[Kzyxtalk] Fw: Fwd: KZYX Article on Membership Meeting

Tue Jun 6 13:55:58 PDT 2017

----- Forwarded Message -----
 From: Sheila Dawn <sheila.dawn50 at yahoo.com>
 To: ava at pacific.net 
 Sent: Sunday, May 28, 2017 1:53 PM
 Subject: Fwd: KZYX Article on Membership Meeting

Bruce & Mark, 
Please email me if this first part goes through. The end of this part---reflects 36% of the vote not as is. 

-------- Original Message --------
Subject: KZYX Article on Membership Meeting
From: Sheila Dawn <sheila.dawn50 at yahoo.com>
To: sheila.dawn50 at yahoo.com
CC: 

                                                                 KZYX Members Meet & Greet
                                                                   by Sheila Dawn Tracy

      The annual membership meeting of the KZYX Board of Directors was held on May 1st in Philo. Of the forty or so people attending nearly half were station programmers. A large percentage of those remaining had some ties to the station whether it be as former Board members and programmers, Community Advisory Board members (CAB), incoming elected or soon to be appointed Board members.
      Directors Azzaro and Eubank were once again absent, risking the possibility of Board action to declare their seat vacant due to excessive absenteeism (three absences within a twelve month time frame) though this Bylaw has never been invoked
       Minutes from the March meeting were approved.
            General Manager's Report
       Jeffrey Parker was eager to begin the long delayed strategic planning process. Among the operational and financial goals cited were strengthening the broadcast infrastructure, improving local news gathering, embracing new technology for attracting new listeners and expansion of both the membership and financial donations. A reworking of the wording in the station's mission statement and the services provided to the community will be inclusive of member and listener input. The results of the CAB survey on the recent election ballot regarding programming needs that are both met and unmet are being studied.
       Membership-  The February pledge drive brought in 109 new members, 200 renewals and 112 returning lapsed memberships. Among the three categories, 20% to 35% chose to pay in monthly installments which benefits the station by providing a predictable cash flow. The next pledge drive is scheduled for June 3 -11. Volunteers are being sought to answer phones.
         Staff- Bookkeeper Dan McDonnell left in April to take advantage of an opportunity for a full time position.  Steve Winkle, a professional accountant, has been recruited to fill the vacuum.
        News Director, Sherri Quinn suffered a personal disaster as her home burned to the ground while working at the KZYX studio  on a series of stories titled Hearing from the Homeless. Despite her misfortune, Quinn will continue to head the  news operations go forward with plans for expanded coverage.
         Reporter Valerie Kim, currently on maternity leave, is gradually returning to work in the membership department .  She volunteered to host a panel discussion at Mendocino College for the new entrepreneurship program, Mendocino Works.
       Programming--Extensive reports on Mendocino County's cannabis transition to a regulatory framework have been contributed to the Community News by Jane Futcher, host of The Cannabis Hour. Cal Winslow just completed an eight part series on California perspectives called Where We Are Now. Ruthie King is now presenting the Farm and Garden Report and Hannah Bird is contributing reports for The Ecology Hour. Live audio coverage of the views of some of the participants in Fort Bragg's Earth Day March for Science were captured by Sherry Glaser and Tim Bray. Parker, switching to his former occupation as journalist worked with incoming Board member Ari Minson to cover  Earth Day celebrations in Hopland. Additionally, an in depth Earth Day interview in Spanish was conducted by Lorena Calvo- Evans, host of Alma Latina.
       Operations -A component of of the 91.5 transmitter, an exciter, failed on March 27th causing the air waves to go silent in Ukiah, Willits and Lake County for 27 hours. The back up part also failed necessitating an emergency run to Napa County for a loaner replacement until both parts are repaired.
       A fiberoptic  connection to the Philo studio provided by AT&T has potential to bring greater stability to the network that brings broadcasts from the Willits and Mendocino studios. The change will allow voice- over-internet telephone which is expected to enhance audio quality at lower cost.
