(soft inspirational music) - Welcome to "WTVP Now," the show that keeps you connected with what's happening right here at WTVP, your public broadcasting station.

I'm Jenn Gordon.

- And I'm Audrey Kamm.

On this episode, we'll talk about the station's future, following the very successful We Believe in WTVP campaign.

You'll also get the inside scoop on upcoming national and local shows that you won't wanna miss.

- And last but not least, we'll talk about some really fun station events coming up and let you know how you can get involved.

So, Audrey, before we get to all of the good stuff that we get to talk about in this episode, let's talk about Audrey Kamm first, because you're still relatively new here at the station.

- I am, yes.

So, it's been about two months here at the station.

- [Jenn] Has gone by so fast.

- So fast, and it's been wonderful.

It's been a wonderful team to be a part of.

- And in case people don't recall, you are our new chief development officer.

Can you kind of explain a little bit what that means?

- Yes, so, I am basically in charge of all of our fundraising efforts, our community engagement efforts, and our event efforts.

- Which I just so love that we have you in this role.

(Audrey laughs) And I know everyone, all of our viewers and our members are really gonna get to enjoy getting to know you.

Can you tell them a little bit about your background, particularly are you from the area and all of those things.

- Sure, yes.

I am from the area, born and raised here, and I love this area.

It's home, it's where my husband and I have chosen to raise our family, and I just love being involved in an organization that is so deeply rooted in our community.

And that's why I'm so excited to be here and a part of this team.

- Fantastic.

And you have a lot of experience with non-for-profits, with community groups, and also with fundraising.

- Yep.

- Why did you want to join Team WTVP?

- Yeah, I mean, like you said, I've had many different wonderful experiences in our community between nonprofit organizations, working for them and also volunteering for them.

And really, well, you have cast an amazing vision for where you're taking the station.

You know, it's very important to work for an organization where you believe in the vision of where it's going.

And so, that combined with just all the different organizations that I've been a part of, it kind of just is this wonderful community asset that I am so proud to now work for.

I've worked for many wonderful places, but I'm excited for where this organization is going and, you know, the legacy that it's had in our community and hopefully the legacy that it will continue to leave.

And I thought if I could take some of my professional skills and work towards helping that come to life, that would be a really exciting thing, and so it's been fun to be a part of that.

- Do you have a favorite, like, PBS show from growing up that you used to enjoy?

- Well, I will say, like I said, I have a family, and growing up my kids- - Yes.

- They were huge "Wild Kratts" watchers.

- Oh.

- And I think they know so many fun, weird facts about animals.

- Yes.

- Still now that they bring up because of that show.

So, that has always been a fun one for our family.

- So delightful.

- Yeah.

- So delightful.

Well, we have a lot of good news to talk about today, and one of those pieces revolves around the We Believe in WTVP campaign.

Let's just talk a little bit about the wins that we've had here.

- So many wins.

- Yeah.

- I mean, like I said, I haven't been here that long, but I'm just blown away by some of these numbers.

Over the last five months, 1500 new donors.

- [Jenn] That's incredible.

- [Audrey] 41 new Klystron donors, that's our thousand dollar major giving level.

- It's amazing.

Amazing.

- And then many of our current regular donors upping their giving to become those Klystron donors, and so that is huge.

You know, coming from nonprofit and fundraising, these are huge, wonderful wins.

And just to cap that all off, the whole purpose of the We Believe campaign was to get to fill that million-dollar bucket.

- Yeah.

- And so, with the help of that $500,000 match- - [Jenn] Yeah.

- The station has raised over a million dollars in just about five months- - [Jenn] Yeah.

- Because of the support of the community.

- Right.

- And that's phenomenal.

- And I'm so glad that you've mentioned that timeframe because it wasn't that long ago.

I mean, this was July 17th- - Yes.

- That Congress took that vote to claw back two years worth of federal funding.

The board of directors kind of moved forward with a very, very optimistic vision that the community would meet us in this moment.

And while I was positive that they would, I was blown away that it was only in a five months' timeframe.

- Yes.

I think we all were.

(Jenn chuckles) But it's amazing, right?

- Yeah.

It is amazing, yeah.

- Yeah.

- And, like, so you've done fundraising with other organizations.

Have you ever witnessed something like this?

- I mean, not quite in the same way.

- Yeah.

- You know, this is a wonderful, philanthropic community that we live in.

- It is.

- That is 100%.

Everyone knows this.

