WBCR-LP 97.7FM, Great Barrington Community Radio
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Special Meeting—December 16, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:00 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, N. Ring, P. Rapp, Y. Skiba, F. Tolopko, P. Levine
Absent: None
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Public comments: None
Treasurer’s Report None
Committee reports
Facilities: Additional funds, as needed, were unanimously approved to complete entrance railing.
Membership: No report
Programming: No report
Tech: No report
Fund Raising: There will be follow-up on scheduling H. Zinn and A. Goodman for the speakers’ series. Andy Potter has volunteered to run the next fund drive, roughly scheduled for the April/May timeframe.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Based on the receipt of an official grant rejection letter from the Great Barrington Cultural Council and the Board’s view that procedures were violated by GBCC it was unanimously decided to appeal the rejection. P. Rapp’s draft appeal letter was approved for forwarding to the GBCC. The next meeting of the GBCC is scheduled for January 15, 2010 and plans are being formulated to have a WBCR presence at the meeting.
The next Board meeting was scheduled for January 20, 2010.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 6:45 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 01/22/2010 at 03:21 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—December 2, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:10 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, N. Ring, P. Rapp, Y. Skiba, F. Tolopko
Absent: P. Levine
Guests: K. Skelton
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (October, 2009) unanimously adopted.
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Current on all bills.
Checking balance: $15,632
Fund drive pledges: $19,693. $2565 still in arrears. Reminders will be generated.
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: Meeting space construction is in the process of being completed. $80 approved for track lighting. Hand rails ($500 already authorized) will be installed.
Membership: No report.
Programming: 23 new program applications have been received. Currently 10 one-on-one training sessions are proceeding and 6 orientation sessions. Discussing the ASCAP request for 3 days of sampling on-air music. Programming committee will handle but need plan for future requests. Minor violations (locking, signing in, etc.) continue. Andy Potter has agreed to handle PSAs—basket for same will be made available. Laura Chekow will monitor volunteer requirements.
Tech: Equipment is nearing end of useful life. Immediate need for battery backups. Backup drives have already been purchased. The studio iMac has a power supply failure and is being repaired. $1000 was unanimously approved for the purchase of headphones, power supply, backup batteries. Committee will develop equipment schedule.
Fund Raising: The “Yes Men” Mahaiwe event drew 342 attendees. The net for WBCR was approximately $2800. The partnership with BFFMA worked well. The Fund Raising committee is having difficulty in drawing new volunteers. Future events are being discussed, such as a 5-year anniversary gala in spring.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Karen Skelton reported on the rejection of WBCR’s request for a grant from the Great Barrington Cultural Council. Serious questions have been raised about procedure violations on the part of GBCC. Controversy over validity of our request for capital versus operating expenses. Our original request for operating expenses (community room) was initially approved and subsequently rejected. Further Board discussion when/if official rejection letter is received.
The next Board meeting was scheduled for January 20, 2010.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 8:17 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 01/21/2010 at 03:17 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—October 21, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:06 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, N. Ring, P. Rapp, Y. Skiba, F. Tolopko, P. Levine
Absent: None
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (September, 2009) unanimously adopted.
Public comments: None.
Appointment of Board member:
Yvonne Skiba was appointed a member of the Board by unanimous vote of the Board. Her membership expires in September, 2010.
Election of Board officers:
All by unanimous vote:
President, P. Rapp
Vice-President, D. Barrett
Secretary, F. Tolopko
Treasurer, Y. Skiba
Treasurer’s Report
Current on all bills.
Checking balance: $4756
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: No report.
Membership: No report.
Programming: (N. Ring). Programming Committee currently discussing and formulating guidelines vis-à-vis the “point system” for station policy infractions. Board backing and discretion was given to the Programming Committee to deal with space issues.
Tech: No report.
Fund Raising: No report.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
P. Levine was given approval to administer the email distribution list.
It was announced that the MCC (Mass Cultural Council) grant application was submitted ($4000).
Various procedural questions were discussed for the upcoming fund drive (money collection, credit card processing, separation of funds, disposition of any remaining books).
Final preparations (PR, VIP reception, BFFMA participation) for the upcoming Yes Men event at the Mahaiwe were discussed.
Based on discussion at the WBCR annual meeting a committee will be formed to discuss and enumerate the disposition of the station’s music library.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:10 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 11/25/2009 at 07:26 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—September 16, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:00 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, N. Ring, P. Rapp, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko, P. Levine
Absent: J. Holmes
Guests: Serene Mastrianni
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (August, 2009) unanimously adopted.
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report (via email)
Current on all bills. $1429 netted from the Wilco raffle. $1500 forwarded to the Mahaiwe theater for the upcoming lecture series.
Checking balance: $3218
Report unanimously accepted.
J. Holmes has announced her resignation as WBCR Treasurer.
Committee reports
Facilities: Completion of ramp railings in and around the studio was approved. This was needed as the final step in obtaining the certificate of occupancy from Great Barrington.
Membership: No report.
Programming: (D. White, via email). Programming Committee currently working on the new schedule, that will start October 1. P/C not opposed to sale of items from our media library but the committee does not feel that they have final say on this. Discussion of a communication “civility code” which would apply to all WBCR volunteers was tabled until the next Board meeting by unanimous resolution.
