CPB Community Service Grant (CSG) Compliance - WCMU
As a Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Community Service Grant (CSG) recipient,
Central Michigan University and WCMU present this information and documentation to ensure
transparency in business matters to the general public.
Contact WCMU
Rick Westover
General Manager
989-774-3457
Eligibility Criteria
WCMU-TV is an existing Grantee that receives a TV CSG grant each year; is the licensee of one or more over-the-air DTV stations operating under a valid FCC license; completes and submits all reports as required by CPB: TV Certifications of Eligibility (due June 30); TV CSG Agreement (due June 30); TV IC Agreement (due June 30) TV DSG Agreement (due June 30); TV USSG Agreement (Due June 30), Certified Annual Financial Report (due Nov 30); Audited Financial Statements (due Nov 30); Annual Station Activities Benchmarking Study (due Feb 15) ; Annual Station Activities Survey (due Feb 15); Local Content and Service Report (due Feb 15).
WCMU-FM is an existing Grantee that receives a Radio CSG grant each year; is the licensee of a full-power non-commercial educational radio station operating under a valid FCC license; completes and submits all reports as required by CPB: Radio Certifications of Eligibility (Due June 30); Radio CSG Agreement (due June 30); Radio RSG Agreement (due June 30); Certified Annual Financial Report (due Nov 30); Audited Financial Statement (due Nov 30); Annual Station Activities Survey (due Feb 15); Local Content and Service Report (due Feb 15).
WCMU Governing Board (CMU Board of Trustees)
WCMU TV and FM are licensed to the Board of Trustees of Central Michigan University. Central Michigan University's Board of Trustees consists of eight members appointed by Michigan's governor with the consent of the State Senate and with authority granted through the state constitution. The board governs the business and affairs of the university. For additional information and to see a list of the members of the Board of Trustees, please visit: https://www.cmich.edu/about/university-leadership/board-of-trustees/about/members
Community Advisory Board
WCMU TV and FM are owned and operated by a state university and therefore are not required to have a Community Advisory Board.
Open Meetings Policy
WCMU TV and FM are licensed to the Board of Trustees of Central Michigan University.
The Trustees comprise the governing body for WCMU.
The Board of Trustees meets several times per year. Upcoming board and committee meeting dates and times can be found on the Central Michigan University website at https://www.cmich.edu/about/university-leadership/board-of-trustees/schedule-of-meetings. The upcoming agenda, as well as past meeting agendas and minutes are available at https://www.cmich.edu/about/university-leadership/board-of-trustees/schedule-of-meetings/agendas-and-minutes.
WCMU TV and FM will make on-air announcements on three consecutive days, at varying times,
once each calendar quarter. These announcements provide guidance on how the public may
obtain information on the time, dates and location of Trustees meetings. Notice of these
meetings will be sent via letter, email, fax, telephone or in person to individuals who
have specifically requested notification.
Financial Reporting Requirements
WCMU makes the annual Audited Financial Statements and Annual Financial Reports submitted
to CPB available to the public, both online at the station's website, and in paper along
with the stations FCC Public File in the main office: 1999 East Campus Drive,
Mt. Pleasant, MI 48859.
WCMU adheres to a discrete accounting system, which allows the grantor and auditor to
discretely track funds within the accounting system.
WCMU Audited Financial Statement - 2023
WCMU Audited Financial Statement - 2024
Community Representation Statement
Elements of community representation important to public media work
At WCMU Public Media, we are committed to an environment that embraces and celebrates an array of perspectives, promotes equality, and strives to make everyone feel like they belong. We believe that the strength of our organization lies in the myriad experiences, perspectives, and talents of our staff, student employees and interns, volunteers, members, and the citizens we serve. By welcoming all voices into the conversation, we strive to create a more inclusive media landscape reflecting the rich tapestry of our society.
Extent to which the staff & management reflect the community
As of January 8, 2025, the WCMU staff is comprised of 28 full-time employees, 2 part-time employees and 2 volunteers. The 21 men and 11 women that make up the WCMU staff are predominately white, while reflecting an array of age, ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and background. One full-time member of the staff is black. WCMU is based in Isabella County where the population as of July 2023 identified as 87.8% White, 5.2% Hispanic, 4.1% American Indian, 3.7% reflecting two or more races, 2.8% Black, and 1.6% Asian.
Our 7 male and 6 female student employees are white, while reflecting an array of ability, religious beliefs, sexual orientation, socioeconomic status and background.
WCMU is a joint licensee and departmental unit of Central Michigan University (CMU). WCMU follows CMU’s Office of Civil Rights and Institutional Equity protocol, as well as CMU’s Equal Opportunity and Affirmative Action Protocol. Central Michigan University’s Board of Trustees is comprised of three black women, one Asian man and four white men.