- Yep.

- But just to see it come to life in this very tangible way through this campaign is a really fun and incredible and unique thing, I think.

- Yep.

And it doesn't happen.

People don't respond to moments like this unless they're tapped into the mission.

- 100%, yes.

- Yeah.

Yeah, so, that's one thing that I've been just so inspired and encouraged by.

It's like, "Well, you know, people give because of the mission."

And we've got, you know, 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.

- Yes, clearly.

- Yeah.

- So, that was awesome.

And one thing that happened, just kind of the unique timing of this too, shortly after we met those goals, the CPB announced that it was officially dissolving- - Yep.

- And so we've been receiving a lot of questions about that.

- Oh, yeah.

- And so, just to clear up any confusion, let's talk a little bit about, you know, the CPB, that announcement, and its impact on us.

- Yes.

So, as everyone remembers, January 1st, we were able to make this great announcement of meeting our goal, which was huge.

And then I think it was, like, five days later that the CPB formally announced that they were gonna be dissolving.

And it can be confusing for a lot of folks.

It can stir up panic.

I know my mother-in-law called my husband and said, (Audrey laughs) "Oh my gosh, I'm so sorry.

Your wife is gonna lose her job."

Not the case, not the case.

- Yes, yes.

- But yeah, to kind of clear that up, I know one of the things we've been messaging with members and donors, again, is that CPB is a totally different entity than PBS.

And while they both emerged at the same time, you know, 57 years ago, they had different purposes.

So, we had the public broadcasting system that was designed to be getting all of these great programs, educationally driven programs, commercial-free programs out into the country free of charge.

And then we had the CPB, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that was designed to be this granting organization that the federal government would send allocated tax dollars to, and then those funds would be disseminated to stations like WTVP all across the country.

So, when Congress clawed back the funding for the CPB, then all of a sudden, we have this entity, this non-for-profit entity that has no funding to distribute to stations or to operate itself.

So, this did not come as a surprise to us, at any of the public broadcasting stations in the system, that the CPB was dissolving, and didn't stir up or inspire panic in anyone.

- Sure.

- When that vote happened in July, which was pretty unexpected, I think.

I mean, it's not every day- - Right, right.

- That, like, 50 years worth of funding from the federal government gets undone.

- Right.

But I think when that happened, all of us were kinda like, "Well, you know, there's one road that this leads to, and that's the CPB closing its doors.

If they don't have money to distribute, then they don't have a purpose anymore."

- Sure.

- So, we weren't panicked by that.

What it does mean is that should the federal government ever decide that they wanna fund public broadcasting in the future, they're gonna have to come up with a different distribution mechanism.

- [Audrey] Sure, sure.

- You know, we all hope it comes back, but we're not hanging our hat on that.

- Yes.

- And from day one, when we kinda entered this new chapter of public broadcasting, we've been saying like, "Well, we believe that we can move forward and have a really strong future right here in Central Illinois with the community support."

And I think we've seen that happen.

- Totally, yes.

(Jenn chuckles) And maybe you just dig into that a little bit more, like the new future.

So, this million dollars has been rescinded, and we're not hanging our hat on that coming back.

So, what does that future look like and how can donors feel good- - Yeah.

- About continuing to be involved in that?

- Yeah, well, I think the first big win is, you know, knowing that people believe in the mission.

They've stepped up.

We have already made it through year one, effectively, right?

Without federal funding.

- Huge, huge thing to celebrate, I know.

- Huge thing to celebrate.

- I mean, like I said, we're blown away by that, right?

- Right, and so I think that underscores with other members and viewers that we're not moving backwards, we're moving forward.

I know oftentimes, people might be concerned like, "Well, I don't wanna give to a sinking ship."

Right?

- Sure, absolutely.

- And, you know.

So, to be able to give confidence to our community that the future is bright and strong, and we will continue to need community support to do this, what we addressed this year was our initial year one without federal funding.

- Yeah.

- Yeah.

- It's always historically been 30% of our budget, right?

So, we made it through year one.

We know that that gap was filled by new donations, new members as you mentioned, new major donors, but there were also a lot of, like, substantial additional gifts that came in.

- Yep.

- So, every year, we're gonna be looking at dynamically growing our membership.

- [Audrey] Yes.

- Dynamically growing the, you know, $100-a-year members and the $200-a-year members and people who are giving $10 a month to the station, our sustaining members who are, like, at the heart of our viewership.

- Yes, yes.