Tech: The recording logs were cleared out in order to prevent future computer performance problems.
Fund Raising: S. Mastrianni discussed the upcoming fund drive and the search for a chair/coordinator of same. Additional fund raising activities are being discussed and/or planned: bake sale, book sale, dine-around, business supporters, community supporters, and decals. Re-introduction of a periodic sustainer donation, via PayPal will be introduced if still available.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Annual meeting is scheduled for October 18th at the Mixed Company theater, above the WBCR studios. There are
Currently 3 vacancies on the Board but only Nick Ring will appear on the ballot (yes/no vote required).
P. Levine volunteered to moderate emails. D. Barrett volunteered to head a Board nominating committee.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:33 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 10/25/2009 at 07:21 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—
August 19, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:04 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett (via phone), J. Holmes, P. Rapp, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko, P. Levine
Absent: J. Eddy, N. Ring
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (July, 2009) unanimously adopted with minor corrections.
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Current on all bills. Still calculating the net profit from the raffle.
Checking balance: $4,873
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: Disposition of the music library was discussed. Will continue exploration with the Programming Committee. An email will be sent to all station personnel/volunteers reminding all of the necessity of properly engaging/disengaging the alarm system.
Membership: No report.
Programming: No report. A Board motion was approved to request the Programming Committee to provide background on the inclusion within the music automation system of some questionable recordings.
Tech: No report.
Fund Raising: The speakers series at the Mahaiwe has 2 definite dates: Howard Kunstler on September 20 and the Yes Men on November 11. There has been no response from Amy Goodman. Howard Zinn is still tentative for October. There was no update on plans for the upcoming fund drive. There was initial discussion of planning for a gala in the Spring, 2010 to celebrate the 5th on-air anniversary of WBCR.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: There are now three members on the standing committee, including board member P. Tierney.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Annual meeting is scheduled for October 4th.
P. Rapp to convene meeting with key station personnel to generate action plan to populate the standing committees.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:07 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 09/25/2009 at 11:23 AM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—July 15, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:15 pm
In attendance: J. Holmes, N. Ring, J. Eddy, P. Rapp, F. Tolopko
Absent: D. Barrett, P. Tierney, P. Levine
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (June, 2009) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Current on all bills.
Checking balance: $7,384
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: No major problems. Water/flooding problems have not recurred. Meeting has not yet taken place with lessor over studio noise issues affecting the upstairs performance space.
Membership: No report.
Programming: (A. Timpani, via earlier communication, N. Ring): Rishi relocating and leaving WBCR. She will be replace by Jim Martin as head of training effort. New program applications are due August 1; program reapplications due on September 1. Previous training cycle was completed on time (with a few runovers).
Tech: N. Ring: Megaseg (automation) problems continue with ad hoc fixes. No permanent solutions. Computers (3) have completed their useful lives and need replacing—at a cost of about $500 each. A motion was passed to allocate up to $500 to extend memory and hard disc space as an interim measure.
Fund Raising: The speakers series has not yet been finalized. There has been no response from Amy Goodman. Howard Zinn is tentative for October. Howard Kunstler is a possibility for September. Raffle is scheduled to be drawn at the end of July, on air.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: There has been no response to P. Rapp’s email requesting participation on the grievance committee.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Annual meeting is scheduled for October 4th.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:22 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 08/25/2009 at 07:49 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—
June 17, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:07 pm
In attendance: J. Holmes, P. Levine, P. Rapp, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko
Absent: N. Ring, J. Eddy, D. Barrett
Guests: B. Shalles, T. Lewis (all via phone)
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (April, 2009) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Current on all bills. $400 outstanding in alarm report costs. $1500 outstanding in fund drive pledges.
Checking balance: $12,000
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: B. Shalles (via phone) Investigating alarm trips and “disabled” message. Flooding problem has not reappeared even with the recent wet weather. Construction activity has ceased due to lack of funds. Still planning a meeting with our lessor concerning studio noise issues.
Membership: No report.
Programming: No report
Tech: No report.
Fund Raising: (T. Lewis) Todd is the interim chair of the fund raising committee. Fund raising events are being planned around the northeast appearances of the rock band Wilco.: raffle off tickets, band promotional material. Raffles will be sold at local public events as well as individual station supporters. A speaker series, at local venues, is being planned. The committee has a tentative commitment from the Mahaiwe theater in Great Barrington. Contact and booking of speakers is proceeding. Motion has proposed and unanimously approved: WBCR board approves the initial commitment and expenditure of $1000 per event for 4 events or $1500 for the first, and only, event if it is deemed necessary to terminate the series at that point.
Programming committee will be contacted to set the dates for the next fund drive.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Motion was proposed and accepted to create a permanent standing grievance committee.
P. Rapp will seek volunteers to create a pool of same.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:18 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 07/25/2009 at 11:19 AM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—May 20, 2009 at WBCR studio
No Board meeting due to lack of quorum.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 06/25/2009 at 03:52 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—
April 16, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:10 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, J. Holmes, P. Levine, P. Rapp, N. Ring, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko
Absent: None
Guests: S. Mastrianni, B. Shalles, A. Timpane (all via phone)
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (March, 2009) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Currently reconciling fund drive pledges and remittances. Task more difficult due to poor record keeping during this drive. Must address for future campaigns.
