(soft music) Good evening and welcome to "WTVP Now."

I'm Michael Eckhardt, the Chief Development Officer for the station, and tonight we'll be discussing the future of WTVP.

Now, I'm sure many of you are tuning in tonight due to recent removal of the federal funding for local PBS stations, and we will be discussing that.

But we also have some exciting updates to share on what we have in the pipeline for the coming year.

Now, for WTVP, the amount of federal funding that we had been receiving accounted for 30% of our budget, which was just over a million dollars.

It is a big number, but this is far from the first challenge in WTVP's history.

And every single time our community, you, has rallied around the station in a wonderful fashion.

Now, with me tonight to discuss what's to come, we have our President and CEO, Jenn Gordon, and John Wieland, the Chairman of our board.

Welcome to both of you.

- Thank you, Michael.

- Thank you.

- All right, now, Jenn, this is not, as I've said, the first challenge that we'd ever faced.

I was hoping you could give us just a kind of a glimpse of where we've come from, what we've gone through, and how, you know, we expect this to go this time.

- Absolutely.

So, you know, in thinking about this, Michael, I wanna take us back to the very beginning.

Phil Weinberg, who initially started this station, it didn't start without a massive fundraising campaign into the community.

And when you think about, you know, just from our roots, from the very, very inception, it took a village to bring a local public broadcasting station to life.

And Phil did that, and we are so grateful that he did.

You know, along the way there have been different challenge points, you know, every 10 years or so that have come through.

A really, I think, historic one that we think through is when we moved to this building.

And this was back in 2000.

It required a 10 and a half million dollar loan and fundraising piece to get us into this building.

And we're so grateful for this building.

And this building, we have the largest studio in downstate Illinois.

It facilitates so many amazing productions that we're able to do and put out into the community.

And so that was a big moment for our station.

Moving from Bradley, here.

We've had moments where we've had to, you know, improve our tower and get our tower pieces in place.

At every point along the way, the community has come alongside us and they said, "We just need to know the need.

Tell us the need, and we will meet you."

And here we are again today.

- Yeah, we sure are.

And it is neat to see how the existence of the station really is a testament to the generosity of our community.

Now, the federal funding piece is a big piece, and something we obviously do need to talk about a bit.

But I'm wondering from you, Jenn, on a personal level, as you were watching, you see how the votes went- - Yep.

- What effect did that have on you?

And kind of what were your thoughts through that?

- Well, it's fascinating.

So PBS on the whole, for the last six months, we've been living in this space.

Knowing that there was the potential for this funding to be rescinded...

I think everyone's aware of the incredible amount of advocacy work that has happened across 330 stations.

There were millions of people who reached out to Congress.

So on one hand, we're really inspired by the American people underscoring that public broadcasting is indeed valued by the American public.

That has not changed.

And I think there was really some moments that were very inspiring, as we heard senators and lawmakers go up and just relay that, relay these moments.

Had a really lovely shout out by Senator Dick Durbin, you know, name dropping WTVP by name, and even mentioning one of our shows, "Shot of AG."

And talking about this critical space that we serve in local communities.

So we're the only entities that are doing what we're doing in local communities across the country.

So, I think that's the first piece of it.

Now, both in the House of Representatives and in the Senate, these are like razor thin margins that we're talking about.

So, you know, there's always that disappointment that comes and you're like, "Oh, we're so close to having that."

But in a sense too, we knew it was always gonna be close from the very beginning, just from a political standpoint.

But I think the big takeaways were, we knew that this was a possibility, given the political climate.

And we really were so pleased to see the American people just rally behind us and continue to voice their support for the services that we provide, and that this is indeed something that should definitely be continued to be supported across America at all these public stations.

- Yeah.

Yeah, no, we have to navigate it on the local level.

- [Jenn] We do.

Yeah.

- But there's also the national perspective, and you're gonna be more queued into that than the rest of us.

What are you hearing on this kinda from the national level?

- Yeah, so across these stations, right?

This has been a gut punch to the system, and it was kind of designed to be that way, unfortunately.

So you've got, in the landscape of these 330 public broadcasting stations across the country, you have larger ones, you've got state stations, you have university stations, and you have community license stations, which is what we are, and I think it's the most beautiful arrangement possible, because we really are loved on and supported by our community, and we really, really reflect the needs of our community.

But as we look at that, it's gonna be harder for smaller stations.

It's gonna be harder for those stations that don't have bigger funders and donors or university structures or state funding that's coming through.

