November 2006 Staff reports to the Board
Music Library/Department:
-We've been working on the following: shifting music to ease overburdened shelves (more need to be built, but waiting on Norm's contact); marking all incoming CDs with information we have about FCC-restricted tracks; culling CDs from the main library for second review and possible removal from library while marking CDs that are "keepers" so they don't get pulled again.
-Priorities include: creating a system of marking CDs in every stage of the culling process; setting up volunteer music review sessions for culled CDs as well as current incoming music; putting together a music dept. newsletter with info about changes in the library, updated sub lists, and various reminders, as well as new language for the Volunteer Handbook. I am also finding out all I can about ways to use computer programs and digital cataloguing and storage to ease workload and space issues.
Volunteers:
My intern and work-study people are learning to work well together, and they get a lot of music reviewing and cataloguing done although their work must be closely checked for accuracy, since it involves data entry in a searchable database. We have a couple new folks interested in the Promos and they'll be starting this month. Some extra legwork (well, mostly on computer--fingerwork??) needed to be done to schedule recording sessions around holidays and election coverage, and the group handled it very well.
Staffing:
Full- and part-time staff met to discuss this issue, and we drafted up all kinds of stuff. I summarized key short-term issues and will bring this report to the Board at the meeting.
Conferences/Trainings:
I have a report back from the CMJ Conference that I've shared with staff, but my overall opinion on this one is that it was just O.K. Nice weather mostly, & the people are great, but it just takes so long to get around town. I never even got to Brooklyn this time. I did get to say hi to George Clinton, tried to crash a Stones concert, saw the Tenacious D movie, & stirred up some controversy. I got shut out of way too many shows I wanted to see, but most of the artists there were unknown, NYC based, cookie cutter trendy types with boring music anyway. I did host a fine panel on "Managing a Successful Non-Profit Music Organization" & got some good info at other panels (some of which pertains to the importance of having a good Annual Report.) Since I had a free entry badge, stayed at a friend's, & used FF miles earned going to other conferences for WORT, I'm glad the whole thing only cost the station around $50. I have already booked my hotel in Austin for the SXSW music festival in March, & I like going to that event much better.
Miscellaneous
-With the Personnel Committee, I redrafted our proposed addition to the Volunteer Handbook for discussion at the meeting
- I helped Maggie with suggestions and contacts for bands for the Birthday Party; I also audited folders during & after the drive
- I've assisted with pledge payments and premium pickup as needed, and tech troubleshooting while folks are out of the office
- I gathered a lot of feedback about web-based music playlists from our volunteers, and am waiting on Mitch Rosefelt and Tom to incorporate these suggestions into an updated version of the program
Wrap up from CMJ conference in NYC:
Eh, it was O.K. Nice weather mostly, and the people are great, but it just takes so long to get around town. I never even got to Brooklyn this time. I did get to say hi to George Clinton, tried to crash a Stones concert, saw the Tenacious D movie, and stirred up some controversy. I was disappointed in sets by Deerhoof, the Slits and the Fall and got shut out of way too many shows I wanted to see, plus my feet are STILL hurting from pounding the pavement. Saw Jake and the Brainerd contingent from Madison, but didn't cross paths with anyone from Charlemagne or the Cummies (other Madison bands who were playing the conference.) But most of the artists there were unknown, NYC based, cookie cutter trendy types with boring music.
-I did host a fine panel, got some good info at other panels, and saw great shows by Erase Errata, the Thermals, Bad Wizard, Darc Mind and the Mooney Suzuki.
- Since I had a free badge and place to stay, and used miles earned going to other conferences to book the flight, it only cost the station around $50 and I'm glad.
I'm looking forward to Austin in March!
Listener Sponsor Development Director, Jim Goronson: November 2006 report to the board
FALL 2006 PLEDGE DRIVE
With all pledge cards audited (except for Hmong Radio pledgers) the total for "Crashing the Ether" is $104,035.
So far the LSDD office has processed $76,022 in credit card/check/cash donations (a fulfillment rate of 73% three weeks after the end of the drive). Once again I suggest that everyone take pause upon reading this to acknowledge the tremendously loyal and enthusiastic listeners we have. Grainne Svendsen and Lisa Nunez are doing a fabulous job of processing the donations and will be completing their respective terms of service soon.
FALL 2006 NEWSLETTER
So far we've processed 70 donations totaling $5,821.
MAJOR DONOR CAMPAIGN
see Jane’s report
AUGUST 2006 DIRECT MAILING
So far we've received and processed 87 donations totaling $5,861.