Checking balance: $6,700
Past and future annual financial reports are available (The IRS Form 990) at http://www.guidestar.org.
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: B. Shalles reported that the studio construction completion process is static primarily due to budgetary considerations. Bills incurred during the initial construction phase are currently being paid on an extended time basis. Budget needs to be developed to schedule remaining work. The occasional noise generated in our studios (live music broadcasts, eg) have become an issue with some of the other tenants in the Granary complex. A meeting with all concerned parties is being set up. There has been an increase in the number of burglar alarm trips—inappropriate activation/deactivation by the WBCR community—in the recent past. (WBCR is billed by Great Barrington when the police respond to such events.) Ben will inform the WBCR community about reducing and eliminating these incidents.
Membership: No report.
Programming: (A. Timpane): New programmer handbook in final draft form. Will primarily be distributed electronically. A few hardcopies will be printed. Programming Committee (PC) currently working on new schedule plus training. The (re)application process is being revisited in order to make it more reflective of the WBCR mission. PC volunteers are developing a new-programmer orientation process.
Tech: No report.
Fund Raising: (S. Mastrianni) WBCR will require a major fund-raising event to pay off old and new expenses in the period leading to the fall fund drive. Several events and venues were discussed, including A. Goodman, re-scheduling the H. Zinn lecture, and a Latin dance evening. Volunteers are examining these and other possibilities.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Messages have been transmitted but there has been no communication with the parties involved in the studio access incident during the spring fund drive. Issue has been tabled.
Text modification of Spring 2009 fund drive Thank You letter was proposed and accepted.
Pledge fulfillment letter for fund drive will be resurrected or newly composed.
Future WBCR Board meeting schedule details will continue to be posted on the website and will now also be forwarded via email to the WBCR community.
Request will be made for a volunteer to prepare for publication the latest version of WBCR’s bylaws.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:50 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 05/25/2009 at 11:14 AM. Filed under "minutes".
BCRA Board Meeting
March 19, 2009
Members in attendance: Paul Rapp, Phil Tierney, Dave Barrett, Judy Eddy, Nick Ring, Jessica Holmes
February Minutes:
Motion to accept as amended. unanimous.
Treasurer’s Report:
Money deposited from initial fund drive income. Payment schedule set up with plumber for remainder due on installation costs. Taxes due May 15.
Incident Report:
Bob Balogh filed an Incident report for events that occurred at the station on March 18. A visitor to the station was ultimately asked to leave the station and refused. Ultimately the police were called. Paul has contacted the parties involved.
Fundraising update:
Fund drive currently will not meet the $20,000 goal by the end of the week. Fundraising Committee has expressed interest in continuing through Sunday. Members of the Board will directly contact the Sunday programmers to prepare for the day-long fund drive extension. Two fund drives per year do not cover our annual costs; other forms of fund raising need to be explored/prepared. Board-initated grant funding committee co-chaired by Judy Eddy and Dave Barrett. Fundraising Committee will meet with the board at the April board meeting. Board unanimously voted to extend fund drive through Friday.
Tech Committee:
Music library is back in service. Small burps, but nothing out of the ordinary.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 04/26/2009 at 04:06 PM. Filed under "minutes".
BCRA Board Meeting
February 26, 2009
Members in Attendance: Paul Rapp, Phil Tierney, Peter Levine, Judy Eddy, Nick Ring
Guests: Jessica Holmes
January Minutes:
Motion to accept. unanimous.
Treasurer’s Report:
Motion to accept: unanimous.
Facilities Report:
Report via phone from chair Ben Shalles. CO will be completed and a new one issued to finish off minor elements of the pace. Discussion of resolving outstanding debts to contractors. Leak in office between stone wall and poured foundation. There have been several recent break-ins around town; programmers will be notified to ensure properly locking and alarming of the station.
Fundraising Committee:
Report via phone from chair Serene Mastrianni. March 13 is the house concert at Serene’s house with the Joint Chiefs. Half of the tickets are currently sold; the rest will be opened up to programmers as available. March 15 is the kickoff of the on-air fund drive which will run through March 21. March 15: book and bake sale at the station from 9am-1pm. March 16, 17, 18: “dine arounds”. Participating restaurants will be accepting cards (distributed at the station and around town as well as at the restaurants the week before) and pay us $5 per card collected. Pearls, SoCo, 20 Railroad, Bizen, Cafe Adam, Neighborhood Diner, Baba Louie’s are confirmed and waiting to hear from Napa, Siam Square, and Aroma. Instant $1 grocery store offering: Berkshire Co-op Market and GB Bagel confirmed, waiting to hear on Guido’s, March 21: Concert In The Flesh at Searle’s gym. Doors at 6, music at 8pm. $10. Alborro will be offering mexican food dinners for sale and doing sound and lights. $250 for S/L plus $1/ticket above 250 tickets sold. We will apply for a beer/wine license with the town. March 21, 1pm: Documentary about indigenous peoples and environmental sustainability will be shown at the Mixed Company space; no charge but donations accepted. March 22: World Water Day Festival with 3 films being shown with “Flow”, “The Whale Rider”, “Titanic”. Director of “Flow” will be on hand. Venue TBD.
