Spokane Public Radio

Board of Directors Meeting June 20, 2012
Pacific Street Building, 5:35pm

In Attendance:

Christie Anderson, Scott Miller, Dave Walker, Marilyn Sabella, Curt Hagan, Brian Flick, Kathy Sackett, Helle Jorgenson, Jeff Fountain, Verne Windham, Kat Langenheim, Nancy Roth, Patrick Klausen,
Shelley Sharp, Neesha Schrom (notes)

1. Approve minutes from May meeting
Minutes from last meeting approved with one amendment: Helle’s absence was excused.

2. Finance committee
a. Monthly Report:
Through May (not including the Capital Campaign), operations is ahead by $26k.  Income is ahead by $10k.  Year-to-date positive income is coming from membership and special events.  Underwriting is down.  Also positive due to decrease in payroll and over-budgeting professional fees.  Currently project using $65k cash through the end of the fiscal year.  Previous projection was $110-120k, but NPR changed its fiscal year.

BeauSoliel netted $20k.  We received the CPB grant early, so we’re positive $33k ahead of schedule.  Programming fees are creating a positive variance due to accounting juggling (NPR, CPB, etc).  There will be an increase in insurance costs due to equipment upgrades.  Operations are relatively stable.  Kudos to the staff for keeping on top of everything.  We’re projecting a positive variance for membership.

b. Capital Campaign report
See handout for details.  US Bank and WA Trust grants in the works.  WA Trust is adding us to next year’s budget.  Bank of America’s request is in.  We’re reworking Sterling’s ask.  Cajer Neely is advocating on our behalf for Banner Bank.  Several local family foundation asks are in process.  We’ll hear back on the NEH in November or December.  We’re working on New Markets Tax Credits.  Bill Adamucci, a financial consultant from Seattle, contacted Kat yesterday.  She gave him the information and he projects our NMTC to be $1.6 Million.  The State of Washington grant is in.  We’re asking for $1.56 M, which is 20% of the eligible cost of the campaign.  Greg Bever and Gary Livingston will be advocating for us in Olympia.  The next step, if we’re selected, will be to attend interviews in Olympia at the end of July.  Red Lion expects a named gift opportunity at the $3-5k level.  Pam Scott is our contact, but we will also get in contact with Harry Sladich.

See outline and timetable handouts for detailed information.  At our current position, the campaign is stagnant.  We need more feet on the ground.  If you have contacts or can open a door, please talk to Kat.  We’d like to apply to the Allen Foundation, but we need an invitation.  They never fund less than $225k.  Murdoch and Kresge will want to wait until the final 70% of the campaign is needed.  We currently have $12k cash-in-hand toward the building payoff.  We need $65.

3. GM Search Committee
Thank you to the committee for all of their work.  We have two excellent final candidates.  We Skyped with four, but Skype is tricky.  Technology and positioning made a big difference.  We began with a list of questions for preinterviews then tried to ask different questions during the Skype sessions.  After the Skype sessions, the committee read feedback from those who attended the sessions.  Two candidates stood out: Mike Edwards, former head of Downtown Spokane Partnership, has a strong leadership background and a good grasp of the community.  Cary Boyce, interim GM in Indiana, has a strong radio background and lots of good problem solving and radio leadership.  The other two from the Skype interviews are being kept as alternates.  All applications are still open, should we need them.  Both selected candidates are well qualified.  Their references had very good things to say about them.  We will be inviting a lot of input from the community, with comment cards at each event.

Impressions:
Helle: We started with 19 candidates, then interviewed seven via phone.  It was then narrowed to four, now two remain.  One candidate will take two years to learn the community.  The other will take two years to learn radio.  These two were the unwavering choice of the committee—the cream of the crop.  The other two had a couple of issues.  One didn’t jive well with his former board and the other lacked the depth of experience of the others.  Mike entered the race late, but was a logical choice.  No women applied, despite extensive advertising.  We had a candidate from Pullman, but he lacked the experience we were looking for.

