(light music) - Welcome to "WTVP Now," the program that keeps you connected to what is happening at WTVP and why it matters to central Illinois.

I'm James Kerr, Chief Officer of Content and Digital Media, and today we are having an exciting conversation about where WTVP stands, where we're headed, and how people like you make that future possible.

Over the past year, WTVP, like public media stations across the country, have faced the loss of federal funding and a new reality, a future built almost entirely on community support.

But before we begin that conversation, let's take a look back at a year that tested WTVP, strengthened our purpose, and reminded us just how much this station means to the people of central Illinois.

- [Narrator] WTVP has always been more than what you watch on television.

- I've practically grown up with this station, and it's been a indelibly marked on the Peoria community.

- [Narrator] It's the people we bring together.

- Having a public station that can give you public information free without the constant advertising is really essential to a thriving community like central Illinois.

- [Narrator] The stories we share.

- Where else are you going to find such intellectually stimulating, fascinating television?

- [Narrator] This past year reminded us how much that mission means.

- Funding for public broadcasting stations could be cut following a recent executive order.

- [Narrator] When federal funding for public media was eliminated, WTVP faced a challenge that could not be ignored.

- WTVP CEO, Jenn Gordon, says their station receives about $900,000 in federal funds, making up around 33% of their annual budget.

- [Narrator] This moment was more than just a number.

The real question was, could this community protect a place built for curiosity, connection, and trust?

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

Tell us the need and we will meet you."

- [Narrator] So WTVP asked honestly, clearly, with faith in our community, and central Illinois answered.

- [Reporter] Through the We Believe in WTVP campaign, the station was able to reach its goal of $1 million in fast funding.

The total included $500,000 in viewer donations, matched by a $500,000 grant.

- [Narrator] You gave because you believe PBS is essential for our children.

You gave because you believe local voices deserve to be heard.

You gave because you believe history is worth saving.

You gave because you believe a strong community needs places where we can learn, listen, and see one another more clearly.

Because you believe in WTVP, we met that goal.

- You know, knowing that people believe in the mission, they've stepped up, we have already made it through year one effectively.

- [Narrator] Your generosity protects local programs.

It keeps WTVP free and available to the people of central Illinois.

And it gave us something more.

It gave us momentum.

- Over the last five months, 1500 new donors.

- [Narrator] This is what your belief makes possible.

To everyone who gave, to everyone who shared our message, to everyone who believed when belief mattered most, thank you.

- We're gonna be stronger as a days go forward.

- [Narrator] You've not only helped protect the public trust, you helped to build what comes next.

- You know, people give because of the mission and we've got, yeah 50 plus years of working towards this mission in this community, but it's still a mission that people are really responsive to and excited about.

- [Narrator] A stronger WTVP.

A more local WTVP.

A WTVP that keeps learning alive, that keeps stories at our center, that keep showing up for central Illinois, with gratitude, with purpose, and with hope.

(upbeat music) - Joining me now are past board chair, John Wieland, new board chair, Dr.

Andy Chiou, and WTVP president and CEO, Jenn Gordon.

John, Andy, Jenn, thank you all so much for being here today.

- Great to be here.

- One year ago, you sat in these chairs, very same chairs at a very different moment for WTVP.

Federal funding had just been cut.

The future looked very uncertain, and this station was asking central Illinois to help build a new path forward.

Now a year later, we've seen the community respond in a powerful way.

John, I'd like to start with you.

When you look back at the past year and the generosity shown to WTVP, what stands out to you the most?

- I would say this.

It just confirms what we already knew, that greater Peoria has no rival when it comes to a spirit of generosity.

Now, we had received several large gifts, this last year, and that's nice.

But the real rock stars of this story is you, our listening audience, the thousands and thousands of historical members who have given 60 to $120 a year and those thousands and thousands, I think 2,500 new people who have given 60 to $120.

And that is what sustain us.

And the beauty of these gifts is it reminds me of the story when Jesus was in the temple and people were giving a lot of money and they were impressive amounts.

And then an old grandma gave two cents and Jesus said, "That lady's a rock star."

God wants to know how much of the giver is in the gift.

And when you, our members, give that amount, you have God's blessing and then that blessing carries over to WTVP, and that's why this is just a great story.

- That's incredible.

That's very humbling, isn't it, John?

- Yes, it is.

- Jenn, I want to take a step back for a moment, because I don't think everyone quite understands how federal funding has historically supported public media.

When WTVP lost that funding, how serious was that moment and what did it mean for the future of this station?

- Yes, well, it is hard to believe that it was just a year ago.