So across the landscape, we know that smaller stations are gonna be hit harder.

I do wanna center on the fact though that WTVP is positioned differently.

And it's almost like we were made for this moment, and I think John can kind of speak to this too, with the challenges that we've been addressing and been working through the last several years, particularly the last two years, we're positioned to financially navigate this moment well.

We're going to need the support from the community like we've never needed it before, but we have a runway.

We have a financial runway.

We have an endowment that is healthy.

We are, at this exact moment, we're in the strongest financial position we've been in quite some time.

So it's like we are literally positioned the best we could possibly be positioned to navigate these new waters.

We didn't want to, but, oh my goodness, we are so well positioned to do this.

And we absolutely are, there's no doubt in my mind with the community support, we will be able to navigate this.

- Yeah, that's wonderful.

I think, John, I'd like to get your perspective on...

I know both you and Jenm have met with representatives multiple times.

As you're looking at that, are you holding out hope for the possibility of funding returning or not really?

Or what's your perspective on that?

- Yeah, I mean, I'm sure right now the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and PBS, and locally with Jenm, myself and you, we're talking to our representative, and seeking some type of funding in the 2026 budget.

- Mhm.

- We feel like there's a chance that that could happen.

We also feel like if it would happen, it would probably not at the same rate.

- Sure.

- And so we are not relying on that.

And if something happens and we do get some funding, well, then that will just make us stronger.

We are fully confident that WTVP in the next year, we're gonna be a stronger organization than we were a year ago.

- I like that you said "confident", because there's been so much doom and and gloom talk, you know, you see that in news articles across the board covering, you know, these things.

But both of you seem quite confident and even upbeat, you know, about the new season that we're heading into.

Can I ask what exactly you're basing that confidence on?

- Well, so, I'm gonna pause, and even reflecting on this last year.

We had so many challenges to go through.

And seeing the community rally behind us once again, and, you know, as someone was reaching out to me from another station saying, "How are you guys doing?

You know, over here we're kind of concerned."

And I said, "You know what?

We have made it through some really challenging times at WTVP, and I just am 100% sure that we're gonna be able to make it through this next one."

And when you look, relatively speaking, at some of the other challenges that we've made it through, this one feels...

I don't wanna diminish the gap, because it's a big gap.

We're talking about 30%.

- Right.

- But this one seems something like...

I think our community can meet us here for this.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- Yeah.

- Sounds great.

So John, from the board's perspective, whenever there's a cut in funding, there's always questions of are you gonna cut programs, are you gonna cut costs or what.

So from your perspective, what does that kind of look like moving forward for us?

- Well, actually, we had a board retreat with the executive team just about two weeks ago for half a day.

And obviously, this was one of our main topics of conversation.

I do want to give a shout out to the previous board, because they made some really hard decisions before we did that pivot.

And that helped significantly because when we came, the new board came, it was about a break even deal.

So we weren't trying to recover from a going concern standpoint.

And so, like Jenn said, we have a endowment that gives us a financial runway.

We have a great team.

Jenn has put together a great team.

I met with the staff on Monday, and I affirmed to them that there will be no layoffs during this season.

We've got a great team.

We have the ability to sustain that.

Will we be looking for other ways like contracts and other expenses where we can tighten up?

Absolutely.

- Yeah.

Yeah.

So we'll cut some expenses maybe, but otherwise, it sounds like full steam ahead.

I mean, right?

- Yes.

Yes.

And this is something that we've been really underscoring for the last several months.

Like ever since we got the CPB funding restored back in May, is that we are in a season of growth.

And as we look at the momentum that we're trying to generate, we're not going to let this moment kind of hinder that momentum.

And of course, we need the community support to make that happen.

But when we talk about growth, we're talking about increasing our services and our programs and what we're actually putting out into the community.

So I'm very, very excited about that, and I think that needs to be part of the next six months as we look to the future.

- Yeah.

Well, Jenn, you're the CEO.

You're the one who's deciding really what we do and how we respond to some of these things.

So what would you say are like the immediate actions that we're taking to address the budget shortfall?

- Mhm.

So we're so excited about the "We Believe in WTVP" campaign.

And specifically, a very exciting matching grant opportunity.

So, the board has been able to secure a $300,000 match.

I'm gonna say that again, because it's a big number, and I'm really excited about it.

- You should be.

- So, a $300,000 match.

So that means anyone who... And I'm gonna look at the camera for this, 'cause I'm talking to our viewers right now.

But anyone who gives to the station, if you give above and beyond your regular giving, so any gift above and beyond your regular gift, can be matched, up to 300,000.