Programming Committee:
Listener concern about commercial speech in describing a guest. PC found no violations, but recommended alternative sources for biographical material. Several reports of microphones left on and speech that went out on the air. Met with chair of fundraising committee to confirm fund drive dates. Programmer complained about her show time being changed in the new schedule. She brought her complaint to the programming committee. She was offered two time slots and chose to remain in the slot set for the new schedule. Paul Fischer, a new programmer, has chosen to withdraw from the schedule due to a complication in the airing of his first program. PC sent out an email to programmers about transitions between shows. Harold Schrager has been doing a terrific job coordinating the return of the AM show. Rishi has done fantastic work corralling the training of new programmers.
Tech Committee:
Committee plans on conducting more real-time meetings via skype.
Turntables: Lots of needle breakage. Peter Levine will coordinate development of turntable policy, training, and safety of the equipment.
Women and LPFM:
Prometheus Radio Project is collecting data on Women and LPFMs to present at the Women and Media conference (http://www.centerfornewwords.org/wam/).. Nick will coordinate the gathering of information and sharing it with Prometheus.
New Board Member:
Motion: Appoint Jessica Holmes to fill a vacancy on the board of directors. approved unanimously. She will transition into the Treasurer position previously held by Judy Eddy.
Next Board Meeting:
Next board meeting will be determined and posted as soon as possible.
Motion to adjourn at 8:17pm. approved unanimously.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 03/26/2009 at 04:10 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting—January 21, 2009 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:12 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, N. Ring, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko
Absent: P. Levine, P. Rapp
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (December, 2008) unanimously adopted
Annual meeting minutes (as transcribed by L. Dubester and edited by F. Tolopko) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurer’s Report
Checking balance: $7,103
Past and future annual financial reports are available (The IRS Form 990) at http://www.guidestar.org.
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: No report.
Membership: No report.
Programming: (A. Timpane, via phone): New program schedule has been developed and is effective February 1. There are 13 new shows; 4 shows not renewed. New programmer training is progressing in a timely manner due to the efforts of R. Connelly. The AM show will be in the new schedule. Programmer volunteer requirements/hours went much more smoothly in the past trimester. There is continuing discussion of the possible interchangeability of PSA requirements and program announcements.
Tech: (N. Ring). Meeting held on January 27. The stream was down, caused by non-payment of fees (vendor lack of notification). Investigating the cost of battery backups at antenna and studio sites. Getting more technical backup volunteers. Developing inventory of equipment: maintenance, retirement/replacement.
Fund Raising: No report.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: No report.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Thank you letters for the fall fund drive were produced and mailed in January.
Action items:
Update of by-laws on website.
Status of office computer for storage of WBCR documentation (member list, finances, etc.)
Future status reports requested from Fund Raising, Public Relations, Facilities, Membership committees.
Announcement of Board vacancies and requirements (Board meeting attendance, etc.) to be posted
Nominating ad-hoc committee formed—D. Barrett to chair.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:38 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 02/25/2009 at 04:13 PM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors Meeting December 17, 2008 at WBCR studio
Meeting convened at 6:10 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, P. Levine, P. Rapp, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko
Absent: N. Ring
Guests: None
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (November, 2008) unanimously adopted
Annual meeting minutes (as transcribed by L. Dubester and edited by F. Tolopko) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurerגs Report
Checking balance: $10,100
Gandalf Murphy concerts netted $1800
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: Per B. Shalles: Studio 2 (secondary studio) is up and running. Meeting room has been cleared of extraneous building equipment and materials and is currently usable. Work is continuing to complete the meeting space. Recent storm flooded the south side of the studio and was probably due to overtaxed holding tank and drain blockage. Lessor is being notified
Membership: No report.
Programming: (A. Timpane, via phone): The first cut of the programmer handbook has been produced. (Board discussed some of its contents with Ananda via phone.) Comments will be sought before final version is issued. Free Speech program has been disabled until scheduling problems (playing day(s) late) can be corrected. The morning time slot is being repopulated due to the efforts of a station volunteer. The current spring term (February through May) is currently being populated with 14 new shows and 4 double shows. Instructions for access to the Pacifica network will be forwarded to membership. Discussion of the grievance process: initiation of the process is with the individuals day captain. A peer review process (to help raise programming quality) is being discussed in the Committee.
Tech: No report.
Fund Raising: S. Mastrianni has announced that the next fund drive has been scheduled for the 3rd week in March, 2009.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report, but see discussion of process under Programming.
Public Relations: S. Forest announced the initiation of a programmer/program cross promotion process. The Board strongly supported the idea and the effort.
Tasks update and other agenda items
Production of additional green WBCR 97.7 lawn signs was unanimously approved. The membership will be notified when they are ready for pickup at the studio. A contribution to defray expenses will be solicited.
The 2009 budget was unanimously approved (part of the process in seeking grant funds). A corollary motion was unanimously passed which restricts expenditures of greater $100 without Board or Board designee approval.
Motion was unanimously adopted to accept K. SheltonҒs suggestion that a poster box, attached to the studio outside wall, be constructed and installed instead of the previous plan to erect building signage.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 8:15 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 02/03/2009 at 11:47 AM. Filed under "minutes".
