Community Advisory Board Meeting
Tuesday, March 14, 2023, 12:00–1:30 PM
Yanke Family Research Park, 220 E Parkcenter Blvd, Boise ID 83706
Board Members in Attendance:
Andy Huang Autumn Kersey Britta Ernst Chris Bragg
Dennis Hall Jeremy Woodson* Julie Adams DeFord Leta Harris Neustaedter
Laura Bond Max Silverson* Rebecca DeLeon Kendall Shaber*
Shelley McEuen Susan Bechdel Terry Scraggins Todd Achilles
Tyson Chaplin Bill Vasconcellos*
Board Members Absent:
Mark Wheeler Fatuma Mnongerwa Elsje Taggart
Staff in Attendance:
*attending virtually
Tom Michael, General Manager Bethany Taylor, Membership Erik Jones, Programming
Kristin Jackson, Membership
Lacey Daley, Digital/News
Lauren Schilli, Major Gifts
Lew Holmes, Membership Valerie Smith, Business Office Julie Luchetta, News
Paul Stribling, Programming Troy Oppie, News
Visitor: Gary Apter
Call to Order: Julie called the meeting to order at 12:01 pm.
Sása Woodruff, News
Approval of Minutes: Julie asked for approval of the minutes of the meeting on January 10, with one amendment to correct a typo. Tyson made the motion to approve, with a second by Autumn; all members voted in favor.
Executive Committee: Julie spoke about the need for committee members to be respectful of staff and to have goals for each committee. She asked for committee purpose statements to be presented at the next meeting.
Governance Committee: In the previous CAB meeting, there was an approval of a change to the bylaws presented by the committee; Julie announced they don’t have any current business.
Fundraising Committee: Kendal indicated nothing new to report.
Advocacy Committee: Susan stated they had the first meeting of the year, putting together a mission statement. Bethany spoke about the Sun Valley film event with George Prentice. There is something every week for the next several weeks: Storyfort on 3/22 at 1:30 w/Julie Luchetta and Troy Oppie, Boise Contemporary Theater on 3/30 from 6-8 pm, and the Piatigorsky concert on 4/12.
Audience Experience Committee: Autumn said the committee met and was in the process of reviewing websites.
Nominating Committee: Doesn’t meet until later in the year.
Community Comment: The CAB discusses how public radio has impacted our daily lives. Leta asked why some music hosts don’t have live subs, which would allow for diversity and new voices. Dennis was at a fundraising lunch where many people had BSPR radio in common. Tyson spoke about the U of I Tribal law program. Sáša addressed Leta’s concerns about trying to train more fill-ins for the pipeline. Lacey brought up Troy’s move from sub to full-time. There was positive feedback about the addition of Julie’s role in Canyon County
BSPR Committee Report: Kristin sketched the activities of the diversity and equity group, since 2020. The volunteer group has helped to organize training, revising diversity statement, updating bios, and cheered the addition of bilingual reporters. In 2020 BSPR launched its We Are Idaho series and started its media club, while Idaho Matters began sample source tracking. We revised the onboarding process. In 2021 BSPR began a partnership with the Hispanic Cultural Center and connected with La Perrona in Twin Falls. They began research on source tracking for the newsroom. The committee welcomes all for participation.
Station Report: Tom told the group that NPR will be cutting 10% of its workforce in the weeks ahead, due to a budget shortfall. He shared the presentation he made in front of the Idaho Senate committee on education committee during the 2023 legislative session, when he was asked to present of public radio. The request and many of the subsequent questions came from Senators Tammy Nichols and Scott Herndon. Dr. Tromp indicated she appreciated our presentation. Later four senators voted to zero-out public funding for BSPR, but the motion lost 16 votes to 4.
With CPB funding on the national level, a new addition to the Appropriation Committee is Idaho Congressman Mike Simpson. Todd asked more about Congressional appropriations. Tom shared that Marta Ross of NPR live-streamed our testimony and commented on how some of these discussions are happening more at the state level. Julie believed we need to keep sharing the message of our mission to combat any misunderstandings.
Programming Report: Paul Stribling, prior to his retirement, gave a presentation about our latest Nielsen ratings and the importance of public radio in a community and the key role a CAB can plat.
Julie called the meeting to be adjourned at 1:25 pm, with a motion made by Dennis and a second by Susan.