Also, if you're a member or if you're a viewer who has never taken the step to become a member, then that also will go towards this $300,000 match.

So, and again, Michael, that to me is what underscores my faith that we're gonna get through this, because we see these types of like giving points where someone stands up and says, "A $300,000 match."

- [Michael] Yeah.

- That's a big deal.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- And I believe that that's going to inspire faith and confidence in our members, and in our viewers to take that step and meet us in this moment.

- You know, it really does just seem like the generosity of Central Illinois is just kind of unmatched.

It's incredible how generous this community really is.

So John, from the board side, you know, how are you guys thinking through this stuff?

Anything in particular that you're doing to kind of address where we're at?

- Yeah.

First of all, I'd like to say about the culture of the communities within Central Illinois.

The company that I work for, we have 40 locations across the Midwest in 12 states.

And I can honestly say that the philanthropic spirit of Peoria is different than every other city that we have a branch in.

- [Michael] That's neat.

- And so it is really a joy to live in a community like Central Illinois.

What we're doing from a board standpoint, we had that $300,000 match.

We also have a special $200,000 match in addition to the 300 that is meant specifically for the current and previous board members.

So this is a shout out to the current and previous board members.

Each board member, when we got on to WTVP, we did it because we believe in the station.

We're all in this together.

And so we have this $200,000 match.

And what we'll do, is whatever you give this year that is more than you gave last year, will be part of this match.

And if we can secure both of these things, if you take 300 and 200 and times it by two, it doesn't take long to come up with a million dollars.

(Michael laughs) And so... And that's why Jenn and I are just kind of excited.

You know, it's gonna be a shining moment for us.

And like I said, we will be stronger in a year than we were, because our funding is not going to be dependent on 30%- - [Michael] Yeah.

- Coming from one source.

I'm in secular business.

And you don't want funding sources or a customer to represent more than 10% of your revenue, let alone 30%.

And so we're gonna be stronger as the days go forward.

- Yeah.

And I think the wonderful thing about that too is we have these large matching grants.

But it gives the opportunity for so many different individuals to do their part, you know?

- Yes.

Yes.

And I'll speak a little bit more to that.

Because I love that there's something...

There's an action for anyone to take in this.

So if you are a sustaining member at the $5 a month level, which we love our regular, you know, just basic membership folks... You can give $10.

- Yeah.

- You know?

That's like the equivalent of two cups of coffee a month.

So, you know, that's a reasonable ask for someone.

If you give $200 to the station every year, maybe you could give 400.

And as we look at, again, what John was saying about reducing our reliancy, even if federal funding does come back, we're reducing our reliancy on it, so that we're not thrown off if year to year that varies.

- [Michael] Right.

- So I do think that this is an incredible opportunity for us to strengthen WTVP's future as we look ahead.

And it just a wonderful opportunity for our community to come alongside us.

Why wouldn't you wanna support WTVP, right?

- Yeah!

I mean, I'm on board.

I'm on board.

(Jenn laughs) Jenn, you've mentioned in a couple different settings that this is gonna be a season of growth for WTVP, and that you're excited for new things to come.

Can you just kind of walk us through the things are that you're excited about?

- Yeah, so even before all of this happened, in tandem, we've been working on growing up our...

Growing.

Expanding our programs.

And really listening to the community as to what those needs are.

We wanna have programs that are reflecting the unique identifiers in our community, and we know that the medical community is one of those things.

So I'm very excited to announce that in September, we're gonna be launching a new program called "Docs on Call."

And this is with our host, our resident host, Mark Whelp.

He's gonna be leading this.

And we're gonna have two episodes a month.

And this is just gonna be a great opportunity for the community to write in with their questions about certain medical issues, and to get some real answers.

And so I'm super excited about that.

I think we're gonna have a lot of success with that one.

And then another program that is just very near and dear to our hearts, it will also launch in September, is gonna be a panel discussion on mental health.

This has been incubated for months, so it's not something that we have pursued nilly willy.

We've talked with so many different mental health experts.

We really wanted to make sure that we were pulling together a team of people that could be representative of many different approaches to mental health issues and mental health care.

So that shows gonna be called "Let's Talk Mental Health."

And that's gonna be launching with an initial episode.

We're just working on the first episode right now.

But that's gonna be happening in September as well.

And again, I think that really speaks to our ability as a local station to respond to current needs of our community.

We know with the emergence of Trillium, that there is a huge need for conversations around mental health needs in our community.

