Video and Minutes: NCPR Annual Public Meeting, Thursday, July 19, 2018
The annual public meeting of North Country Public Radio’s Executive Council, which acts as the station’s community advisory board, was held Thursday, July 19 from 1:30-3:00 pm in the Sykes Common Room at St. Lawrence University on Park St. in Canton, NY.
The public was invited to attend.
There was a question and comment period for the public.
Minutes of the meeting will be posted here sometime after the event.
The meeting was webcast live on the home page at ncpr.org.
The meeting went off air at 2:27 pm to go into executive session for the discussion of personnel matters.
Executive Council Meeting Minutes, July 19, 2018
Council Attendance: Mark Dzwonczyk, Linda Cohen, John Ernst, Rod Giltz, Sarah Johnson, John Rosenthal, Nancy Keet, Cali Brooks, Hannah Hanford, Stephen Meier, Cathy Pircsuk, Suzanna Piller, Paul Redfern, Christopher Robinson.
Excused: Cali Brooks, Steve Hopkins, Dale Kramer, Alan McLeod, Dick Munro, Mark Scarlett, Marion Roach Smith
Staff Attendance: Ellen Rocco, Martha Foley, Zach Hirsch, Bill Haenel, Lizette Haenel, Jessica Lawrence, Danielle LaCourse, Doyle Dean, Amy Feiereisel, Claire Mendes, Lauren Rosenthal, Jon Sklaroff, Ethan Shantie, Jackie Sauter, David Sommerstein, Shelly Pile, Michael Paulino (intern)
Call to Order: 1:30PM
Recorded By: Danielle LaCourse
Adjournment: 2:27PM
Introductions
- Gift of appreciation to outgoing council chair
Board Transitions
- Mark Dzwonczyk’s last meeting as chair. New chair at next meeting will be Linda Cohen
- John Rosenthal, Steve Hopkins and Nancy Keet will be leaving the council due to term limits.
- Mark Scarlett, Dale Kramer and Dick Munro are leaving by resignation
Item 1: Staff Reports
News
- Lauren Rosenthal attended investigative reporting training
- Extensive coverage of NY-21 primary included new “user’s guide” to the candidates.
- New and Public Affairs Director Martha Foley will retire next year.
North Country at Work
- Project is entirely grant funded
- 21 public events in the last five months
- Project has had scanning and story collection events in about 30 communities of the region so far.
- Other events include live storytelling “slams” and community exhibits
Programs
- Best of Car Talk has ended distribution
- Wait, Wait, Don’t Tel Me! Has moved to Saturday 10 am
- New program, Hidden Brain with Shankar Vedantam, airs Saturday 11 am
- Much turnover in national program hosting staff
Digital Services
- Website visits are falling compared to last year
- Smart speaker use of NCPR is sharply on the rise
Underwriting
- Third highest year for underwriting revenue
- Number of underwriters increased over previous year
- Made transition to new underwriting management software
Member Giving
- Member giving exceeded $1 million, up approx. 2% from previous year
- Major gifts up 18% A larger number of donors donated slightly smaller average gifts
Facilities
- In the absence of station engineer Bob Sauter, Ellen Rocco fielded a question about the moving of the Lake Placid transmitter. A cell company moved it without notice and NCPR had to move it back.
50th Anniversary
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Vendors, beverages and volunteers are still needed for the Asgaard Farm Celebration
Item 2: Public Comments
- Written comments from Richard Paolillo (see attached comment below) were read to the council.
- EC member Stephen Meier responded (paraphrase): The CAB (Citizen Advisory Board or Executive Council) does not tell the station how to do its job, CAB role is to advise about programming and setting standards, not to promote a specific show.
Item 3: Adjournment to closed Executive Session to discuss confidential personnel and finance matters
Upcoming Executive Council meeting dates:
- Thursday, November 1, 2018, 1:30-3:00 pm, Wild Center, Tupper Lake
- Thursday, February 7, 2019, 1:30-3:00 pm, internet meeting
- Thursday, May 2, 2019, 1:30-3:00 pm at location in Adirondacks TBD
- Thursday, July 18, 2019, 1:30-3:00 pm in Canton (annual meeting), location TDB
- Thursday, October 3, 2019 – 1:30 pm or evening, time and location TBD
Members of the NCPR Executive Council:
- Linda Cohen, Old Forge, NY
- Mark Dzwonczyk, Nicholville, NY (chair)
- Cali Brooks, Lake Placid, NY
- John Ernst, North Hudson, NY
- Rod Giltz, Plattsburgh, NY
- Hannah Hanford, Saranac Lake, NY
- Steve Hopkins, Keene Valley, NY
- Sarah Johnson, Canton, NY
- Nancy Keet, Saranac Lake, NY
- Dale Kramer, Massena, NY
- Alan McLeod, Kingston, ON
- Stephen Meier, Queensbury, NY
- Dick Munro, Clayton, NY
- Cathy Pircsuk, Watertown, NY
- Susanna Piller, Plattsburgh
- Paul Redfern, Canton, NY
- Christopher Robinson, Potsdam, NY
- John Rosenthal, Lake Placid, NY
- Mark Scarlett, Hammond, NY
- Marion Roach Smith, Troy, NY
The governing board of North Country Public Radio is the Board of Trustees of St. Lawrence University.
I do not believe for one minute, that this council of executives, or Community Advisory Board, is an Advisory Board required by CPB regulations. This board is used as a fundraising group for the station and is composed of station management, agents, staff, SLU alumni, and station trustees. CPB rules require the CAB consist of the diversity of the listening community. Ms. Rocco asked the CAB if they knew of others to serve to help achieve some long overdue CAB turnover, and she insisted that any future board member, “not have an agenda”. An agenda that might include, reviewing station programming decisions and discuss Democracy Now more than a few sentences.
When it comes to reviewing station content and advising, when asked to discuss and vote on the pros and cons of Democracy Now, Ms. Foley told the board, “they do not have to vote on that”.
News from NPR Washington, and their reporters, and guests, and NCPR, can not, can not characterize trump or his remarks as “lies”. The NPR official said you can’t call a person, or what they say, lies because you can not be sure there is intent to lie. Google “NPR trump and lies”. Only two or three sentences of discussion about advising NCPR about Democracy Now Over the Years, but no vote allowed, no diverse CAB, no discussion of the president’s lies. I do not believe Democracy Now has characterized what trump has said as lies, but at least they, and their guests, have the freedom to say it if need be. NPR exclusive news, further erodes the power and exercise of the Free Press, which if you haven’t noticed is under daily attack and undermined by hostile Russian enemies with the cooperation of a silent Congress!
Continue, just continue…