WBCR-LP 97.7FM, Great Barrington Community Radio

Minutes February 17, 2010

Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—February 17, 2010 at WBCR studio

Meeting convened at 6:12 pm

In attendance:  N. Ring, P. Rapp, F. Tolopko, J. Eddy
Absent: D. Barrett, Y. Skiba, P. Levine
Guests: B. Shalles

Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (1/20/2010) accepted unanimously
Public comments: None
Treasurer’s Report   Treasurer’s report accepted unanimously.
Committee reports
Facilities: B. Shalles: Handrails work will be completed, but at additional cost of $128. Additional funds approved unanimously. Minor flood in studio space due to drain blockage. Need full cleanup and periodic maintenance.
Membership: No report
Programming: N. Ring: New, “full” programming schedule in effect with many new, young programmers. Training proceeding well with a good contingent of trainers and well-prepared trainees. The programming committee has changed its meeting schedule to the 1st and 3rd Thursdays of the month/ Meetings are held at the studio.
Tech: N. Ring: Recent live broadcast outage was caused by a periodic generator test at the transmitter site (Fairview hospital). The old uninterruptible power supply did not properly function when the test was completed. The UPS will be replaced. The recent malfunction of the audio stream was to a local power failure/surge. The studio phone hybrid was rendered inoperative due to improper use. Now working. Recent problems with a summing device (capturing both channels for mono transmission) will be corrected with the purchase of a new device.
Fund Raising: P. Rapp: Andy Potter continuing preparations for the spring fund drive. The Strain concert netted $100 profit. The gospel show scheduled for February 27 was cancelled due to various conflicts. May be rescheduled sometime in April. Efforts continue to line up Amy Goodman and Alex Torrez (gala) for future fund raising events.
Finance: No report. 
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.

Tasks update and other agenda items

F. Tolopko will initiate discussions aimed at centralizing all WBCR-relevant data.
Plans for the disposition of the station’s music library were tabled until the next meeting.
P. Rapp announced the FCC’s tentative approval (subject to a 30-day appeal period) of WBCR’s request for full-power status. Full power translates to about 550 watts at a new frequency of 89.5. There is a 3-year window for accomplishing the transition. New call letters will be required. It was agreed to immediately disseminate the news to the WBCR community as well as to the community at large and the media. Additional funding will be required for both the transition and increased operating expenses. Meetings will be convened to set up a project plan as well as to discuss the financial implications and requirements with the membership.

Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:30 pm.

→ Posted by wtolopf on 03/25/2010 at 11:30 AM. Filed under "minutes".