       Partnerships- Three students from Mendocino College are currently involved in recording and broadcasting operations as well as website development and management.  Some episodes of Mendocino Works will air directly from the college using student engineers and , eventually, student producers and hosts. A similar collaboration involving broadcast journalism training is being explored that has the potential to broaden news coverage by developing student's skills in newsgathering , production and broadcasting processes.
        Treasurer's Report-Director Campbell reported that the line of credit had been paid in full in April with money from the second installment of the Corporations for Public Broadcasting (CPB) grant.
         The March balance sheet showed revenue of $7.4 k while total expenses amounted to$47.3k. Year to date (YTD) revenues totaled $392.6k while YTD expenses were $422k for a deficit of $29.4k, an imbalance that will be corrected with expected funds from the upcoming pledge drive . February's balance sheet , with donations from that month's pledge drive, showed a positive balance of $10.7k.;
          A public meeting of the Finance Committee will be held in June. Announcements of the date, time and location will be made on air and on the station website, KZYX.org.
        CAB Report - Director Middlebrook will replace former Director, Benj Thomas as the Board liaison to the CAB. Member Ellen Saxe announced that a June 7th public meeting will be held in Fort Bragg at which time the results of the CAB member survey will be discussed.    
       She stated that about one third of the ballots (approx. 210) responded to questions regarding met and unmet programming needs. Summarizing the results, she stated that many responded favorably to the existing programming format. A print out of individual comments showed strong support for expanded local news including coverage of local city council and supervisor's meetings.  The desire for more conservative programs was balanced by an equal call for more progressive news programming. A diverse spectrum of musical taste also was evident as some respondents desired more classical music while others said there was too much of that genre and asked for more diversity in the form of live music, urban dance, hip hop, blues, reggae and new folk programs. 
        Poor reception in various areas of the county was mentioned as was requests to bring back dropped programs and programmers including children's programming.
       Saxe stated there was a need for improved communication between the CAB and the public, requesting an on air call in CAB program. She hoped that the desire to recruit new members to the CAB would be supported and recognized as necessary to invigorate the current CAB with new ideas and energy.
       Matters from the Board-- The Bylaws and Policy Committee has plans to meet. The committee currently consists of GM, Parker and Directors Campbell and Middlebrook. No mention was made of including community volunteers on the committee though the meetings are open to the public and input is welcomed. The first undertaking will be redefining the station's mission statement.
         Outgoing Director Futcher stated that, together with Director Courtney, their most significant contribution was the successful orchestration of  KZYX's 25th Birthday celebration in 2015 which included performances by many talented programmers. She added that the contract with the new GM has not yet been signed. It will be finalized after a '360'  evaluation, which includes an assessment from staff, is completed. Parker is responsible for an evaluation of staff performance.
         In her final President's report,  Courtney acknowledged the contributions of all the programmers, asking each to stand to be recognized by name and by program.
         She commented that incumbent candidate, Hartley won her seat , "by a landslide" which was difficult to determine as the vote tallies of the three candidates were never announced either on air or by Middlebrook, the elections coordinator, despite an email request to the BOD for full disclosure of the election results at the membership meeting. Futcher and Courtney were praised for their commitment to the station and were presented with gifts for their endeavors.
        Election Results--The vote tallies for the At Large candidates were provided by programmer,  Gordon Black in the AVA letters section of April 26th. For the record, 707 votes were cast-- slightly less than one third of the current membership.
        Jenness Hartley----453 
        John Sakowicz-----171
        Robert Vaughn -----83
    The combined total of votes for the losing candidates 
eflects 36% of the vote.
      Induction of New Board Members-- Larry Minson, who ran unopposed for the District 3 seat (Willits) and At Large representative, Jenness Hartley were both officially seated for a three year term on the Board.                                                                 KZYX Members Meet & Greet
                                                                   by Sheila Dawn Tracy

