the CAB take the following actions: Each
member listen to Democracy Now! for one week and then have a deliberation,
cost analysis, solicit listener feedback, and advise Ms. Rocco and the SLU
Trustees.  Democracy Now! is available on over 1,000 NPR, Pacifica, PBS,
Dish Network, college and community radio stations.

NCPR’s fundraising appears to have slowed down at just over
$250,000. 

Times are changing, the listeners I have interviewed have given
up listening to NCPR and pursue Democracy Now! online and listen to any radio
station in the world online.  As you know, once you are online the
competition is huge.  Millennial’s we hear so much about, are getting
all their news online and through social media.  NCPR has a
multiplatform web presence, but it cannot compete with Facebook feeds with
Democracy Now! interspersed with millions of other websites.  Many
listeners and former listeners want Democracy Now for NCPR.  

3.  The proposed industrial wind farm for the center of St.
Lawrence County is a huge story.  Yes, NCPR has done stories on
industrial wind farms in the past.  The growing organizing, educating,
protesting of the proposal needs coverage BEFORE it is a done deal.
There will be (any day now) complete YouTube documentation of the last
meeting in Parishville and I hope the reporters can review the video and
spark new and expanded industrial wind farm coverage.  Maybe this story
could be geared up for an NPR national like the Hillary murder trial.

I hope this CAB can see the urgent needs for special coverage of
this industrialization of the rural landscape of this county.  Coverage
as the NCPR Mission Statement states: “NCPR informs, enriches and
connects the region-on air,  online and in our communities.” The
opposition to industrial wind, so close to college educated activists with
means, will be an entirely different battle for industrial wind. Sixty people
showing up in Parishville is HUGE.  It is a battle that needs NCPR to
cover the story: to inform and connect the people with detail, frequently,
and with in depth full quotes of the people involved. 

This leads me to another observation of local news
coverage.  Many NCPR reporters cover a story and reduce 20 -30 minutes
of material to a partial sentence, often times out of context.  The
unfortunate event of a quote taken out of context could be solved if longer
quotes were used/allowed during coverage of controversial stories.  CAB
members could you advise the station to allow longer quotes, a dozen
sentences or more, when interviewing citizens: in the wind farm controversy, green
party politicians, etc.?  Many listeners have complained about this
practice.

4. Democracy Now! has been found compatible with many NPR
stations surrounding the NCPR listening area.  This is contrary to Ms.
Rocco’s opinion- That Democracy Now! is not compatible with NPR.
Whether compatible at this station or not, could the CAB advise Ms. Rocco and
the SLU Trustees to explore the cost/benefits of the station becoming a
Pacifica Network and/or an independent Community Radio Station.  This would
enable the station to slash costs, reinvigorate listener/supporters, begin a
return to the stations grass roots, bring the station more in line with its
mission statement and most importantly bring back ex-supporters and
ex-listeners. 

Sincerely

Richard Paolillo

END

From: Richard Paolillo
/ Broom Farm

Sent: Monday, October 17, 2016 11:55 AM

To: Ellen Rocco; Martha Foley

Subject: No reporters at the Parishville meeting more than 60 citizens

Ellen and Martha

Could you review the tape of the Parishville Hopkinton Wind meeting on
Facebook or YouTube? People are getting more educated and informed as to how
to understand and approach industrial wind farms.

They only last 20 years, then if they get decommissioned it’s the towns
responsibility.

NYS caps assessments at 5 percent of assessed value.

They industrialize the once rural landscape.

There are health effects, loss of housing value, etc.

I asked whether the media or press were at the meeting and was told you were
given notice and it was in the papers. Why no coverage of yet another wind
farm steamrolling over the North Country? I shared my view with the meeting
as to why NCPR was not there and my other concerns about the station. I was
immediately thanked by a prominent community member for my speaking out about
NCPR. Wow!

I hear one of your sponsors is an underwriter, wind farm producer, of sorts;
is there a conflict of interest? Could such a continuing story of such impact
be displayed as a major local story like the one you have about an SLU
student doing a headstand and fall colors? You have 16 reporters listed on
staff. This is a major story as big as the building of the seaway or the
Hillary trial. Do you see this?

