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Maryland Public Broadcasting CommissionFebruary 22, 2017 meetingAt Maryland Public TelevisionMinutesPresent:Mr. Edward Kaplan, chair; Dr. Elizabeth Morgan (by telephone), vice chair; Mr. Paul Berry (by telephone); Ms. Shelley Gardeniers; Mr. Warren Green; Mr. Irwin Kramer; Mr. Howard Rosen; Mr. Richard Rynd (by telephone); and Ms. Ellie Wang. Dr. Greg Talley was present to represent Dr. Karen Salmon, Maryland State Superintendent of Schools. The following members of MPT management and staff also were in attendance: MPT President and CEO Larry Unger, Mr. George Beneman, Ms. Colette Colclough, Mr. Andrew Levine, Mrs. Frances Minakowski, Mr. Jay Parikh, Ms. Betsy Peisach, Mr. Steven Schupak, Ms. Suzanne Schwertman, Ms. Linda Taggart and Mr. Tom Williams. Mr. King Corbett, Ms. Rhea Feikin, Ms. Heather, Marchese, Mr. Eric Neumann, Ms. Kristen Penczek and Ms. Jenny Trust were present for the Development presentation. Ms. Laura Taylor was present to record the minutes. Mr. Rob Jefferson was present for audio-visual support.Chair Edward Kaplan acknowledged the presence of a quorum and called the meeting to order at 8:30 a.m. He welcomed all attending and participating commissioners.Minutes review and approvalThe chair asked for edits or comments on the minutes from the January 24 Commission meeting. Mr. Rynd made a motion to approve the minutes, Mr. Talley seconded the motion, and the commissioners approved the minutes.Mr. Kaplan turned the floor over to Larry D. Unger to provide his president’s report.President’s reportMr. Unger stated that the meeting would focus on MPT’s Development efforts. He pointed out the Development Division’s staff seated in the room and advised the commissioners that they would hear from each of them shortly. Mr. Unger introduced Mr. King Corbett, a Foundation board member, who would be sharing information on his development efforts. He thanked Mr. Corbett for all he has been doing for MPT. Mr. Unger also introduced Ms. Rhea Feikin, a long-time on-air talent for MPT. He stated that Ms. Feikin has been MPT’s single highest fundraiser for the campaign and thanked her for her efforts.Mr. Unger stated that stage 4 of the FCC’s spectrum auction is now complete. He said the outcome is that wireless companies will pay about $18 billion dollars for the bandwidth acquired from stations. Stations will receive about $10 billion from that sale with the remainder going to the repack fund or the treasury. MPT now needs to complete the repacking process. Mr. Unger said that all six MPT towers would need to be repacked. He said that repacking all six towers now should be advantageous to MPT, as the process will include updates that will ready the towers for the ATSC 3.0 technology. The federal government has allocated $1.75 billion to assist all broadcasters with repacking. It also has advised that MPT will have 25 months to complete the conversion of its six transmitters. There are concerns throughout the industry that the allocated funding and the allotment of time may be inadequate. Mr. Beneman, MPT’s chief technology officer, has engaged an engineering firm and a legal firm for the repacking process, which will begin during the first two weeks of April.Mr. Unger stated that the auction’s “quiet period” has ended and provided a rundown of stations that have publicized their participation in the auction. Mr. Unger moved on to budget matters. He stated that the governor’s proposed FY18 budget shows no increase in the MPT appropriation from FY17. He said that the Department of Budget and Management has advised it will discuss MPT’s supplementary budget request at an upcoming meeting. Mr. Unger said he will attend operating and capital budget hearings over the next few days.Mr. Unger then shared a new development with the commissioners. Maryland State Senator Nancy King has introduced a bill requesting additional funding for MPT. The bill allows for $500,000 additional funding for MPT in exchange for recording, archiving and distributing certain state/judiciary activities and legislative floor sessions. The bill also supports operating budget increases that align with state revenue increases and allocations to compensate for any federal funding cuts. MPT aired its documentary Breaking Heroin’s Grip: Road to Recovery on February 11 as part of its addiction and recovery week. Mr. Unger reported that the show was simulcast by 37 television and radio broadcasters. He said that the show was well received and encouraged the commissioners to watch the online version if they missed the broadcast.The PBS annual meeting will take place in San Diego in May 2017. Mr. Unger urged the commissioners to attend the meeting if their schedules permitted.Mr. Unger showed clips from recent and upcoming programs such as City in the Sky and Ken Burns: America’s Storyteller. He concluded his report.Mr. Kaplan thanked Mr. Unger for his president’s report and turned the floor over to Ms. Taggart.Development updateThe chair introduced Ms. Linda Taggart, Vice President of Development, to present the Development Division update.Ms. Taggart listed her departments, Major & Planned Giving, Special Events & Community Engagement, Membership, and Fundraising and Development Productions, and provided a brief summary of the responsibilities of each. She highlighted FY16 accomplishments of her division to include a substantial increase in membership, new initiatives such as Friday Freeview screenings, and several customer service achievements. She provided a comparison of year-to-year revenue and expense figures, forecasting a substantial increase in revenue for FY17. She then introduced Ms. Heather Marchese, managing director