- We serve 17 counties, though, so I really think that the best years are ahead of us.

We've got a exciting road to travel, and I'm excited about next year.

- Yes.

- I'm excited about this year.

I'm really excited about next year.

- That's awesome.

And I think I just wanna underscore, you said we survived and made it through the first year, but, like, we're thriving through that first year.

- Yes.

- Like, huge success to build off of.

And I'm excited for what the future of the station holds.

- Yes, it is a super, super exciting time.

- So, let's pivot a little bit and talk about what we have in store for the future.

So, let's talk about content.

- Oh, my favorite topic.

(Audrey chuckles) My favorite topic.

- So, this is what we're all about here, right, at WTVP.

So, what have you been watching this month and what can we look forward to in February?

- Yeah.

So, January is always a really fun time for season premieres.

- Fun, yes.

- You know, a lot of what we're raising funds for at WTVP is to a PBS station, so we pay PBS member dues, and that's how we get these incredible programs like MASTERPIECE and "NOVA" and PBS Kids shows and all of those things.

So, in January, we had the season premiere of season six of "All Creatures Great and Small."

This is one of masterpieces, like, banner shows that they're doing right now.

Season six, it's been hyper successful.

They've already announced that there's gonna be a season seven, so I think people can be excited about that.

And it's based off of the James Herriot books, so "All Creatures Great and Small" books that track James Herriot who's a veterinarian in the Dales in England.

- Fun.

- Yep.

So, Season six picks up at the end of World War II, and the crew has kind of gotten back together, and it's delightful.

You've got shows about, you know, veterinary practices, animals.

There's, like, family.

It's kind of comedy drama, but it's just a whole lot of love.

- Fun.

- Yep.

And that is- - What's not to love about it?

- Exactly, and it truly is like a family-friendly, cozy show.

I watch it with my 11-year-olds.

We were waiting for that season premiere for a long time.

So, very, very exciting.

- Aw, I love that.

I love that we have so much content that families can watch together.

- Yes, and, like, intergenerational too, because my mom will join us and we'll all watch it together.

- Oh, fun.

- We also had the premiere of season six of "Miss Scarlet," which is MASTERPIECE mystery, so it's a slightly different pocket of the MASTERPIECE brand.

And that's a really, really fun show that follows kind of like a Sherlock Holmesian detective, but she's female, Miss Eliza Scarlet, so she's carving out a path for female detectives.

- Love that.

- It's super, super entertaining and fun.

So, that was a good one that we had.

And then we've also been doing some really fun dynamic local programs here that we're always excited to underscore.

So, January 1st, we dropped the second episode of "Vibe 309 with Blake Wirth."

- Yep.

- And that show, if anyone has, you know, missed it or you can always stream all of our shows on demand through the PBS app.

So, fantastic opportunity to reconnect with shows that folks have missed.

But this one featured a sit down with Al Cuizon who is the student body president.

- So fun and dynamic, yes.

- [Jenn] Like, an incredibly accomplished young man.

- Yes.

- And then there's this really fun vibe check segment that happens for one of the Bradley basketball games right here in Peoria.

I lost my earpiece.

I'm gonna fix that real quick.

(Audrey laughs) So, that's a really, really great show.

And then also, this month, we also have our best of "You Gotta See This!"

episode.

So- - Such a great show.

- It's so great.

And, so Amy Arhart who's the producer, she kind of combs through the past year of local stories and puts together the best of episodes.

So, that's a really fun one.

And again, everyone can stream those on demand as they make their way through our content.

And quick plug for the PBS app, if anyone has not downloaded the PBS app yet, I mean, I love watching shows through broadcast and I love watching shows, like, on the schedule, but I really love watching shows on demand.

- Yes.

- And that's something that- - Don't we all?

- Right.

- I mean, that's how people intake a lot of media these days- - Exactly.

- And we have a solution for that.

- Yeah, yeah.

- So, awesome.

- Yep, lots of fun there.

And then, let's see, I wanna talk a little bit, Audrey, if I can, about, like, what's coming up on deck.

- Yes.

- Because there's some really exciting programs that PBS, I'm gonna get my note cards right here 'cause this is exciting.

And PBS does so much heavy lifting to make sure that we can bring our viewers exceptional programming.

- [Audrey] Yes.

- So, some of the things that are coming down the pipeline for February, nature.

Everyone loves nature, but there's a very wonderful nature series that's launching in February that's called "Parenthood" - Fun.

