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Covering the biggest stories of 2020

Exploring grief and healing in a new short documentary

Investigating wildfire threats to California’s seniors

Supporting young people with at-home learning resources

Transforming KQED for the future

A M E S SAGE F ROM KQED PR E SI DEN T & CEO MICHAEL J. ISIP

Spring 2021 Dear Friends, Partners and Supporters, The Bay Area turns to KQED in times of need. When faced with this pandemic, deadly wildfires, housing issues, and challenges to our democracy, the Bay Area looks to KQED for in-depth national and regional coverage on radio and television as well as online, on demand and via social media platforms. For more than a year, KQED journalists, like so many Americans, have been working remotely and have had to find new and creative ways to bring you essential, up-to-the-minute local news and information. Meanwhile, KQED Education has been filling learning gaps for homebound teachers and students with free at-home online learning resources and standards-aligned television programming. Also amidst the backdrop of the pandemic have been calls for actions to address racism, equality and equity. In an effort to bring people together and examine our society — and ourselves — like we never have before, we expanded the reach of Forum statewide to discuss and deepen your understanding of systemic racism, structural inequities and police misconduct. We also featured national television and radio programming to foster understanding and cultivate respect. In addition, KQED News conducted an audit of our news sources to see where we need to better represent our diverse communities. In a year like no other, filled with deep division, growing suffering and need, as well emotional, physical and mental distress, KQED has been a source of truth, facts and stories of humanity and hope. However, just as you depend on us, we rely on community support to make our services possible. Throughout this time of financial uncertainty, many of you stepped up to help us meet the demands of the moment by funding challenge grants to help inspire member support and by increasing your sustaining gifts. Your generosity, loyalty and commitment demonstrates the civic and cultural vitality of the Bay Area.

KQED: Where facts matter, stories empower and bold conversations begin Thank you for helping KQED be the source of trusted journalism and quality programming serving the diverse needs of the Bay Area. In the pages that follow, you’ll see how we covered the defining stories of 2020 with your support. You’ll also see an update on Campaign 21, our once-in-a-generation opportunity to transform KQED for the future. It is very moving to see so many of you going above and beyond your annual membership contributions to ensure that future generations can rely on KQED. You have my deepest gratitude, and I can’t wait to celebrate with you at 2601 Mariposa Street. We at KQED are hopeful that better days lie ahead, but we know it’s not going to be easy. The media landscape is littered with misinformation, lies and conspiracy theories — much of it rooted in racism, sexism, and disregard for the health and safety of others. We draw strength and guidance from our mission to inform, inspire and involve. And with resilience and resolve, we’ll navigate these times with a moral compass because we know that character and values matter. Please accept my thanks for your continued generous support of KQED, your local public media resource. And if you have any questions or thoughts to share, please don’t hesitate to reach out to my dedicated colleagues on the Development team. You can reach them at 415.553.2300 or majorgifts@kqed.org. Stay safe, stay healthy and take care. Warmly,

Michael J. Isip President & CEO P.S. I’d also like to extend a warm welcome to our new Signal Society members reading this right now. Many of you are longtime supporters who decided to increase your commitment during this tumultuous time. Thank you for being there for us. I hope to meet you soon.

KQED in 2020 250K

More than members provide more than half of what KQED needs to serve the Bay Area and beyond.

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reporters, journalists With more than and editors, KQED has one of the largest newsrooms on the West Coast.

2020

, we saw record listenership, In readership and engagement with KQED.

At the onset of the pandemic, our total audience surged by

22%. 4,200-sq.-ft.

The new Commons in our headquarters will be a community space for lectures, events, live performances and screenings.

90% of KQED employees have been working remotely. A small staff has been working on-site to maintain our essential services.

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Campaign 21: No Place Like Home KQED is redefining public media for the Bay Area. Our journey of transformation began more than a decade ago. We envisioned leading the way into a new era of service for our growing audiences to be where, when and how you needed us. To reach these goals, we launched Campaign 21, a $135 million multiyear effort to fund digital production and distribution, grow our reporting teams and renovate our headquarters. Today we’re in the final phase of fundraising. We’re incredibly grateful that despite pandemic and economic setbacks, we are on schedule to open our doors this fall! To join us or learn more email campaign21@kqed.org or call 415.553.8497.

Inside KQED’s renovated recording studios. (Sarah Augusta)

Changes Inside and Out

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Visit kqed.org/campaign21 to learn more about the final phase of our campaign and take a guided virtual tour of our headquarters before we open our doors to the public!