BUSINESS and FOUNDATION DEVELOPMENT DIRECTOR--Events
PLEDGE DRIVE:
I solicited and collected food donations, and some premium donations for the pledge drive again this time around. I also audited folders, and helped out with many other aspects of the drive. I am working on ways to make the food donation aspect of pledge drives smoother.
EVENTS:
WORT / WYOU Halloween Blood Drive:
-We put on our very first blood drive at the Orpheum on Monday, October 30th. The Halloween theme was appreciated by the Red Cross staff as well as the donors. The Red Cross footed the bill for the space and for the after-donation snacks. We were able to circulate some outreach materials for the station at the event.
-We would have had more donors, but there was some miscommunication within the Red Cross staff about what time the event started/ended. This cut our time to solicit donations short by about two hours.
-We did have a good level of participation, and will consider doing another blood drive in the future.
UPCOMING EVENTS:
WORT Birthday Party:
Our 31st Birthday Party is scheduled for Saturday, December 2nd at the High Noon Saloon! I am working on obtaining event sponsors and coordinating the creation of promotional materials. Entertainment for the event has been finalized, and will feature performances by the Sean Michael Dargan Threesome, Tongue and Groove, and The Rousers.
First Tuesdays Reggae Night:
The Cardinal Bar benefit continues to be successful. We are very grateful to the club, as well as Supa Ranks and FRP for continuing to facilitate this monthly fund-raising event . This month, on November 7th, $380 was raised for WORT at this event. The next reggae night will occur on Tuesday, December 5th.
EVENTS COMMITTEE:
The Events Committee met on Monday, November 6th; helping to plan and execute WORT's 31st birthday party!
BUSINESS and FOUNDATION DEVELOPMENT, Raechel Pundsack: November 2006 report to the board
* Finished up with pledge drive duties - helped with auditing, restaurant pan returns, pledge fulfillment and premium hunting.
* Spent considerable time in the last couple of weeks, both in and out of meetings, on the Staffing Needs brainstorm/proposal.
* Providing historical info to help with Birthday planning
* Used some comp time to help Fair WI with GOTV efforts.
Fundraising Met November 9th - see Jane's report. Worked on major donor letter with Jim, Jane and Annie.
Grants:
- Exploring the possibility of a Meriter Community Partnership grant.
- Reviewed notes from Proposal Writing Seminar put on by The Foundation Center, shared by Progressive Magazine and ex-WORT staffer Jill Hopke
Underwriting:
*Have been busy with events underwriting announcement contracts, still responding to seasonally high inquiry load, tracking down past due accounts and contacting lapsed and/or renewing underwriters.
Helped Sybil with log generation during her conference. Ran several station announcements pertaining to Pledge Drive. Coordinated a couple of ticket giveaways for underwriters.
Am contacting local, independent retailers to offer discounted holiday underwriting packages. Hoping to acquaint or reacquaint them with WORT promotional opportunities and drum up new business.
Am continuing to acquaint myself with and update the new underwriter database.
| Underwriting Traffic: | Info sent |
Operations, Norm Stockwell: November 2006 report to the board
(Sent from Amman Jordan and the AMARC 9 conference)
* Election night coverage went well on the tech side (as well as the content!).
* The Finance Committee did not meet this month. We will soon begin 6-month budget review.
* The Engineering Committee met last week to discuss the status of various projects. I was not able to attend.
* The new “space” sub-committee met November 1 and discussed proposals. We will meet again Nov. 30.
*Our Sister-Radio station group will meet soon to begin planning our next event, but a date has yet to be set.
* The AMARC World Community Radio conference is going well. WORT is well represented with several current and former volunteers in attendance. A report will be forthcoming.
I return to Madison Tues Nov 21 – airline screeners allowing - but am reachable before that time by e-mail and/or cell phone.
Volunteer & Outreach Coordinator, Glenn Mitroff: November 2006 report to the board
The past 2 ½ weeks since the last Board meeting have flown by in a flash! With my mom ending up in the hospital, I missed the last day of the pledge drive & the remainder of that week. Mom is fine now, but it was very scary to witness one of her seizures & have to deal with having her admitted to the Intensive Care Unit on a respirator. Fortunately, she emerged mentally as her normal self & there seems to be no apparent cause of the seizures other than some vascular disease caused by aging. She is on an anti-seizure medication & has had no further problems. On Monday, Oct 30, she went home. The following morning she went to the ER again with chest & arm pain which fortunately checked out to be nothing serious. She is recuperating well at home, though some of the ‘wind from her sails’ seems to be gone.