The advocacy journalism argument is wearing thin. Either you are with the
people and the land, or you are against us. You will be hearing from me and
my supporters at the, so far unannounced, in violation of CPB rules again,
executive meeting. For those who don’t know, it is this Wednesday. I asked
Ellen directly at a meeting in her office to make the link to the Community
Advisory Board a direct link instead of hidden under “About” at the
bottom of the NCPR web page. Oh, the time it takes to be an active exmember
of the local NPR station.

Richard Paolillo

RESPONSE – from Ellen Rocco, Station Manager:

From: Ellen Rocco

Sent: Monday, October 17, 2016 12:17 PM

To: Richard Paolillo / Broom Farm; Martha Foley

Subject: RE: No reporters at the Parishville meeting more than 60
citizens

Forwarding your message to the
entire news staff. Certainly wind power has been covered in the past and is
of great interest to the station. That said, not every meeting about wind
power is going to be covered with a reporter—we don’t have the staff. As for
the fluff pieces you cited, those are used when our reporters are busy doing
deeper coverage and don’t have anything new on a particular day. Or, just for
fun because that kind of piece is easy.

We’re redoing our entire
website—including links to Community Advisory Board info, About Us section,
etc. Sorry we can’t do everything as quickly as we’d like to. As I’ve said
before, there are just a few of us on staff trying to cover a huge geography
…on a lot of platforms these days.

Apparently in spite of not
supporting us anymore, you still listen and follow us on line. That’s good.

E

Ellen Rocco

Station Manager

1-877-388-6277

 

RESPONSE – from Jackie Sauter, Director of
Broadcast and Digital Content:

Dear Rich,

Ellen shared your message with
me.  Thank you for sharing your concerns. Just a quick couple of points:

1.       We
do not have 16 reporters on staff.  In fact, we have all of three
reporters assigned to cover all of the St. Lawrence Valley and beyond. We
also have one reporter based in Plattsburgh and assigned to cover all of the
Clinton County area, one in Saranac Lake, responsible for the entire
Adirondack region, and a half-time person responsible for covering Fort Drum
and all of the Jefferson County region. We cover a huge geographic region
with  a very small news staff. Obviously, we can’t cover every story, but
we certainly do our best to cover the significant issues that impact the
North Country.  The fact that we were not able to have a reporter at a
meeting certainly does not mean that we won’t cover an issue of importance.

2.       We
are absolutely not in violation of CPB regulations. All of our
meeting and governance information is always available on the governance page
on our website:  ncpr.org/cpb, as is required.  In addition, notice
of the next Executive Council meeting has been posted on our home page for more
than a week. Keep in mind that we are not obligated to do that, but have
chosen to post it on our home page each quarter as a courtesy to our
listeners. In addition, we make on air announcements for three days prior to
every meeting. Again, there is no requirement to do so, but we do so as a
courtesy to listeners.

If you have other concerns
regarding our CPB requirements or our program schedule, I’d be glad to answer
your questions.

 All the best,

Jackie

RESPONSE – from David Sommerstein,
Assistant News Director:

From: David Sommerstein

Sent: Tuesday, October 18, 2016 12:57 PM

To: Richard Paolillo / Broom Farm

Cc: Martha Foley; Ellen Rocco

Subject: RE: No reporters at the Parishville meeting more than 60
citizens

Hey Pic – I’d be happy to talk
to you about the wind farm if you’d like to call. Our coverage of wind power
in the North Country is broad, deep, and robust over more than a decade of
reporting – we have literally dozens of stories covering almost every aspect
of the issue. And at some point, I imagine we’ll get to the Parishville
proposal. Actually I covered the very first wind power meeting in Parishville
more than five years ago.

http://www.northcountrypublicradio.org/news/story/17384/20110328/critical-crowd-greets-wind-company-in-parishville

A couple corrections – we have
6 reporters, not 16. We cover “fluff” because it’s a part of life, too.

And I take offense at the
insinuation that we are somehow altering our news coverage due to influence
from an underwriter, with absolutely no evidence. As I’m sure you know, our
firewall between news and underwriting is perhaps the cornerstone of the
radio station’s core mission, and much of the reason public radio was created
in the first place. We take it deeply seriously and wouldn’t be doing what we
do if we didn’t.

Again, I’d be more than happy
to hear what you believe are the issues related to this wind farm proposal.
But to essentially cast us as the enemy to your cause because we didn’t staff
one meeting doesn’t really make sense to me.

Best

David

David Sommerstein

Assistant News Director/Reporter

North Country Public Radio

St. Lawrence University

Canton, NY 13617

[email protected]

Rich Paolillo’s response.

