2004 Local PBS Broadcasts and Activities
Twenty-three local PBS stations took part in By the People projects in 2004. Through these station partners, at least 60 local television programs were aired and more than 130 events took place-- including a variety of citizen dialogues and discussions, plays and follow-up conversations, film presentations and discussions, a student essay contest, student forums and town hall forums.

Local stations worked with more than 175 local partners, ranging from the League of Women Voters and World Affairs Councils to libraries and community colleges, from Latino organizations to a Somali Women and Children's Center, to reach a variety of audiences.

Participating PBS stations and highlights of their efforts in 2004 include:

Arkansas Educational Television Network (AETN) hosted an interactive town hall meeting for five different high school and college campuses around the state. With enthusiastic support from teachers and strong promotion, nearly 500 students attended the town hall. Local news reporters and ASU's local television station covered the proceedings at several sites.

Detroit Public Television (DPTV) surveyed students about some of the issues raised in the recent election. Students were also interviewed on camera as part of a weekly public affairs program, "Am I Right?"

Idaho Public Television broadcast "Islam in Idaho," a video featuring the lives of two young Muslims. The video was followed by a live one-hour call-in show, during which more than 600 people called in. The station also broadcast "First Vote," where 13 young first time voters were brought into the studio to talk about the election and issues that concern them. The station also sponsored two seminars on Islam, one for teachers and one for students that featured lecturer Audrey Shabbas of the Middle East Policy Council.

KCPT/Kansas City, MO worked with 21 partners to co-sponsor four events designed to explore timely and pressing international issues that affect Kansas Citians. Their kickoff event, a conversation about America's role in the world, was held March 1st at the Kaufmann Foundation in partnership with KC Forums, the University of Missouri, Kansas City, the Kauffman Foundation and Kansas City Consensus.

KCTS/Seattle hosted Conversation Cafés at various sites throughout the metropolitan area, including the Elliott Bay Book Company and local libraries. In partnership with the World Affairs Council and Seattle Works, a volunteer organization for working professionals, the station trained conversation hosts and facilitated conversations.

KERA/Dallas, TX, spotlighted Jim Lehrer as the featured speaker on July 2nd at the 'By the People' Lecture Series sponsored by the World Affairs Council and KERA 90.1. The luncheon was titled "A World of News: Insights from Jim Lehrer." BTP funding made it possible for KERA Multi-Cultural Advisory Council members—leaders from North Texas ethnic communities—to attend this special WAC event.

KLRU/Austin, TX engaged Latinos in what experts termed "the first community discussion on Latino asset building in the country." Partners included: The Latino Financial Issues Program at the University of Texas and Austin Leadership.

KPBS/San Diego, CA drew more than 400 people to four community dialogues the station hosted in partnership with the La Jolla Playhouse. The forums followed the performances of two plays, Daughters of the Revolution and Mothers Against, which cover both the Democratic and Republican camps of a contemporary West Coast gubernatorial campaign. The station also partnered with the San Diego City Library system to host a series of four community dialogues.

KSPS/Spokane, WA: As part of their "Canadian Connection" to educate students about America's role in Canada, KSPS/Spokane, WA, hosted five programs in March 2004 with partners North Idaho College and the Popcorn Forum from the University of Calgary, Alberta, Canada.

KTOO/Juneau, AL and Perseverance Theatre, premiered "Juneau in the World," a live performance of an original play dramatizing perspectives of Juneau residents on America's role in the world. The play was followed by a discussion facilitated by writer and former Juneau Empire reporter, Julia O'Malley. The play, attended by 145 people over three nights, was one part of the local effort which included a series of community events sponsored by 10 local partners, including a variety of forums, a film/discussion event, use of the KTOO video, "Juneau: Our View of the World" shown in six English and Humanities classes at the University of Alaska Southeast and a two-hour "Global Issues" discussion during a Youth Summit, sponsored by the Mayor's Task Force on Youth.

KUHT/Houston, TX broadcast two special editions of the connection, Houston PBS' weekly public affairs program to kick off three public forums following the broadcasts on August 10th and August 31st. The successful forums, moderated by the League of Women Voters, focused on the global economy and post-9/11 security as they affect the Houston area.

