Our Minutes

April 18, 2006

Program Council met in session with former Engineering Director and GM Jim Bennett and a few misc staffers for a workshop to discuss the review and comprehension of KPFA's Arbitron reports.

Posted by: kpfapc at 14:44 | link | comments

April 11, 2006 APPROVED

Present: Luis, Sasha (for Aileen), Dev, Kris, Shahrahm, Anthony, Mary, Nick, Joe, Annie, Brian

Absent: Amelia, Lemlem, Sepideh

Facilitator: Tracy

I - Announcements/Agenda/Administrative

Approved 4-4 minutes with the following modification: Added the sentence: Also discussed the role of management vs. PC in looking at programs and making binding recommendations.

Discussed recent post to riseup.net list (old program council list-serv) and asked Brian and Mary to look into the elimination of the old list-serv w/the KPFA web master.

Confirmed that Marcia Kerwit has resigned her community rep position. The LSB will appoint the next person in line to complete the term through the end of June. Program council requests that the LSB try to do so at their next meeting on April 22nd. Program council drops from 15 to 14 voting members and two non-voting members (the program coordinator and the I-GM) and quroum remains at 8. One community rep position and the training position are unfilled. For the moment, the I-GM and the development position are being filled by the same person, Lemlem.

II - On-Going Programming

Mary, Nick and Joe volunteered to listen to Education Today over the next month in preparation for the contract end in June.

III - Special Programming

KPFA to cover April 23rd immigrant rights march/rally from Dolores Park. Tentative schedule is 1-4pm. Hosts unknown at this time. PA Department to update PC briefly at 4-18 meeting prior to Arbitron session at 7pm.

IV - Evaluations

'A Musical Offering" was approved for a year-long contract.

"The Johnny Otis Show" was approved for a year-long contract with a six month departmental check-in to assess progress on areas identified for improvement in the evaluations.

Music department to schedule check-ins for "The Big Thang" and "The Late Night Hype" in the next 4-6 weeks per the evaluations completed last fall.

PA Department to check in with Youth Radio about the self-evaluation form requested by the Program Council.

(....Program Council interrupted by visitor to request whether audio can be taken at the Wednesday 6pm funeral for the wife of Pedro Noguera with the idea of a segment on an upcoming PA show. PC agrees to try to assist with this after the meeting. After the meeting, a member of the unpaid staff agreed to attend the funeral and get some sound on tape).

V - Long-Term Issues

Discussed grid ecology worksheet and agreed to have program council members answer questions concerning listenership for discussion at April 25th program council meeting. Questions focus on perceived characteristics of subscribers, and of listeners who don't subscribe and on sources of audience growth and development. Goal is to work through issues of programming flow slowly by analyzing the issues thoroughly and seeing where there is agreement on basic principals to inform recommendations.

Adjourned @ 7:47pm

Posted by: kpfapc at 14:37 | link | comments

April 4, 2006 APPROVED

Present: Luis, Sasha (for Aileen), Dev, Lemlem, Anthony, Mary, Shahrahm, Joe, Sepideh, Annie, Marcia, Brian
Absent: Amelia, Kris, Nick
Facilitator: Tracy

I - Announcements/Agenda/Administrative

Approved 3/28 minutes without objection

Confirmed that April 18th Arbitron session is open to station staff on a space-available basis. Lemlem to coordinate.

II - Ongoing Programming

Unable to discuss scheduling re: Money as Tool due to abscence of PA Department. Watchdog still on waiting list for slot for 13 week run. Music Department retains 3 new programs and 1 schedule change on list. No updates.

Discussed Education Today and asked 3-4 program council members to make a point of listening to a few episodes between now and the contract expiration date in six weeks.

III - Special Programming

Tracy noted that she had received the special programming proposal for "Behind The Screens" - the youth cinema pilot from CSU-Monterey. Tracy to submit to programming department for processing as a one-time special.

IV - Evaluations

Luis reported that one cycle 5 music program was ready for review, but PC agreed to wait until April 11th, to process a few as a group. Saturday Talkies and Radio Chronicles also due from PA Department.

Discussed issues of jurisdiction re: daily/national public affairs shows. Issues about the ability of the existing PA structure to deliver feedback re: the evaluation process without departmental inclusion. Also discussed the role of management vs. PC in looking at programs and making binding recommendations. Tracy discussed hisory of evaluation process from work done by Asata Iman and Jim Bennett in 2002 and her understanding of how it was supposed to work during tenure as Program Coordinator at that time. Jurisdictional issues somewhat unresolved, due to missing personnel. Process to continue as planned - with perhaps a fuller management structure on the next go around.

