[Kzyxtalk] Engaging with the Members and the Public

[Dennis OBrien]

Engagingwith the Members and the Public Thereare several ways that the board and staff of MCPB/KZYX can increase theirengagement with the members and the public, all of which are beingunderutilized or not used at all. Thefirst is the Community Advisory Board. The CAB is required by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting as acondition for receiving a grant from them, currently the largest source offunding for the station.  The CAB must beindependent, geographically diverse, and hold enough meetings to give thepublic a realistic opportunity to provide input on the station’s programmingand operations. Althoughsome CAB members are very conscientious about their duties, the CAB itself hasnot met these minimum requirements.  Itscomposition is limited; one member has the same address as a board member, whichcasts a doubt on both independence and geographical diversity.  In the past two years, there has been onlyone meeting, and that one was telephonic, with many members shut out due totechnical difficulties.  And the surveythat the CAB was permitted to include with the ballots in last year’s electionwas flawed; a person had to say they disliked the station’s current policiesbefore being allowed to vote on preferences for change. Inspite of these limitations, the CAB submitted a formal recommendation to theboard of directors and station management for a second way they could increasetheir engagement, by participating in a regular call-in show that focused onthe station’s business, perhaps once per month. But after just one attempt, the recommendation has been ignored.  With the demise of Doug McKenty’s Open Linesshow, there is no longer an on-air vehicle for discussion of the organization’spolicies and procedures.  The station itself is being underused.
 Athird way to improve engagement is to institute a Programming Council.  In 2009, the board adopted a policy for aProgramming Advisory Council that consisted of the program director, programmerreps, and community reps that would help decide who and what gets on theair.  That policy was never implemented,resulting in all decisions being made by one person, the program director, subjectonly to the general manager.  AProgramming Council that has the final say on programming would help theprogramming reflect the diverse interests of the listening community, not justthose of one or two people.  Even ifthose one or two have the best interests of the people in mind, their decisionswill appear arbitrary and capricious if they do not engage. Afourth way to improve engagement is via the internet, including the use of anemail list.  Our membership letters askpeople to give us their email address so that they can be part of such alist.  Online donors are required toprovide one, a “mandatory field”.  Yetthere is still no way to send information to the members other that anexpensive direct mailing.  Many organizations,some much smaller than KZYX, use their email lists to send out periodicupdates, perhaps quarterly, to keep their members and the public informed ofrecent happenings and upcoming events. Of course, members would need to be able to opt out.  But choosing not to set up an email list forsuch communications – instant, widespread, and tree-free – is a waste of aresource. Therehave been other suggestions floated for increased engagement: a call-in commentline for those who prefer voice communications; more frequent board meetingswith greater public input; a newsletter, perhaps in conjunction with themembership email list.  If the boardmakes a policy decision to improve the organization’s engagement with themembers and the public, then it will be appropriate to direct management/staff toinstitute these specific changes.  Thatis not micro-managing; it is fulfillingthe duty of every director to give direction to the organization and monitor itsperformance.  I firmly believe that thelack of engagement with the community has caused many of the problems beingexperienced by the station, and that increasing engagement must be part of anysolution. Oneother point.  Increasing engagement doesnot only help the organization and the listening public.  It helps those who engage.  Remember those conscientious CAB members Imentioned?  They were at the last boardmeeting, full of knowledge, wisdom, and dedication, ready to help the stationfulfill its mission, to serve the people of Mendocino County with county-widepublic media.  We don’t just providefulfillment for our own staff and programmers. We provide it for everyone involved, and for each and every one of ourlisteners.  We are the stewards of theairwaves, and every moment is an opportunity to better the lives of ourlisteners.  But if we don’t engage withthe community, we will become what they fear, a small, insulated group thatonly promotes their own interests, not the peoples.  And that will be the death of public radio inMendocino County. DennisO’Brien
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