KQED’s new roof terrace will provide 3,000 additional square feet of landscaping, seating and furnishings — a design that strikes the perfect balance of welcoming and functional.

The new third floor space is a modern, flexible production environment perfect for multidisciplinary teams to collaborate on videos, podcasts and multimedia stories using the latest world-class studio equipment.

Rather than scatter news, science and arts units throughout the building, this redesign brings all of our journalists together in an expanded, modern multi-disciplinary newsroom.

The Commons will be our largest space to host live programs and distribute them via radio, podcast or television so you can participate wherever and however you want.

A place to meet friends and family before attending events together, we anticipate our new lobby to be a hub of connection. After entering our front corner doors, visitors and staff will go up a series of wooden steps to the upper lobby, a more intimate space for interaction and engagement.

Rendering of Upper Lobby / EHDD

Created for the Community Whether you love to listen and watch or participate and create, our newly expanded home has an invitation for you! KQED is proud of our long history of making programs not just for, but with our Bay Area community. Our awardwinning podcast and education teams regularly collaborate with community organizations, and we designed our new space to enable us to strengthen those collaborations. In addition to our expanded lobby space and publicly accessible meeting rooms, we’re particularly proud of our new community space, a dedicated suite of rooms for focus groups, interviews and the creation of new digital resources.

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National Conversations, Local Creations: KQED and the PRX Podcast Garage KQED has a new on-site partnership with the renowned PRX Podcast Garage, a community recording studio, classrooms, and event space for audio storytellers of all experience levels that is designed to support the work of local audio producers and storytellers. KQED and PRX Podcast Garage plan to host weekly events on the art and business of podcasting, provide state-of-the-art recording and mixing equipment, and facilitate classroom spaces for audio producers.

Learn how to tell your story with KQED Learn and the PRX Podcast Garage. (Photos courtesy of PRX Garage and KQED Learn)

NEWS

Covering the COVID-19 Crisis — Timely and Trustworthy News You Need As one of the largest science reporting teams on the West Coast, KQED was uniquely ready to cover a global story that would touch every corner of our lives. Since the onset of the pandemic, KQED continues to deliver extensive and contextual coverage on the coronavirus, helping audiences understand and cope with the crisis. ➤ Find all of KQED’s coronavirus coverage at kqed.org/coronavirus.

Tamu Bustos (above) spoke with The California Report Magazine about how she’s keeping her family safe while working on the frontlines. (Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Funding support for KQED News pandemic reporting was provided by The National Science Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, Ruchi Sanghvi and Aditya Agarwal Charitable Fund, Renaissance Journalism, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. 10

JAN UARY 2020 KQED Science Reporter Lesley McClurg reports on virus screenings at SFO; Forum takes your questions about the coronavirus. APRIL KQED debuts the Bay Area Coronavirus Tips newsletter. Also, in partnership with Univision, KQED en Español launches, providing a newsletter, resources and critical life-saving information to Bay Area communities in Spanish. MAY KQED publishes a map of free testing sites throughout the Bay Area. Deep Look airs an episode on how the coronavirus affects your lungs.

AU G US T With the threat of wildfires, KQED publishes an article on what to pack in your emergency bag with COVID-19 in mind. With the expiration of the federal eviction moratorium, KQED updates its guide for renters. 11

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Timeline of KQED’s Rapid Response and COVID-19 Resources MARC H Ninety percent of KQED staff begin working remotely; KQED Education releases at-home learning television and digital resources. Live coronavirus blog launches. With partner stations, KQED releases database tracking county-by-county COVID-19 cases. The second hour of Forum becomes the first statewide public radio program on the coronavirus and its impacts. Ongoing broadcasts of Governor Newsom’s press conferences are distributed across the state. J U LY KQED begins creating an online memorial to remember and honor Bay Area residents who lost their lives to COVID-19.

O N G O IN G Reporting continues on the disproportionate impact of COVID-19 on Black and Brown communities, updates on the vaccine, reopenings and more.

Mina Kim (above), host of Forum and a news correspondent, working from home. (Twitter, @kqed)

Making the News During Shelter-in-Place With 90 percent of KQED’s staff working from home, we continued to bring you the news. Reporters creatively utilized what they had at home — pillows, blankets, coats — to make sure the news you were hearing on the radio sounded as good as it would if it had originated from inside a recording studio at KQED.