Minutes
WBCR-LP FM
Board of Directors MeetingNovember 19, 2008 at Quaker Meetinghouse
Meeting convened at 6:10 pm
In attendance: D. Barrett, J. Eddy, P. Rapp, N. Ring, P. Tierney, F. Tolopko
Absent: P. Levine
Guests: B. Shalles, D. Alecson
Agenda adopted unanimously
Previous minutes (October, 2008) unanimously adopted
Public comments: None.
Treasurerגs Report
Checking balance: $3968
Unfulfilled fund drive pledges are being pursued
Report unanimously accepted.
Committee reports
Facilities: The uncompleted construction work at the new studio space continues to hamper use and scheduling of events. Cash flow and timing of work are the two main obstacles to completion. N. Ring will develop, and forward to B. Shalles, a written punch list of required work in order garner volunteers and to complete work in a piecemeal yet orderly fashion.
Membership: (J. Eddy) Idea of a December gathering/party is being investigated by L. Leonard.
Programming: (A. Timpane, via phone) Continuing studio lockup and alarm setting problems are being addressed. Expressed continued concern with scheduling of the next fund drive (2nd week in February, 2009). Democracy Now! air time has been moved back to 5 pm in an attempt to compensate for the technical problems being encountered with the Free Speech Radio broadcast. New programmer applications are due December 1; programmer reapplications are due January 5, 2009. The new email policy is being moved to the WBCR blog.
Tech: (N. Ring) The committee received computer equipment from Zen New Media. It is currently being adapted for use at the studio. A locking problem with automation, due to improper file permissions, has been corrected. Over modulation (distortion) on the stream broadcast is being addressed.
Fund Raising: S. Mastrianni has announced that the committee will meet on the 1st Thursday of every month at the studio. Initial focus will be on planning for the next fund drive. J. Bassis has taken the point on organizing a concert/fund raiser on December 7 at the Granary. Proceeds of 2 shows, 5 and 7:15 pm, featuring G. Murphys band, will benefit WBCR. $330 was raised for WBCR at the Halloween party at Club Helsinki.
Finance: No report.
Grievance: No report.
Public Relations: S. Forest announced that she has requested and received a commitment from the weekly Shoppers Guide to print 2 programs announcements every issue.
Tasks update and other agenda items
F. Tolopko, N. Ring and P. Rapp will handle establishing and publishing the current version of the WBCR corporate bylaws, a work in progress.
N. Ring will develop a job description for outside volunteers (usually through an agency) at WBCR.
Motion to adjourn was unanimously accepted at 7:45 pm.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 01/04/2009 at 11:33 AM. Filed under "minutes".
Berkshire Community Radio Alliance
Minutes of the 2008 Annual Meeting
September 14, 2008 Quaker Meeting House ֖ Great Barrington, MA
Jan Seward, President of the Board of Directors, welcomed the group to the Annual Meeting. She shared highlights of the year and thanked the Friends Meeting House for their gracious hospitality for the second year in a row.
Submission for full power license
Օ Won Davey award
Increased programming base
Օ Capital campaign has raised almost $30,000
First business supporter campaign (about 25 new business supporters from community)
Օ Recipients of a 3-year operation grant from Massachusetts Cultural Council
Moved to new studio on Rosseter Sreet
Jan recognized several members for their contributions: Board members (Phil Tierney, Nick Ring, Ben Shalles, Frank Tolopko, Judy Eddy and Paul Rapp). Also a few exemplary people (Phil Tierney for answering phone calls; for all he did for the move and his work resulted in a $10,000 donation). Also members Jim, Tim, Mike, Annie Shaw, Dan, (for work on music library); Karen and Larry Chernicoff for their graphics/publicity; Day Captains; Paul Rapp for his vision & enthusiasm/capital campaign; Ben for his work on the new studio (and his Board term expires today). Jan announced that she will be stepping down as Board member and Chair.
Reports from Officers:
Frank Ֆ Board Secretary and 911 Report Show Role of Secretary is communication within the Board and to the membership and he is working with that goal in mind.
Reports from Committees
PROGRAMMING: Ananda and (Deborah, Nick, Ben, Lucy and Dan); currently revising schedule for October ֖ January term; about 71 programs airing and looking to add 18 to fall schedule; generally lose a few shows each round in training process; about 62 programs (79 hours) are local and 9 are locally sponsored syndicated shows (about 10 hours weeky); about 90 programmers (some active; some fill in). This is down from last year (88 and 100 hours of programming each week). Recruiting from word of mouth and advertising has resulted in many more applications. We need a strong PR committee to do that and Larry Chernicoff֒s work was especially helpful. Youth programming continues to grow substantially. Continuing to work with Railroad Street Youth Project and looking to do more new non-English shows.
Past year policy changes: Volunteer hours have shifted to reapplication schedule to be more in synch; also applications/reapplications can be submitted on website. A major goal was to improve training and many programmers have stepped forward to help with this. Group has expanded including orientation to new studio and Ananda thanked those who helped. Part of WBCR mission is to help get people on air and provide information about studio without being overwhelming. They now have a quiz which is part of training to make sure people know policies and find out where to learn more. The Committee reviewed and clarified anonymity policy; Revamped PSA blog to allow programmers to share information about what is going on the various shows; help programmers increase quality of own show production and carried out self-evaluation in the spring (and received positive feedback on that). The goal is to be supportive.
