WCOM BOARD OF DIRECTORS
LONG RANGE PLANNING MEETING NOTES
JULY 9, 2016
MEMBERS PRESENT:
Dave Bellin, Karl Blake, Don Brumfield, Don Emmett, Ernie Hood, Art Menius, Tana Hartman Thorn
The WCOM long range planning meeting, instead of a regular Board meeting, took place at the home of Tana and Pete Thorn. Topics covered as follows:
SWOT ANALYSIS
Strengths:
- Diversity of Programs
- Not controlled by corporate interests/money-go-round
- Worldwide Reach via Internet
- Creative people
- Eleven+ year track record
- Local government support
- Visible location/studio
- All shows underwritten
- Volunteer programmers and leadership
- Physical infrastructure
- Open access
- Active board of directors
- Experienced chairperson
- Strong talk shows
- FCC license
- 501(c)3 status and CSL exemption
- All performance rights fees paid and in compliance
- Bill McClymont
Weaknesses:
- Lack of market visibility
- Signal strength and interference
- Financial condition
- Equipment and engineering
- Lack of procedural documentation
- Issues with resolution of emergencies and problems
- Lack of volunteers who are not broadcasters
- Lack of major individual donor support
- Lack of community outreach – insular mindset
- Too many hours of Undercurrents between 8am and midnight; 30.5 of 112 hours = 27% each week; only Saturday has no Undercurrents 8am-midnight; Sunday has 7 hours (43.75%).
- Too few hours of Latino or Asian language programming
Opportunities:
- Rebroadcast local content
- Continue training hosts, including teaching classes
- Recruit and train more hosts
- Partner with local businesses to create programming
- Engage with local business community, using recorded and live remote programming
- Utilize DropBox so that hosts can record new shows at home instead of using subs
- Expand involvement in committees and as volunteer staff
- Increase funding from donations
- Build a sense of community among WCOM members
- Board should get to know hosts and hosts board
- Improve marketing and community engagement
- Become an even better source of alternate views and information
- Create new WCOM phone app or gain control of old one
- Partner with UNC School of Journalism and Mass Communication to create a news program
Threats:
- Physical location could change again as soon as 2.5 years (2018-19)
- Power and internet outages
- Increased licensing costs and fees
- Equipment failure
- Softward failure; cost of upgrades
- Insolvency
- Loss of listeners and hosts to other media outlets or podcasts
Goal Brainstorming:
- Enhance automation – replace Simian or upgrade to Windows 10
- Achieve financial solvency
- Increase Golden and Angel Voice underwriters 200% (from 5 to 15)
- Increase monthly revenue from $1400 to $2500/month
- Build $10,000 or more operating reserve
- Complete emergency manual and signage and update station manual
- Produce a monthly e-newsletter; distribute to underwriters as well as hosts, volunteers, donors
- Increase local programming 10% (from 72.5 hours/week to 80)
- Increase program diversity
- Enhance local engagement/involvement
- Increase our visibility in the community
- Increase email distribution 20% (from 347 to 417); social media 10%, (e.g. Facebook from 1470 to 1617; Twitter from 1098 to 1210; Instagram from 104 to 115)
Highest Priority Goals with Strategies for Achieving Them:
- Increase local programming hours 10%; enhance program diversity and local engagement
- Approach businesses and social justice organizations as sources of content
- Approach organizations that serve specific groups such as El Centro Hispano
- Use website and social media to attract new hosts
- Build relationship with UNC (Journalism and Mass Communication) and High Schools as sources of hosts/programs
- Develop show ideas and recruit appropriate hosts
- Use local media (Chapel Hill News, Durham Herald Sun, Chapelboro, Triangle Free Press, etc) to reach potential hosts
- Increase WCOM’s Community Visibility
- Establish baselines and track listenership using whatever data is available to us
- Increase email address list 20%, social media 10% (see above)
- Recruit outside board members
- Outreach to businesses
- Participate in local events (e.g., Chamber of Commerce Face Time, Carrboro Music Festival)
- Connect with local organizations (e.g., Chamber of Commerce, Carrboro Business Alliance)
- Increase monthly revenue from $1400 to $2500/month
- 200% more Golden or Angel Voice Underwriters (from 5 to 15)
- Identify and cultivate existing relationships
- Recruit one or more outside board members with strong community connections
- Update underwriting materials, collateral, and web presence
- Consult with Aaron Nelson at Carolina Chamber of Commerce re: funding and board members
- Automation
- Evaluate and select software future by August 31 (Don Brumfield)
- Plan Windows 10 upgrade (Don Brumfield)
- Raise money
- Evaluate future equipment and software needs