NJ Public Broadcasting Authority Board
Minutes of Past Meetings:
New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority
Board of Commissioners Meeting
February 7, 2008, 4:00 p.m.
Newark, New Jersey
MINUTES
Scott A. Kobler, Esq., Presiding
NJPBA Two Hundred Thirty Seventh Meeting
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A meeting of the New Jersey Public Broadcasting Authority Board of Commissioners was held on February 7, 2008 at 4:00 p.m. in the NJN Newark Board room. Mr. Kobler called the meeting to order. In accordance with the provisions of the Open Public Meetings law of the State of New Jersey, notice of this meeting has been filed with the Office of the Secretary of State, has been posted on the appropriate bulletin boards maintained for such purposes by the Authority, and distributed by press release to daily newspapers in New Jersey. Notice was made ten days in advance of this meeting.
Mr. Kobler requested a formal roll call and quorum was confirmed. Commissioners participating were Scott A. Kobler, Chair; Patricia Costante, First Vice Chair; Steven Fiske, Second Vice Chair; Stephanie Hoopes Halpin, Treasurer; Ed Carman, Chief of Staff, Department of Community Affairs (on behalf of Commissioner Joe Doria); Andrea Cummis; Phyllis Salowe-Kaye; Dale Schmid, Visual and Arts Coordinator, Department of Education (on behalf of Commissioner Lucille Davy); Robert Smartt, Ethics Liaison Officer, Department of the Treasury, (on behalf of State Treasurer David Rousseau); David Wald, Director of Communications, Office of the Attorney General (on behalf of Attorney General Anne Milgram). Also in participating were Elizabeth Christopherson, Executive Director, NJN; David Balaban, Deputy Attorney General; Linda Coles, Executive Producer, NJN; Joe Conlon, Newark Station Manager, NJN; Steve McPhillips, HR Manager, NJN; Robert Prindible, Deputy Executive Director for Finance and Administration, NJN; Bill Schnorbus, Director of Engineering, NJN; Janice Selinger, Deputy Executive Director, Production; and Robert Shane, Assistant Counsel, Office of the Governor. Also, Laura Longman, Director, Board Affairs and Executive Office Operations, NJN Foundation; David Miller, Executive Vice President, NJN Foundation; and Ronnie Weyl, Senior Vice President, Public Affairs, NJN Foundation.
After establishing a quorum, Mr. Kobler asked everyone to introduce themselves and noted he would formally introduce new Commissioner Andrea Cummis in a few minutes. He next introduced Tom Dallessio, Executive Director of Leadership New Jersey, who joined the meeting to present NJN with a certificate of thanks for NJN’s hosting of the Leadership New Jersey Forum for the Future of New Jersey.
Mr. Kobler next honored Gale Grossman for her dedication as a Commissioner to the Network. Ms. Grossman’s term has expired and we are grateful to her for her six years on the Board. Mr. Kobler read the following resolution:
WHEREAS, Gale Kathleen Grossman has been a devoted Commissioner for over six years, spending many hours advancing NJN’s mission and service to the State;
WHEREAS, Gale was a dedicated Treasurer for two full terms, overseeing the Finance Committee and presenting the budget to the Board;
WHEREAS, Gale participated as a member of the NJN Foundation Development Committee and was Chair of the NJPBA Leadership Campaign;
WHEREAS, Gale and her husband Bob have been very generous with their support of NJN annually with the Board Leadership Campaign, helping to ensure that the resources needed to succeed are available to our students and that in-depth news and engaging public affairs programs are available to our citizens;
WHEREAS, Gale has been very supportive of the NJN Gala by actively participating in the Silent Auction and making a substantial contribution to the funds raised for the benefit of NJN;
WHEREAS, Gale has provided tremendous leadership and a very generous lead gift for a new documentary regarding postpartum depression to encourage awareness of this important topic;
WE, THEREFORE, RESOLVE, on this seventh day of February, two thousand eight,
To recognize Gale Kathleen Grossman for her 6 years of dedicated service to NJN and the people of New Jersey.
Dr. Fiske made the motion, and it was seconded by Phyllis Salowe-Kaye. The motion passed unanimously, and Mr. Kobler noted how fortunate NJN has been to work with Gale. He then informed the Board that Andrea Cummis had been appointed by the Governor to fill this newly vacated position on the Board. He told Ms. Cummis that the Board looks forward to working with her.
