WTVP Community Broadcasting Advisory Council

Minutes of the WTVP-TV Citizens Advisory Council - February 25th, 2009 at 4pm

Present: Adam Sloan, Sally Hanley, Steve Tarter, Charlotte Gettman, Cindy Kennedy, Chet Tomczyk, Linda Miller.

The meeting was called to order at 4:05 p.m. After a review of the October 21 minutes discussion began about what is different now that WTVP has weathered the financial crisis.

Chet reported on upcoming projects and the extensive financial review that the Board of Trustees is undertaking in preparation for the 2009-10 fiscal year. He also talked about the state of the Public Broadcasting System and how money will be tight in the coming months. He is working with APTS, the lobbying arm for stations, on efforts to identify new revenue streams.

The event uppermost in everyone’s mind was the recently completed digital transition. Several local stations joined together and manned a phone bank in the WTVP studios to answer viewer questions. All in all, there were fewer questions than anticipated and most dealt with antenna or converter box hook-up issues.

Linda talked about the new and improved WTVP Program Guide and asked for input from council members. So far everyone is accepting the new format, but some are missing the program descriptions for prime time programs.

Linda also thanked Council members profusely for doing a great job on Community Surveys. So far, no new information on how or whether the FCC will institute new reporting policies for stations.

The group then previewed Coming Home: Military Families Cope with Change, produced by Sesame Workshop and David Letterman’s production company Worldwide Pants. It tells the poignant story of how military families are coping when a family member comes back from the war with serious injuries.

The meeting was adjourned at 5:15 p.m.

[Back to CBAC Main Page]