While mom was in the hospital, I was able to attend the first discussion on staffing needs.
On Oct. 30th, I helped with clean up for the WORT/WYOU Blood Drive at the Orpheum theatre. On Nov 1, I met with PROM Committee member Lynn Pophal who is working with a graphic arts intern from the UW who will be assisting the PROM for the remainder of this semester & next. On Nov 1, Raechel surprised me with a cake to celebrate International Volunteer Manager Appreciation Day. Later that day, I attended a joint celebration organized by Dane County Administrators of Volunteer Services (DCAVS) & the United Way. I took off part of Election Day off to help Fair Wisconsin with its Get Out The Vote efforts. (Following the unfortunate passing of the amendment, I felt a lot of support from everyone at the station. I’m grateful to be working in an environment that is so affirming.)
Prior to the beginning of pledge premium pickup on Nov. 3rd, I put some time into better organizing the boxes of premiums in my office. I also enlisted the help of a few additional volunteers to help receptionists during some of the busy pickup times. Being in the upstairs office, I have assisted as necessary during the first week of premium pickups.
Following the pledge drive, I have been able to give tours to several potential volunteers. I also have been able to fill most of the on-going receptionist holes. I am still looking for a Friday, 4-6pm receptionist.
Wednesday, Nov. 15th I will attend the DCAVS program and election of officers for 2007. This year I served as Vice President until the President moved to New York in August. Since August I have been serving as Interim President. I have been nominated to serve as President for 2007 and suspect that there will be no challengers. I am glad that I can help to nurture the organization that has nurtured me as a volunteer manager. Since the Board meets only 6 times a year, it does not require an inordinate amount of time to serve in this capacity. My experiences with WORT and WORT’s organizational structure have proved especially valuable in working with the DCAVS board.
News and Public Affairs Facilitator, Nathan Moore: November 2006 report to the board
Staffing
• Chris Dols hosted his first "A Public Affair" on October 31, and did a good show.
• I've got a couple new reporters for "In Our Backyard." I'll also be losing two of the four IOBY producers at the end of the year, most likely. I'm working a lot now on finding and training replacements.
• "En Nuestro Patio" has several new collective members.
• I've had to spend a bunch of time finding substitutes... seems like many more volunteers than usual have been out of town or sick in the last few weeks.
Arbitrons
I still haven't had a chance to draft a proper report for dissemination, but will do so soon.
Election Night coverage – Nov. 7
We did very well-received election night coverage last Tuesday. As always, it was an exciting broadcast from the production side. Based on anecdotal reviews and comments, many listeners found it useful, informative, thoughtful, and entertaining. Laura Miller and I co-produced the night's broadcast, with Roberto Yañez producing the Spanish segments. And about eleventy billion volunteers pitched in to make it all happen.
Local elections coverage
The mini-collective of election coverage coordinators functioned decently well. We had quite a bit of election coverage, hitting up most of the area races and referenda. I pulled the best of our coverage and packaged it into three 25 minute segments on November 6th, election eve. While I ran the BBC and FSRN headlines, I preempted the rest to give thorough treatment to local and state elections. It came off pretty well.
National elections coverage – "Informed Dissent"
Beginning Wednesday, October 25 and running through Election Day, we pre-empted the second half of the BBC to run a national Pacifica program called "Informed Dissent". It was quite well-received, and we got several calls about it. I am also running it this week, following up on the "victory" last Tuesday, exploring issues in greater depth.
Programming Committee
• See Brett's report (soon to be submitted).
• I will be the PC facilitator for the next month.
• We continue to work on WORT2. This month, we're going to email circulate ideas for programming on a second station, as well as barriers, opportunities, and guideposts that are shaping our process. At our December meeting, we plan to spend some time hashing out possible schedule grids – though in rough draft form only, of course.
• Our work on the Programmer Self-Review process stalled a few months ago, but we're trying to reenergize it.
News Block Marketing
My marketing interns are so on top of things. They've already carried out much of the project I had for slated for them, so they're now doing additional market research and supplemental marketing projects. They're also very mindful that other interns will carry on this sort of work in the future, so they're preparing a marketing workplan for years to come.
News Workshop
I led a workshop on Sound Forge and Cool Edit on Monday, October 30. The four folks in attendance found it very useful.
Pledge Drive
I have continued to help with all the crap associated with pledge drives.
posted by Jane at 2:03 PM
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