KGNU Board Meeting
February 15, 2006
Present: Staff: Sam Fuqua, Faye Lamb
Listener Members: Mike Dray, Clover
Board: David Kane, Marge Taniwaki, Kit Hollingshead, Janaki LeFils, Michael Shuster, Chip Grandits, Steven Sherman-Boemker
Agenda approval: Public participant input added after approval of minutes. Approved
Approval of January Minutes: Approved. Kit moved, Chip seconded the minutes.
Public Participation:
Michael Dray spoke about Bob McFarland’s recent shows about 9-11, and the recent ruling that he needs to pre-produce his show. He’s been on the air for so many years, and Michael asks that the request for Robert be show-specific. He sees it as censorship. He’s asking KGNU to take on the issue of exposing who did 9-11.
Sam said that he had written a letter to Bob. At no time did he ask Bob to stop talking about 9-11. Since Bob’s done about 10 shows on 9-11, Sam encouraged him to bring people on and have a vigorous debate, and asking critical questions. Sam says Bob hasn’t done that. Sam has had this conversation with Bob over the last 4 years, and Bob hasn’t done it. At no time did he say Bob can’t talk about 9-11.
Michael said that many shows on KGNU do not critically question their guests. Sam said that the number of shows and the number of times Sam has asked Bob to get critical questions led Sam to ask him again to prerecord.
Sam said assured Michael that the topic of 9-11 will be covered again on the station.
Michael is willing to help.
Station Manager’s Report:
Marcos Martinez has been meeting with members of the KDAC as well as attending other committee meetings. He is also meeting with other Latino contacts he knows. Marcos wants us to present at La Raza youth event. He’s taking the production training because he’ll be the staff person there most often even though that’s not his main job. He will present his diversity presentation at 11:30 Tuesday, Feb. 21 after the Staff meeting. Board is invited.
Pledge drive Mar 31 to April 8. Staff is gearing up for it.
Program Guide is in production, and the team is in place. Ad sales will happen again. Karen Foley can coordinate this with help from volunteers.
Marty will come back Monday, Mar. 20. She is concerned about jumping back into it. Question – Marty is paid while on medical leave, and Joel is paid. Marty wants some overlap and Joel can stay on til end of March. Sam will go on vacation for a couple of days during that. Additional cost is two weeks salary for somebody. Gross staff salary is about $1500/wk so it’s an additional about $2000. Marty is cc’ed on all staff emails, and is up to date on major issues. Chip said it is a management decision, and the Board agreed.
Budget Committee
Budget Committee discussion of loan restructurings and payback options. (See attached Budget Committee Report.)
Comment: Lender F’s loan payment is not the only one to come due in a year, and there is a $75,000 payment due on Jan. 1, 2007, tho the others are interest. If we took the $150,000 from the cash reserves, Mike Massa said it would stretch us too much.
Refer to “Options” in Report –
Option B is to get a Line of Credit at the Bank of Denver. It would appear to need approval from the community since it is different than we said.
Faye favors the last option.
Perhaps Lender F would be a promissory note signer.
Discussion: We might want to gratefully decline Lender F’s offer of the loan, so that we wouldn’t have the pressure of raising $150,000 plus $75,000 in a year.
Effect of taking loan with Bank of Denver : Legal fees of around $4000, $2000 in origination fees, and the difference in interest is $3200 – a little higher. So we’re still significantly to the positive, with the saving of the interest to Neidig. There still is a $200,000 encumbrance on the building, with still $14,500 in interest. Interest rate could adjust in two years, so our hope would be to pay it off in less than that time.
Kit: motion – Decline loan with Lender F, return his money immediately, and pay down the Bank Of Denver Loan as rapidly as possible. Seconded by David. Approved unanimously.
KGNU Denver Advisory Committee
Denver Advisory Committee Purpose Statement (See attached). Kit will contact Andy Bardwell, and say if they approve it with the Board’s amendments. Kip moved to approve as amended, Chip seconded. Approved unanimously.
DAC request for budget for Denver studio space
We’ve not had the money to equip the studio there. Sam and Faye sent in a grant request for $44,000, a PTFP grant and we won’t know til October. We will provide $22,000 and PTFB $22,000, towards the total budget of $44,000. However, we can’t wait til October to equip the studio. Sam wants to equip it at least minimally as soon as possible. Marty thought last year that we could afford $5000, plus we’ve had donations, so there is at least $7400 to do it. Wendy has said she will fundraise for it. A fundraising event could be happening in Denver for it. Sam feels good about getting the PTFP grant. He wants direction from the Board as to how much to proceed. How much is a barebones budget to equip it. Sam thinks $17,400 could do it. So another $10,000 from the KGNU budget would be asked for now, and with the hope of fundraising. To start, it would be a production, not a broadcast, studio.
Marge suggested that we solicit for used broadcasting equipment. We don’t want to take just anything. We need specific equipment that is simple, compared to what is out there. Sam will check with Mike Pappas about that.
What we could do is proceed with building the wall and ceiling and procure with basic equipment. The space is free and other space is available plus an option for office space for Marcos.
Sam wants to tell Michael Bradshaw to proceed with the carpentry on the room, (his bid is $4100) and ask him for a payment schedule. The decision for the money on this will go to the Budget Committee.
AGENDA item: Further discussion
NEXT BOARD MEETING IS IN DENVER
Community Shares/Patriot Act requirement
(See attached)
Sam will draft a letter to Community Shares saying that we will not sign their form that says we will comply with the Patriot Act (Box 20 on the form). We will be in solidarity with the Rocky Mountain Peace and Justice Center. Michael moved and Marge seconded the motion: KGNU shall not sign off the provision the certifies compliance with the Patriot act in the renewal for the combined Colorado Campaign (CCC), the state employee workplace giving program Passed unanimously.
Board Members Letter of Agreement.
Strike the part about leaving the place of meeting clean.
Board members are expected to keep current on affairs at the station. Janaki, Michael and Kit will email and come up with a revised version. As a courtesy, send a copy to Arleigh, who wrote it originally.
Recommendation to the nomcom that the Board member packets need to be updated. Kit is willing to work with the nomcom to help revise and update the Board info booklets.
Board Development Training
Janaki has talked with Rich Male, who has offered to do board training. Topics to be covered will be emailed to the Board for approval
Other Business
War March = March 19 – Marge has info
Marge suggest Marcos be given suggestion of the other groups besides Hispanics.
Clover wants us to try to get the likes of Greg O’Brian who was an invaluable member of the Board. He wants us to do everything he can to keep Greg involved on committees.
Steven said that we also miss Paul’s presence on the Board. Michael is open for ways to be in conversation with him. Sam said call him up. Michael will call him.
Purpose Statement of the Planning committee (see attached)
Motion to approve. Marge moved, Michael seconded. Approved unanimously.
David moved that we adjourned 9:13 pm.
Respectfully submitted,
Janaki LeFils, Secretary