Mr. Kobler next asked for any comments on the minutes included with the meeting material. There were no comments, and Mr. Kobler asked for a motion to approve the following resolution:
Be it resolved that the regular session minutes of the December 13, 2007 meeting and the executive session minutes from the December 13, 2007 meeting are hereby approved as presented.
A motion was made by Patricia Costante and seconded by Dr. Fiske. Ms. Cummis abstained, and the motion carried unanimously. Mr. Kobler asked for a second resolution, noting that the executive session minutes from the October 25 meeting were included in the meeting material for approval. He read the following:
Be it resolved that the executive session minutes from the October 25, 2007 meeting are hereby approved as presented.
This motion was made by Dr. Steven Fiske and seconded by Phyllis Salowe-Kaye. Ms. Cummis again abstained, and the motion carried unanimously.
Mr. Kobler next asked the Board to convene into Executive Session and reminded everyone that what is discussed in Executive Session is confidential. He read the following:
The Authority will now conduct a meeting, to which the general public is not admitted, to discuss and, if necessary, to act upon pending and/or anticipated legal, personnel, and contractual matters. Such discussions may be disclosed to the public when such disclosures may be made without adversely affecting the Authority’s pending and/or anticipated legal, personnel, and contractual matters.
Mr. Kobler asked for a motion which was made by Dr. Fiske and seconded by Ms. Costante. The motion was carried unanimously and the Board convened into Executive Session.
When Executive Session was over, Mr. Kobler asked for a motion to return to regular session, the motion was made by Ms. Halpin and seconded by Ms. Costante and carried unanimously.
In regular session, Mr. Kobler asked Ms. Christopherson to review the scorecard and she first asked Ms. Halpin for the Treasurer’s report.
Strategic Goal I: To advance NJN’s mission and vision as advocates and stewards of public television.
Treasurer’s Report
Ms. Halpin reported that the Finance Committee met on January 28, 2008 to review the 6-month results for the period ending December 31, 2007. She pointed out the financial statements included in the meeting material. Regarding the six-month results, the Financial Statements reflect a positive balance of revenue over expenses of $388,000, with revenue showing a $5,000 positive variance and operating expenses showing a positive variance of $383,000. The main components of this favorable variance is the timing of revenue received for Digital Education Services. The positive variance in operating expenses is the result of the timing of expenses associated with Local Productions, Administration and Facilities Management. These variances are expected to be absorbed by operations during the fiscal year.
Regarding the FY08 forecast, the financial area has completed a six-month review with all department managers and it is anticipated that the Authority will end the current fiscal year as forecasted. It is still projected that the Authority will need to utilize the $1,100,000 Foundation FY08 Supplemental Grant unless the State grants a waiver on the $1,000,000 fringe benefits charge.
Regarding the FY09 planning process, Ms. Halpin reported that the Authority has not met with OMB and Treasury to discuss the proposed budget reductions and the impact it will have on the Authority’s operation for Fiscal Year 2009. Ms. Halpin also noted that every agency was asked to submit plans with different levels of cuts. She volunteered that Bob Prindible was available to answer any questions.
Mr. Kobler asked what levels of cuts we were asked to present. Mr. Prindible responded that initially we submitted 24% cuts or $1.4 million for FY09. Ms. Costante asked what the process would be for significant reductions. Mr. Prindible replied that right now it is all speculation but cuts would be brought to the Board for discussion. Ms. Christopherson added that we are most interested in protecting people and determining ways we could reduce our budget and maintain services.
Audit Committee
Ms. Christopherson then asked Ms. Halpin for a brief Audit Committee report on behalf of Audit Committee Chair Gabriella Morris.
Ms. Halpin reported that the NJPBA Audit Committee had met with the Network’s outside, independent auditors the Mercadien Group on January 30, 2008 in Trenton to discuss the Draft FY07 Audit. A clean opinion was issued by the Auditors for the Authority. The only item noted by the Auditors’ was that the Authority does not have a general ledger system. The Authority, along with most other State agencies, operates on a cash basis accounting system. At year-end the Authority must convert to an accrual based system to issue a combining Audited Statement which includes the Foundation. Both the Auditors and staff agree that the conversion process from cash basis to accrual is a very difficult process without a general ledger system. The Committee agreed to review this situation going forward.
Ms. Halpin also added that at the last Board meeting, she had asked every Commissioner to consider his or her personal support of the Annual Campaign with a gift to the Board leadership Campaign. She was happy to report that 80% of the Commissioners had already made a gift to the Board Leadership Campaign. She reinforced that this shows how committed the Commissioners were to the Network and that by making a gift to the Network, Board members show potential donors that NJN is a philanthropic priority, and demonstrate to others their leadership abilities as well as our understanding of the financial challenges that NJN faces every day.
