(upbeat music) - Hello, I'm Phil Luciano.

For more than a half century, WTVP has served as a community touchpoint, providing unique local and national content unrivaled in Central Illinois.

However, the past several months have brought tumult and challenge to this PBS station, the discovery of spending that the station's board has called questionable, unauthorized or improper put at risk the station's financial wellbeing, as well as its future.

- But that cloudy future does look brighter.

This, after a January 16th special board meeting, 11 board members resigned, making way for eight new board members, along with more than $1 million in philanthropic contributions to put the station's finances at an even keel.

And we wanna discuss all these new developments right now with our new chairman of the Board of Directors, John Wieland.

John, good to meet you.

- Thank you, appreciate it.

- And Central Illinois, I'm sure, is interested in meeting you and learning what you're all about.

Can you tell us briefly about yourself and your ties to the area?

- Well, I've been married for over 40 years to Julie Wieland.

I've owned MH Equipment, a material-handling company, for 30 years.

We started with three branches and 50 employees, and now we are at 36 branches and over 1,000 employees.

So we kinda got lucky.

And I enjoy making a difference in our community, I love our community, I've been here since college.

- John, speaking about making a difference in the community and you're joining the board, there's been a lot of speculation and question, and the public wants to know as much as they can about what has happened with WTVP.

I think there's a few things that you've been wanting to say to the public right off the bat.

- Yeah, so I said in my comments yesterday that misuse of funds can happen with any organization, and WTVP was no exception.

And when the misuse was identified, Chairman Rand and the board did take the appropriate steps, but much of the damage had been done.

And the board decided there just needed to be a pivot.

And so they navigated and negotiated a path forward that has put the station back on solid financial ground.

Actually, the number is $1.2 million over the next three years that is promising that the books will be balanced for the next three years.

And so we're excited about that.

So the financial issue has been resolved, what hasn't been resolved is the broken trust of our members.

And that is what we're here to start to mend, is some of the disappointment that we've given our members to have, so.

- What is it you'd like to tell the members to that effect?

- Yeah, well, first of all, we just wanna apologize.

We wanna apologize that things have happened.

And I think we kinda got our eyes off of our core competency in regards to public broadcasting and creating good content.

And we are not asking the members to dig deep, this is not Save the Station 2.0.

The financial issue has been resolved.

All we're asking the board, I mean, the members of WTVP is to reengage in supporting the station in a manner that the station has enjoyed for years and years.

- Talk a little bit about, because as employees, it's been tough for us this whole situation, and it's been tough that some people in the community, maybe on social media, are accusing certain people of doing certain things, and, "Why isn't WTVP being more forthcoming?"

But as you explained to us, there's a lot of legal issues that we just can't talk about, right?

- Yeah, I mean, in defense of Chairman Rand and the board, when there's a criminal investigation going on, and you don't say what the attorneys and the police say that you can say and that you don't say.

And so that is unfortunate.

But from here on out, the commitment that I have to the community is an environment of openness and full disclosure.

That doesn't mean that we're gonna talk about the criminal thing, because we still may not be able to talk about stuff.

But I'm looking forward to the future in regards to a transparent relationship with our members, and looking forward to a incredible 2024.

I think 2024 is gonna be a fun year for our members and for WTVP and for our communities.

We've got people on the board that's innovative, we got people on the board that are good with accounting, legal stuff, human resources, and we are excited.

And one thing that I will always say, that at the company I have, the executive team, we always say that from a secular standpoint, we bow to the enterprise.

The health of the enterprise is the most important, because if we're a good enterprise, we can be a better employer.

And so today, we are all from a secular standpoint, we're bowing to the health of WTVP.

This whole thing is not about Andrew Rand, it's not about John Wieland, it's not about anybody, it's about the station and our members and the communities, and that is what we're gonna be focusing on.

- John, I understand what you've said, and you're very clear about the fact that, right now, financially, everything's on an even keel, and that's good news.

But there has been question from the public about the grant that is pending from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

Could you talk about that?

- Yes, they have put that on pause, as they are reviewing some classification challenges.

When we bought "The Peoria Magazine", revenue can go into two buckets.

It can go into donations, it can go into advertising.

And so when a company would make a donation, but then they also received advertisement in the magazine, sometimes that transition of what that was for didn't get properly classified.

And that actually determines how much the Corporation of Public Broadcasting will support the station.

And so Helen Barrick is doing a yeoman job going through all of the donations and making sure that it's properly classified.

We'll go back to CPB and share with them our findings, settle up with them if they've overpaid us, which is not going to be a huge, huge sum.

And we plan to be in DC in February at their week-long event, and I am just extremely confident that we're gonna get the right hand of fellowship with the Corporation of Public Broadcasting, and they will start to release the grant funding, which is critical to the sustaining of WTVP.