Curt:  We had very high quality candidates.  Some candidates talked too much on phone interviews.  Cary has a local connection—his wife is from Whidbey Island and his daughter lives in Seattle.  The committee was very flexible with a strong core at all meetings, despite vacations and schedules.  The committee taught him a lot.  Mary was a great taskmaster when needed.

Tom: The flexible group made a good committee with different leaders rising at different times.  Verne was a huge asset with his radio knowledge.

Shelley: Not as impressed with Cary as others.  He didn’t seem interested and hadn’t listened to the station.  He has university backing, so is not used to independent public radio stations.  Thanks to the committee for including staff in the process!

Nancy:  Enjoyed being part of the process very much.  She was impressed with both candidates and doesn’t see it as management skills vs. radio skills.  Both had strengths, and she enjoyed Cary’s program development emphasis as local programs will become more vital with radio becoming more accessible.

Kat: Enjoyed being part of the process as well.  Going into the process, Cary was her first choice.  Mike has incredible management experience, but his lack of radio experience is a concern.  Her concern with Cary was that he wanted to put the campaign on hold.

Kathy:  Skype was a surreal medium.  All candidates had interesting experience.  It will be interesting to meet the candidates in person.

Helle: Mike’s experience is with membership organizations, and he has worked with governing boards.

Curt: Those who manage companies are not those with experience on the ground level.  Cary has great fundraising experience and was both astute and realistic.  After the candidates signed nondisclosure agreements, they were sent our financials.

Dave: Kudos to all.  It will need to be clarified that the campaign is going and cannot be stopped.  The hope is that the chosen candidate will hit the ground running and help us get the job done.

Patrick:  Both candidates seemed very capable.  He was impressed with their skill sets.

There was concern that the candidates should stay separated when here.  They know that they’re both up for the job, so there’s no point in trying to keep them apart.  The schedule includes a lunch where business people from town will get to interact with both.  Tom will have them both give brief bios, and Kat will collect feedback from the 30 or so attendees.

After Friday, the search committee will make a choice to suggest to the BOD, with a recommendation ready by Saturday.

The board will vote Tuesday, June 26 at 5pm.

The best time to meet the candidates will be 9-11a.  This is the board’s time to interact with the candidates and ask their questions.  The board will meet at 8:30 to strategize.

4. Staff reports:
1. Live report: Marketing: In February, Scott requested a list of important PR projects.  The one we would like to see happen above all else is an Annual Report.  Nonprofits are not required to do them, but they can help in many ways.  It is a good medium to express accomplishments, raise staff morale, cultivate new partnerships, and acknowledge donors.  We can emphasize mission related accomplishments and tell a story on a personal level.  A couple of pages will include financials.  The idea is to put out our dirt, but surround it with niceness.  This also allows a President/GM to get a message to the donors.  It’s $500-$1k for 500 copies.  This will write the story of the organization.  The goal would be for a release right after the fiscal year.  Board input would be requested after a draft.  Please keep this project in mind when considering the budget.  PR is an important part of our strategic plan.  We need more public awareness and there are many other tools for this in the proposed budget (billboards, buss wraps, etc).  A few Meet the New GM events are in the works.  An event in Coeur d’Alene has been approved for August 14th at Roberta’s.  A plan and timeline are in place.

KOMQ was selected for an EEO Audit.  Linda gathered the info under the radar and behind the scenes, keeping everything under control.  Linda and a few other staff stayed late gathering info so that we could send Ernie a response ASAP.  We’re waiting for Ernie’s response now.

5. Point of personal privilege
This is Scott’s last meeting as Chair.  He passed the gavel (hammer) to Tom.  Thanks to Scott for negotiating the building during his tenure, and thanks for all of your hard work as Chair.

At 7:10pm, the BOD adjourned into executive session to discuss confidential employee matters. No votes were taken and no formal action was taken.