Mid-Year Report 2018 by Nine PBS

Mid-Year Report 2018 FISCAL YEAR-END 7 | 1 | 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 6 | 30 | 2018

Mid-Year Report 2018 FISCAL Y EAR-END 7 | 1 | 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 6 | 30 | 2018

Mission Igniting the spirit of possibility.

Vision We envision a strong and healthy community working together through public media.

Nine Network Senior Staff President and CEO | Jack Galmiche enior Vice President, S COO and CFO | Richard E. Skalski Senior Vice President of Engagement and Content | Amy Shaw Vice President of Engineering and Operations | Chrys Marlow

We engage our community through quality content because it strengthens civic life. We remain independent because we believe it is the basis of trust. We are committed to engagement because it fosters a healthy community. We believe in making our content easily accessible, because the more people we engage, the greater our value becomes. We want to create sound business models, because we want to continue our good work. We want to connect our citizens with one another because we believe it is important to bring St. Louis together. We believe that when we succeed in our mission we ignite the spirit of possibility in St. Louis.

Raymond Wittcoff (1921–2018) On January 2, 2018, we lost the last surviving founder of KETC/Channel 9, a true pioneer of public television and a longtime leader in the St. Louis community. Ray Wittcoff was known to many in the St. Louis region for his civic leadership through the founding of Channel 9, his longtime board leadership at Jewish Hospital and the eventual merger of Barnes, Jewish, and Children’s Hospital. He also developed some of the early iconic buildings in downtown St. Louis. Ray was recently featured in the Nine Network special historical documentary about the revitalization of the Central West End. In 1954, Ray led a group of St. Louisans making application to the FCC for an educational television license through the St. Louis Educational Television Commission (ETC). The ETC eventually became the call letters of KETC, which went on air under Ray’s leadership in September 1954. KETC became one of the first public television stations to go on air not connected with a university, school system or associated with any one institution. Ray and the founders of Channel 9 envisioned a television station dedicated to the education of the St. Louis community, founded on the principal of a media organization not owned or under the control of any one institution, but truly an asset for everyone in the St. Louis community.

REMEMBERING

RAYMOND WITTCOFF

Ray received many awards during his lifetime, including Nine Network’s 2011 Pioneer Spirit Award for his outstanding contributions to public television in the St. Louis region. 1

COMMUNITY-LICENSED, NONCOMMERCIAL Nine Network was among the first in the country to be a community-licensed, noncommercial television station (KETC/ Channel 9) when it went on the air in 1954. Support came from the community when PTA members from more than 100 school districts went door to door to raise the $100,000 it needed to broadcast in black-and-white from a temporary studio in the women’s gymnasium of Washington University’s McMillan Hall. Support from the community continues to this day. Nearly 90% of our funding comes from supporters in the St. Louis region. It’s no exaggeration to say that without community support we could not provide such exceptional programming. The Nine Network’s most recent fiscal year was marked by remarkable demonstrations of support from those who value our work in the community. Proceeds from our first-ever gala in September benefited our Igniting the Spirit of Possibility capacity-building campaign, which came to a close on June 30, 2018. Membership rose steadily over the course of the fiscal year as many of our members and friends chose to show their support through increased financial contributions.

34% 35%

of members have become monthly sustaining members to show their ongoing support.

Nine Passport activation continues upwards.

COMMUNITYSUPPORTED PUBLIC TELEVISION

of eligible members have activated on-demand streaming services for Nine PBS programming.

NUMBER ONE EDUCATIONAL BRAND FOR KIDS PBS KIDS remains the number one educational media brand for kids, offering all children the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television, digital platforms, and community-based programs.

Pinkalicious & Peterrific New programs help keep it fresh. Pinkalicious & Peterrific, the first PBS KIDS series dedicated to the arts and creativity, debuted in February 2018. Pinkalicious, along with her brother, Peter, and friends, inspires everyone around her to be creative and find imaginative solutions to problems.

Ready to Learn The Ready to Learn initiative is a partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and PBS, which is supported by the U.S. Department of Education. The Ready to Learn program is a public media project that supports the math, literacy and science skills of our nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s youngest learners, especially those who come from low-income households. Recent research shows that the program helps children prepare for school and learn inside and outside the classroom. A national leader in community engagement, Nine works within communities to engage teachers and families in early science and literacy through PBS KIDS resources so children can benefit from our trusted and proven educational assets. Funding from Delta Dental of Missouri made it possible for Ready to Learn families to join us at Storytime in the Commons in June for a special breakfast and a performance featuring the Tooth Fairy.

