Vermont Business Magazine Vermont PBS will not lose any funding from theCorporation for Public Broadcastingas a result of its board failing to fulfill its open meeting obligations. However, the CPD, in a formal response released Thursday afternoon, did levy a fineof $15,000.As Vermont PBS said itexpected, CPB did not impose any penalty affecting the station’s eligibility for federal grant programs or jeopardizing the approximately $1 million in grant funding the station receives from CPB each year. CPB levied the fine as a result of the CPD Inspector General’s finding that Vermont PBS (which recently changed its name from Vermont Public Television)did not post on its website notifications of some closed Board meetings.Vermont PBS said it is disappointed with this decision, and feels strongly that a financial penalty should not have been issued. Vermont PBS said has never before encountered compliance issues, and the station has long-since posted all of the previously omitted meeting notices and voluntarily adopted a comprehensive set of compliance measures.
Vermont PBS said today that it will pay the $15,000 from income that it generates through commercial license agreements with radio and cellular providers. This ensures that no portion of the penalty is borne by donations from its viewers and supporters. The station said it values the generous support that it receives from throughout the region, and remains focused on delivering free, high-quality public television programming to Vermonters.
The VPT board meeting January 27, 2014, via twitter. Chair Pam Mackenzie is in the center in red.
This could be the final act of a tumultuous year for Vermont's public television station. Last winter, an anonymous tip to CPB led both to the Inspector General's investigation and a letter from some staffers calling for the resignations of Chair Pamela Mackenzie and Vice Chair Rob Hofmann. They did not step down. Instead, two other board members, including Scott Milne, now a gubernatorial candidate, left in January after the allegations were first made. The Vermont PBS board, in its own investigation, found in February that the board did not meet some opening meeting obligations from 2011 to 2013, because it did not understand all the requirements associated with closed (executive session) meetings. And long-time president John King left in April, which Seven Days reported as being related to the original closed-door sessions.
Charlie Smith, Interim President of Vermont PBS said, “We are pleased to put this experience behind us. Today, Vermont PBS is a unified and strong organization and the staff is performing with excellence in fulfilling the core mission. We are excited about the future of public television in Vermont, and look forward to continuing to educate, entertain, and inspire community viewers.”
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Source: Vermont PBS 8.1.2014