[Kzyxtalk] UDJ editor KC Meadows_coffee clatch

[King Collins]

Dear folks,

I joined editor KC Meadow at her coffee klatch this morning (7 AM!) at Schatt's. Sheridan Malone was there and a couple others. We talked at length about KZYX and the coming election. KC is certainly sympathetic to the reform candidates. I told her that O'Brien was running and that he was really up on nonprofit law and had won a couple of cases in  that area. 

Her view is that KZYX will eventually fail financially if it does not move to Ukiah. She noted that the salaried foksfolks in Philo, esp. Mary Aigner, want the Mother Ship, to stay in Philo no matter what. 

--king

P.S. I was exactly 10 years ago that I released "The Secret Life Of KZYX." So i told KC that I would put out a second undated version of the Secret Life. In some ways, we both noted, nothing has changed in the demeanor and the thinking of management and the majority party (the Centrists).  But there are a few updates and some changes in the direction of my own thinking about how change is coming to local media. --kc

* * * * 


On Jan 28, 2015, at 2:23 PM, Dennis OBrien wrote:

> We have just received word that the current board members who favor the status quo are having just as hard a time finding a candidate for the 2nd District seat as are those of us who are proposing change. With just two days to go, the seat is up for grabs.
> 
> ["Right now, no one is running for the Ukiah seat . . . Bob Page, one of the board members, told me he welcomes inquiries from anyone who might be interested.  He implied that your duties as a board member could be minimal if that is your preference. To be eligible, you need to reside in the 2nd supervisorial district (meaning that John McCowan is your elected supervisor) . . . So, if you appreciate KZYX, please do toss your hat in the ring. KZYX is an important community resource and we need to keep it moving forward. You can get more information on the website: www.kzyx.org or call the station at 895-2324. Stuart Campbell, the elections coordinator and current inland board members Bob Page, Ed Keller and Eliane Herring would be happy to talk to you and answer any questions you may have."]
> 
> If you live in the 2nd Supervisorial District (Ukiah area), and you can support the proposals for change copied below, please consider running for the KZYX board.  All of the information and materials needed can be found at the website kzyx.org.  But the application and 400-word statement must be submitted by Friday at 5:00pm.
> 
> Doug McKenty and I have already announced, for the At-large and 5th District seats, respectively.  We have agreed to support the proposals if elected.  There are four areas of change, three of which are principles: freedom of expression, open governance, and engagement with the members/public.  The fourth is a policy decision to decentralize power.  We hope there is a third person, now living in the 2nd District, who can help turn these proposals into reality.
> 
> Even if you are not a member at this moment, you can still join by Friday to be eligible to run for the board.  All you need to be is a listener who can work with others in the name of community public radio.
> 
> If you wish, please reply to Doug or me for more information, or call Doug at 707-353-0469.  But you don't have to.  We are not a slate or a faction, trying to control people.  We just believe that KZYX will never achieve its potential without essential changes.
> 
> Thank you very much for your time and attention.
> 
> Dennis O'Brien
> 
> 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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