- It's $600,000 to $900,000.

- A year, yes, that's a lot, (laughing) so.

- But even with that still pending, still confident about the finances of the station going forward?

- Oh, absolutely.

And that's what those donations are for, is to take care of shortfalls from the past two years.

And even if we don't get full funding for 2024, we're still financially stable.

- And as you told us, you've talked with the higher-ups at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, they don't want WTVP to fail, they're rooting for us.

They want to give us this money, correct?

- Oh, absolutely.

I mean, there's a universal mandate for PBS, and so they want to restore the relationship, but they also have fiduciary responsibility to the government and to the citizens of United States that they are being good steward of their resources.

And so they want a disclosure on what has happened, et cetera, et cetera.

And we are going to be 100% transparent.

And even America today, we still love a repentance center.

(laughing) And so we are going to go to Corporation of Public Broadcasting and be transparent and tell 'em exactly what's going on, make any restitutions that we need to do.

And we will receive the right hand of fellowship, because they desperately want WTVP to be alive and well.

- You've answered some of the following, but I just want to be crystal clear with viewers, why should the public trust WTVP, both as an entity, but especially with their own donations?

- Because it serves a great value.

WTVP and public broadcasting has been a staple of our community.

My kids grew up watching "Sesame Street" and "Barney", and learning their ABCs and their one-two-threes, and you got great historical content.

It is a staple of our community, and it provides something that other outlets do not provide, and that's worthy of support.

Now, I can understand the frustration of misuse of funds and maybe the lack of communications in a tough situation.

And again, we apologize for that.

And going forward, you're going to get transparency, you're going to get healthy financial statements.

Again, we're not asking our members to dig deep, we're just say, "Look, we are sorry for the last couple years and what has gone on.

That has been addressed, there has been a pivot."

And our listening audience needs to decide, "Am I gonna step up and continue to do what I've done historically for WTVP?"

And I think, in a few months, we'll have a new CEO, and I think that's gonna provide additional energy to the station.

And I just hope that those people that are giving $60 a month, you sustain the station.

Big checks maybe help for a episodic event, but it's those thousands of people that write a check for $60 or $120 that we're asking, please keep doing that.

- Just real quick here, just to be clear to the viewers, you mentioned that there have been problems for the past couple years, but those problems were only discovered late this summer, correct?

- Thank you for clarifying that, Phil.

Yes, I think there was some mismanagement had been going on for a little bit.

And like I said, when the misuse was identified, Chairman Rand and the board did take the appropriate steps, but much of the damage had already been done.

And like I said, it can happen in any company.

- You talked about the search for a new CEO and the damage that has been done to the company, how do we make sure or do our best to prevent that from happening again?

Have there been any changes in what you're looking for in a CEO, or procedures, or anything like that?

- Yeah, so we're actually looking for a CEO that, one, this is a destination and it's not a stepping stone.

We're really not looking for somebody from Boston or from Texas who's gonna come here for two years and then leave.

So there's probably a good chance that the new CEO will be a person from Central Illinois that would look at this position as a destination.

And we need somebody that is communicative, that's a good leader.

We got content experts in the employees at WTVP, so this person does not have to be some type of a sage in regards to TV production.

We already have that expertise within, we just need a good leader that is committed to the enterprise.

- John, can you explain to the viewers why you wanna be on the board?

That you not only wanna be on it, but you seem (laughing) excited about it?

Why is that?

- Because I love our communities.

I've been here for 40 years, my kids have grown up here.

And I believe that public TV adds value to our communities.

And look, I got lucky in business, we have a foundation that we can do good things for our communities and people around the world type of things.

And it was like, "This would be a good place to invest some of those monies and do something and give back to our communities."

I mean, our foundation is to make our communities better off.

And so I don't plan to be on the board for 12 years, okay?

I think a board member could stay for 12 years.

One thing that we are doing, we're gonna change the bylaws where the board chair is a two-plus-one.

So they just serve for two years, unless there's something really important, they maybe stay on to one more year.

But we want fresh spirit every couple years, we think that's important, so we're gonna probably make that change.

And so I'll only be the chair for probably a couple years, and then somebody else will pick up the mantle.

There's a lot of good people.

- You mentioned earlier some of the specialties that our new board members specialize in.

What are you looking for, not only in backgrounds, such as profession, but as far as character and the type of person that serves on a board?

- Yeah, so what I'm looking for in board members is simply this, somebody that is all-in on the mission of WTVP.

And the mission of WTVP is to provide educational, scientific, entertainment and cultural content.

Those are the four things that this station exists for.

