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WAMU 88.

5 COMMUNITY COUNCIL
Minutes of the Meeting of the Council
Wednesday, December 7, 2016

WAMU Community Council Members Attending:


Barbara Bares, Council Chair; Eugene Sofer, Vice Chair; Sharvell Becton, Dr. Christine Berg, Paul
DesJardin, Navroz Gandhi, Trisha Hartge, David Nemazie, Manuel Ochoa, Tony Sarmiento, Shay
Stevens, Jon West-Bey. Avis Thomas-Lester, Donna MP Willson, Stan Soloway, Rudy Burwell,
Margaret O’Bryon, Nakeisha Neal Jones.
Peter Tannenwald and Matt McCormick, ex-officio
WAMU/AU Staff Attending:
JJ Yore, Carey Needham, Kathleen Allenbaugh, Andi McDaniel, Rob Bertrand, Audrey Johnson,
David McMullen, Rupert Allman, Alicia Montgomery, Bec Feldhaus Adams, Phyllis Kim, Bianca
Martin, Joshua Johnson, Gabe Bullard, Jonquilyn Hill, James Coates, Latisha Few, Madeleine Poore.

Members of the Public:


Cathleen O’Brien and Glenn Ihrig, (WAMU Volunteer Hosts)
Gar W. Young, Steve Kaffen, Christy Gavitt. Timothy Tillman

I. Welcome – Barbara Bares, Council Chair

Barbara Bares opened the meeting at 7 p.m.

II. State of the Station Report - JJ Yore, General Manager


A. Bluegrass Country Update: JJ Yore, General Manager
JJ reported that the divestiture of Bluegrass Country is in the midst of the negotiating
process with the Bluegrass Country Foundation, but the full transfer may be postponed for
around a month because of other high-priority transitions at WAMU.

B. Audience Update: JJ Yore, General Manager


JJ stated that there was strong audience growth in 2016, with an increase of several hundred
thousand listeners. This growth is partially due to the election year, and there is reasonable
expectation to see a large drop off next year in listenership. The goal is to retain close to
50% of what has been gained.
JJ mentioned that the audience aged 75+ has dropped significantly, by around 2%, and the
biggest area for growth of the station is between the ages of 25 and 34, with the average
audience age hovering around 58.
C. Diversity Conversation: JJ Yore- General Manager, Alicia Montgomery- Editorial Director

The council held small group discussions answering two questions about diversity and the
station, the questions were developed by the WAMU Diversity working group, made of
Community Council members: Donna Willson, Shay Stevens, Tony Sarmiento, Eugene
Sofer and WAMU staff: Alicia Montgomery, Kelsey Proud, Latisha Few, James Coates and
JJ Yore as well as community member, Timothy Tillman. The questions were:

1. How do we ensure that diversity of coverage reflects underserved populations and areas
like Prince Georges County?

2. Is the political diversity of the region represented in WAMU’s coverage?

Below are the responses from each group:

Group 1- This group spoke about the need for the station to start talking to our community,
asking what issues they want to hear on air. We should not be afraid to have a number goal
for audience and for staffing diversity. We need to set numbers to have a staff look like the
region we cover. But we don’t want to get to the point where Black reporters only speak to
Black people, Hispanic reporters only talk to Hispanic people etc. Learning, not sparing
should be the objective in discussions.
Group 2- This group spoke about having a more diverse staff and a more diverse audience
and agreed it’s important. The group didn’t see these as hard and fast goals, but instead
something to work towards. Staff is something we have power to control; audience can only
be an aspirational goal. We want to grow listenership in the areas that don’t listen w/o losing
in the areas that currently listen. Diversity of experiences within staff will help sculpt the
sound/programming. Digital platforms will make it easier to get more perspectives on all the
programs we have. Right now WAMU has an incredible mission to foster great journalism
because of fake news.
Group 3- This group spoke about wanting to be true to public service media, and making
sure that it reflects its community not only in stories, but also who’s making decisions, who’s
reporting. They do want to set goals for diversity. They also noted that we have the
opportunity to be the station the new administration tunes into every day, hearing from
multiple perspectives is how we do that.
Group 4- This group spoke about how diversity starts with the staff. They said they would
be interested in seeing numbers on how the racial breakdown might be different with
streaming/ podcasts/ listening online vs. on air. They also said it’s important to ask “why
does WAMU want to be diverse in the first place?” It was noted that radio may not be the
best medium to promote diversity, the group disagreed about this statement.
Group 5- This group spoke about how we talk about being a regional station but some
people think of us only as a “DC” station. That can be fixed through programming choices
and reaching different populations within the region. This new administration provides a
unique opportunity to provide wider coverage.

Group 6- This group spoke about the importance of maintaining news integrity, highlighting
stories that are more ethnically and economically diverse, and looking at the diversity of
staff. This group didn’t come up with specific goals. They noted it’s also important to look at
geographic diversity—specifically challenges in Prince Georges County. This group also
asked the question “would the station be satisfied if the listenership decreased and the
diversity increased?” They followed up by saying that making programming changes to
attract diverse listeners could turn off current listeners.

D. Introducing 1A: Rupert Allman, Executive Producer, Joshua Johnson, 1A Host


Rupert introduces the shows name, 1A, which takes its inspiration from the first amendment.
Rupert then introduces some of 1A’s new staff: Jonquilyn Hill, associate producer, came from
NPR. Gabe Bullard, senior producer, previously worked at National Geographic in digital. Mark
Kilstein, producer, produced at BBC’s Wall Street Column. Bianca Martin, associate producer,
from US Senator Tammy Baldwin’s office and Host Joshua Johnson, from KQED in San
Francisco and most recently creator and host of the provocative nationwide public radio series,
Truth Be Told, which explored race in America.
Joshua believes there are millions of smart, compassionate, collaborative people that just need a
space where they can engage to push them in a direction where they can use those skills, 1A
hopes to be that space. There is no better time for a new show, people need us to step up. Now
is the time for public radio to insist on being a safe space to be heard, for arguing, venting, or for
whatever it is. There are millions of Americans who need that space who we aren’t currently
engaging with and we hope to change that.

III. Community Dialogue- Alicia Montgomery, Editorial Director


Alicia Montgomery gave a brief recap of the community dialogue hosted on November 17th. It was
titled “Empty Spaces” and focused on spaces that remain undeveloped or under developed during
times of fast development and the impact that has on residents in those areas.
The panelists were:
· Dekonti Mends-Cole, Director of Policy, Center for Community Progress
· Jennifer Knox, Lead Organizer, Washington Interfaith Network
· Judge Judith Bartnoff, Assoc. Judge, DC Superior Court
IV. Public Comment-
Steve Kaplin, long-time listener and supporter gave advice on looking at diversity as it relates to the
station. He also complimented the new website and said adding visual elements not just audio will
be beneficial.
Gar Young, a long-time listener and supporter, mentioned that he felt Diane Rehm didn’t really
develop a relationship with the audience, that he is thrilled about the new program, is recommitted
and reengaged, saying WAMU is on the right track on getting people to listen to each other.
V. Adjournment-
There being no further business, the Chair called for a motion to adjourn the meeting. The motion
was made and seconded and approved by the Council. The meeting was adjourned at 8:50 p.m.

Respectfully Submitted,
Madeleine Poore

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