B
berniek
Guest
Understand some cuts were or are being made at WVIA?
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E
exmagic
Guest
Four layoffs. Don't have any names.
B
berniek
Guest
According to the TL one of the cuts was the afternoon news person on the FM side.
To be noted: No salaries were cut except for Bill Kelly's (10%) and senior vp's (5%). All employees stay the same.
$168k or something. Friend there says it's not that much for someone who has been there 30 years and in comparison with other PBS stations.
B
berniek
Guest
but how does that compare to others in the market? And when you are asking families to help keep Sesame Street on the air with their $70 a year donation?
I don't know what the other salaries are for the same position at 16 and 50. Has anyone there been employed for the same length of time? That would affect $$ paid. I'm not defending what Bill makes, nor denouncing it, but just pointing out that length of service and position will affect the salary.
I called the station and said I was dropping my support for TV after tuning in four separate times thru the month and hitting pledge drives. Some actual and others just generic tapes they ran with generic people in a generic set telling us to call the number at the bottom of the screen. I rarely watch it anymore.
I called the station and said I was dropping my support for TV after tuning in four separate times thru the month and hitting pledge drives. Some actual and others just generic tapes they ran with generic people in a generic set telling us to call the number at the bottom of the screen. I rarely watch it anymore.
TomCarten said:
The top brass there make all the big bucks. Th eothers get apid small. I know master control was like $6.20 an hour a few years ago. I wonder how much if the pledge money goes to pay the bigs guys.
They used to be a great station with the Honeymooners, I love Lucy, Star Trek, ect. When Bill got control, one of the first things he did was get rid of those shows and buy cheap programs. So I wonder? They even had 44 on the Yonkers NY cable channel until they made those program changes and then they dropped them for the cable.
E
exmagic
Guest
Yes, it's become a continuous beg-fest anymore. "If you don't call now, we'll be forced to take off your favorite programs." You know what, guys, go ahead and take them off. I have a feeling you'll do what you want anyway.
Even though they bill themselves as non-commercial, they sure seem to run a lot of "promotional announcements". Then they beg for money, IN ADDITION to the government grants (aka my tax dollars) that they get. They've had an advantage over commercial radio all this time, which led to the high salaries. But now I think the party is over.
Even though they bill themselves as non-commercial, they sure seem to run a lot of "promotional announcements". Then they beg for money, IN ADDITION to the government grants (aka my tax dollars) that they get. They've had an advantage over commercial radio all this time, which led to the high salaries. But now I think the party is over.
S
scmidlapp
Guest
I dropped my membership when I went to answer phones for a pledge drive and saw all the Mercedes' & Lexuses in the parking lot. Kelly could have taken a 30% pay cut and not had to fire ANYBODY.
B
berniek
Guest
I think the bigger question to ask and worthy of debate.....given all the channels on both radio and tv...do we still need PBS/NPR?
Good question! When there was on 16,22, & 28... 44 made sense... but with the Discovery Channel, History Channel, all the cable options and internet... they serve little purpose. I knew Bill Kelly, I like Bill Kelly.. I have nothing against Bill.. but the salary (if true) is obscene. Hey, if any of us were offered that money, would we turn it down? It's just another situation where the people near the top are making ridiculous sums of money, while the workers get near nothing. Can we get real here!
K
Keeth
Guest
Previous discussion notwithstanding, I'll have to say there is still a place for Public Broadcasting.
Where else are you going to get shows like "State of Pennsylvania?" "Pennsylvania Polka?" I enjoy watching the childrens programming every day with my grandson...and something I've learned from working the fundraisers is a lot of the viewers DON'T HAVE cable or any alternative reception. Where else are you going to get George Graham and his "Homegrown" series on both the radio AND TV sides? On the radio side, let's not forget the coverage area...WVIA-FM has translators that cover the Lehigh Valley and Central PA. And there IS a station in Williamsport to support. How about programming like All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion and the like?
Yeah, sure, I do some part-time work there, but I'm not just drinking the company Kool-Aid. In spite of some of the previous points made (or perhaps BECAUSE of them) I feel they still provide relevance.
Where else are you going to get shows like "State of Pennsylvania?" "Pennsylvania Polka?" I enjoy watching the childrens programming every day with my grandson...and something I've learned from working the fundraisers is a lot of the viewers DON'T HAVE cable or any alternative reception. Where else are you going to get George Graham and his "Homegrown" series on both the radio AND TV sides? On the radio side, let's not forget the coverage area...WVIA-FM has translators that cover the Lehigh Valley and Central PA. And there IS a station in Williamsport to support. How about programming like All Things Considered, Prairie Home Companion and the like?
Yeah, sure, I do some part-time work there, but I'm not just drinking the company Kool-Aid. In spite of some of the previous points made (or perhaps BECAUSE of them) I feel they still provide relevance.
D
DoneDrinkingKoolAid
Guest
I'm sorry Keeth, but I've got to go with BernieK on this one.
PBS was perhaps the pinnacle of niche programming. While often fractured and serving segmented demographics at different parts of the day, PBS by nature provided the first real opportunity to super serve specifically targeted demographics with of interest programming. While this model was innovative during the growth years of PBS in the 1970's and 1980's the time for public supported (through tax dollars and membership drives) broadcasting has come and gone.