      The annual membership meeting of the KZYX Board of Directors was held on May 1st in Philo. Of the forty or so people attending nearly half were station programmers. A large percentage of those remaining had some ties to the station whether it be as former Board members and programmers, Community Advisory Board members (CAB), incoming elected or soon to be appointed Board members.
      Directors Azzaro and Eubank were once again absent, risking the possibility of Board action to declare their seat vacant due to excessive absenteeism (three absences within a twelve month time frame) though this Bylaw has never been invoked
       Minutes from the March meeting were approved.
            General Manager's Report
       Jeffrey Parker was eager to begin the long delayed strategic planning process. Among the operational and financial goals cited were strengthening the broadcast infrastructure, improving local news gathering, embracing new technology for attracting new listeners and expansion of both the membership and financial donations. A reworking of the wording in the station's mission statement and the services provided to the community will be inclusive of member and listener input. The results of the CAB survey on the recent election ballot regarding programming needs that are both met and unmet are being studied.
       Membership-  The February pledge drive brought in 109 new members, 200 renewals and 112 returning lapsed memberships. Among the three categories, 20% to 35% chose to pay in monthly installments which benefits the station by providing a predictable cash flow. The next pledge drive is scheduled for June 3 -11. Volunteers are being sought to answer phones.
         Staff- Bookkeeper Dan McDonnell left in April to take advantage of an opportunity for a full time position.  Steve Winkle, a professional accountant, has been recruited to fill the vacuum.
        News Director, Sherri Quinn suffered a personal disaster as her home burned to the ground while working at the KZYX studio  on a series of stories titled Hearing from the Homeless. Despite her misfortune, Quinn will continue to head the  news operations go forward with plans for expanded coverage.
         Reporter Valerie Kim, currently on maternity leave, is gradually returning to work in the membership department .  She volunteered to host a panel discussion at Mendocino College for the new entrepreneurship program, Mendocino Works.
       Programming--Extensive reports on Mendocino County's cannabis transition to a regulatory framework have been contributed to the Community News by Jane Futcher, host of The Cannabis Hour. Cal Winslow just completed an eight part series on California perspectives called Where We Are Now. Ruthie King is now presenting the Farm and Garden Report and Hannah Bird is contributing reports for The Ecology Hour. Live audio coverage of the views of some of the participants in Fort Bragg's Earth Day March for Science were captured by Sherry Glaser and Tim Bray. Parker, switching to his former occupation as journalist worked with incoming Board member Ari Minson to cover  Earth Day celebrations in Hopland. Additionally, an in depth Earth Day interview in Spanish was conducted by Lorena Calvo- Evans, host of Alma Latina.
       Operations -A component of of the 91.5 transmitter, an exciter, failed on March 27th causing the air waves to go silent in Ukiah, Willits and Lake County for 27 hours. The back up part also failed necessitating an emergency run to Napa County for a loaner replacement until both parts are repaired.
       A fiberoptic  connection to the Philo studio provided by AT&T has potential to bring greater stability to the network that brings broadcasts from the Willits and Mendocino studios. The change will allow voice- over-internet telephone which is expected to enhance audio quality at lower cost.
       Partnerships- Three students from Mendocino College are currently involved in recording and broadcasting operations as well as website development and management.  Some episodes of Mendocino Works will air directly from the college using student engineers and , eventually, student producers and hosts. A similar collaboration involving broadcast journalism training is being explored that has the potential to broaden news coverage by developing student's skills in newsgathering , production and broadcasting processes.
        Treasurer's Report-Director Campbell reported that the line of credit had been paid in full in April with money from the second installment of the Corporations for Public Broadcasting (CPB) grant.
         The March balance sheet showed revenue of $7.4 k while total expenses amounted to$47.3k. Year to date (YTD) revenues totaled $392.6k while YTD expenses were $422k for a deficit of $29.4k, an imbalance that will be corrected with expected funds from the upcoming pledge drive . February's balance sheet , with donations from that month's pledge drive, showed a positive balance of $10.7k.;
          A public meeting of the Finance Committee will be held in June. Announcements of the date, time and location will be made on air and on the station website, KZYX.org.
        CAB Report - Director Middlebrook will replace former Director, Benj Thomas as the Board liaison to the CAB. Member Ellen Saxe announced that a June 7th public meeting will be held in Fort Bragg at which time the results of the CAB member survey will be discussed.    
       She stated that about one third of the ballots (approx. 210) responded to questions regarding met and unmet programming needs. Summarizing the results, she stated that many responded favorably to the existing programming format. A print out of individual comments showed strong support for expanded local news including coverage of local city council and supervisor's meetings.  The desire for more conservative programs was balanced by an equal call for more progressive news programming. A diverse spectrum of musical taste also was evident as some respondents desired more classical music while others said there was too much of that genre and asked for more diversity in the form of live music, urban dance, hip hop, blues, reggae and new folk programs. 
        Poor reception in various areas of the county was mentioned as was requests to bring back dropped programs and programmers including children's programming.
       Saxe stated there was a need for improved communication between the CAB and the public, requesting an on air call in CAB program. She hoped that the desire to recruit new members to the CAB would be supported and recognized as necessary to invigorate the current CAB with new ideas and energy.
       Matters from the Board-- The Bylaws and Policy Committee has plans to meet. The committee currently consists of GM, Parker and Directors Campbell and Middlebrook. No mention was made of including community volunteers on the committee though the meetings are open to the public and input is welcomed. The first undertaking will be redefining the station's mission statement.
         Outgoing Director Futcher stated that, together with Director Courtney, their most significant contribution was the successful orchestration of  KZYX's 25th Birthday celebration in 2015 which included performances by many talented programmers. She added that the contract with the new GM has not yet been signed. It will be finalized after a '360'  evaluation, which includes an assessment from staff, is completed. Parker is responsible for an evaluation of staff performance.
         In her final President's report,  Courtney acknowledged the contributions of all the programmers, asking each to stand to be recognized by name and by program.
         She commented that incumbent candidate, Hartley won her seat , "by a landslide" which was difficult to determine as the vote tallies of the three candidates were never announced either on air or by Middlebrook, the elections coordinator, despite an email request to the BOD for full disclosure of the election results at the membership meeting. Futcher and Courtney were praised for their commitment to the station and were presented with gifts for their endeavors.
        Election Results--The vote tallies for the At Large candidates were provided by programmer,  Gordon Black in the AVA letters section of April 26th. For the record, 707 votes were cast-- slightly less than one third of the current membership.
        Jenness Hartley----453 
        John Sakowicz-----171
        Robert Vaughn -----83
    The combined total of votes for the losing candidates 
eflects 36% of the vote.
      Induction of New Board Members-- Larry Minson, who ran unopposed for the District 3 seat (Willits) and At Large representative, Jenness Hartley were both officially seated for a three year term on the Board.

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