Western States Public Radio (WSPR) President’s report on the PRLF and NPR Board Meeting in Washington (May 2005)
Report
To WSPR Members on
Public Radio Leadership Forum: PRLF used a different structure this year involving “workshops” on six different topics. Attendees chose two in which to participate and received feedback in group sessions on discussions from all six. Good conversations on new technologies, public radio economics and other topics. Session material is currently being posted on the DEI website http://www.deiworksite.org/. Attendance was good (level with last year’s Forum). Events at CPB “hung over” many conversations, however.
CPB’s Acting President, Ken Ferree, and Board Chair, Ken Tomlinson, both spoke. The issue of CPB’s “insulating role,” which was on the minds of many attendees, was not particularly a focus of their comments.
CPB: There has been a LOT of conversation going on behind the scenes (in addition the public speculation in the press) about events at CPB. The word out of CPB is seems to be “nothing much has really happened; what are you so upset about?” This is particularly the case regarding the ombudsmen. You may have seen the Salon.com story suggesting that the genesis of the ombudsmen came from Kathleen Cox rather than Ken Tomlinson. Another thread of the discussion, also in the blogs, is the suggestion that the pressure to create the ombudsmen function arose out of international, rather than domestic, political matters and was centered around NPR’s Middle East coverage (which has been a “hot button” issue for pro-Israeli interests).
NPR: The NPR Board met May 6-7, 2005 in Washington. As has been the Board’s evolving practice, increasing amounts of business is being transacted in Executive Session (a point about which I expressed reservation at the Board’s November, 2004 meeting). The NPR Board met following a busy week of Public Radio Leadership Forum/Capitol Hill Day activities and under the shadow of recent activities at CPB which have raised numerous concerns.
Highlights of the Board’s public sessions include:
Governance Committee Meeting:
● Discussion about new federal regulations regarding nonprofit boards. “Lots of noise” about this but no real impact upon NPR.
● Much discussion about NPR Board candidacy solicitation procedures. Judith Winston expressed concern over lack of diversity in candidates backgrounds. Others talked about ways of more closely involving stations (like having the Board meet in locations other than Washington). Board members are feeling like NPR Board is more isolated from stations than they find comfortable and this leads to lessened interest by potential candidates.
●Discussion about non-manager NPR Board members serving on Board Executive Committee and potential revision in NPR Bylaws dealing with this topic. Members expressed concern about the potential scope of authority of Executive Committee and its ability to make significant binding commitments. There was considerable feeling that only manager members should sit on Executive Committee for that reason (although there were minority views on that point). Referred to Legal Department for further consideration.
● Board is engaged in new Self Assessment of its effectiveness. Most of the discussion was held in Executive Session.
Distribution/Interconnection Committee:
● DI fees up 11% next year for the ContentDepot.
● Discussion about adequacy of “training” money for ContentDepot. WEOS had complained that training money was being reduced. NPR thinks training still exists but is being handled in other ways.
● ContentDepot is being delayed – at least until Fall. Equipment is slower to be deployed than had been anticipated and some software bugs are still being worked out.
Full Board Meeting:
● Noted that the Annual Membership meeting again lacked a quorum so business couldn’t be transacted.
● Read aloud a statement about recent events at CPB which WNIU’s Tim Emmons had read at the membership meeting and which was “adopted” by a “straw” voice vote at that meeting.
● Report on the use of particular “metrics” to measure NPR’s success/effectiveness of the elements of the NPR Strategic Plan.
● Kevin Klose expressed some concern over some recent events at CPB including the appointment of “dueling” ombudsmen. He also commented upon the value of the Public Radio Leadership Forum.
● New NPR Vice President of Communications, Andy Sporkin, was introduced.
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Announced that the NPR July Board meeting would be held in
● Dana Rehm reported on the Public Radio Leadership Forum as being successful but expressed concern over the PRLF/a-Reps structure. Thinks a-Reps meeting needs more time to accomplish its goals. Believes NPR needs structured meetings with member stations cross the country throughout the year. Thinks NPR’s role in PRLF would likely change in the future.
● Dana reported on the NPR Local News Initiative and the hope that it will “transform local news over the next few years.”
● Rob Gordon reported on Major Gifts Task Force and noted that apparently there had been some misunderstandings. Task Force meeting following week and will try to reframe communication. Lots of progress made over past year, however.
Submitted by,
Ron
Kramer
WSPR President