Sunday Salon check-in rescheduled to 1st Sunday in May due to family issues and producer vacations.

V - Long-term Issues

Passed a revised attendance policy (V 5Y, 3N, 3A)

If a Program council member misses more than 1/3 of the meetings over a six month period, their consituency will be notified and can decide if a change is in order, or there are extenuating circumstances. If there is a second six month period of missing more than 1/3 od the meetings, then the effectiveness of the Program Council is being impacted over the long-term, the problem is not a short-term one, and the constituency will need to find someone else who is available to come to meetings.

This replaces the old policy:

Program Council members are expected to attend each meeting. Any member who misses three consecutive meetings (unexcused), they will not be allowed to return. Any member who misses five meetings (unexcused)  during a year period will not be allowed to return.
In either case, the contingency that member represented will be notified for a replacement.

Adjourned @ 8:15 pm

Posted by: kpfapc at 13:54 | link | comments

March 28, 2006 APPROVED

Present: Aileen, Luis, Amelia, Lemlem, Dev, Sasha (for Kris), Shahrahm, Anthony, Marcia, Brian, Annie, Joe, Sepideh
Excused: Nick, Mary
Facilitator: Tracy

 
I – Announcements/Agenda/ Administrative

 Approved 3/21 minutes with no objection

Confirmed schedule for Arbitron workshop on April 18^th from 8pm to 9pm. Aileen to confirm with Jim Bennett. Program council to start at 6:45pm on April 18^th.

 
II – Evaluations

Confirmed Sunday Salon check-in for Sunday, April 2^nd. (Later re-scheduled to the first Sunday in May due to scheduling issues).

The Morning Show approved for a one year contract. PA Department to discuss some concerns: re segment length and greater integration of news-driven items with lighter portions throughout the two hour length. Extensive discussion of morning schedule, show strengths and weaknesses, and ecology issues with AM drive time. Dispensed with rest of agenda in order to continue conversation.

Adjourned @8:20pm.

 

 

 

 

Posted by: kpfapc at 13:47 | link | comments

March 21, 2006 APPROVED

Present: Luis, Amelia, Sasha (for Kris), Aileen, Dev, Lemlem, Anthony, Shahrahm, Annie, Sepideh, Joe, Brian, Marcia
Excused: Nick, Mary
Facilitator: Tracy

I - Announcements/Agenda/Administrative

Approved  March 14th minutes without objections

Reviewed existing attendance policy and suggested modifications. Decided to keep existing policy for the moment and to revisit appropriate changes to the existing policy at a later date.

Lemlem announced spring fund drive dates of May 9-27 (possible extension to 5/30) with goal of $950,000

II - On-going Programming

Completed discussion of the Vinyl Time Machine proposal. The proposal was declined. Vote 1Y, 9N, 2A. Program council suggested to the music director that the host (who is a current on-air host at Berkeley Liberation Radio) could possibly be useful to the department as an occasional substitute host, perhaps in the overnight capacity, due to local availability.

Completed discussion of Auntie Ann's Cosmic Medicine Show. The proposal was declined. Vote 0Y, 8N, 4A.

III - Evaluations

Discussed status of evaluations of Morning Show, Saturday Morning Talkies and Radio Chronicles and Cycle 5 music series.

Reviewed schedule for Sunday Salon check-in. Amelia to implement, with assistance from Tracy.

IV - Special Programming

Amelia announced NSA hearings for Tuesday March 28th   6 am to noon (approx).

V - Long-Term Issues

Arbitrons - Aileen announced possible choices for an Arbitron workshop. Program Council decided Jim Bennett was the best of the available possibilities. Aileen to contact Jim and ask him if he would be willing to come in and do an Arbitron review with the Program Council sometime in April.

VI - Grid Ecology

Un-agendized discussion of grid ecology issues and methodology. Discussed old GE subcommittee from 2005, and advantages and disadvantages of waiting for the completion of the evaluation cycle vs. a vs. a parallel process. Program Council expressed some interest in trying a parallel process. Tracy to try to work on a tentative frame for how that parallel process might work.

Dev introduced a proposal for some exploration of pod casting a small number of non-broadcasted programs via the KPFA website. Some concerns expressed re: time allocations and financial impact.

Adjourned @ 8:22 pm

Posted by: kpfapc at 22:44 | link | comments