WFIU Community Advisory Board Meeting
Indian University Radio & Television Center, Conference Room
April 7th, 2008
4 p.m.
Prepared by Josephine McRobbie
Present: David Bowden, Becky Cape, Carolyn Calloway-Thomas, Pam Davidson, Laura Ginger, Peter Jacobi, Nancy Krueger, Christina Kuzmych, Perry Metz, Lewis Ricci, Jefferson Shreve, Janis Starcs, Charlotte Zietlow.
Absent: Marty Donnelly, Nan McEntire, Michael McGregor, Leonard Newman, Gwyn Richards, Lynn Schwartzberg, Judy Witt.
Janis called the meeting to order. The Board approved the minutes from the previous meeting.
Introduction of new members:
• Lewis Ricci
• Laura Ginger
National and State:
NPR Reorganization
• NPR CEO Ken Stern was forced to resign in early March. Dennis Haarsager, chairman of the NPR board is now the interim CEO. He has experience in both radio and TV, and is considered to be a strong supporter of new technology initiatives.
Election Coverage
• The May primary and subsequent visits and news announcements by Democratic candidates have overwhelmed media outlets, and have put a damper on coverage of the gubernatorial races.
• Democratic candidates Jim Schellinger and Jill Long Thompson will each have a one hour live call-in show upcoming.
• IPBS will likely send Mary Ann Holland (?) to both national conventions to report.
Lilly Endowment Study
• Recommended expansion of state-wide news and more cooperation between stations. The Lilly Endowment Committee left the door open to the possibility of additional funding if stations initiate these recommendations.
Indiana Channel
• The Indiana Channel will hopefully launch in January 2009, and will be similar to CSPAN. There will be coverage of the House, Senate, and the State Supreme Court.
• However, there are problems getting House and Senate to agree.
• The channel would air unedited coverage, tape it, and then rerun at a later date
• TV would run on digital multicast channels, and radio would just use excerpts for newscasts, etc. There will be the potential to interconnect all 16 stations.
• Perry would like to see a direct to web program in which someone is taken through an art exhibit with a video camera, with the artist talking about their work. The videographer / interviewer will need to be trained. Lewis suggested a partnership with Indiana Arts Commission.
Operations and Programming:
Secondary Channel Launch
• Launch is scheduled for July 14. We are currently testing the second channel with the Beethoven Classical Network.
• Information is available on the website and in Directions in Sound.
• The second channel will be counter programming, not music on WFIU-1 and news and features on WFIU-2. Some programming will be reruns (such as Noon Edition, Profiles), some will be new (Talk of the Nation, Diane Rehm, and more).
• Directions in Sound will expand to accommodate schedule for WFIU-2, and a fund drive will have to be developed for the second channel.
WFIU / WTIU News Bureau
• WFIU and WTIU are planning to merge content for TV, radio, and Internet.
• The News Director and News Bureau Chief searches are near completion.
• Any new hires in news will have to be able to work in more than one media.
New Media Initiatives:
Herald-Times
• Will hear more from H-T. Adam Ragusea is building ties with the Herald-Times. We will use their every-day, non-feature story texts and transcripts for radio. Similar models are being built at other stations.
Podcasting
• The podcasts are performing well. Numbers are steady, and in some cases, rising.
• Kinsey Confidential is the most successful thus far. A possible monthly vodcast is in the works.
Website
• The new website launches in September
PRX
• The Public Radio Exchange subscriptions are turning into a small revenue generator, Night Lights in particular is performing well in this medium.
Outreach:
A Prairie Home Companion in Bloomington
• APHC was a success. The Auditorium was almost too small for ticket demand.
CPB marketing
• The CPB is launching an umbrella effort for TV and radio, with testimonials called “My Source.”
Major Gifts and Grants
• Nancy has secured a $5,000 Crystal DeHaan Grant for Harmonia. Grants for Harmonia as well as A Moment of Science are in the works.
• 500 gifts are currently being sent to long time donors.
UPCOMING MEETINGS:
• July 14
• November 10
Meeting Adjourned