Board of Director’s Meeting

New Wave Corporation

915 E. Broadway – Columbia, Mo. KOPN Studios, Cope Ashlock Room

Meeting of July 21, 2009

In attendance were John Betz, Randi Bishop, Ryan Kind, Meg Pochė, Tom Verdot, Brigette Early, Ray Marks, Kyle Cook, James Baker, Sheryl Clapton, and Ann Mehr. Also in attendance were General Manager, David Owens, Financial Manager, John Clark, and KOPN Underwriting Manager, Brian Davis. Absent: Thomas Sobieck and Scott Meiner.

Call to Order:

Board Secretary, John Betz, called the meeting to order at 7:10pm and asked for any changes in the agenda. No changes were requested.

Review of Minutes:

The minutes from the June 2009 meeting were reviewed. John asked for changes to the minutes. Ryan Kind suggested an addition of language to page 3, New Business, that would remind the Board that the NFCB would be a good source of information regarding business donations and FCC law. All agreed. Ryan motioned to approve the June Minutes. Jim Baker seconded the motion. All agreed.

*The minutes from the June 2009 Board meeting were approved.Officer Reports – Exec. Meeting:

Ryan Kind reported that the Executive Committee had met to brainstorm on the budget. Discussions included controlling costs further and telecom savings and changes. David Owens is still awaiting offers from Socket and hopes to be able to make decisions on the available offers soon. Ryan requested another Executive Committee meeting after August 1st to tackle the budget. Ryan and David agreed to meet before the Executive Committee meeting to begin the process of creating a budget.

Staff Reports:

KOPN On-Air Auction and Fundraising: David Owens reported on the on-air auction that was held on July 19, 2009. Over 1,500 items where gathered and auctioned for a total of $4,109. Expenses for advertising amounted to $800 for a net profit of $3,342. A discussion took place regarding the pros and cons of having an auction fundraiser. Some remained skeptical about the amount of work vs. the monetary outcome of this auction. Charitable fundraising auctions usually receive bids amounting to more than the worth of the items being auctioned. Callers taking a garage-sale approach considerably underbid KOPN’s items. David pointed out that we had learned much from this experience and that repeat auctions might improve our odds by adjusting to these lessons. This auction took place on short notice according to KOPN’s immediate fiscal needs. During this process we have a better idea of what things people will bid on, what time frame works the best, what online adjustments can be made, etc. We may also benefit from simply gaining a reputation for great auctions as time goes by. Meetings will continue to be held with staff and volunteers to plan for a future auction.

Meeting with Paul Sturtz – David also reported that Brian Davis had invited Paul Sturtz, of the RagTag Cinema, to speak at a staff meeting. Paul is a consultant on not-for-profit fundraising and talked to KOPN staff about holding fundraisers such as wine & dine events and outreaching to potential donors in and outside of our listener-ship. David plans to explore these ideas further with staff and volunteers.

FY2009 Budget – David Owens has no report as of this meeting. Underwriting monies have increased recently but the amount coming in breaks even with Brian’s salary and benefits costs, so there is no profit from underwriting at this time. John Clark suggested coming up with a plan for revenue generation that would include recovery from 2009 shortages plus 2010 projections. What are KOPN’s goals, how can we generate the money to meet those goals, and if we cannot meet those goals then how can our goals be minimized?

Policy For Underwriting Payments – Brian Davis was in attendance to discuss a policy for collecting underwriting payments. John Clark reported that the current system involves mailing out invoices every 30 days. The invoices include a statement of activity and attached is an acknowledgement of the underwriting agreement and the exact language of the underwriting. KOPN is in arrears on current underwriting by $1,800 on accounts that are 30 days or more overdue. Brian Davis requested an itemized list of actuals from John. John agreed to provide Brian with a detailed list. After a round table discussion it was generally agreed that the following should apply to underwriting policy:

• First time underwriters and those passing through town on a one-shot deal should pay in total up front. Those with a track record would be eligible for a more relaxed deal.
• An explanation of why KOPN has an underwriting policy should be given to all who aspire to underwrite with us.
• A variety of options should be presented in an open and friendly way, while maintaining wording reflective of normal business proceedings.
• Unless otherwise agreed, accounts should be paid in full by a date coinciding with the halfway point of the duration of the underwriting. If not, KOPN will maintain the option of discontinuing the underwriting until payment is made. This should be reflected in the wording on the underwriting contract.
• Underwriters should be given an option to file credit card information with KOPN to make repeat business and billing as swift and easy as possible.

New Guidelines for Volunteers – Christine Gardener is in the process of establishing a new set of guidelines for volunteers and community service volunteers. These new guidelines will pave the way for smoother processing of community service persons and our communications with the city about their time with us. The guidelines will also make clear the process by which regular volunteers will be brought on board and trained.

Training for Weekday Programmers – Christine and Holly are planning a programmer’s training class for helping programmers learn how to fill in the air room logs, record Democracy Now in the mornings, transitioning between programs, self evaluations and more. These classes will repeat as needed and will sometimes involve experienced programmer’s to attend and provide input.

Committee Reports

Programming Committee: The Programming Committee met on July 7, 2009 and looked over applications for 4 show proposals. Woody Adkins agreed to email links to the recorded samples of the proposed shows for members of the Programming Committee to listen to before the next Programming Committee meeting. No decisions on those programs have been made as of this Board Meeting.

Contracts and Ownership: While on the subject of programming, John Clark brought up the subject of contracts and ownership of created intellectual property. When our programmers have live performances on-air and those programs are recorded, who owns the rights to the program? John suggested that we give serious consideration to who owns what we create, and the creation of program host and KOPN contracts reflecting the rights attached to created intellectual property. Ryan Kind pointed out that developing contracts would not be worth the effort if KOPN staff and programmers weren’t prepared to enforce their use.

*Meg proposed tabling the discussion of contracts and ownership for a later agenda. Kyle Cook seconded the motion. The subject of contracts and ownership will be added to a future agenda.

Housing Committee – Randi Bishop and Tom Verdot met with Mark Timberlake, of Timberlake Engineering, and had insightful discussions about seeking a new location in the warehouse area of downtown Columbia. Timberlake is the brainchild behind Orr Street Studios, Sven’s Restaurant, and many other successful renovations in downtown Columbia. Timberlake’s own office is the old KFMZ building at 1101 E. Walnut. It still has a large radio tower attached to it, which may benefit KOPN in the future if we were to transfer. Randi and Tom asked Mark Timberlake if he would meet with the KOPN Board of Directors or perhaps act as an advisor on our space needs in the future. *Communication should take place soon if the tower is to be preserved for our use.

Unfinished Business

Board Term Limits – After a round table discussion, Kyle Cook moved to appoint Bridget Early and Ann Mehr to the Board with terms ending in January of 2012. Randi Bishop seconded the motion. All agreed.

*Bridget Early and Ann Mehr are appointed to the New Wave Board of Directors with terms expiring in January of 2012.

Meeting adjourned: 9:15pm Next Meeting: August 18, 2009Respectfully submitted to the Board by Meg Poché on August 17, 2009