[Kzyxtalk] Fwd: my two cents

[Doug McKenty]

Chuck,

Thanks for joining the discussion. I agree with all of the points that you make except the part where you imply that programming choices are part of a studio managers job and that the board "meddling" in programming would be an attempt to micro-manage the station. I whole heartedly agree that boards of non profits should not micro-manage, but there is a difference in the audio production business between a general manager and a producer. The board are the owners of the station and have every right to steer the stations "programming and operational philosophy."

As you say, the board should set policy. That policy includes deciding how programming is chosen and what types of programs are produced in the studio that they own. Board members are also obligated to abide by the mission statement of their operation which, in this case, gives "membership control" over the programming.  In the case of KZYX, past boards created a "programming advisory council" made up of a diversity of the membership in order to fulfill this vital role.  If elected, I would ask staff to abide by this policy, which is current, or advise the board to eliminate it through a vote at a public meeting. 

Giving the general manager carte blanch to make programming decisions is very rare at community radio stations. It does happen at public radio stations where the extent of the programming is NPR and classical music, but I have never heard of another community radio station that operates in this way.

Again, thanks for joining the discussion.  Always nice to hear new a new voice!  

Doug McKenty

Sent from my iPhone

> On Mar 4, 2015, at 10:48 AM, Chuck & Betty <fbmusic at mcn.org> wrote:
> 
> 
> 
> 
> -------- Forwarded Message --------
> Subject:	my two cents
> Date:	Sun, 01 Mar 2015 13:18:25 -0800
> From:	Chuck & Betty <fbmusic at mcn.org>
> To:	Kzyxtalk at lists.mcn.org
> 
> My name is Chuck Artigues, I have lived out on the coast about 20 years 
> and have been a supporting member of KZYX for about the last 10. This is 
> my first posting on the list serve and I'd just like to put in my two 
> cents, for what ever it is worth...
> 
> I have never paid much attention to the list serve until it was brought 
> to my attention by one of the candidates running for the board.  After 
> reading the postings for the month of February I am rather dismayed at 
> the petty bickering and personal attacks that seem to dominate the 
> discussions. Can't we do better?
> 
> But there are a few items that I think are worthy of discussion;
> 
> A very good question is; should there be ANY paid staff at KZYX? Which 
> positions should be paid and what should those salaries be? Another 
> question might be; what portion of the annual budget is healthy (for the 
> station) to spend on salaries?
> 
> I do agree that there should be a designated 'station engineer' and that 
> more of the stations resources should go to the physical plant that 
> keeps the station on the air. It kills me that there is all this 
> constant bickering over programs and programming yet the station is 
> constantly going off the air. What good is an excellent program if you 
> can't hear it?
> 
> Another good idea is to have a volunteer coordinator... perhaps one of 
> the board members could take on this responsibility.
> 
> In general I believe it is the job of the board of ANY non-profit to do 
> the following; 1) raise money 2) set policy 3) raise more money 4) 
> hire/fire management 5) raise even more money! Whenever I have seen the 
> board of a non-profit try to get involved in micro-managing the 
> operation of that endeavor, I have witnessed disaster and chaos. I think 
> the worst thing in the world would be if the board at KZYX began to 
> meddle or get involved with the programing!  Ugh!!
> 
> In general I think John Coats has done a pretty good job running the 
> station and the period under his leadership has been a time of stability 
> and steady growth. I especially give him credit for reducing the debt 
> load at the station and putting KZYX on a firm fiscal foundation.
> 
> I know it is difficult when 'management' doesn't see things your way. It 
> seems to me there ought to  be a way to have reasonable discussions 
> about important issues without all this crazy talk. If you really care 
> about the station, roll up your sleeves, get to work in a positive way; 
> don't try to blow it up! I am dismayed that anyone who claims to care 
> about the station would express glee at a poor fund drive or even worse 
> seek to sabotage the station as a way of bringing about the change they 
> desire.
> 
> Unfortunately I have a previous engagement Thursday evening and won't be 
> able to catch the candidates nite. I hope it is recorded and archived so 
> I can listen to it at a later time. Thank you to all the candidates that 
> strive to make KZYX even better than it already is.
> 
> Anyone can feel free to email or phone me up (I'm in the book) to 
> discuss this or any other issue. I know we are all pretty spread out but 
> maybe there could be a time and place for a face to face meeting to 
> discuss these issues. thanks for reading....
> 
> 
> 
> 
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