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General Info & Policies

Delaware Public Media FY2023 Annual Report is available now!

DPM Open Meeting Policy

Note: A copy of this policy is available via email, fax, or phone upon request and is viewable in WDDE’s public file during normal business hours at the WDDE business office: 

1200 North Dupont Highway, Dover, Delaware, 19901.

The Communications Act of 1934, 47 U.S.C. §396, et seq. (the Act) provides that:

"Funds may not be distributed pursuant to this subsection to the Public Broadcasting Service or National Public Radio (or any successor organization), or to the licensee or permittee of any public broadcast station, unless the governing body of any such organization, any committee of such governing body, or any advisory body of any such organization, holds open meetings preceded by reasonable notice to the public." 

In order to comply with the open meeting requirements of the Act:

A. PBS, NPR (or their successor organizations) and any licensee or permittee of a public broadcasting station must --

  1. Open the meetings of its governing body and any committee of its governing body to the public;
  2. Open the meetings of its community advisory board or any advisory body of the governing board to the public;
  3. Give reasonable notice to the public of the fact, time and place of an open meeting at least one week (7 days) in advance of the scheduled date of an open meeting;
  4. Allow all persons to attend any open meeting of the board, committee or advisory board, without requiring, as a condition of attendance, that the person register or provide such person's name or any other information, except as would be reasonably required to maintain a safe meeting environment; and
  5. If a meeting is closed pursuant to the exceptions recognized by the law, make available to the public, within a reasonable period of time after the closed meeting, a written statement containing an explanation of the reason(s) for closing the meeting.

B. PBS, NPR, or any public broadcasting station may conduct meetings of the governing body, its committees or advisory groups that are not open to the public as long as they deal with matters considered to be exceptions to the open meeting requirement.
C. Minimum compliance for "reasonable notice" requires that:

Notice is placed in the "Legal Notices" or the radio and television schedules section of a local newspaper in general circulation in the station's coverage area; or, notice is available through a recorded announcement that is accessible on the station's phone system; or, notice is available through an announcement that is accessible on the station's Web page; and

  1. Notice is communicated by letter, e-mail, fax, phone, or in person to any individuals who have specifically requested to be notified; and
  2. The station makes on-air announcements on at least three consecutive days once during each calendar quarter that explain the station's open meeting policy and provide information about how the public can obtain information regarding specific dates, times, and locations.

D. For a station to satisfy the requirement that a written explanation be offered after a meeting is closed to the public:
The explanation of the reasons for a closed meeting should be distributed in the same manner as the notice of an open meeting, made available to the public at the station's offices, posted on the station's Web site, or by offering to mail a copy of the explanation to any person who requests one. If applicable, a reasonable charge for this service, or the requirement of a self-addressed, stamped envelope, may be considered.

  1. In the case of regularly scheduled meetings that are usually open to the public, the station should give advance notice of the fact that such a meeting will be closed when the occasion arises. The notice that such a normally open meeting will be closed should be disseminated in the same manner as the notice of an open meeting. Meetings that are not regularly scheduled would not need an advance notice of closing.

Journalism and Ethics

Delaware Public Media adheres to the highest standards of ethical journalism and follows NPR policies. Our work aspires to the heights of public service and we hold ourselves to the core principles of honesty, integrity, independence, accuracy, contextual truth, transparency, respect and fairness for the people we serve and the people we cover, and strive to include a diversity of voices.

Consistent with our standards of ethical journalism and adherence to NPR policies, Delaware Public Media's primary allegiance is to the public. Our news team, including leadership, management, editorial and reporting staff, maintain editorial independence. We do not skew our reports for personal or organizational gain. Decisions about what we cover and how we do our work are made by Delaware Public Media and are not made by those who support our work.

Full text of the NPR policy can be found at npr.org/ethics.

Legal Information and Compliance

Visit our Legal page delawarepublic.org/legalfor our Privacy Policy, Terms of Service, FCC Public File, Financial Statements, IRS Forms 990s, Equal Opportunity Employment Reports, and CPB Reports.

Annual Reports