And so board members would need to say, "I am all-in on the mission," because what's not going to happen is for us to have board members, and it has happened before, but it's not gonna happen in the future, where board members get on the board and decide, "Well, I want to do this, I want to do this, I want this to be my platform to this."

No, we're not gonna do it, we are committed to the mission of WTVP, educational content, scientific, entertainment, and then cultural content.

And so that's what we're looking for.

And once they pass that litmus test, and then we look at different skill sets.

- It sounds like you're looking for board members who can put the pieces in place to make the station do what it's supposed to do, and that is deliver solid local content and national content.

- Yeah, we're really excited about the local content.

Actually, I think that is something that we're going to, I can say this, local content is not gonna go backwards.

If anything, it's gonna go forward, because we do feel like the local content really creates that community with all of our cities that WTVP covers.

- And certainly with "At Issue", that we both work on, and "You Gotta See This!

", which we both work on with Julie Sanders.

Those are local shows we have going.

But you did mention "Peoria Magazine" earlier, that's still gonna be on pause for, well, time being.

- So I shared with you before, I'm at the lowest level of incompetence.

(Phil laughing) When it comes with the magazine, because I don't know what I don't know.

And so I will say that we believe that "Peoria Magazine" is a great magazine, and we need to figure that out.

We just need to figure that out.

But at the end of the day, we bow to WTVP, and WTVP, before anything else, is a television station that's providing content.

And so I think, at least for now, it's gonna be on pause, at least for a while, probably at least until this new CEO comes on board so they can have a voice in that decision, because they should have a voice.

And we'll be talking to entrusted parties in that magazine, and hopefully collaborate how we can continue to provide that magazine, or even possibility, if someone says, "Hey, let us take this on."

It's just what's best for the community and trying to make sure that that magazine still exists, because it is a good magazine.

- I just wanna go back and reiterate something that I think a lot of the media reports kinda glossed over with the turnover of the board, and that's that $1 million-plus commitment.

WTVP, as we were told, was in the hole a lot of money, and this big commitment from whomever the donors are really puts us at a point where we're not pushing a boulder up a hill anymore.

- Financially, we're not going up a hill.

Financially, we are stable.

The only thing that we desire is for our members and the people who have contributed, not to dig deeper, just come back, keep giving in the manner that WTVP has enjoyed over the years, and we are on solid, solid ground.

And our members, when they write those checks, they become part of WTVP.

It's a family type of a thing.

- Who are a couple of, we don't have time to name them all, but there are eight new board members coming aboard so far, what are a couple of them and what do they add to this whole enterprise here?

- Well, I'll just pick three of 'em.

Dr. Chu is a vascular surgeon, and he is a innovator and he thinks and dreams big.

He's a very smart person, he provides a lot of energy, and he'll get things going on the board.

Marty Johnson is a pastor in the city.

He's also the chaplain for Peoria Police Department.

He also organized the gun back, gun back.

- Buyback?

- Buyback gun in Peoria the last few years.

And he provides a voice for the urban community, what's important.

And then we have Win Stoller, who is retiring as a state senator.

And he's gonna help with just dialogue with government and things like that, since he's kinda been in that for a while.

And then we have people like Rick Lavender, who worked at the electric company on the road in a truck for his career.

And he loves to read, he loves the historical content.

And I kinda feel like I don't want people that have real white collar just be all, I want people with blue collars.

We got moms on the board, because their kids are depending on good content for their children.

And so we got moms on the board so they can have input on what is actually helping their kids learn their one-twos-threes and their ABCs.

- That's great.

- We gotta wrap this up.

And just wondering, if you could tell just a couple sentences here, why should people be as excited about you as WTVP?

- Yeah, I don't want them to be excited about John, okay?

Because John's not relevant, just I'm not relevant.

I mean, in a few years, I'm gonna probably be dead and nobody's even gonna talk about me, okay?

(Phil laughing) So I don't want people to be excited about me, I want people to be excited about the station.

- And why should they be excited about the station?

One sentence.

(laughing) - We've made a pivot, and we've got a team that loves our communities, and we love WTVP, and tomorrow will be better than yesterday.

- All right.

- We are sure looking forward to tomorrow and the rest of 2024.

And we wanna thank all of you out there who have been supporting us through this tumultuous time, to say the least.

I know there's a lot of excitement in the building, Phil, a lot of unknown questions, but as of the 16th of January, we've got new people on the board, we've got a new board chair, we have an influx of money, and that's a good sign for the future.

- 50-plus years, we've been here all that time, we're gonna still be with you.

John Wieland, new chairman of the board, thanks for joining us.

Thank you for joining us.

- Thank you very much, I appreciate that.

And again, members, please come back to WTVP.

I think you'll be happy that you did.

(upbeat music)