Louisiana Public Broadcasting coordinated three discussions for students at Louisiana State University, Southern University and the Baton Rouge Community College (BRCC). The discussions had real-world applications for the college students. At the community college, 120 students participated in a dialogue about national security in context of a curriculum course on Emergency Preparedness that will soon be offered at BRCC.

NET Television held small group discussions, broadcasting highlights on the weekly news magazine Statewide. Leadership Lincoln, a member of the National Community Leadership Association, organized intergenerational dialogues on the topics of national security, the economy and tax policy. The University of Nebraska-Kearney's Department of Political Science provided faculty as expert resources during discussions in central Nebraska.

WGCU/Fort Myers, FL partnered with the Naples Council on World Affairs (NCWA) and Florida Gulf Coast University's Political Science Department to convene five community conversations in September and October and produce complementary radio and TV programming. The topic was: "Reform in the Middle East."

WHYY/Philadelphia, PA, hosted four public events in their civic space, resulting in the two largest audiences to date for news and public affairs forums. Over 200 people attended the February 17th event, and 80 attended the May 1st event.

WILL/Urbana, IL, held two town hall-type meetings and two panel forums focused on "How American Foreign Policy Affects the Local Community" in April, May, June, September and October. Partners included the University of Illinois at Champaign-Urbana, the Champaign County Farm Bureau and the University of Illinois Extension.

WIPB/Muncie, IN hosted four citizen dialogues on Globalization and Free Trade. Partners included: the Minnestra Cultural Center, Ivy Technical Community College; and the Muncie/Delaware County and Marion/Grant County Chambers of Commerce. The station also sponsored a student essay contest at the end of August on the topic of "How Globalization Affects Us Locally." More than 100 students in 10th, 11th and 12th grades submitted entries. Winning essays were posted on the BTP Web site and were printed by the Star Press in late November. In addition, WIPB hosted a student forum in October that was attended by over 100 students, teachers and community members. The essay contest winners were announced at the conclusion of the forum.

Wisconsin Public Television Wisconsin PTV: On March 27th, 19 community leaders from around the state attended a day-long seminar, By the People: Wisconsin Deliberates—Leadership Training Summit in Madison. Organized by Wisconsin PTV and facilitated by the League of Women Voters of Wisconsin and the Greater Green Bay Community Foundation, the workshop offered attendees an opportunity to lay the groundwork for hosting local community dialogues in the fall. Follow-up teleconferences were held on May 25th, September 2nd and 3rd to discuss the community forums in La Crosse, Eau Claire, Green Bay, Beloit and Janesville.

WNIN/Evansville, IN, partnered with Owensboro (KY) Community Conversations (CCO) to hold a series of study circles on immigration and produced a series of three 1-hour programs featuring a diverse group of people discussing immigration and its impact on foreign policy. The programs were hosted by talent from WEHT, the ABC affiliate, and served as a stimulus for local conversations.

WOSU/Columbus, OH held four public forums specifically for immigrants from the Hispanic and Somali communities of Columbus. The forums were conducted in Spanish and Somali, and discussion guides were translated into the local languages, respectively.

WPBS/Watertown, NY held a special edition of the station's live call-in program, on the "impact of America's role in the world on the local economy." WPBS organized dialogues to take place in three distinct locations: Jefferson County and the St. Lawrence County, NY, communities and the Eastern Ontario, Canada community.

WTVI/Charlotte, NC produced "Between Iraq and a Hard Place," which was broadcast live on June 10th. One hundred fifty citizens attended the event and the reception before the broadcast. The Black Chamber of Commerce assisted with the planning and design of the broadcast.

WXXI/Rochester, NY: WXXI continued conversations with some of the 70 local citizens who attended the BTP Deliberation Day event in January. In March, the plenary session from January was again featured on WXXI's weekly news and public affairs program, Need to Know. In late May, WXXI brought together a small group of six panelists who participated in the January BTP event for an on-air dialogue. The conversations were broadcast in June and July on Need to Know.