Brian Watt (above), KQED’s morning news anchor, bringing you the news at 5:30am from his home basement. (Brian Watt/KQED)

Go Public 2021 (Beth LeBerge/KQED)

Older and Overlooked Investigation Reveals Wildfire Threat to California Seniors California has one of the country’s fastest-growing populations of aging seniors. How is the state prepared to protect the safety of seniors in the wake of wildfires? Investigative reporting by KQED and CalMatters revealed that nearly 2 million Californians aged 65 and older live in places where wildfires pose a serious threat. The investigation was highlighted in a five-part audio series, Older and Overlooked. Online, audiences can use a mapping tool to see the wildfire risk in their area and view a guide to discussing disaster planning with a loved one’s long-term care facility. The series, combined with KQED’s extensive wildfire coverage, reached more than 350,000 people over the air and online. ➤ What is the fire risk in your area? Go to kqed.org/ olderandoverlooked to see if your area is vulnerable to wildfires and visit kqed.org/wildfires for all of KQED’s wildfire coverage.

This is a project of KQED Science that is supported by the National Science Foundation, the Dirk and Charlene Kabcenell Foundation, the Vadasz Family Foundation, the Gordon and Betty Moore Foundation, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.

(Beth LaBerge/KQED)

Covering the 2020 Election The political and cultural climate surrounding the 2020 election underscored the urgency and the necessity of KQED’s role as a trusted journalistic source in service to the community. While misinformation and disinformation spread in the media and on social networks during a historic election year, the entire KQED newsroom worked to bring you fact-based news and information and to inspire civic discussion and involvement.

By the Numbers: KQED News in 2020 2 California voter guides, in English and Spanish 5 virtual Ballots and Brews/Boletas y Chelas voter events 124,450 pageviews for the most-viewed election explainer: “I Made a Mistake on My Ballot. How Do I Fix It?” More than 6.6M+ pageviews for digital voter guides KQED 9 watched by 1M+ households during election week (11/2–11/6/2020)* 14

*The last time we saw viewership this high was five years ago when Downton Abbey ended its run.

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KQED’s 2020 Election Resources KQED’s 2020 California Voter Guide in English and Spanish included concise explanations of what would happen if a proposition passed and why people supported or opposed it. For the first time, we also included a snapshot of notable backers and opponents, the largest donors, and the amount each side received in donations.

Ballots and Brews/Boletas y Chelas were virtual events at which political reporters broke down each proposition and took your questions live. The KQED en Español team hosted its first bilingual Boletas y Chelas event, discussing propositions that would most impact Latinx communities.

Bay Curious Prop Fest broadcasted dedicated podcast episodes to explore each of the 12 statewide ballot propositions.

Forum explored voting issues and took your questions on ballot measures. Several times in the lead-up to the election, we brought on Kim Alexander, president of the California Voter Foundation, to talk about mail-in voting and take listener questions about the process.

Funding support for KQED News across all initiatives was provided by Eric and Wendy Schmidt, The James Irvine Foundation, the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, College Futures Foundation, the California Wellness Foundation, Craig Newmark Philanthropies, the Bernard Osher Foundation, the Open Society Foundations, Ruchi Sanghvi and Aditya Agarwal Charitable Fund, The Westly Foundation, the California Endowment, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.

ARTS

A new short documentary from KQED

Brittany Tanner, Felicia Gangloff-Bailey, Karega Bailey and Lauren Adams are the musicians and educators behind the Oakland-based group SOL Development, whose music has been described as hip-hop, jazz and soul. Pendarvis Harshaw, KQED Arts & Culture columnist, writes that SOL Development’s music is about “combating oppression, empowering the community and pushing for selfdetermination — all served over this underlying baseline of love.” In fall 2020, KQED proudly premiered When the Waters Get Deep, a short documentary that follows SOL Development as they use their music to tell the story of policing, mass incarceration and gun violence. The 35-minute film highlights the work of SOL Development and the collective BE-IMAGINATIVE as they create healing spaces for families grieving from the loss of loved ones due to gun violence. 16

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Let not pain be the end of your story. SOL Development’s lyrical storytelling helps narrate the documentary’s journey through loss, pain and healing: “They’re urging us to lean into the love. And survive them in a way that is so divine. Let not pain be the end of your story.” Produced in partnership with BE-IMAGINATIVE, When the Waters Get Deep won Best Short Documentary at the 18th International Oakland Film Festival in 2020. ➤ For information on events and screenings, visit whenthewatersgetdeep.org. Support for When the Waters Get Deep was provided by the Osher Production Fund, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED. KQED Arts receives major support from the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation. Produced in partnership with BE-IMAGINATIVE, When the Waters Get Deep is a production of KQED. 17

What Stories Could You Tell About Your City Through Dance? Discover the magic, history and culture of cities across the Bay Area and beyond in KQED’s Webby Award–winning video series If Cities Could Dance. The third season of If Cities Could Dance features dancers who are carrying on their city’s cultural traditions despite colonial legacies, mounting gentrification and displacement. Accompanying this season’s episodes are several interactive features, including how-to dance videos, playlists and interactive maps of each city. ➤ Watch If Cities Could Dance at kqed.org/arts.