And to be able to gather experts from the healthcare community.

And they've responded overwhelmingly positive to say like, "We're so excited that WTVP is reaching out to provide space to talk about this specific topic."

So, that's a place that we're really excited as well.

- Now I know most people know us for our programs, but there's also...

I mean, the programs that we show on screen.

- [Jenn] Yes.

- But there's also a lot of other programs that we do.

And people don't always realize how much we do in our community.

Is there anything else coming down, you know, kind of on things we're doing out in the community that you wanted to highlight?

- So excited about that, Michael.

So yes, we've got unique programs like "40 Leaders Under 40."

We launched that last year to excellent success.

(Jenn claps) You did a great job with that, Michael.

You know, and what an opportunity to gather leaders and to celebrate leaders.

There's also another program that we're very excited to bring back that we hope to do so in the not too distant future, and that would be "Local Legends."

"Local Legends" has a fantastic history in our community of highlighting members of our community who have deeply impacted our community, you know, over their careers.

And so that's a program that we're very, very keen to bring back as soon as we can.

And yeah, we just are excited... You know, from day one, one of our commitments was to be out in the community, and to invite the community into the station.

We made some great strides on that last year with our Halloween Spooktacular open house, and being present at different festivals in the community, and onsite at different things like that.

And we just look forward to doing more of that.

We are our community's station, and we wanna be out in the community.

- Yeah.

That's great.

Well, those are most of my questions.

I really appreciate both of you and your transparency.

I appreciate so much your excitement about what is to come, you know, for the station, your confidence in that.

John, do you have any final thoughts for us?

- Yeah.

I would say this.

Life, there's ups and downs.

And I remember, like in business, we had a a very large national company, and we had them for 10 years and they pivoted.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- And we lost it.

And that was a big hit.

- [Michael] Yeah.

- What we did is, I actually said a prayer, and thanked God for that business for 10 years.

And we're doing the same thing here.

We have been thankful for the federal government, and the great folks at the Corporation of Public Broadcasting.

And if that changes, we are thankful for what we had, but we are not playing a victim.

We will overcome, and we will be stronger on the other side, just like in business.

We're stronger today than when we had it before, and it'll be the same way with WTVP.

- Yeah, that's great.

And Jenn, anything that, if you could say, what's the one thing you would really want all those who are watching this to take away with them tonight?

What would that be?

- I want everyone to know we are not going anywhere.

So if you have any fear in your hearts because of all of the national news that has happened, you can let go of that.

(Jenn chuckles) We want you to know there's a need, but this is a need that together we are 100% confident.

100% confident that we can make our way through.

And we hope that you also take a moment just to tell your friends about the programs that they can watch on WTVP.

We believe that now more than ever is a critical time to provide local, quality programming that connects, informs, inspires and entertains, and that we fill a really critical need in our community today, now more than ever.

- Well, again, thank you, John, thank you, Jenn.

Really wonderful thoughts that you both had to share with us, and I think we all appreciate the transparency, and again, the confidence in where the station is headed.

For all of you who've joined us, thank you so much for joining us as well.

If you're interested in learning more about how you can help or just more about anything WTVP related, you can check out our website at wtvp.org.

Again, thank you for joining us.

Have a great evening.

(lighthearted inspiring music) (lighthearted inspiring music continues) (lighthearted inspiring music continues) - Thank you for watching this episode of "WTVP Now."

Our hope is that you are as confident as we are that WTVP is well positioned to navigate these new waters.

Central Illinois deserves quality, commercial free programming that lifts us up, inspires us, connects us, and encourages us to grow.

What we do at WTVP is completely different than any other broadcast channel or streaming platform.

We challenge you to think critically, encourage you to try new things, inspire you to get involved with your community, and build your confidence as you help your children and grandchildren learn and grow.

We also hope that you are inspired to come alongside us and join the "We Believe in WTVP" campaign.

This campaign includes an incredibly generous matching gift opportunity.

For a limited time, every dollar you give that is above and beyond your previous level of giving will be matched dollar for dollar up to $300,000.

So simply put, we are asking you to consider doubling your donation to the station.

If you give $5 a month, please consider giving 10.

If you give $100 a year, why not 200?

This matching gift provides us with an incredible opportunity to close the gap in our annual budget, and to continue providing the programs and services you and your families rely on.

What we watch has the power to impact how we think, what we do, and who we become.

WTVP is proud to serve our community with TV that is actually worth watching.

We look forward to serving this community for many years to come.

Thank you for your support.