- Uh-huh, and you can kinda guess what this is gonna be about.

- [Audrey] Of course.

- [Jenn] But it took three years to shoot this series.

- Wow.

- Covered six continents, 23 countries.

It's narrated by Sir David Attenborough, which everyone I love.

I just love his voice, I love how he walks people through the animal kingdom.

And I think it is just gonna be, even if you're not someone who's inclined to watch nature programs, if you're a parent, I think you're gonna really enjoy- - I love that.

- Enjoy watching this.

So, that's a fun one.

We also have a special four-part docuseries that's airing in February, "Black and Jewish America: An Interwoven History."

So, this is led by Louis Gates Jr.

Last year, we got to share "The Great Migration," which was also a Louis Gates Jr.

piece that came together.

And I am so excited about this.

This, I think, is just gonna be a dynamic piece of history-telling and storytelling that's really interweaving Black American experience with Jewish American experience, and talking about some of those shared struggles and- - So interesting.

- Very, very interesting.

- I love the depth at which many of our programs go down- - Yes!

(laughs) - To really bring that educational piece.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

- And I'm always impressed by the angle and, you know, someone's taking the time to say, "Well, let's tell this story."

- Yes.

- Right?

So, very excited about that.

Now, I'm a parent, you're a parent.

My kids are still younger.

- Yes.

- Your kids are a little bit older than my kids.

- Yes.

- But there's also some very exciting stuff coming via PBS Kids.

So- - There always is.

- Always, yes.

But we had, I think it was in September when we got to start airing "Weather Hunters."

That was a new PBS Kids series featuring Al Roker, who is Weatherman Al Roker.

- Of course, of course.

- Super fun kids series.

My kids have watched all of the episodes.

It talks about meteorology, weather patterns.

It's super good.

But in February, we get to start airing, on February 2nd, "Phoebe & Jay."

"Phoebe & Jay"- - Okay.

- Is a fantastic new series that is centering on literacy development, really for preschool, kindergarten kids.

What PBS Kids is trying to address in here is the reality that 40% of kids enter into kindergarten being one to three years behind- - Oh, wow.

- Where they should be in their literacy development.

That's staggering.

- And literacy is so important.

- Literacy is so important.

And so, PBS is always looking at these metrics and trying to fill the gap - Yes.

- And trying to be parents' first partners.

- Yes.

- All of these good things.

What's great about this show, it's a wildly different angle.

It's all centered around everyday text that you see, that kids come into encounter with.

So, "Phoebe & Jay"- - Fun.

- Is talking about like, "All right, when you see a sign, learning how to read via signs.

It might be when the kids are getting dressed and, you know, the tags on their clothes."

Those are texts that you come into contact with every day- - Sure.

- As a young person before you start sitting down and actually reading a book.

- That's so great.

- Yeah, it's super fun.

- So great.

- Yeah.

- Phoebe and Jay are fraternal twins- - Oh, fun.

(laughs) - Super.

And they have big personalities.

And, you know, like, everything else with PBS Kids, it's done at such an exceptional level of storytelling and animation.

- [Audrey] Mm-hmm, with education all at the same time.

- With education at the same time.

- Yeah.

- So, these types of shows, just to underscore for everyone, not only do we air them during our kids block in the morning on broadcast, but also, if you're downloading the PBS Kids app, which is separate from the PBS app- - [Audrey] Another great resource.

- Another great resource.

- Yeah.

- Parents and kids can stream that on demand at any time.

- Amazing.

- So, yeah, it is.

It's really amazing.

And every donation that we get from our members goes to providing these services.

- That's incredible.

- Yeah.

So, when people see, like, at the end, "And supported by viewers like you," it really is, like- - It really is, yes.

- Viewers like you.

- And, you know, we have so many different platforms and options for people.

- Yeah.

- And I'm learning about new ones every day.

It's great.

- Right.

Yeah.

- Yes.

- Yeah.

So, those are some of the programs I'm hyper excited about.

There's a lot more.

I mean, we have- - We could go on and on.

Right?

- Yeah, yes.

- Yes.

- But for everyone, I'm really hoping they tune into those.

And certainly, if they haven't downloaded the app yet, take a moment, download the app, put in your zip code, and you'll be able to watch free, on demand all of our PBS locally produced programs and programs that we are currently broadcasting.

- Yes, that piece is very important that you just said, though, to put in their zip code.

- Yes.

(laughs) - When they jump on the app.