The Season 3 premiere of If Cities Could Dance takes us to Washington, D.C., where we learn about the origins of Beat Ya Feet, its role in the #DontMuteDC movement and how go-go became the official music of D.C. The season has garnered more than 500,000 views on KQED’s YouTube channel.

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When California’s shelter-in-place orders brought live in-person performances to a halt, KQED collaborated with 16 dancers from Oakland to San Juan, Puerto Rico, to create “Dear Dancer,” a dance video “chain letter.” In the short film, we see dancers moving to the poetry of Chinaka Hodge from their porches, yards and rooftops — the picture of dancing-in-place. An excerpt from “Dear Dancer,” by Chinaka Hodge: You are an archive of movements. In stepping revolution to troubled 45s. You know your best potion is in the curve of your back, in the tendu and pirouette, in the sweat and stretch, in the breaths after five before one. Dancer, the beat is coming back. The roda and cipher, the jacks and slides. The time will be steady again. You will be there to greet it. ➤ Watch the short film “Dear Dancer” on our YouTube channel at youtube.com/kqedarts. Support is provided by the Osher Production Fund. Support of KQED Arts is provided by the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and the members of KQED.

E D U CATIO N

Supporting At-Home Learning As soon as the pandemic set off a cascade of school closures in early March 2020, KQED mobilized quickly in order to develop a range of at-home learning resources while bearing in mind equitable access to education. In partnership with PBS SoCal/KCET, we developed a suite of free at-home learning resources for educators and young people. And we rolled out educational television programming on KQED Plus as well as corresponding digital learning media and activities for at-home learning. ➤ Access KQED’s At-Home Learning Resources at kqed.org/education/athomelearning.

By the Numbers: KQED Education in 2020 Ratings on KQED Plus increased by 50% after we switched to the At-Home Learning schedule. Above the Noise, KQED’s YouTube series for teens, received more than 2.5M views. 10,000 educators took part in trainings and workshops. Thousands of students fostered their media literacy on the KQED Learn platform.

1,000+ students participated in the Let’s Talk About Election 2020 Youth Media Challenge.

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Helping Young People Understand and Debate the Biggest Issues of 2020 Above the Noise, KQED’s popular YouTube video series for teens, created a special series of episodes focused on COVID-19. Host Myles Bess delved into the ways COVID-19 affects young people, including how to handle family tension during stay-at-home orders. Above the Noise also produced videos that spoke to the biggest stories of 2020, including the role of police in schools and whether people convicted of a crime should be allowed to vote. On the KQED Learn platform, educators could utilize these videos as a starting place for student debate and discussion. ➤ Learn more about Above the Noise at kqed.org/education.

Funding support for KQED’s education services was provided by the Koret Foundation, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the Silver Giving Foundation, the William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, the AT&T Foundation, the Crescent Porter Hale Foundation, the Lisa and Douglas Goldman Fund, Campaign 21 and the members of KQED.

P OD CASTS

Informing and Inspiring Through Podcasts Whether you’re new to podcasts or a regular listener, here’s a selection of some of our favorite podcasts and episodes from 2020. This year, be on the lookout for a new podcast about previously secret documents detailing police misconduct and serious uses of force. ➤ Find more KQED original podcasts at kqed.org/podcasts. Listen on your smart speaker or via Apple Podcasts, Google Podcasts, NPR One, Spotify, Stitcher or wherever you get your podcasts.

Dive into the history and explore solutions to the housing affordability crisis with Sold Out. Since we launched the housing desk a year ago, our housing news audience has grown to 100,000 monthly listeners. Season 2 is slated to premiere in fall 2021. STARTER EPISODE

“The Racist History of Single-Family Zoning” Did you know that single-family zoning got its start in the city of Berkeley?

Hosted by award-winning journalist Farai Chideya, Our Body Politic is a source of news for and by Black women and other women of color. The show premiered in fall 2020 and is presented by KPCC, KCRW and KQED as part of the California Regional News Hub collaboration. STARTER EPISODE

Episode from November 27, 2020 Maria Hinojosa on Inclusive Storytelling, and Journalists of Color Creating Newsrooms from Tennessee to Laguna Pueblo Lands. 22

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Every weekday afternoon, catch up on the biggest stories of the day with Consider This. Consider This is the first of its kind in the podcast industry: a blend of national and local journalism tailored to your location.

