[Kzyxtalk] MCPB/KZYX&Z Programming Policy

[dennisobrien at sharejerusalem.com]

The Programming Policy is below.  I manually retyped it from the hard copy that Doug McKenty gave me. I had asked the former General Manager to send me an electronic copy, but he didn't.  I have asked the current interim General Manager to post all of our policies on the website, so that the members could have an informed discussion, but he has not.

This method does not allow formatting, such as bold or italics.  But the wording is verbatim.  The Appendices are not included.  I need to manually reformat them for email, and will try to do so this week.

It is obvious that a lot of work went into creating this policy, and that it is an excellent effort to engage with the community in making programming decisions.  The current Board of Directors must require the staff to implement the policy.  Further, the Board must rescind the recent elimination of the Safe Harbor for free speech from 10pm to 6am, as it was done in violation of the policy.

Dennis


Mendocino County Public Broadcasting

KZYX&Z Programming Policy
Approved by the Board of Directors December 9, 2008

Policy Mission Statement:

This policy outlines how policy decisions are made at KZYX&Z and describes the role of the people involved in those decisions. The policy is designed to:
    1. Strengthen KZYX& by facilitating communication about programming;
    2. Describe a process and criteria for programming decisions;
    3. Set up and define guidelines for the work of a KZYX&Z Program Advisory Council.

This policy was developed by the Programming Policy Committee appointed by the Board of Directors of Mendocino County Public Broadcasting in 2004. The committee included KZYX&Z staff members, board members, a member of the Community Advisory Board (CAB), programmers and members of the listening community. A policy draft was presented first to KZYX&Z programmers in February 006 and then to the general public for feedback from March to June 006 before being presented to the board for approval. The MCPB Board of Directors approved this policy at the July 11, 2006 board meeting with the agreement to review the policy for effectiveness one year from seating of the first Program Advisory Council.

The work of the committee was guided by the following goals, which were agreed to by the committee and approved by the board at the outset of its work:

"Our goal is to propose to the Board of Directors what might work best for our station. We will endeavor to arrive at a process that:
    - Does justice to our mission statement and long range plans;
    - Allows the station's programming to evolve to meet the needs of our listeners and the wider
      community and that
    - Assures KYX&Z will continue to thrive now and in the future."

                                            Page 1 of 9

Table of Contents:

PART 1: PROGRAM ADVISORY COUNCIL                    3
1.1 Program Advisory Council Membership                    3
1.2 Guidelines for the Work of the Program Advisory Council            4

PART 2: PROGRAMMING DECISIONS                        4
2.1 Program Assessment                                5
2.2 Program Changes                                5

APPENDICES                                    6
Appendix 1: Best Practices                                6
Appendix 2: Desired Qualities for Program Advisory Council Members    6
Appendix 3: Program Advisory Council Selection Process and Timelines    6
Appendix 4: Matrix of Needs for Program Advisory Council Members        7
Appendix 5: KZYX&Z program Advisory Council Application (2 pages)    8

                                            Page 2 of 9

Part 1: Program Advisory Council

In order to provide a continuously improving listening experience that reflects the needs of our listening audience, the Program Advisory Council shall be an advisory group that gives input to the program Director and receives input from the listening audience.

The council is the first point of contact for the Program Director when faced with significant decisions or projects related to programming and programmers.

The relationship between the Program Advisory Council and the Program Director is collaborative. The Program Director has responsibility for making program decisions.
The Program Advisory Council works with the Program Director to:
    1. Provide broad-based input to inform programming decisions.
    2. Assess all programming (local and non-local) (see Appendix 1.1, Best Practices);
    3. Invite and evaluate new program proposals.

1.1  Program Advisory Council Membership

Anyone interested in serving on the council must complete an application. The Program Advisory Council has six (6) members selected from that common poll of applicants:
    - 1 person selected by programmers;
    - 1 person selected by the Community Advisory Board/Group (CAB/CAG);
    - 1 person selected by the MCPB board of directors;
    - the remaining three members will be selected by the above council members and the Program
    Director. Initially, the remaining three members will be selected by the Programming Policy
    Committee in keeping with the application and interview process outlined in Appendix 2 and 4.
    The initial as well as the ongoing selection of Program Advisory Council members will be guided
    by a "Matrix of Needs" (see Appendix 3) to assure diversity of council membership.

Programmers are welcome to serve as members of the Program Advisory Council, but no more than two programmers may serve on the council at any one time. A programmer is defined in the same manner as called for in the MCPB Bylaws for programmers running for board election:

Anyone who is a regularly scheduled program host, board operator or substitute program host, as determined by the program director, between July1 and December 31 of the year prior to the year in which the programmer would start their term in the council, or who will be in the first quarter (January 1 - March 31) of the following year.