Efforts to increase community representation over the past 2 -3 years
At WCMU, we value and respect the inherent worth and dignity of every individual. We recognize that representation encompasses a broad spectrum of characteristics, including race, ethnicity, gender, age, sexual orientation, ability, religion, socioeconomic background and more. We actively seek to amplify underrepresented voices and stories, promoting a range of programming that reflects the interests and needs of our audience. We are committed to building a team reflective of the communities we serve, fostering an environment where all individuals feel valued, empowered, and encouraged to contribute their unique perspectives.
Destination Michigan, WCMU Public Television’s original series, is broadcast on stations throughout Michigan. The show features the people and places across the state that define the Michigan experience. Recent examples include an episode with stops in Cass County to explore a home vital to the underground railroad, and a wild rice harvesting camp in Coleman, MI to present Anishinabee traditions. We explored indigenous food with Chef Sam Anglin from the Saginaw Chippewa Indian Tribe. Chef Sam also joined us for screenings of the Ken Burns’ film American Buffalo, where he provided indigenous food tastings for our guests including students from Central Michigan University.
Every month Programming Services walks us through national public television highlights that speak to underserved members of the community. We use this information to bring special attention to these types of programs for our audience.
WCMU Public Radio has added programming to the schedule like CODE SWITCH featuring journalists of color leading fearless conversations about race with empathy and humor. They explore how race affects every part of society — from politics and pop culture to history, food and everything in between.
The WCMU Public Radio news team seeks to highlight the voices of the underrepresented. We’ve detailed efforts by the Sault Tribe of Chippewa Indians to repopulate whitefish into the Great Lakes. We spoke with a couple from Israel that had relocated to Midland, MI about the early days following the attack by Hamas forces in October, 2023. We also spoke with a Ukrainian family that recently opened a bakery after they fled their homeland following Russia’s invasion.
WCMU has taken steps to expand access to diverse applicants for new staff positions. For instance, when hiring new reporters WCMU continues to advertise with the National Association of Hispanic Journalists, Native American Journalists Association, National Association of Black Journalists, Association of LGBTQ Journalists and Asian American Journalists Association.
Plans for upcoming year
We understand that creating and maintaining an organization representative of the communities we serve requires ongoing commitment, evaluation, and accountability. We are committed to regularly assessing our policies, practices, and programs to align with our values. We encourage feedback from our staff, students, volunteers, members, and the wider community. We are open to constructive criticism and dialogue.
In the year ahead, we will continue to identify professional organizations to advertise open positions. We want to attract more candidates and ultimately a more diverse pool to help our team better reflect the communities we serve.
We will continue to tell the stories and share perspectives from voices not heard as often as others. We have been awarded grant funding to participate in American Graduate: Jobs Explained 2.0. We will be partnering with business communities involving Health, Hospitality and Maintenance sectors to present vertical video on our social platforms for a target audience of 15 to 26 year olds. We will be hiring a staff member to create content explaining the types of positions, pathways to these jobs, and day in the life experiences of people currently holding these positions in these key areas of the workforce for Michigan.
This fall PBS will release the Ken Burns documentary The American Revolution as part of the America @ 250 efforts from PBS. We have been awarded funding on this front as well and plan to provide screenings and record digital first content in partnership with Fort Michilimackinac around Revolutionary War efforts of women, black and indigenous peoples of Michigan.
WCMU is also pursuing programming options to increase indigenous representation here at home in Michigan and from around the nation and world.
We will continue to explore opportunities around programming that can bring people together from across the cultural divide to foster greater understanding, empathy, and positive social change.
Training Programs available for management and appropriate staff
The CMU Human Resources Department provides online, instructor-led, and customized
training on key areas such as leadership, representation, communication, and legal issues.
Examples of specific topics include:
Leadership Excellence
Difficult Conversations
Violence Prevention
Safe Zone Training
Synergy From Others: Cultural Diversity on Campus
Ouch! That Stereotype Hurts
Disability Awareness Training for Staff and Faculty
Supervisors and staff of WCMU routinely take advantage of these educational resources.
EEO Requirements
All personnel hiring is coordinated with the Human Resources Department at Central
Michigan University, which exercises its own EEO policy. Further, WCMU will comply with
the hiring and reporting practices as required by FCC regulations. Yearly EEO reports are
posted on the station's website. See the pdf.
Donor Lists
Donor lists will not be sold, rented, loaned, traded, or otherwise transferred to outside
parties. Please see WCMU’s privacy policy, which is posted on our website here.