WFIU-WTIU Community Advisory Board Meeting
In the Kelley Dining Room, DeVault Alumni Center, and via Zoom
Thursday, November 7, 2024, 12:00 p.m.
Joan Curts calls the meeting to order at 12:00 p.m.
Welcome & Introductions
Roll Call
Attending: Michele Bergonzi, Tom Bunger, Joan Curts, Sally Gaskill, Nicole King, Cullen McCarty, Lynn Schwartzberg, Adrian Starnes, Judy Stewart, Nathan Watson. Staff: Laura Baich, John Bailey, Eric Bolstridge, Mary Ducette, Jay Kincaid, Amy O’Shaughnessy, Joan Padawan, Marianne Woodruff, Lisa Robbin Young, Eva Zogorski.
Absent: Sharon Sung Andrews, Pamela Davidson, Lauren Dexter-Burns.
Approval of August minutes
Leadership Transition
Jay Kincaid introduces himself as interim executive director of Radio-TV Services. He says he has been engaging in extensive employee listening sessions and focusing on boosting morale. He assures the CAB that core broadcast functions will be protected, that there will be more of an effort to make use of the TV studio, and that an announcement is forthcoming regarding Radio-TV’s prospective partnership with The Media School.
Engagement Update
Mary Ducette previews upcoming engagement events undertaken by the stations, including the remainder of the Conference on Aging, a Radio-TV Open House, a remote Noon Edition in Columbus, and a Just You & Me 40th anniversary event / live broadcast; and previews the calendar for the year ahead, including WFIU 75th-anniversary observances throughout 2025. John Bailey discusses possible short- and long-form on-air acknowledgments of the anniversary.
Audience Research Update
John Bailey offers an overview of the Jacobs Media Public Radio Tech Survey for 2024. Among the conclusions: in-car listening is back to pre-pandemic levels, but some core radio listeners are tuning in somewhat less due to news fatigue or due to other in-car options; the appetite for local news content remains strong; one in four are now time-shifting some of their listening; mobile is more important than ever, with fewer core listeners than ever tuning in on an FM receiver at home; on-air fundraising fatigue continues to drive tune-out.
2025 Meeting Dates
John Bailey proposes adhering to the quarterly first-Thursday schedule in all cases in 2025. The CAB agrees to meet on February 6, May 1, August 7, and November 6, at location(s) to be determined.
Other business
Lisa Robbin Young offers a preview of The Influencers, a “musical family tree” series slated to debut in January. John Bailey invites attendance at the Major Taylor posthumous Distinguished Hoosier Award ceremony, hosted by State Rep. Greg Porter, Tuesday, November 19, at 2 p.m. at the Statehouse Rotunda.
Adjourn
1:10 p.m.