Like you were saying, that we were all sitting here, because it was a seismic shift.

We're talking about for over 50 years, federal funding, by way of the Corporation of Public Broadcasting and their community service grants had funded 70% of the dues that we pay to public media.

So because of that funding being lost, we had this gap that came out of nowhere.

So our fiscal year starts July 1, and I remember the board met like right before that and we're like, well, do we think federal funding's gonna go away?

And it was literally fifty-fifty.

We just didn't, we didn't know what was coming down the line.

And we had a backup plan if it went away.

But when that vote came down the line, it was like, okay, now it is game time, it's showtime.

We've lost 30% of our budget that we did not plan on losing and now what are we gonna do to backfill that?

So it wasn't unique to us.

Stations across the country were in a very, very similar situation.

And some stations were even in more dire circumstances, because they were losing 80% of their budget, depending on how much they were fundraising and how many members they had ready to fill the gap.

So, it was a seismic shift for the industry.

What's been remarkable is this year, PBS nationally and communities across the country have responded in this unbelievable way, as John was saying.

So generous, so leaning into the mission.

I think two million messages were sent to Congress in advance of that vote.

So like the American people stood up and said like, Oh my goodness, we love public media.

We need public media and we want to safeguard and keep this for our children and for our grandchildren in the future.

- Right.

John, last year, you and Jenn were very clear with the community that the goal was not just to keep our lights on.

It was to protect WTVP, stabilize the station, and keep serving central Illinois.

But you also talked about growth, which I find really interesting.

Growing our programs, growing our services, strengthening the staff and building a healthier future for public media in this community.

We've talked about how central Illinois responded through this We Believe in WTVP campaign, but now let's talk about WTVP's side of that commitment.

How do you think WTVP has done in keeping faith with the community that stepped up to support us?

- Well, I will speak in regards to the financial.

As of right now, WTVP, we have no debt.

- [James] It's very exciting, very exciting.

- No debt on the books, and that's because of you guys.

And not only that, we are building reserves where we can further invest in our local programming.

And for that, let's hand it over to Jenn and let her talk about all the local programming we're producing.

- Yeah, and I just want to pause too and reflect because there was a moment, John, where you came in and we sat down with the staff and we made a promise to the staff.

We said, "No one is going to lose their job this year."

- Right.

- And because that was a concern, right?

A lot of stations were considering closing their doors and going dark and we made a commitment that not only were we going to stabilize, but we were going to grow.

And there were moments I think where we all looked around the boardroom going like, "Wow, that was a big promise to make."

But again, when you ask the community to give at extraordinary levels, we had to do something extraordinary, and we had to grow.

So I was, I'm just thrilled with how we've been able to do that, primarily through our local programs.

So this year we introduced "Docs on Call" with Mark Welp, which has been this phenomenal partnership with our local medical community, featuring local doctors.

That's been wonderful.

We had the premier episode of "Let's Talk Mental Health," which was a fantastic collaboration with a huge diverse panel of mental health experts from a variety of different approaches to mental health.

It was really, really great.

And then we also have "Vibe 309", which launched and this has kind of been a little bit of a game changer for us.

We're introducing a late night talk show style into our PBS local lineup with Blake Wirth.

And it's just been so well-received.

This has also been our foray into having audiences in the studio for a live studio audience, which has been super fun.

We've seen people just get to experience the magic of their local television station, their local media station, which has been a lot of fun.

And there's also been just a lot of fun, short projects, like digital short projects that we've been doing that you know a lot about.

- I do know.

We're excited to talk about them soon.

- So yeah, it's just been a really, really fun time.

And we're also bringing back "Local Legends" in the fall, so it's been like a dynamic season of growth.

And it would not happen without the community like just leaning into the moment and saying, let's build the future.

- It's exciting.

I know I'd like to take a moment to formally introduce WTVP's new Board Chair, Dr.

Andy Chiou.

Dr.

Chiou brings a deep commitment to this community and to the mission of public media and we are grateful to have his leadership at WTVP as we look forward to what comes next.

Now, Andy, you are stepping into this role at a really important time for WTVP.

It's been a challenging year.

The community has stepped forward, and it feels like there's just real momentum about the future right now.

So how does it feel to begin your term as Board Chair at this moment in history?

- This is a very exciting time, and I think that when you look at what has happened, the board in the very beginning had to be much more forward facing two and a half years ago.

But now we will be much more of a traditional board.

And so the thought is that we have now the ability to rely upon a incredibly talented and professional staff that has now been put together really just through the grace of God.