Day-captains: Ananda commended the day captains for the past year (Deborah, Paul, Todd, Ananda, Ben, Nick, Scott) and announced the new Day Captain line up. Contact information will be sent out. The Programming Committee will take more responsibility for oversight of day captains, communications and support.
New Directions: The programming committee plans to conduct a major policy review dealing with programmers missing shows. They will distribute the draft policy for review before a decision is made. Ananda read the draft policy. The Committee is concerned about the relationship with listeners when there is disruption of regular schedule.
She thanked those who helped with training and also programmer data-base (Mary Ellen Barrett (for all her help with paperwork/filing); Rich and team for programming schedule and Jeremy (for last term).
She noted that assistance is needed for posting programming minutes and other documents to the website.
This years goals include reviewing and consolidating policies; conducting an educational workshop on self-promotion/commercial speech policies. About 9-10 programmers will participate. The Committee plans to produce a guide in November for programmer policies. They also noted that many programmer agreements are missing and they want to get that current.
Technical manual: Ben has a thorough but limited manual; other people at different times have posted things on the wiki which is accessible.
Q: What would be the schedule capacity for programmers? Ananda responded that there is open time from midnight to 6am and blocks of time every day which is currently covered by automation. She also noted that a handful or programmers are doing bi-weekly shows.
Ananda reminded programmers to log volunteer hours if they havenҒt done so.
FACILITIES COMMITTEE: Ben: WBCR began construction in Granary space last fall and the move has been the work of the committee and the MOVE HAPPENED! Station is not complete and committee will be working on finishing construction and maintaining physical organization. There now is space for station to pursue its mission ֖ conference room; hang-out; reception area; cubbies; studio 2; physical library for music. Priority is Studio 2 (should be up in next few weeks); then reception area; BoardsӔ to post messages and information. Also, need to finish the hallway leading up to rest of building; then the conference room which will handle most meeting needs. Eventually kitchen will be completed. He is committed to finishing station as funds allow. Ben thanked everyone for patience, understanding, good humor, help especially Steve (architect), Phil, Nick, Asa, Ananda ֖ for their support! Signage is needed and will eventually be installed.
Cleaning: Phil asked for help in cleaning (before, during or after show) and time could be logged as volunteer. Ben wants to organize other tasks that can hopefully be handled by a single person (equipment, other things). Music library (physical and digital) is part of Facilities Committee. Jeannie is in charge currently with Dan White (music director). He hopes to organize music and cds so that the really neat stuff can be more accessible to others (maybe in Studio A).
TECH: Nick Ring Last yearҒs priorities were to apply for full power and move the station. The Committee submitted a budget outline to the Board (but spent none of the funds) because the move needed the organizations capital. Other tech projects were put on hold during the year. Money was spent on move infrastructure (not computers or mics). There were no huge maintenance expenses this year. The Committee was looking at aging equipment from last year (computers) and will be looking at purchases as feasible. There are on-going issues w/ technology: The telephone has been more finicky after move and working to improve stability; networking to rectify things that go wrong (1 computer is sidelined Җ digital library). In the future they will work on networking infrastructure so that the computers and equipment are linked. The station will need to purchase equipment for Studio 2 as well as computers. The Committee will focus on expanded capabilities of conference room.
Acknowledgements: Christie (website!) and Asa; Asa and Ben on walking through all the requirements.
Q: What about Skype? Skype is available on PC1 in Studio A. Ananda reported that her experience in phone quality isnt good (phone to skype) Җ but skype to skype is good.
Trainers welcome.
Full Power: Last year at the annual meeting the station was encouraged to move forward with an application for a full power license. They contracted with a radio engineer for technical aspects of application and application was filed last October. Nick reported that 3 other organizations filed for same frequency in same area. Now there is a process to award license. FCC has preference points system and he believes that WBCR will be successful. If so WBCR will receive a construction permit. A decision may be made fairly soon. If so, WBCR will have 3 years to get on the air. There is lots to do technically and organizationally to make this work. WBCR would have a different frequency and need a new antenna; Need to move transmitter to new location from Fairview and need to revise studio to transmitter link; Need new equipment; Filed for PTFP grant and would apply for that again (with accompanying guidelines/timing, etc.). The station would go above 100 watts (filed for 550 watts) and transmission location at higher elevation increasing range which would go to NY state which would change audience makeup. The call letters would change and rebranding would be needed. Also the station cannot keep the low-power license and would have to make plans to transfer the license or let it go.
Q: Who were other organizations? WFCR; Home Improvement Ministries and another small ministry in the area.
Documentation: Training sessions go better with documentation. There are some documents on hand. Please let Nick know if you can help goal is to make documentation accessible.
FUNDRAISING: Judy Eddie ֖ She reported that WBCR lost $17,246 this year. The station has about $2,000 and owes about $8,000. Income for the year (annual meeting to annual meeting): Revenues of $24,585 for capital campaign; $33,385 for fund drive; $2,850 listener support; grants $1,250 in grants; $1,111 in CD sales; event sponsorship - $600 + $568.
Total revenue: $67,750
Expenses: $43,000 in construction plus $8,000 owed (materials costs were higher)
Rent: $18K (had to pay double rent for awhile)
Spent: $85K
Budget: The budget will need to be set. Committee heads will respond to email with their needs (workplan and costs). Then their requests/needs will go through a Board process for review and approval. Fiscal year is calendar year.