The blame for the demise of PBS, some will argue, occurred some forty miles south of WVIA when Robert Tarlton set up his antenna in Lansford to pull in programming from the network affiliates. While cable TV didn't undermine the service that PBS served initially, the adoption of the PBS edu-tainment model on niched based cable networks was the beginning of the demise. Once it was substantially proven that super serving one segment of the audience provided a recognizable profit for investors, the ability to launch single focused niche networks has superseded the one size fits all that had been the PBS model. Instead of turning to PBS for documentaries, cable TV provides a network or two dedicated solely to documentaries. History? We've got that. Children's programming? Yup, plenty of them. The important thing is that there is one place to turn for your specific interest. You no longer have to wait for genre to be broadcast. The cable networks provide the interest programming most* (infomercials are still the scourge of television, but you've got to pay the bills somehow) of the day. Add satellite broadcasting, TiVo, and Internet streaming into the mix and 'Appointment' viewing is dead. The industry for broadcast entertainment has changed, PBS hasn't.
In today's world, the argument for providing a service to their audience holds little water. Many people cannot subscribe to cable due to geographical limitations. Aside from those residing in former US government missile silos, there is a very strong possibility that satellite television is within their means. Otherwise, a wealth of streaming opportunities exist on the web.
Those individuals that do not subscribe to cable/satellite programming are the individuals that are either not consumers of the media as a whole, opting for very little television every week, or of below average economic means. For those individuals that may fall on the lower end of the economic scale, I would argue that PBS is probably not very high on their list of 'Must See TV'.
All broadcasters are facing growing pains. As technology develops and media morphs, viewing habits are shifting. Local broadcasters and the major broadcasting networks are fervently searching for ways to appeal to eyeballs in an increasingly media saturated landscape. There is an answer for WVIA and all of the local broadcasters. All local! Live and local is expensive but so is trying to be all things to all people. Live and local programming, when done correctly, has historically demonstrated meaningful connections with the communities that they serve while providing for consistent, albeit small, profit margins for the operators as well.
I argue that placing niche local programming such as "Pennsylvania Polka" and "WVIA Ballroom" on hiatus for taping new episodes until September does not make for a meaningful LOCAL connection.
Now is the time to decide. Serve the various niche audiences or don't. I don't believe that WVIA, or PBS as a whole, can attempt to remain all things for all people any longer.
PBS was perhaps the pinnacle of niche programming. While often fractured and serving segmented demographics at different parts of the day, PBS by nature provided the first real opportunity to super serve specifically targeted demographics with of interest programming. While this model was innovative during the growth years of PBS in the 1970's and 1980's the time for public supported (through tax dollars and membership drives) broadcasting has come and gone.
The blame for the demise of PBS, some will argue, occurred some forty miles south of WVIA when Robert Tarlton set up his antenna in Lansford to pull in programming from the network affiliates. While cable TV didn't undermine the service that PBS served initially, the adoption of the PBS edu-tainment model on niched based cable networks was the beginning of the demise. Once it was substantially proven that super serving one segment of the audience provided a recognizable profit for investors, the ability to launch single focused niche networks has superseded the one size fits all that had been the PBS model. Instead of turning to PBS for documentaries, cable TV provides a network or two dedicated solely to documentaries. History? We've got that. Children's programming? Yup, plenty of them. The important thing is that there is one place to turn for your specific interest. You no longer have to wait for genre to be broadcast. The cable networks provide the interest programming most* (infomercials are still the scourge of television, but you've got to pay the bills somehow) of the day. Add satellite broadcasting, TiVo, and Internet streaming into the mix and 'Appointment' viewing is dead. The industry for broadcast entertainment has changed, PBS hasn't.
In today's world, the argument for providing a service to their audience holds little water. Many people cannot subscribe to cable due to geographical limitations. Aside from those residing in former US government missile silos, there is a very strong possibility that satellite television is within their means. Otherwise, a wealth of streaming opportunities exist on the web.
Those individuals that do not subscribe to cable/satellite programming are the individuals that are either not consumers of the media as a whole, opting for very little television every week, or of below average economic means. For those individuals that may fall on the lower end of the economic scale, I would argue that PBS is probably not very high on their list of 'Must See TV'.
All broadcasters are facing growing pains. As technology develops and media morphs, viewing habits are shifting. Local broadcasters and the major broadcasting networks are fervently searching for ways to appeal to eyeballs in an increasingly media saturated landscape. There is an answer for WVIA and all of the local broadcasters. All local! Live and local is expensive but so is trying to be all things to all people. Live and local programming, when done correctly, has historically demonstrated meaningful connections with the communities that they serve while providing for consistent, albeit small, profit margins for the operators as well.
I argue that placing niche local programming such as "Pennsylvania Polka" and "WVIA Ballroom" on hiatus for taping new episodes until September does not make for a meaningful LOCAL connection.
Now is the time to decide. Serve the various niche audiences or don't. I don't believe that WVIA, or PBS as a whole, can attempt to remain all things for all people any longer.
The suggestion for local has been applied for at least one public TV broadcaster here in Pennsylvania in the form of "Mind TV" (formerly WYBE) on channel 35 in Philadelphia. While not live, it does provide emphasis on the local but with the youtube model as guide (similar to Al Gore's Current TV). Here, segments are produced and edited into short 5-minute bits featuring content made by members for a nominal annual fee. The idea here is that if you have video camera and an interesting topic, it can get shown on regional television and even the world wide web.
FWIW, it's not the greatest application of the above suggested model, but in a large market that is shared with WHYY (and their attempts at digital multicasting), it's probably the best way to go...for now...
-Jefferson
A couple weeks ago I was heading down the turnpike and going in the other direction was a WVIA remote truck that I never saw before, and I live in Jenkins Twp, but not near the station. I don't watch 44 often, but still, why do they have a remote truck? Remote beg-a-thons? Or is it for Penn. Polka?
FM recordings, for one thing.
Why doesn't anybody mention the special WVIA-TV ran about the "talkers" on WILK? Isn't this a conflict of interest? Why don't they do a show about the REAL radio stations that "define" this market (ala Magic, KRZ, Froggy and Rock 107)?
- Status