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“White House Reporters Reflect on Four Years as ‘Enemies of the People’” Three veteran reporters of the White House Press Corps reflect on their time covering the 45th president.

The Bay brings you an in-depth look at what’s happening in the Bay Area. Recently, The Bay team was recognized with an Excellence in Journalism Award from the Society of Professional Journalists and with an Edward R. Murrow Award for Excellence in Innovation. STARTER EPISODE

By the People After the historic 2020 election, The Bay explored how democracy plays out locally.

In December 2020, The California Report (TCR) celebrated 25 years with a virtual retrospective featuring the current hosts of TCR and alumni, including Alisa Chang (All Things Considered), Tamara Keith (The NPR Politics Podcast), Scott Shafer and others. WATCH ONLINE

Watch a recording of the virtual event on KQED’s YouTube channel.

Funding support for KQED housing coverage was provided by a major grant from the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Funding support for Our Body Politic was provided by the Jonathan Logan Family Foundation. Funding for The Bay is provided in part by the Chan Zuckerberg Initiative. Funding for The California Report includes support from Eric and Wendy Schmidt, the James Irvine Foundation and the California Health Care Foundation.

Bringing Supporters Together In a typical year, we host more than 25 special donor events, giving you the opportunity to enjoy a meal and an invigorating discussion with KQED, PBS and NPR staff. In 2020, we reimagined our entire events program into a virtual one so that we could continue to connect and learn from each other during a difficult year. Although we look forward to the day we can gather again in person, we’re grateful to know the spirit of curiosity and community can carry on, even digitally!

Tom Cohen, Director’s Circle member, posits a question during a lunch event on February 4, 2020, to NPR Legal Affairs Correspondent Nina Totenberg.

On December 3, 2019, donors gathered for a meal and conversation at Farmshop in Larkspur with Sasha Khokha, host of The California Report Magazine, and Lisa Morehouse, producer of California Foodways.

Go Public 2021 On June 11, 2020, PBS NewsHour Correspondent Lisa Desjardins joined KQED Politics and Government Desk Senior Editor Scott Shafer for a conversation about her coverage of news from the U.S. Capitol.

KQED President and CEO Michael J. Isip (bottom) welcomes NPR National Desk Correspondent Pam Fessler (top right) for a discussion on voting rights ahead of the November 2020 election with Guy Marzorati (top left), reporter and producer for KQED’s California Politics and Government Desk.

At the 2020 Women NewsMakers, KQED Forum host Mina Kim (bottom right) moderated a conversation with leaders working to create a more equitable California. Top left, clockwise: Anne Stuhldreher (Financial Justice Project), Dr. Kirsten Bibbins-Domingo (UCSF School of Medicine) and LaShawn Routé Chatmon (National Equity Project).

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Watch your favorite KQED and PBS programs on KQED Passport! Passport gives you on-demand access to 1,500+ episodes including Check, Please! Bay Area, Finding Your Roots, Great Performances and more. You can also watch documentaries and specials like NOVA, The Black Church: This Is Our Story, This Is Our Song and Asian Americans. To activate your Passport benefit, contact us at 415.553.2300 or majorgifts@kqed.org.

Georgi Kelly Vice President, Development 415.553.2199 gkelly@kqed.org Leslie Hawkins Director, Campaign and Patron Events 415.553.2336 lhawkins@kqed.org Linda Larkin Director, Campaign 21 415.553.3340 llarkin@kqed.org

Chris Perrius Senior Director, Foundation, Government and Partnership Support 415.553.3318 cperrius@kqed.org

EDITORS

Sarah Augusta Christina Magaña Natalie Marinkovich Beverly Estrellas Mislang COPY EDITOR

Michele Martinez Reese Senior Director, Leadership Gifts 415.553.2194 mreese@kqed.org

Joan D. Saunders

Bill Ruettinger, J.D. Senior Director, Gift Planning & Endowment 415.553.2357 bruettinger@kqed.org

C R E AT I V E D I R E C T O R

Front cover: When the Waters Get Deep is the latest documentary from KQED, produced in partnership with BE-IMAGINATIVE. The 35-min film follows the story of Oakland band, SOL Development, as they use music to create healing spaces with mothers and families who’ve lost loved ones to gun violence. Learn more about the film and find resources for individual and collective healing at whenthewatersgetdeep.org.

WRITERS

Sarah Augusta Beverly Estrellas Mislang

Zaldy Serrano DESIGNER

Jeffrey Edalatpour