CAB MINUTES: September 2012

CAB Minutes

9/10/12

 

Attendees: Joyce, Matt, John, Renee, Shavonne, Elinor, Beth, Dan, Lisa Marie, MJ, Steven, Lue Ann, Sarah, Harriett

Attending Via Phone: Judith Moldovar Cholst

Absent: Kate Rath, Michael Bauman, David Tereschuk

 

Meeting opens

 

-The CAB needs to start outreach in March and the Recruitment Committee should broaden its outreach in order to diversify recruitment. The CAB can go up to 25 members.  It is suggested the board should do some fresh thinking on how to get new members on the board and to formalize it.

 

Volunteers for Research Committee: Renee Cherow-O'Leary, Chair; MJ Robinson; Shavonne Johnson; Michael Bauman

-Renee, Research Committee Chair, introduces its function to new members

 

Inter-face Meeting - NJ Interface Meeting Committee: Renee Cherow-O'Leary; Matt Bancroft; Steve Rapkin; Dan Barnett; MJ Robinson

-The question of what the inter-face meetings actually are is raised:

An explanation is given to new CAB members how forthcoming inter-face meetingsplan to work. They are a more collaborative form of our previous forum meetings.  We do the research as to whom to bring in. People from the station will come in to discussions unlike our previous forum meetings where we didn’t receive much attendance.The inter-face meetings are a response to the fact that we would hand a report in at the end of the year and then we never heard from the station.  The station gave the go ahead to allow inter-face meetings back in April.  The inter-face meeting proposal last year received a positive response from the station and they have been more willing to cooperate with the CAB. It has been a joint process between the CAB and the station.

 

-Inter-face Meeting is scheduled for October 15, 2012 at the Newark Museum

 

-Discussion of moving meeting to a later date is brought up, but the space at the Newark Museum has already been rented by the station in Newark, NJ and November is scheduled for a station presentation in the Greene Space.  Beth raises the question of will it be open to the public or just the CAB?  Then, adds it would be beneficial to have time for station management to connect with their public.

 

-John - Explains acquisition of NJ stations by New York Public Radio

 

CAB Committees are detailed for CAB Members:

 

Volunteers for Communication/Social Media Committee:  Matt Bancroft, Chair; Beth Knobel; Sarah Lenigan; Dan Barnett; Lisa Labrado; Shavonne Johnson

-Extensive consideration is given to how the CAB can improve its web presence.  Social Media Committee-headed by Matt--It was quite active 2 years ago, but less so last year during our reorganization year.  We had previously discussed setting up a CAB website, but cost and time lead us to settle on our Facebook page.  It is suggested we should focus on a few media projects and do them.  Matt agrees that we should do a few easy things quickly and then come up with a long term plan.  John suggests one way to increase listener interaction is to focus on Facebook.  Facebook could be a place pose discussion questions and get feedback from the audience.

 

 

Election and Recruitment:

Volunteers for Recruitment: Steve Rapkin/Elinor Fuchs, Co-Chairs: Judith Moldovar Cholst; Lue Ann Eldar

-Elections at the end of the year are raised and Matt agrees that the materials that we used this year went well.  Judith (on Phone) volunteered for Recruitment Committee. Steve volunteers to help with Recruitment Committee.  February is the scheduled time for the Recruitment Committee report.Board Source was suggested as a good source to use for ideas in how to recruit.

 

 

NJ Inter-face Meeting

-Returned to more detailed planning of upcoming meeting.  The CAB wassupposed to hold this first inter-face meeting at Montclair State. Nancy Solomon (who has agreed to be on a panel) the NJ reporter came to our meeting in May.  Renee contacted her a few weeks ago and she wrote back with a few suggestions such as Deborah Gallant (Center for Cooperative Media at Montclair) who heads up a journalism cooperative that is currently being formed.  Deborah has agreed to be on the panel and Lee Keough, Editor for NJ Spotlight, has agreed as well.  Robin Gaby Fisher, Coordinator of Journalism at Rutgers University in Newark and a professor of journalism at Rutgers, has agreed.Dean Merrell Brown is also interested.

 

-Brenda Williams does Community Engagement for the station and is our liaison and has been presented with the details we have so far for the meeting.

 

Inter-face Meeting andNJ Station Acquisitions:

-The CAB spoke a lot last year about the NJ station acquisition, so it seemed timely to have this first meeting in NJ centered on WNYC and the NJ radio stations. The original inspiration for the inter-face was that the station management or host would come and interact.  There are concerns about what may be lost and what changes occur with the acquisition.  The idea was to base the inter-face meeting on NJ public stations.  The station is trying to understand how the family of stations can best serve the needs of the NJ audience.  It is mentioned that Laura Walker wanted the CAB to help them understand how the people of NJ consume news, what signals work and which don’t work well, and what topics are being missed.

 

-John highlights that one of the major reasons to agree to take over the NJ stations is to have access to Trenton.  However, you can’t get the WNYC signal down there, except online.  How does a radio station based in NY help four radio station that are not close to each other develop their programming in a meaningful way to the community?

 

 

Addressing Inter-face Meeting Attendance:

-The question is raised about whether the CAB should put off this meeting.  Does it have to be on the same day as our usual meeting?  If attendance should be the key goal, we need to advertise in order to get people there.

 

-As all those (NJ) stations are using the NPR and WNYC feed, we could have this at a less desirable location (Newark) and look at the possibility of reaching a broader audience through a web stream.

-A point was then raised that the CAB’s goal is to reach all of NJ not just where these four newly acquired stations are located. 

-In addition, the point is to engage the public, but reaching more people who are not able to physically be there. It is suggested that the CAB may consider providing web interface for future meetings so that people can follow our meetings from anywhere.

 

Inter-face Meeting Marketing:

-It is suggested that the meeting should be marketed as “How Is the Media Serving the Public”. We should ask the panel to encourage their colleagues, students, etc. to come. So far we are reaching out to invite the station, students, and bloggers.

 

Immediate Issues to Follow-up:

-Station management needs to confirm and provide someone who can be there, or they need to rebook a new date and space on a day that management can be there.

-We also need someone to moderate this panel and be sure about what we are going to ask. 

-Should we create a list of questions to take to Brenda that we need answered immediately (marketing, station management, technology support) and use the community ambassadors in NJ.

 

The CAB concluded the meeting with refreshments and a meet and greet between CAB members.