Valley PBS CEO pushes back against critics. He says the station is in ‘great shape’
Valley Public Broadcasting Station’s interim CEO pushed back against critical comments published in opinion pieces about the station in recent months, saying the station is in “great shape.”
Jeff Aiello said the opinion pieces made claims that were factually wrong and uninformed.
“So no, contrary to a few op-eds a few may have read, Valley PBS is not in turmoil or dysfunction or financially troubled. None of that is true,” Aiello said.
His remarks came Wednesday during the Valley PBS board meeting in Fresno.
Aiello invited the detractors to work together with the new management team.
“We are in great shape to do great things for our viewers. To those of you out there who want to continue to try and undermine or chip away at the plan and the people in place now to get it done, come work with us instead,” he said. “Be a part of the success of Valley PBS instead of someone sneering about it from the sidelines, eroding your strong legacies and service to the station.”
Over the last few months, several former executives of Valley PBS published pieces in The Bee and other local news outlets urging the community to support the station and criticizing its leadership.
In May, Phyllis Brotherton, former executive vice president/CFO and interim CEO, called for community action after another change in leadership at the station. In June, Colin Dougherty, the station’s founding general manager, said the current executive board was failing and called on the board to step up. And just earlier this week, Doug Morris, a community advisory board member, questioned the objectivity in Valley PBS’ local programming.
Wednesday’s board meeting was the first since March, and the board voted to hire a firm to conduct the CEO search and discussed the station’s financial situation. Most board members met in person, while others and staffers joined the meeting via Zoom, along with reporters and a handful of members of the public. The board did not take verbal public comment. Instead, people were directed to make their comments in the Zoom chat.
One of the commenters was Paula Castadio, the station’s longtime CEO until 2014, when she left to work for Fresno State. She questioned whether the board wanted to hear comments from community members.
While the Public Broadcasting Act does mandate public broadcast stations to hold open meetings, it doesn’t dictate whether the board must take public comment.
Aiello also detailed upcoming programming and a commitment to include Bakersfield in the station’s broadcast footprint. Viewers can expect a new weekly show on local artists and an educational series focused on students who choose vocational training over college.