BETHLEHEM, Pa. – Lehigh Valley Public Media CEO Tim Fallon announced Tuesday he will step aside this spring, kicking off a national search for a new executive.
Fallon, 60, will assume the role of CEO emeritus, a new job within the nonprofit organization. The post will focus on interacting with major donors, corporate sponsors, government entities and partner organizations.
In January, Fallon said, he told LVPM’s board of directors of his desire to back away from day-to-day operations.
“I’m not going anywhere. I am going to be helpful. I’m going to get to do the things I really enjoy,” he said. “This is really the best of all worlds both for myself and the organization.”
Fallon will continue to serve on the board of directors until his term ends in 2027.
27-year connection
Fallon has overseen a period of transformation during his 27-year tenure with the Lehigh Valley’s public media company. He first served on the board in 1997 when it was still called Channel 39.
He formally joined the payroll in 2009 to head the development and construction of the Univest Public Media Center. The $23 million facility on the SteelStacks campus opened in 2011, allowing the station to leave its original South Mountain studio for a location more accessible to the community. Fallon became CEO the following year.
"We've made some adjustments recently, but it is by far and away the best team we've ever put together in the 57-year history of this particular organization."Tim Fallon, CEO of Lehigh Valley Public Media
In 2019, the organization changed its name to Lehigh Valley Public Media as it took over operations of the radio station WLVR from Lehigh University. The move created the Lehigh Valley’s second NPR station and expanded the company’s broadcast beyond television for the first time.
But Fallon’s biggest impact may have come in 2017, when he negotiated the auction of the television station’s broadcast spectrum. At the time, the FCC was seeking to acquire airwave frequencies from television stations to create space for emerging 5G technology.
PBS39 netted $82 million from the sale and piggybacked onto WFMZ’s signal, allowing both companies to continue their regular broadcasts without interruption.
A portion of the proceeds served as seed money for LehighValleyNews.com, which launched in 2022. In less than two years, the nonprofit local news site has become one of the largest news organizations in the region.
“Those are major accomplishments that Mr. Fallon has driven for us. We are very grateful for the fact that he has led us through these things, and we are very happy that he’s going to continue his service to the organization,” said Michael Keim, president of LVPM’s board of directors and president of Univest Financial Corp.
LVPM has grown significantly in recent years, going from 20 or so employees in 2017 to about 65 full-time staff today.
Late last year the organization eliminated nine jobs in its marketing, membership and television production departments as part of a restructuring driven by the company’s shift in focus toward a digital product.
"We've made some adjustments recently, but it is by far and away the best team we've ever put together in the 57-year history of this particular organization," Fallon said.
A premium job
Fallon started his career outside of the media industry, serving as CFO of the salon chain Holiday Hair and as a founder of the community banks Team Capital Bank and Revere Bank. That financial know-how allowed the company to expand and thrive, Keim said, but the next CEO will need to be someone with a firm grasp of the revolution occurring in the media industry.
Every year, fewer and fewer people tune in to traditional television and radio broadcasts. And while more and more people are switching to digital news sources, finding a sustainable business model has proven tricky for the entire industry.
“We need somebody who can think, ‘How do we best use those tools and availabilities to succeed in advancing our mission going forward?’” Keim said.
Just as importantly, the ideal candidate should be someone who will embed themselves in the community, he said. An organization with a hyper-local focus on the Lehigh Valley needs someone who will become a part of it – if they’re not already.
“If my wish came true and the board’s wish came true, we would find somebody who’s a resident in the Lehigh Valley today,” Keim said.
Fallon will become CEO emeritus effective April 1. Keim said the national search for his replacement will extend several months beyond then. Chief Operating Officer Yoni Greenbaum will take over day-to-day operations of the organization on an interim basis with Fallon, Keim and board members Susan Yee and Laks Srinivasan providing additional support, Keim said.
He said the organization will not waver from another of Fallon’s contributions: developing and deploying educational resources for Lehigh Valley students. Keim said the entire organization’s mission is based around education – improving literacy and assisting teachers in schools and providing the public the facts they need to empower their everyday lives.
Whoever is selected as CEO will be handed the keys to an organization poised for future success, Fallon said.
“It is arguably one of the, I would argue, premium jobs in the public media landscape and maybe even beyond public media,” he said.
