As Jeff Notes in his most recent story, LVPM cuts its losses to $4.6 million in FY 2025, so that's a positive sign. But the amount of cash showered on its four top dogs (Tim Fallon - $299,000; Yoni Greenbaum - $264,785; Andrea Cummis - $224,094; and Arthur Troccoli - $212,459) in 2024 is staggering. In that year, LVPM lost $7.2 million.
Those four are now gone, and the new CEO and President is Hassana Birdsong. Her background is in marketing and sales when what LVPM really needs is a strong comptroller.
In addition to spending like drunken sailors, I'd maintain that PBS39 and WLVR have both failed miserably in providing informative broadcasts about local issues and local government. Programs like "1A", "Here and Now" or even "All Things Considered" are never local and are rarely even topical. WHYY in Philly actually has the NJ governor call in periodically to answer questions from the public. It devotes an hour each day to in-depth discussion of local issues. There is precious little of that from WLVR.
I would agree that LehighValleyNews.com has become an invaluable resource for local news. It provides much better coverage of local government than you can find in our dailies. But overall, public media outlets really make no effort to connect with the community.
Jeff notes that LVPM has lost about $1 million annually in federal support. I'd much rather see that money used to shore up or social security system or ensure that kids can get their school lunches.
All federal money should be cut from this liberal propaganda fiasco
ReplyDelete100% correct
DeleteOutrageous!!!
ReplyDeleteI certainly don’t want to see WLVT, etc. lose all of its funding, but when you see four people collectively pulling a million dollars in salary (more if you add benefits), there seems to be something wrong with the model. I’m not at all happy with what the federal government is doing, but salaries such as this may be part of the reason why DOGE exists.
ReplyDeleteWe already had an NPR station in the Lehigh Valley -- WDIY. It never made sense to add another one. WDIY does a lot of local programming and runs within its budget.
ReplyDeleteMostly agree with 12:44. I'm OK with the recent cuts in funding to PBS. In its early days, PBS provided a much needed service, filled a void in local programming. That need and void no longer exist.
ReplyDeleteI think that void exists more than ever. PBS just isn't the right tool for the job.
DeleteGreat article, Jeff. Interesting list of Board of Directors. Now I understand reason for the “fail”.
ReplyDeleteGot that right
DeleteAnother uncovered boondoggle comes to the light!
ReplyDeleteWhat a waste of money that certainly could be used to fill other needs.
ReplyDeleteAbout 25 years ago, WEST 1400 AM had a program called Voice of the People. I could call in and speak with Mayor Goldsmith.
ReplyDeleteAwful - management should have taken pay cuts and no one at at non-profit should make over $150,000. This is what the public is paying for?
ReplyDeleteI always wondered why they had to build that glitzy studio down in South Bethlehem. What was wrong with the old studio? Decades ago Channel 39 had plenty of good programming.In the pre-internet age I used to subscribe to their monthly TV guide that would arrive in the mail. I remember in the early years they were running on a shoe string budget and they wanted to televise a local college football game they would show up at the game with all their production equipment in the back of a rented box truck. Times have changed at Channel 39 I guess.
ReplyDeleteI agree that the LVnews.com entry has been very good. But the TV/Radio gang is simply not needed. If they were included in national ratings services they wouldn't even show up.
ReplyDeleteFuck PBS and NPR.
ReplyDeleteI welcome them to compete in the marketplace of ideas and economics.
I don’t think you’re being fair here. No one talks about an operating deficit in multi year terms. Meanwhile, they received a huge windfall and chose to invest it in new initiatives vs just sitting on it… https://www.lehighvalleylive.com/news/2018/05/after_82m_sale_pbs39_starting.html
ReplyDeleteThe deficits reported in Form 990s for fiscal 2023 and 2024 totaled $15.9 million.
DeleteThe operating deficit in 2025 was $4.6 million and as I noted that is not necessarily the number that will be reported on the Form 990.
No matter how it’s described, they’ve run big deficits; they’ve acknowledged big deficits, and they paid high salaries for poor performance.
Even a board member conceded results were unacceptable.
Jeff Ward
They’re operating under an obsolete model. Maybe it made sense when there were only 12 channels, but I’m not even sure about that. [Note: For younger readers, I’m not exaggerating about this. At one point there were only 12 channels (if you had cable and were lucky enough to get that many), and the channels actually shut down at night.]
ReplyDeleteToday you have hundreds of channels available, streaming services, and the internet, all offering whatever you want to watch 24 hours a day, on whatever device you choose to watch it on.
I’m a sane world, funding for “public broadcasting” would have been eliminated 30 years ago. Instead, the government is decades late in making the right decision.
That model worked like magic for the hacks and scammers feeding at the trough.
DeleteJust think of all the money siphoned off by those overpaid fat cats over the years.
ReplyDeleteThen think of all the little old ladies and foolish liberals who sent in money each year to keep “public broadcasting” afloat.
Hopefully those who contributed enjoyed their coffee mugs and crappy tote bags.
If we lived in a fair world, those who perpetrated this fraud would be hauled off to prison after being forced to sell all their assets to repay their theft.
It's not like they mislaid ten million taxpayer dollars, right?
ReplyDeleteMaybe one can ask if they are still giving out salaries such as this…..
ReplyDeleteNothing good on this radio station or news.
ReplyDeleteStop donations to this place!
ReplyDeleteAbout 25 years ago, WEST 1400 AM had a program called Voice of the People. I could call in and speak with Mayor Goldsmith.
ReplyDeleteAugust 25, 2025 at 1:39 PM
I remember it too. Excellent show. Why isn't current mayor doing it.
The term nonprofit use to mean noble donation of time and talent.
ReplyDeleteNot saving for a country club membership!