[Kzyxtalk] KZYX Campaign Update; Ukiah Meeting Tuesday Jan 27

[Doug McKenty]

Great work Dennis!  As the issues confronting KZYX become more serious, it has become imperative that we all as members of this community rally to ensure our only county wide radio station stays on the air. I want to reiterate Dennis' call out to all those in District 2 (Ukaih) to help find a candidate for the board who agrees with the need for change.  
Feel free to call me at 707-353-0469 if you have any ideas. 
Sent from my iPhone

> On Jan 24, 2015, at 11:13 AM, Dennis OBrien <dennisobrien at sharejerusalem.com> wrote:
> 
> Next Friday, January 30, is the deadline for becoming a candidate for the 2015 MCPB/KZYX board elections.  A person can still join by then and run, even though the deadline for joining and being eligible to vote was December 31.  Yes, it is possible for someone to be a candidate and not be able to vote for themselves!  The December 31 cutoff seems way too early, for no good reason.  I have met people who are only now becoming interested in the election and are dismayed that they won’t be able to vote.  Extending the time for becoming a member eligible to vote may be one of the things we need to change in order to make the organization responsive to the membership and the public.
>  
> [Note: Incorrect information re deadline was on the KZYX website.  We have alerted them to this error and they have fixed it.]
>  
> We are running an ad in tomorrow’s Ukiah Daily Journal for a candidate from the Second District (Ukiah area).  Some of us will be meeting at the Ukiah Brewing Company on Perkins Street on Tuesday, January 27, at 5:00pm.  Any potential candidate and anyone wishing to help with the campaign are welcome to attend.
>  
> We hope to send a mailer to every member eligible to vote before the election.  The postage alone will be over $1200, plus the cost of copying and envelopes.  We have already made a demand for access to the list, and the current board has said their contractor will do the mailing if we provide the stamped and sealed envelopes.  We are now haggling over what we can use for a return address – they don’t want “KZYX” anywhere on the envelope.
>  
> If anyone is able and willing to help with expenses – mailer, ads – please send a check to Doug McKenty at 5575 Cameron Rd, Elk, CA 95432.  We cannot afford to finance a mailer to all the members on our own.
>  
> Meanwhile, the intensity level is rising.  We have received a report that the FCC has determined that MCPB/KZYX violated EEOC (Equal Employment Opportunity Commission) hiring rules when they hired Jack Lambert.  One of our main proposals is to change the policy that gave the General Manager authority for all hiring and firing, instead returning that authority to the board.  Whenever power is concentrated in the hands of too few, there is a greater tendency to ignore rules that protect the people.  Decentralization of power is essential for good governance.
>  
> A summary of our current proposals is below.  Though they continue to evolve, they still focus on four areas.  Three are principles: freedom of expression, open governance, and engagement with the members/public.  The fourth is the policy decision to decentralize power.  Comments are welcome.
>  
> Thank you again for your interest and support.
> 
> 
> Summary of Current Proposals for Change at MCPB/KZYX
>  
>  
> “MCPB is a membership-based organization dedicated to serving the entire community of Mendocino County and contiguous counties. The primary purpose of MCPB is to engage in providing high-quality, independent, community and public radio and other media products and services.” - The Bylaws
>  
> There are four areas of change that will help MCPB/KZYX fulfill its mission:
>  
> Freedom of Expression:  No one will be disciplined for expressing their opinions on or off the air.  Legal restrictions concerning offensive language, endorsements during campaigns, and defamation of character will still apply.  There will be freedom of communication between and among the programmers, staff, management, directors, members, and the public.
>  
> Open Governance:  All policy decisions will be made by the Board of Directors.  Directors will have access to any and all information and documents.  The duty of each director to oversee and evaluate the operations of the organization will not be restricted.  Members will have access to all records unless confidentiality is required by law.  Written notice of the annual Membership Meeting will be sent to all members with their ballot.  Members will be allowed to put a Bylaw amendment on the annual ballot if they obtain the signatures of at least five percent (5%) of the membership on a petition in support of the proposed amendment.
>  
> Decentralized Power:  Final say on personnel matters will be with the Board of Directors, not the General Manager.  Final say on programming decisions will be with a Programming Council, not the Program Director.  (A Program Advisory Council was established by the Board in 2009 but never implemented; this one will be more than advisory.) The Council’s process will be open and responsive to the listening community.  The News Director/Department will be independent of both the Program Director and the General Manager.  The budget will be reprioritized, with programmers provided adequate resources to maximize their creativity.  Syndication of shows will be promoted, and the production rights of programmers will be guaranteed.
>  
> Engagement with Members/Public:  The General Manager, Program Director, News Director, and Station Engineer will attend all Board meetings.  The Board and Staff will respond to questions and comments as time permits.  The audio/video file of any meetings and/or outreach events will be posted on the website.  The Community Advisory Board will be reconstituted so that it is independent and reflects the diversity of the listening community, with regular meetings that are open to the public.  The Board and Staff will implement the recent CAB recommendation for having regular call-in shows as part of their commitment to engage with the members and the listening public.
>  
> All of these policy changes can be made by the Board of Directors.  However, any of them could also be submitted to the members for a vote as a bylaw amendment, which would bind future boards if adopted.
> 
> 
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