So, we wanna make sure- - Yes, exactly.

- That you're catching all the local programs.

- Yes, without a doubt.

- Yes.

- So, now, we have a little bit of time left- - Yes.

- So I wanna talk a little bit about some of the fun events- - Yes!

- That you are responsible for bringing to the community that are coming up on deck here.

- Yes, so, we of course have 40 leaders under Forty, which is just around the corner, and it's celebrating our young leaders in the community, our up-and-coming leaders who are going to eventually be our senior leaders making an impact already.

- Yeah.

- And that event is already well in its way to being sold out.

So, we're so pleased with the response on that one, but it will be available for people to watch post event as well.

- Yeah.

- And then of course, we have the, speaking back to the PBS Kids angle, the Day of Play coming up in May.

- So fun.

- So, that's always a fun event to bring family out to.

- Yes.

It is so much fun.

- Yes.

- And there's also- - Yes.

- I heard word of a virtual golf outing happening?

- Oh, yes.

Yes, that happens in February, and it's just a wonderful fundraiser for the station.

Yeah, so.

- And I love that there's ways to get involved at big levels- - Yes.

- But also at, like, any level, right?

- Yes, yes.

- Earlier today, we had some tour groups through the station.

- Yes.

- And that's something too.

- Oh, yes.

- Can you, like, speak a little bit about that?

- Absolutely.

If groups are interested in coming in and having a studio tour, seeing kind of the behind the scenes of what we do here, it's really remarkable what our production team does and everything that goes into producing a show here.

- Mm-hmm.

- And we would love to bring groups through and can just reach out to our membership department, and we'd love to get them set up.

- Yeah, that's a fun one.

- Mm-hmm.

It is fun.

It's fun seeing kids in the studio.

It's fun seeing people in the community engaging with our staff and with our shows and with the equipment and what we have here.

So, it's just fun to see their eyes light up when they see themselves on the screen, you know.

- And when you think about it to what a unique educational opportunity that is just for young people- - Absolutely.

- In our community to come into a television station.

- Absolutely, yes.

- And I mean, this is an educational onboarding, this is like career development- - Yes, yes.

- I like to think of.

- Yes, absolutely.

- Right?

That's fantastic.

I wanna go back to 40 Leaders Under Forty.

- Yes.

- You have worked with a lot of leaders- - Yes.

- In this community.

But I wanna hear kind of from your perspective, why is it important that we continue to have a platform like 40 Leaders?

- Yes.

I think it is so important that, you know, we have a lot of talent homegrown or talent that has moved here to Peoria.

And it is important that we showcase and highlight those individuals because that in turn showcases and highlights our area, and it'll make our area stronger and better for the future.

And I think that's been proven over 32 years of doing this program.

It's so fun to flip back into those old yearbooks that we have- - Yes.

- And just see, like, these are the change makers in Peoria now and these are the people that are building our community.

And so, we wanna continue that tradition for many, many years to come, that we are helping recognize those people that are gonna be building our community for the future.

- So, if someone isn't directly attached to a 40 Leader, is this something that they might still be interested in attending the event or learning?

- Oh, absolutely.

Oh, absolutely.

Like I said, you know, we're anticipating that this is gonna be a sold out event, tickets are flying.

And I think it's just something that will make you feel good.

It'll make you feel good about being a part of this community and seeing what these young leaders have done, and even a celebration of people who have received the award before coming back and seeing this event.

You know, I think everyone can leave feeling very positive about the impact that people are having on our community and where we're going from here.

- You attended the event last year, right?

- I did, yes.

- And we kind of changed it up a little bit.

So, if people haven't been to a 40 Leaders event, can you give them a little inside perspective on what they're gonna experience when they come?

- Yeah, it's a fantastic event.

It feels like an award show.

- Mm-hmm.

- It's very well produced.

We use our entire WTVP staff to kind of have a hand in this unique talents, showcasing these leaders, and each get a little produced video, there's music, it's very well done.

And I think people, like I said, will come and have just a wonderful time networking with other people in the community, but also, we get done with that in an hour's time, recognizing 40 leaders- - It's amazing.

- With all these well-produced little pieces that our team has done.

And so, I think it's definitely something people will wanna see.

- Thank you so much, Audrey.

- Yes.

- And that does it for this episode of "WTVP Now."

Thank you so much for watching.

- And thank you for supporting WTVP PPBS.

(lively music) (lively music continues) (lively music continues) (lively music fading)