Ms. Christopherson thanked Ms. Halpin for her reports and her dedication. She next gave an update on federal news. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is the independent organization created by Congress to disburse the government appropriation that represents about 15% of noncommercial broadcasting's funding. Each year, NJN receives approximately $3 million from CPB for a community service grant that supports our programs and operations.
In President Bush’s recommended FY09 budget, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting appropriation would be cut from $400 million to $200 million, and funds already appropriated by Congress for FY 2010 would go from $420 million to $200 million. If enacted, these cuts would represent a 56% reduction in funding from CPB’s FY08 levels and would be felt in all CPB programs, beginning with the station Community Service Grants. The recommendations also call for no CPB advance appropriation for FY 2011, and no additional funding for FY09 for Public Broadcastings’ digital conversion and facilities upgrades.
Ms. Christopherson noted how she had spent time with colleagues across the country and they were ready to relay regarding federal cuts.
Ms. Christopherson also gave the Board a brief Gala update. The Gala is scheduled for June 4, 2008 and she announced that three Dinner Chairs were confirmed - Gabriella Morris, Larry Downes and Bill Marino. Please note: Commissioners are invited to let Ms. Christopherson know if they would like to attend as guests.
Strategic Goal II: To serve New Jersey with Uniquely New Jersey programs and services that meet important public needs.
Public Value Committee
Ms. Christopherson moved on to review Strategic Goal II and asked Ms. Costante for a report on the Public Value Committee.
Ms. Costante reported that the Public Value Committee met on January 14, 2008. The Committee had an in-depth discussion regarding new strategies and intersections of NJN’s public value as well as the very important support of the Broadband Summit.
The Committee talked about what NJN’s digital conversion means to constituencies we serve as well as how NJN can help New Jersey become ‘greener.’ She reported that another area of discussion was New Jersey’s perception of how news is covered and how citizens in southern New Jersey may see themselves as part of the Philadelphia marker rather than as part of New Jersey.
Bob Friant from Public Strategies advised the group that the Legislature supports NJN because it is uniquely positioned to promote key issues like emergency communications. Since the state budget process is dramatically changing, the key is educating the public with a few important messages about how NJN serves our state.
The Committee also agreed on actions steps including participation in Governor Corzine’s New Jersey Connected Broadband Summit and helping NJN to connect with the group’s membership constituencies.
Ms. Christopherson thanked Ms. Costante for her work chairing the Public Value Committee and for her report. She next asked Ms. Salowe-Kaye to give the Board a brief report on the recent Video Bootcamp she inspired. Ms. Salowe-Kaye explained to the group that she was a ‘community person’ and wanted to have the opportunity to get NJN involved in the groups she is so fond of. She knew that smaller non-profits could use some pointers producing their own videos. She was pleased that together NJN, the New Jersey Citizen Action Education Fund and the Dumont TV Center at Montclair State University held an incredibly successful Video Boot Camp workshop for nonprofit organizations. She noted that many different organizations participated from arts groups to unions, and that the feedback had all been very positive. The possibility of hosting addition workshops is being explored.
Ms. Christopherson thanked Ms. Salowe-Kaye and next brought the recent Guide cover to everyone’s attention. The February Guide features Another View and we were pleased to have Linda Coles, Executive Producer of Another View at the meeting. Recently, Another View’s A Soldier’s Story highlighted the experiences and contributions of African American World War II veterans now living in New Jersey. This half-hour special included personal recollections from three military veterans who served their country in heroic fashion.
Ms. Christopherson introduced Ms. Coles and asked her to show the video clip she had provided for the meeting and to tell the Board about her work on Another View. The Board viewed a clip from A Soldier’s Story and Ms. Coles discussed working on Another View and on this recent episode. She noted that this was just a small example of the ability she and her staff have to tell important stories. She noted how talented the staff was and how they could do even more with more funding.
Ms. Christopherson then asked Mr. Miller to discuss the funding issues associated with Another View. Mr. Miller explained to the Board the urgency of raising funds for this and other shows on NJN. The Board had indicated previously that they would like to help raise funds, and Mr. Miller would be glad for any suggests or help raising funds. He handed out a list of potential donors for the Board members to review and offer assistance if they had any connections.