I apologize to David, missing one meeting does not call for the
impression I portrayed.  The story he sites is a very brief introduction
to industrial wind that is 5 years old.  It is a complex issue and the
last meeting in Parishville of Sat October 15, many experts and home owners
that live near wind farms were in attendance. I am told the video of the
meeting will be available soon.  I hope this could be a resource for
future reporting.  Wind farms are notoriously complicated involving:
IDA, town boards, zoneing, county legislators, PILOT(Payments in Lieu Of Taxes),
health, community, Taxes and Assessments, lawyers specialists, contracts,
secrecy and non disclosure agreements and state Government.

I tried to find on the website where the number of reporters I
found added up to 16 or so, but found 9 under news and repoters (including a
few chiefs) and 5 under feature contributors.  They are not all
reporters on the beat and I stand corrected.

Jackie

Yes, just within the last few years the station has improved its
notice of CAB (Community Advisory Board) meetings.  Please read the CPB
guidelines (The link has recently disappeared from the website) about CAB
composition and function.  If it does not act as a board and conduct
board business, then it is not a board.  In fact, The CAB of this
station is a fairly recent phenomena, less than 10 years.  I have
watched the site closely, about ten years ago (before minutes were published
on the website) someone suggest to Ellen that you need a community board and
she said “It was a good idea.”  Now you have one, but the
rotation for new members as station guidelines is just starting according to
the last minutes.

It is very convoluted to find the link to the CAB: Its not
called CAB but Executive Council, there are two separate listed contact
emails [email protected] and [email protected].  It may be on
the home page but it is not listed on the Community Calendar.  I sent a
reminder of this omission just this week.

I hope to not offend anyone, but media is an essential
constitutionally protected craft (except for Any Goodman’s arrest for doing
her duty as a reporter out west covering the pipeline protests for Democracy
Now!) and craft that I take very seriously.

Sincerely

Richard Paolillo

 

 

Comments culled from NCPR website blog in response to EC Meeting

1.   Michael Owen says:

October 20, 2016 at 3:42 pm

Please post the contact information for the individual board members listed.

2.   Michael Owen says:

October 20, 2016 at 3:31 pm

BTW
where are the comments on this page from other listeners? Why do I only see my own?

3.   Michael Owen says:

October 20, 2016 at 3:30 pm

Hobart Williams Smith competes directly with SLU as a university. WEOS is sponsoring
Democracy Now. The idea that Goodman has a bias but NCPR doesn’t is a testable
equation. Trump fro example is reported as a buffoon, a womanizer, and
generally unfit for office. All positions I agree with, but Hillary is reported
as competent and good for the country, meanwhile Stein is marginalized. Even
Funiciello, after being interviewed by Mann for a couple hours, a few seconds
are broadcast where he is quoted saying maybe he shouldn’t even run. Anyone
trying to avoid bias would not pull an offhand remark out of context unless
they were trying to change what the person was saying. Plus it was broadcast as
a segment about the candidacy of Mike Derrick. Clearly Mann wants to elect
Democrats.

The only thing that can be done to combat this problem is to broadcast all
viewpoints.

It may interest you to know that according to Harpers Index: The percentage of
Americans who cast a vote for either Hillary Clinton or Donald Trump in the
2016 primary elections: 9 So the idea that centrism is anything but a mechanism
designed to support the inequality so pervasive in human society today.

How can this station claim an unbiased voice in the worse drought anyone has ever
seen, in the warmest year on record, an avoid ever linking the weather to
Global Warming?

Maybe the friends are right who ask why bother to even bring this stuff up? “They
will never change anything over there. It’s a closed shop. Always has been.

I don’t think so though, so in future expect these points to start getting made
in competing media and through various on campus organizations.

4.   Michael Owen says:

October 20, 2016 at 2:20 pm

this idea that Amy Goodman is participating in the Dakota Access Pipeline is false.
She merely reported the protests. The judge dismissed her case based on the
first amendment. This board sidestepping programming in an advisory capacity is
a dereliction of duty.

5.   Michael Owen says:

October 20, 2016 at 7:45 am

What
I am trying to do is improve the quality of the NCPR broadcast.

So with that in mind I ask once again that this station carry Amy Goodman’s show-
Democracy Now!