And from our standpoint, we rely upon this incredible staff, you guys, to project and to preserve and to communicate and really to talk to the folks of central Illinois and respond to what central Illinois wants.

The board responded and when you think about the old adage of, if you want something done, give it to busy people.

We amassed a group of busy board members from across the spectrum of our community, and those board members rose to the occasion.

They were the spark that started the fire.

And that increased enthusiasm was something that our community responded to.

It really just warms my heart to see what has happened.

So it is incredibly exciting, and we're very, very pleased to have the depth of the bench of the professional staff and really expect a lot of wonderful growth in our community and in our programming, so I'm incredibly humbled and excited to be sitting in this seat.

- Andy, that's a great segue, growth.

Jenn, let's talk about what comes next.

- Yes.

- So you've said WTVP does not expect federal funding to return, at least not anytime soon.

The We Believe in WTVP campaign helped carry this station through the past year and the response from central Illinois has been remarkable, but that's not a gap that can be solved in a single year.

So as WTVP looks ahead, how do we continue building that partnership with the community and create a sustainable path forward together?

- Yes, so I love that you were, you used that phrase, sustainable path, because that is what we are building.

And as you said, that gap does not go away overnight.

When you lose 30% of a historic source of your funding, what we're doing is we're trying to replace 30%, but it doesn't happen overnight.

Last year's campaign was hugely successful.

Now we're going to be building on that momentum and launching today a brand new campaign called, WTVP, Stronger Together.

Stronger Together is all about building on the momentum that we started last year.

As, you know, Andy was talking about the spark, the fire that got started, right?

We had great momentum.

We have great momentum, but it's not a one-year campaign.

This is literally building the next 25 years of public media in central Illinois.

And we have a chance to do it really well because of how successful last year was.

Last year we brought in 2,500 new donors, and we brought in a million dollars.

This year, our goal through the WTVP Stronger Together campaign is to raise $600,000 and to equal that number of new donors.

So, it's going to be a lot of, it's gonna be a lot of work.

It's gonna require a lot of continued lean in from the community.

But again, I'm just so excited about what we're going to be able to do together.

And it goes both ways, right?

Like WTVP exists, we are stronger because of the community that supports us.

But our community is stronger because they have a resource, like public media.

- Absolutely.

- And as a parent with young children, I say this to myself every day.

If we did not have public media as a safe, trusted source for reliable educational, quality programming, what would my kids watch?

This is something that's critical for our community.

It's also a clean source of connecting people to what's going on in central Illinois.

We do that better than anyone else.

And we're just dynamically excited about the future.

And of course with that is going to come new local programs like "In the Arena."

- [James] "In the Arena."

Stay tuned.

(Jenn laughing) - [Jenn] Yes.

- So Jenn, Stronger Together is asking central Illinois to continue standing with WTVP.

- Yes.

- Not just for the year, but for the future.

- Yes.

- And when you ask for that kind of continued support, there has to be trust, accountability, and a clear promise back to the community.

So what commitments are WTVP making this time around?

- Yes, so this time around we're saying digital first.

And I'm looking at you James because- - Yep, that's wonderful.

- That's part of the reason why we hired you on the team, right?

We knew we had this kind of gap in our digital presence.

And now more than ever, it's beyond, it's bigger than broadcast.

We are bigger than broadcast.

- Right.

- There's, we are platform neutral.

We want everyone who gets their content from wherever they get their content to know that their community has a local public media engine that is there for them, bringing them the best content, connecting them with their community in a unique way and telling local stories, which we do better than anyone.

So obviously we're gonna continue to look for new ways to tell new local stories, to optimize that content.

We've had just a dynamic launch to this since you've joined the team, James.

So I'm gonna brag on you a little bit.

Because we've seen like- - Mom, keep watching.

- Like we've seen our digital engagement on Facebook, on YouTube, and on other social channels just exponentially grow, even in the last two months.

So and that's been with like minimal effort.

So really the sky's the limit as we get launched on this strategy.

And it's not just a strategy that we're taking.

The wind in our sails is public broadcasting, the PBS system nationwide.

And so excited to say that now PBS, PBS's app, which we get to leverage is available on 98% of all smart devices.

So they have been working in the lane that only they can work in, to make sure that local stations like WTVP, we have those really big powerful tools to connect with people digitally.

I'm very excited about it.

- It's true.

It's true.

I think the big thing that we're going for is the idea that we are gonna meet our audience exactly where they're at every time.

It's not just about the big stick in the backyard, it's about wherever you want to engage with our content, we're gonna be there with the best in central Illinois.

- Yes.

And it's exciting.