Ms. Christopherson thanked Ms. Coles and Mr. Miller and highlighted several other current initiatives. She reported that NJN’s production of Green Builders is nearing completion and is scheduled to air April 21 during Earth Week. NJN’s award-winning producer, Bob Szuter, is in the process of editing this documentary, which was made possible thanks to a generous grant of $120,000 from the Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation. Also, recently NJN received a generous grant of $40,000 from the Cape Branch Foundation to help support the educational component of the documentary and to provide maximum publicity for the broadcast.
NJN is planning a premiere screening in conjunction with the New Jersey League of Municipalities on April 15 in Trenton. Additionally, NJN is working with The Star-Ledger and the Public Relations and Outreach Committee on added exposure for the program at the Global Green event the last week of April at Liberty State Park. Ms. Christopherson remarked that NJN is still seeking funding in the amount of $15,000 to cover the remaining cost of the educational component on green building, and is in the process of building partnerships to help distribute it as well as to provide workshops and access to additional information about green building on the NJN website.
Ms. Christopherson also reported on NJN’s new media initiative, webisodes. NJN recently received a $15,000 grant from Christine Grant through the Halpern Family Foundation to create webisodes on njn.net. A focus group has been established to create webisode content and Ms. Christopherson showed our first brief behind the scenes webisode. She noted we are planning future webisodes around upcoming events.
Ms. Christopherson also pointed out the new Media Production kits that were distributed prior to the meeting. Media Productions has recently updated their marketing materials for distribution to prospective clients as part of our ongoing efforts to secure new business.
Additionally, Ms. Christopherson gave the Board an update on Governor Corzine’s New Jersey Connected Broadband Summit on March 11, 2008. More than 75 volunteers are working to help lay the foundation for the Broadband Summit and Ms. Christopherson gave special thanks to Stephanie for participating on the Education Sector Group.
She noted that we have been working closely with the Office of Economic Growth and the Department of State to finalize the program for the day and to date we have confirmations from Larry Irving, Former Assistant Secretary, US Dept of Commerce, and John Horrigan, Pew Internet & American Life Project.
In addition, the different Sector Groups are developing their respective panels. The purpose of these panels will be to present best practices and provide a forum for thought leaders to learn about the service opportunities made possible by broadband. An invitation has been extended to Governor Corzine to attend and give brief remarks and we are sending out invitations and encourage all Commissioners to participate.
Strategic Goal III: Complete build out of digital infrastructure.
Ms. Christopherson next asked Joe Conlon to demonstrate the new set top box for digital reception. Coupons are available for viewers who will need a box to watch television after February 2009. Ms. Christopherson told the Board that NJN is implementing a DTV communications plan.
Next, Ms. Christopherson asked Mr. Schnorbus for an update on the satellite truck. Mr. Schnorbus reported that as we have been working on for some time now, to provide greater efficiencies in our news gathering capabilities, NJN has made significant progress in the process of procuring a satellite truck for the NJN News department. Construction is well underway with delivery expected around in March.
Strategic Goal IV: To provide for the human resources and administrative needs to achieve goals through best practices and operational excellence.
Moving to the last goal, Ms. Christopherson reminded the Board that in December we reported that NJN had been taking part in a statewide study sponsored by the Governor’s Office and the NJ Department of Treasury to benchmark operational areas for State Government. The results of this study will be available in February and will identify best practices throughout the State that may possibly be implemented in the Statewide HR function. As this study has also been conducted in 10 other State governments, it will identify from within those studies best practices to help NJN’s Office of Human Resources operate more efficiently and effectively.
She also noted that the Network has been notified by the Department of Personnel and Treasury that all agencies not presently on the electronic cost accounting and timekeeping system (Ecats) will be required to be so by the end of 2009. There are many benefits with the new system, as it is paperless and will provide a myriad of report features. Bob Prindible will be looking at this option for possible use by NJN. Implementing the timekeeping and payroll module will require training of all NJN employees as it is a live internet based system.
Ms. Christopherson ended her report by showing a video clip promoting NJN that was recently shown to nearly 700 business people at a business event where she was the keynote speaker to talk about the value of NJN. She then thanked the Board for their tremendous support in these challenging times.
Mr. Kobler thanked Ms. Christopherson for all of her updates and for reviewing the scorecard. He asked the Board members if they had any other business to discuss. He noted that the next Board meeting would take place on May 8 at 4:00 p.m. in Newark. There was no further business and he asked for a motion to adjourn the meeting, the motion was made by Ms. Costante and seconded by Ms. Halpin. The motion carried and the meeting was adjourned.
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