Her recent coverage and arrest at the Dakota access pipeline protest at Standing
Rock is a tribute to journalistic excellence and personal courage that’s going
on right now. But for her this is not unusual. She has a reputation as an
investigative journalist with few peers. Winner of multiple Polk awards as well
as the Thomas Merton Award, the Right Livelihood Award, the 2009 Izzy Award,
and the 2012 Gandhi Peace Award.

If we search for NPR reporters in the list of Polk winners we have to go back to 1986
to find a name. Why? Because NPR has become a mouthpiece for wealth. Even local
meetings like the one in Parrishville the other evening that had about 60
people attending to discuss development of wind power was too much to ask NCPR
to cover. Even with advance notice. This pro wealth bias is a violation of the
corporate charter and not only leaves the station vulnerable to legal action,
but is a disservice to listeners.

She works with Juan Gonzales himself a winner of the George Polk Award and a long
career of journalistic excellence dating back before his education at Temple
University to his role as the Information Minister for the Young Lords. A lifelong
columnist at the New York Daily News, and many other outstanding achievements.

Every person interested in this station owes it to themselves to investigate the
Democracy Now! daily news feed on line. If you want history they have a
searchable podcast opportunity.

Let’s do an experiment.

Air the show a few times a day for and period of one month.

Then poll the subscribers about whether or not to continue.

Do we really want to reach the point where the fund drive fails before taking action?

Thank you for your time.

 

 

3 Comments on “NCPR Executive Council Meeting Minutes 10/20/16”

  1. Michael Owen says:
    January 18, 2017 at 2:46 pm

    Once again we are back to thinking about why NCPR refuses to air Democracy Now! What is it they don’t want their listeners to hear? Is it the story I’m hearing right now about women and children being held in detention centers in South Texas while they await hearings? Many for years, appearing without representation, and in 90% of those cases deported. This another broken pledge during the Obama administration. This is a consistent pattern. NCPR supports the Democratic party at every turn. If Trump gets mentioned it’s with obvious derision. I’m a person who derides Trump at every turn myself, but I don’t claim to be an impartial news outlet.

    Take the recent election coverage. Hilary was promoted constantly. Meanwhile, Goodman reported that more time was spent airing pictures of Trump’s idling bus than was spent interviewing Jill Stein. If there are political parties in the US other than Republican and Democrat we would never know it from NCPR. Reporters have a job description that mandates saying what people don’t want to hear said, not courting power.

    The station defends itself various ways. I have been told if I want to hear Democracy Now! I should just watch it on my device. True enough. But I’m not trying to hear it myself, I already do, I’m trying to get the station to get past the bias internalized by the station’s management. I’m attempting to round out the news with the idea that ALL things are worth considering.

    What I’m not trying to do is some kind of personnel change, or house cleaning. Simply put I think the station owes it to the listeners Amy Goodman. They would have the great advantage of being able to judge the statements that come out of established power structures.

    So let’s start fresh. Everybody on the Advisory Board pledges to listen to Goodman’s show every day for one week. Then meet and make a recommendation.

    I have every confidence that you will advocate for the station carrying the show.

  2. John Lancaster says:
    January 18, 2017 at 10:42 am

    Rich makes excellent points. I agree and hope his constructive criticism is seriously considered. The whole CAB process seems very closed and unenlightened to me. It is being reflected in your stale programming.

    John Lancaster

  3. Rich paolillo says:
    January 13, 2017 at 9:14 am

    Thanks for posting last meeting minutes 3 months after the event. Could you also put up a new box announcing the info for the next meeting Feb 2, 1:30?
    Could you just use one name that reflects the true nature and duty of the board: Community Advisory Board CAB and no longer use the now confusing redundant execcutive council and CAB. in addition, make it a link of its own at the bottom of the home page. This was discussed at the last meeting, and it was said it was not a big deal why not do it. This would be the first known action of the CAB that I’m able to uncover.
    I hop the members of the CAB have listened to Democracy Now and will discuss the issue among themselves, without interference from Ms. Rocco, and will consider formally requesting, advising, the station to try it for a few months.
    With Trump as the new president, his mastery of media, and openly hostile manner in which he treats the press, it is more vital than ever to expand the news beyond very narrow NPR based news. NPR reporters have blended with PBS TV news and often the reporting is a mere clone, often word for word. This is no longer a source of alternative reporting.
    More to come.
    Thank You
    Rich

Comments are closed.