Every time I get to share these little stories that we produce, whether it's on "You Gotta See This," or "Shot of Ag" or "In the Arena" or "Vibe 309," people see these stories and they see their community in a new light.

- [James] Absolutely.

- They learn more about the community that they live in and they take ownership and more pride.

And we have the opportunity, not only to produce those stories but to share those stories dynamically like no other engine, communication engine in central Illinois.

So that's our promise to the community.

We are again, we are asking people to step up and become members for the first time if they have not.

I can't think of a better nonprofit to support in our region because we truly work to lift all nonprofits.

I think we featured over 300 individual nonprofits, and local businesses this last year in the different stories that we covered.

So we really are that tide that raises all ships in our community.

And then we're also asking for people if they're already part of the WTVP family to consider just raising their sustaining gift.

So you know, if they give $12 a month, maybe you could give 14, maybe you could give $15 a month.

Because it's gonna be, as John said, all of those little gifts that move us forward as we look towards building a truly sustainable future that is 100% funded by this community, which like what a cool thing to be able to say.

We are 100% funded by the community that we serve.

- John, you talked a lot about that over the last year, the 100% community-funded.

How does it feel now that we've reached that goal and have a future sustained completely by central Illinois?

- I will say this.

A year ago when we did not get any more funding, we said two things.

We will not play the victim card, and we will be stronger once we're through this.

And because of you, our listeners who have stepped up, that became a reality.

And that's what's so, just so rewarding is the community involvement.

- Right.

Right.

I think I'd just like to take a moment for all three of you, the theme of this entire episode of "WTVP Now" has been gratitude.

But like is there something you would like to share or a particular moment from the past year that you are just grateful about whether it was on mission, whether it was with one of our many donors or partners, with our members?

Is there a moment you just want to just get out there and just show us some real appreciation for?

- Oh, well I'll start if that's okay.

There's so many, so it's really hard to choose, because every day we get these letters and you know, checks that surprise us.

Someone donated a house this last year, which is really amazing.

But at one of our community engagement events, Day of Play, PNC's Day of Play, in Glen Oak Park, we had this family that went through the line and we bring Daniel Tiger out for this and a Katerina Kittycat and it's really, really great.

And this little girl wrote this card to WTVP that said, "Thank you so much for the shows."

And she drew a picture of Daniel Tiger right in there and like, but to get a card, a thank you card written from a six-year-old viewer.

- As sincere and with love, it's incredible.

It's the best job in the world.

What other job do you get that?

- Best job in the world.

And to know like what that represents for that mom.

- Absolutely.

- And for that dad.

- [James] Absolutely.

- That we get to be a part of milestone moments for small kids as they're learning how to be, how to behave, how to interact, how to catch their ABCs and their one, two, threes.

But we also get to be a part of like milestone moments for leaders in our community, through local leaders.

And it's just truly a pleasure to get to be there for people in our community.

- Dr.

Chiou, do you have a moment you'd like to share?

- I have I would say hundreds of moments.

And I say that because I've spoken to hundreds of people in this past year about WTVP or they have come up to me and spoken about what the gift of WTVP is to them.

It is the entertainment.

It is the education.

It is the enlightenment.

It is truly something that they feel is part of their living room, their family room.

It is part of a routine.

It part of what centers a lot of times their evening.

When they have trusted information, when they have education and they learn things and they're inspired by things.

But I would say the most important part is that our community responds to hearing about our community.

And that's the one thing we do best is long-form documentary type of shows that talk about the people and the past, as well as what will be our future.

- Absolutely.

- And that is what is really inspiring me.

- Very cool.

John, it's yours.

- Yeah, I would say this.

You know, the community responded and then there's this thing about stewardship.

Do we handle your resources well?

And the additional content that we did not have a year ago, I think that demonstrates that we will always be a good steward of your resources.

And I think that's a special moment for me.

- Jenn, John, Andy, thank you so much for being a part of this conversation, and thank you for your leadership during this incredible time for WTVP.

To everyone watching, thank you.

This past year has reminded us that public media is not something that simply exists in a community, exists because of this community, because people believe trusted information matters, just exactly like Dr.

Chiou said earlier.

Local stories matter.

Educational resources matter.

Arts, culture, history and civil conversation matter.

And a place where central Illinois can see itself and hear itself still matters.

The road ahead will take continued support, continued partnership, and continued belief in what WTVP can be for this community.

But as we've seen over the past year, when central Illinois comes together, WTVP moves forward.

To learn more, stay connected, or support the Stronger Together campaign, visit wtvp.org.

I'm James Kerr, and thank you for watching "WTVP Now."

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