WRFI Board Meeting Minutes — January 2021

WRFI Board Meeting Minutes — January 11, 2021, 6-8pm

 

Present:

Stephen Cope

Carlos Gutierrez

Joseph Haefeli

Joe Romano

Godfrey Simmons

Pamela Tan

Felix Teitelbaum

Chantal Thomas

John Young

 

Agenda:

Coup attempt, ongoing risks, coverage

Risks to journalists/media

Risk Trump could use EAS - response

Personnel

ND or Director of Content ?

When to do search?

VOTE: Hire Jimmy to manage headlines?

VOTE: Contract Celia to produce Which Way Forward

WINO update

VOTE: Apply for second round PPP

DISCUSS: Apply for SBA loan for WINO move?

Anti-racism workshops

News Reboot

 

Reviewed minutes from December 2020 Board Meeting

Coup attempt, ongoing risks, coverage + Risks to journalists/media

  • Possible to increase security in the station.
  • Press credentials for news team if they’re covering anything on the street?
  • Proactive call to the mayor/police: ask how we can help as well as head’s up about possibility of being targeted as a news source.
  • Felix can broadcast from home, if the station is compromised.

 

Risk Trump could use Emergency Alert System

  • “EAS Participants must transmit Presidential messages during national emergencies.”

 

Personnel

  • Michayla stepping down from news director role after 1/22.
  • On 1/25: new interim format, headed up by Felix and Peter
  • VOTE: Hire someone to manage headlines on interim (3 month) basis
    • Stephen called vote, Joseph seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
  • VOTE: Authorize hiring someone to produce Which Way Forward
    • Grant from Engaged Cornell to continue through spring 2021
    • Remaining grant funds: $1800
    • NO VOTE Needed, as grant funds are for this project.

 

VOTE: Apply for second round PPP (provided personnel changes will not be an issue)

  • Raised $67K in 2020 ($5K over last year)
  • Rule for 2nd round: show 25% increase in any given quarter in 2020 compared to 2019.
  • $13K from 1st round.
  • Bookkeeper has PPE reporting tool, making tracking straightforward.
  • Stephen called vote, Joseph seconded. Motion passes unanimously.
  • Second draw info 

Board Antiracism Sessions

  • Wed, Feb 3 @ 1 pm - 3 pm: What Does Antiracism Mean?
  • Mon, Feb 22 @ 5 pm - 7 pm: Understanding Racism at Work

 

WINO update

  • $250/month rent.
  • Contingent on passing structural engineering sign-off.
  • Will need space for two antennae array as well as points above and below the tower (about 30 feet).
  • Where on the tower? Need to set antennae in a particular way, increasing the load.
  • Window coming up for non-commercial educational licenses, suggest get authorization for modification before then.
  • Felix: will continue to follow up with Michael.
  • Eventually need someone local (Michael is in Oregon) to assist. Stick with Michael if he comes through soon.
  • Felix: We could cover Ithaca with two streams of content: talk and news
    • KUNC: do they have words of wisdom, as they went down this road.
    • Can a translator run two program streams. Maybe run both streams on both towers?
  • Apply for SBA loan for WINO move?

 

News Reboot

  • Felix asked the past 3 news directors to consider reformatting the show, but it was challenging for them to do this when the focus was producing weekday news.
  • Other stations: 1.5 minute local spot versus WRFI’s 10 minutes of local news daily (that takes 4 hours of writing/day + daily feature/interview
  • Plan for the interim
    • Two 2-minute newscasts (early morning, 3 pm, replays at 6)
    • No ½ hour evening program.
    • ½ hour magazine program on Fridays looking back on previous week.
    • Lowers the bar of entry for volunteers and increase quality of what we’re doing.
  • What is the purpose of the news? Training, engagement.
  • Felix’s notes from meetings with advisors
  • News Director could be a Director of Content instead.

 

Safety during COVID:

  • Key news team members are in-person.
  • Air filtration is running in the studios/office.
  • Vaccinations: WRFI employees in group 1c