Q: what are on-going costs of new space? Old space was about $2K per month. The new costs are not quite established by significantly higher.
Need to look at grants (can only raise so much in community).
MEMBERSHIP: Luci Leonard. The Committee convened the first membership gathering in May and thanked Asa and Isu for their help. The Committee plans to have another event at end of year. The Membership Committee needs more members. The Committee meets on the third Thursday for 2 hours at the new studio. A goal is to have office hours at the Studio.
There will be an upcoming membership drive to acquire new members and retain old ones (live at the studio or tabling at the community). This will start up in November:
Volunteers are needed for office hours and tabling.
She is exploring diversity training ֖ for programmers as well as to bring people together (and make this available in 2009).
Volunteer hours. A new form will be available (what you did; when) for reapplications. The goal is to make this better organized and are looking for a Volunteer Coordinator to help with this task.
The Committee is looking for space for end of year gathering (potluck).
Ananda thanked Lucy and reminded the members that Lucy needs support. Lucy noted that South Berkshires has a strong retirement community that may be able to be tapped for time & skills (teaching, etc.)
PR AND MARKETING:
FUNDRAISING: Paul Rapp shared that the station took a hit about a year agoӔ when several large donors stopped giving due to objections to a show. The Programming Committee reviewed the show and determined that it wasnt so offensive and WBCR was committed to airing the show. He reported that after the successful October fundraiser an anonymous listener donated $5K and then contributed another $10K. This offset the loss of the 2 other contributors. The station was unable to do a fundraiser last May but held a a fundraiser in June that went well and was fun (fell short of the budgeted $20K). Now the station is a bit ғin the hole and awaiting the Mass Cultural Council grant information. Paul is revising the MCC application for bank foundations in the area and is optimistic about funding. The fall on-air fund drive will be held the 2nd week in October. WBCR needs a full-time fundraising committee. Please let Paul know if you are interested. Costs have almost doubled with move! Also need a PR department! Some people donԒt know of WBCR.
Jeannie: eventually live on-air broadcasts fundraising and parties
PR AND MARKETING: Jan Seward stated that this Committee is not currently functioning. This year the Board had 2 vacancies and this year it will have 3 vacancies. The Board has been operating from a strong vision perspective ֖ not just populating the Board but with strategic plan in place can make good decisions about who should be invited to increase depth, breadth and talent. She wants to see on-going Board development and strategic planning. This Board has been more of a working board and strategic thinking has taken a back seat this year.
The Members shared their appreciation for Jan and Bens service!
BOARD ELECTIONS:
Dave Barrett introduced himself. He became familiar of station when he came back to area and hosted Saxophone power hour. He loves the station and is a big supporter. His12-13 year old daughter started doing a show (Funky Cheeseshack) which he feels is a great opportunity. He brings years of non-profit experience to the Board including fundraising, strategic planning and board development.
Dave Barrett was elected to the Board of Directors. .
PACIFICA:
Jan explained the voting process. After the Annual meeting (discussion and vote), the Board Secretary will wait for the mailed absentee ballots. The votes will be tabulated only after receipt of the absentees ballots. Over the weekend of Friday 9/19, the votes will be tabulated and the membership will be informed of the result at the beginning of the following week. Decision will be made based on vote of membership.
The annual cost for affiliation is $240.
Nick Ring shared that this was intended to happen a long time ago Җ but didnt and now is being put forward to the membership for decision.
Pro Җ (Nick and Ananda) Programming Committee supports this for 2 reasons (Financial and increased capacity to serve members and programmers.) She outlined the reasons seeking approval to join Pacifica
Cost-effective to pay for Democracy Now (DN) and Free Speech Radio News (FSRN)
o Currently pay for DN ($280/year)
o FSRN: The station doesnՒt currently pay and broadcasts the show a day later (couldnt air show, in good conscience on the same day)
o Crises at FSRN (they get funding from Pacifica which is being cut back) Җ collective of people around the world producing local news which becomes the edited newscast. Not comfortable airing a day late and also feels that this isnt as ethical as the station should be, ғpirating something that shouldnt be piratedҔ. FSRN is a sister in mission. If we want to meet listeners needs, is this a good way to do it? Can we consider affiliation in that sense.
Can share programming nationally (a minor benefit not a primary purpose). The reality is that the stationՒs priority and philosophy of programming committee is to air locally produced shows.
o Any programming of another affiliate station can be incorporated into a local program and what we do can be uploaded to other Pacifica members and WBCR would be recognized as a source
o Also live coverage of congressional hearings and other events
֕ Provides access to legal services would help on the issues of free speech and community radio; also access to archives for programmers
֕ Good tool for programming committee to meet mission that reflect global community and other underrepresented voices in the world community
How does that affect our independence and identity? Ananda concluded that it is less us becoming part of Pacifica, but more becoming a member of an organization with services. It doesnՒt preclude joining other organizations with other services.
She suggested if people are worried about doing this, could we consider doing this for 1 year and then evaluating?
