Meeting Minutes

Winter 2004 - New Orleans, Louisiana

PUBLIC RADIO IN MID-AMERICA
MEMBERSHIP MEETING
Winter 2004 Conference
February 6, 2004
New Orleans Marriott
10:00 a.m.

Minutes

I. CALL TO ORDER 10:05 am

PRIMA President Patty Wente

II. ADDITIONS & APPROVAL OF AGENDA

III. SECRETARY'S REPORT:

PRIMA Secretary Cleve Callison. Minutes of September 26,2003 membership meeting distributed (previously distributed electronically on 9/29/03). Approved.

IV. TREASURER'S REPORT:

Cleve Callison for PRIMA Treasurer Dorie Vallillo. Balance in checking account 9/26/03: $18,673.38. Income $10,257.13. Expenses $11,480.64. Balance in checking account 2/1/04: $17,449.87. Does not include this conference’s expenses. Fall 03 conference losses were $3,485.09
Vanguard Money Market Account balance 12/31/03: $10,465.52
Approved.

V. PRESIDENT’S REPORT:

PRIMA President Patty Wente. Thanks to Greg Schnirring for planning a well-attended and well-received conference; thanks to John Batson for great work in assisting with hospitality, including a reception on 2/5/04 at the Ogden Museum.

VI. OLD BUSINESS:

None

VII. NEW BUSINESS:

A. Fall 04 meeting -- Cleveland likely site, no dates yet; members will be solicited for ideas

B. NPR Board update -- Tim Eby: currently discussing strategic plans; the Joan Kroc bequest of $200 million to NPR; D/I committee working on Content Depot; membership -- policy discussions; governance -- full slate of public members at last; nominations for managers will be sought

C. CPB Future Fund -- discussion: need to keep it focused on projects that will benefit system, in light of disappearance of TV Future Fund in 04; number of stations with budgets in the red raises concerns about keeping CSGs healthy

D. Digital conversion: what are stations’ timetables? -- split on dates; some will be applying for the February 27 CPB round, some will not

E. What is DEI doing with Kent Dove? Collaboration with stations on major giving? -- Doug Eichten, DEI: working on issues that will appear at Leadership Forum in May; Kent Dove will be able to do financial assessments for stations at reduced rates

F. U:SA - What can we do to get funded? Craig Beeby -- thanks PRIMA for long-term support; synergy teams will meet today (pm), also discussion of dues structures and formulas. CPB did not fund U:SA’s request for support. Will be working on ways to re-think and re-apply.

G. NPR/ Member Station Partnership Draft -- Tim Eby: good comments yesterday toward development of the concept; will be helpful as the language is further refined. Resolution from Jeff Stoll: for PRIMA Board to write a letter of support for the process. Approved.

H. May managers’ meeting agenda and topics -- May 10 and 11, followed by A-reps the afternoon of the 11th. Capitol Hill day training begins the evening of May 11th and will be May 12th. Focus on technology (web, HD radio, etc.) and fundraising opportunities

I. Need to honor some retiring PRIMA members (Steve Meuche, John Monick, perhaps others) at the Fall meeting

J. Steve Spencer no longer at WYSO; Anthony Dean no longer at WCBU

K. Anthony Hunt: consumer items seem to be moving toward the idea of time-shifting radio; we need to realize the pace of change

L. PRIMA web site: Dan Skinner. New design in place and should be launched soon. Presenters at this and other conferences will be encouraged to submit electronic versions of presentations for posting on the site

VIII. ADJOURN

Meeting adjourned at 10:42.

Respectfully submitted,

Cleve Callison
Secretary, Public Radio in Mid-America
February 9, 2004