of Major & Planned Giving, to provide an overview of her department.Ms. Marchese said that the Major & Planned Giving Department has four categories of giving. Three of them are based on the size of the gift or the manner of giving, and the fourth is for grants solicited from foundations. Ms. Marchese reviewed the Major & Planned Giving comprehensive campaign. Ms. Marchese said that her department is utilizing a wealth-screening tool to assist in identifying potential “Angels” from among the current member database. She stated that Angels are those who are capable of $50,000 to $5 million contributions. Ms. Marchese presented highlights of the current campaign, including personal thank-you notes to Angels for current contributions and Angels assigned to MPT Foundation board members. She cited Mr. Corbett, a Foundation board member, who is assisting MPT with its philanthropic efforts. She asked him to share his experience.Mr. Corbett stated that, with current budget constraints, MPT’s funding is critical. He stressed the importance of commissioners’ and Foundation directors’ getting involved in assisting MPT with its philanthropy. He said that his goal is to move MPT to the top of donors’ lists of organizations they support. His technique includes writing and/or speaking to Angels to determine their interests, especially as these interests pertain to MPT. He finds Angels areas of interest or community involvement and focuses on the benefits that MPT provides to those areas. Mr. Corbett then invites the donors to come to MPT to have lunch with the president, get a tour of the facility and hear more about the benefits MPT provides to the community. He encourages guests to bring family and friends, and he usually schedules several donors to come the same day. He said he has found that MPT donors are usually very excited to visit MPT. Lunches normally include Messrs. Unger and Schupak and Msdms. Peisach and Marchese to elaborate on the benefits of their respective divisions. Mr. Corbett again appealed to the commissioners to become involved in fundraising efforts for MPT.Ms. Taggart introduced Ms. Kristen Penczek, managing director of the Special Events & Community Engagement Department, and turned the floor over to Ms. Penczek for her presentation. Ms. Penczek stated that the department’s focus for a more than a year was the Vietnam veterans initiative. She said that her department was vital to the planning and orchestration of LZ Maryland, the two-day Vietnam veterans’ tribute held at the Maryland State Fairgrounds, and added that its success was a result of the team effort of all MPT staff.Ms. Penczek presented a comparison of revenue gained from various events year-over-year. She stated her department’s goal is to expand and increase its community presence. She spoke of several excursions such as the Vietnam trip that took place in October 2016 and the upcoming Queen’s Tour, which sold out almost immediately. MPT also participated in external events such as the Power of Aging conference at the Maryland State Fair, the JCC community block party, and the Maryland STEM festival. Ms. Penczek reviewed upcoming events and grant-funded events such as Artworks Uncorked (hosted by Rhea Feikin), the MPTea & Garden Party, and MPT’s first-ever golf tournament. She then concluded her presentation.Ms. Jenny Trust is the new director of the Membership Department. She also manages the Member Services unit. Ms. Trust presented year-over-year membership figures, which project increases over FY16. She reviewed highlights from her department’s FY17 activities including an e-newsletter, MPT Passport, and several new initiatives such as Giving Tuesday and sustainer “valentines cards.” She concluded her presentation and turned the floor over to Mr. Eric Neumann.Mr. Neumann, director of Fundraising and Development Productions, reviewed the revenue figures for FY16 versus projected figures for FY17. He said that MPT holds various types of pledge events on MPT-HD and MPT2/Create. He added that MPT is one of the few stations that still airs live pledge programs. Some MPT-produced fundraising tapings include “MPT & Your Community” spots and “You ought to know” CEO spots. Other pledge programs in production are Barns of Pennsylvania and Our Town Ellicott City. Mr. Neumann said that the MPT Member Store was launched in 2017. The store sells MPT and PBS shows and apparel, and all proceeds benefit MPT. Mr. Neumann reviewed top on-air local fundraising programs for various markets and turned the floor over to Ms. Taggart. Ms. Taggart played a pledge clip featuring Ms. Rhea Feikin as an introduction to Ms. Feikin’s presentation.Ms. Feikin said she is very proud to be the “face” of MPT’s fundraising for more than 40 years. She talked about her career and the many programs she has hosted. Ms. Feikin said she is often recognized and lauded when in public. She said people seem to feel as though she is an old friend, and they share personal experiences with her as well as tell her how much they love MPT. She said that her exchanges seem to confirm that many people feel MPT programs and events have influenced and even changed their lives. She shared a few stories of those experiences and ended her presentation with a comical clip. Meeting adjournmentMr. Kaplan thanked Ms. Feikin and all of the Development Division’s managers for sharing their enthusiasm and knowledge. He asked commissioners if they had any new business. Hearing none, he requested a motion for adjournment. Mr. Rynd made a motion to adjourn and Mr. Talley seconded the motion. The commissioners approved adjournment and the meeting ended at 10:30 a.m. ................
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