Օ Autonomy: Nick doesnt think this would affect our autonomy. There are no governing documents or other governance that would be changed; no reporting required; not required to air anything; all decisions remain local Җ not subjecting to any outside authority. If there is a perceptual issue, we can decide whether or not we share this. There is no requirement to promote or not promote that affiliation. He responded to the concern that it would cause people to be hesitant about putting forward programming not in keeping with Pacificas mission and noted that WBCR has never turned away any programming for ideology Җ and he doesnt see that changing in anyway.
CON (Chris and Asa (who helped draft statement) Җ
This is a substantial identify issue and we wouldnՒt be discussing this at a membership meeting if it werent a significant issue.
ҕ This makes WBCR less independent; it is an affiliation not subscription for services. Pacifica is clear about this ֖ WBCR would be an ally of Pacifica.
They are global organization and this would make us less local
Օ Impact our neutrality (Pacifica has clear point of view). They are overtly LIKE MINDED IN SHARING VALUESӔ. They have a have point of view and certain values and an expectation that we share those values
We would lose our neutrality. He shared the example of a program that had significant complaints but WBCR maintained content neutrality even at financial sacrifice Ֆ and that has been guarded very closely
Currently no desire to change programming Ֆ but this lowers bar and it would be easy for a different programming committee to fill empty slots with this content (paid for and affiliate) easier to take on additional content (may be good or bad)
֕ Who we are where we have been
Q: Can you provide examples of how stations have lost identity because of affiliation? (Chris wasn֒t sure)
Q: Is War News Radio part of it? No probably being pirated right now.
Q: Is programming automatically available? Who will choose? Creator would decide
Q: what is arrangement with DN? Alice: It was 1 year free and then WBCR pays directly to DN; with the agreement it would pay to Pacifica
Q: What is cost of FSRN if purchased? Nick ֖ formed in 2000 and distribute through Pacifica and subscribe through Pacifica
Q: What are the values? Alice: Truth about what is going onӔ; When WBCR was jumpstarted it happened with Amy Goodman and her fundraiser and existence of WBCR is due to part to airing of other political news. She doesn֒t like the idea that we are pirating programs that we should be paying for;
Q: Jeannie Programming ֖ what would be effect (content neutrality)?
Ananda: station policy is that there has to be someone local who sponsors a show and makes that request and reapplication. Any show syndicated or non-syndicated ֖ needs continued involvement. This would not change. Programming committee would not fill out schedule as they are not allowed to. One time programming is slightly different and the programming committee can do that occasionally.
Content neutrality: The programming Committee evaluates applications based on 11 different aspects of mission (helps when people are competing for same time slot) but does not act as an editorial board (not determining interests of listeners or accuracy of content)
Stephanie: Good arguments for both ֖ especially preserving local identity seems precious (maybe anonymous person did that because we are unique); however if we go to global format, people could hear from around the world. The Pacfica website is wildly not neutral.
Q: Is Chris opposed to trying it and agreeing not to air any other programs from them except the ones we already have? Would you be opposed to that?
Chris responded that he is presenting a point of view not negotiating among members. He believes this lowers the bar significantly we should decide!
Unidentified member: This is a charged issue ֖ not sure he agrees that we should pay for programs even DN. Would prefer to have high school kids go on-line and give news. If Pacifica is funding creation of content, can he choose to give it to Pacifica instead of giving to WBCR?
Nick: Most stations that put up content (affiliated) ֖ this is free to other stations. Some of those stations pay staff. For example, FSRN pays $180 per report so if you produce a report you would be paid $180.
The ethics and legality of broadcasting material from FSRN was discussed. It is available for free on website the day after. We take it from their website and that is common.
Frank: We pay for DN because people want it and that was basis for their support. We are sensitive to listening public and membership (e.g. when we changed schedule for DN there was an uproar and WBCR responded). Within 6 months to 1 year if not working out, the Board would be responsive to that!
Dan: We could put this back on the agenda for next year
Ananda said that she didn֒t join the organization as a programmer. She feels that this is an important part of the mission - getting people to produce media, and as an organization we do that part well. The mission is not only getting people on the air but also serve community
Steve: What is neutral? Not shying away from controversy ֖ neutral shouldnt be used against someone trying to ғtell the truth.
Jeremy: This affiliation offers specific tangible benefits to WBCR. The arguments of those opposed are vague and ideological in his view. ԓpeople want to protect their baby:. There is a difference between local and provincial; independent and insular. He believes it is positive to allow programming to reach others;
Unidentified member: How would autonomy be affected? People know what Pacific represents (this is a specific political point of view)
Per Chris, Jeremys comments are accurate; his perspective is ideological and he does not want to affiliate with any large media organization.
Unidentified member: What could be the impact on the on local programming?
Chris: Could this become a larger footprint in schedule? Hard to find other points of view? Would a conservative viewpoint want to participate? Issues of affiliations tend to map and you donҒt always know where.
Alice: Mission of WBCR is diversity if someone wants to sponsor a show this would address diversity and, in turn, and maybe someone from that community would come forward and produce own show. We wouldn֒t put syndicated show over local voices. Lots of diversity.
Unidentified member: It is a non-exclusive agreement
Jan thanks everyone sharing their opinions. Voting proceeded by secret ballot
Motion to adjourn ֖ (Alan/2nd Jeanie) VOTED unanimously.
→ Posted by wtolopf on 01/04/2009 at 11:30 AM. Filed under "minutes".
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