In order to insure broad-based community representation, members of the MCPB board of directors and the CAB/CAG may not concurrently serve on the Program Advisory Council.

Programmers, CAB/CAG and the board will each select by ballot, by ranking their choice of the top four candidates. At least one of these has to be a non-programmer.

Members will serve a two-year term and may serve as many times as desired if selected, but with a mandatory one year off after two consecutive terms. In the event of any council member being unable to serve their full terms, the remaining council members may decide to select a replacement from existing applications or solicit new applications to fill the remainder of the term. (See appendix for initial terms and turnover).

Openings on the Program Advisory Council and invitations to apply will be announced widely to on the air (KZYX&Z), via Radio Waves, press releases, newspaper articles, on the KZYX&Z website and through personal recruitment.

                                            Page 3 of 9

In the event that the Program Advisory Council is meeting as the Community Advisory Board, programming members of the Program Advisory Council may not take part in Community Advisory Board meetings.

1.2  Guidelines for the Work of the Program Advisory Council

The Program Advisory Council will meet quarterly. The council will:

    - Seek out, invite and consider public input in advance of Program Advisory Council meetings.

    - Seek consensus whenever possible; Consensus is achieved when everyone on the team has
    had ample opportunity to have his or her ideas considered and can full support the team's
    decision. Consensus decisions mean that the entire team has come to agreement on a course of
    action, even if individuals have a different preference. If consensus cannot be reached, differing
    opinions will be documented in the written meeting notes of each council meeting. The Program
    Director will take all points of view into consideration.

    - Work within the framework of the MCPB Station Handbook and Strategic Plan.

    - Provide written recommendations to the Program Director following each meeting.

If the Program Director n conjunction with the General Manager and the Board of Directors agrees that the Program Advisory Council is no longer fulfilling its function, the Board of Directors may dissolve the council and either begin the process of forming a new one or devise new policies for program decisions.

In the context of the ongoing work of Program Advisory Council and Program Director, it is anticipated that the Board of Directors as a whole, or individual directors, will have no direct input or influence on programming decisions, unless disputes are brought to the board under the procedures outlined in the KZYX&Z Station Handbook.

Part 2: Programming Decisions

Programming is our most effective audience-building tool. The purpose of programming is to serve our listeners, our mission and the directives of our strategic plan:

Our goal is to entertain, inform and contribute to the enjoyment, enrichment and wellness of our diverse community. We provide programming as a platform for expressing our common humanity.

    Balanced Programming

    - We are dedicated to excellent programming that responds to the needs of our community as
    a compliment to other media
    - We pledge to be a responsible, responsive and inclusive medium for news information,
    music, performing arts, and entertainment

    We are committed to the finest in natinal, international and locally produced programs. We
    proved a forum for open dialog and diverse perspectives on issues of local interests.

Programming is an evolutionary process. KZYX&Z will continuously embrace creative change and be open to new programming that serves current listeners and attracts new ones.

This policy outlines the process for assessing current programming, for making programming changes and for providing feedback to our programmers and to our community.

                                            Page 4 of 9

2.1  Program Assessment

The Program Advisory Council works with the Program Director to assess all programming on a regular basis to further the goals of the MCPB Strategic Plan and to ensure compliance with the KZYX&Z Station Handbook.

The Program Advisory Council will define a list of criteria, questions, and standards used in the assessment process to:
    
    1. Recognize excellence in programming;
    
    2. Identify areas in need of improvement;

    3. Make recommendations for change.

2.2  Program Changes

It is recognized that programming on KZYX&Z needs to evolve over time in order to continue to meet the needs of our listeners and remain a vital and relevant resource for our community. These changes should be proactive and basd on increasing listener service as well as programming goals set forth in the strategic plan. This is true for individual programs and the program schedule as a whole.

The Program Director is responsible for programming decisions. The program Advisory Council advises the Program Director on these matters.

Program change can occur when any of the following occurs:

    - A program slot becomes available when a programmer leaves their program.
    - A recommendation is made through the assessment and discovery process.
    - Opportunities arise for special programming such as holidays or political events.
    - KZYX&Z management determines that a change is needed

The Program Director will publicly invite proposals for new local programming on a regular basis and when the need for a new program arises. The Program Director and the Program Advisory Council will review all proposals at the quarterly meeting. When a proposal is accepted, the person making the proposal will be referred to the appropriate staff for training and program development.

Proposals that are not accepted may be revised and resubmitted.

New programs added to the schedule will be reviewed by the Programming Council after 90 days or during the first Program Advisory Council meeting following the third program, whichever comes first.

                                            Page 5 of 9