COMMITTED TO

YOUNG LEARNERS

Storytime in the Commons Our free reading program engages families in early learning, school readiness and family fun. It combines literacy with activities in an enriching environment. In FY18, Storytime in the Commons added themes focused on learning and character building. Boeing and Union Pacific generously sponsored Storytime in 2017. Delta Dental of Missouri, St. Louis Children’s Hospital, and Republic Services were sponsors in 2018. Storytime is a partnership with Nine Network’s Ready to Learn initiative, St. Louis Public Library, and St. Louis Public Radio.

Storytime Attendees in FY18

81% 96% 90%

“I loved that it was geared towards families! There was something for all ages to enjoy. I loved that we all stepped away from our electronics and just enjoyed our time together!” — Storytime in the Commons attendee

rated the event

EXCELLENT OR VERY GOOD said it provided a

WELCOMING ENVIRONMENT said it made reading

FUN AND ENGAGING FOR CHILDREN

COMPELLING CONTENT Nine provides localized content that resonates with community members, whether it’s national content with local relevance or local content produced by the Nine Network. Our public preview screening and discussion of GI Jews: Jewish Americans in World War II is an example of a national production that resonated with our community. Here are some other examples of local content produced in fiscal year 2018, that reflects community-identified themes and priorities.

American Graduate: Getting to Work Nine Network is continuing to lead the national American Graduate initiative, which has evolved to focus on the highdemand, skilled career pathways available to young people after they graduate from high school. Eighteen PBS stations across the nation are looking to Nine Network’s leadership in working within their communities to foster awareness of high-demand skilled careers and connect young people to resources that support pathways into these professions. With a partner network of 38 trusted community organizations that continues to grow, our local American Graduate initiative is working to combine the knowledge of many sectors— education, corporate, nonprofit and government—to create content that reflects careers available in the St. Louis region and the resources our region has to offer job seekers.

OUR DISTINCTION:

LOCAL CONTENT, LOCAL RELEVANCE

The Story of Cortex Smart People. Cool Places. The Story of Cortex tells the story of the Cortex Innovation Community in St. Louis that is attracting national attention and promising to take the region’s economy in a new direction by encouraging entrepreneurial startups in bioscience, medicine, and technology. A library of more than 200 interview segments is available at nineNet.org. The documentary was made possible by the generous support of Dr. William H. Danforth, Dan and Connie Burkhardt, Constance and John McPheeters, and Aries Rental Company.

Living St. Louis Nine’s flagship series, Living St. Louis, produced special episodes throughout the year, including The Gateway Arch at 50, The Great Flood of 1993, The Skills Gap, the St. Louis area’s solar eclipse, and the St. Louis Literary Award, honoring Margaret Atwood.

St. Louis Teen Talent Competition The St. Louis Teen Talent Competition Special aired in May. The competition at the Fox Theatre fosters young talent in the St. Louis performing arts community. The special was produced by the Nine Network in partnership with the Fox Performing Arts Charitable Foundation, with funding from the Steward Family Foundation and World Wide Technology Foundation.

Web Series Nine debuted two new web series on nineNet.org. The Working St. Louis web series supports the Nine Network’s American Graduate: Getting to Work initiative. It features real people in real jobs and serves to raise awareness about the wide array of in-demand jobs and career paths available and attainable after high school, with or without a college degree.

“Thanks so much for all the local programming and all that you do to cover the diversity of people in our region. Please continue to uplift.” — Viewer email

Pieces features local artists talking about what drives them to create and what success as an artist looks like. It emphasizes human emotions as expressed through art rather than the art itself.

Feast TV Feast TV continues to draw consistently high ratings, proving St. Louis’ appetite for good food extends beyond the plate and onto the screen.

Night at the Symphony We remain immensely proud of our partnership with the St. Louis Symphony and our ability to bring monthly, world-class performances to those who may otherwise be unable to attend in person. Night at the Symphony continues to be one of the most distinctive, local programs, and the source of some of our most gracious comments from viewers.

BRINGING ST. LOUIS TOGETHER We connect our citizens with one another because we believe it is important to bring St. Louis together. We encourage our community to explore, learn, and participate through shared experiences. Here are some memorable examples.

Antiques Roadshow St. Louis Three episodes of Antiques Roadshow were produced from St. Louis after the hit PBS series made a stop at America’s Center in downtown St. Louis on July 8. The program’s impact and our promotion drove 16,208 people to apply to attend the event, from which 3,000 winners were randomly selected to receive a pair of free tickets. Almost 10,000 items were appraised at the day-long event. Antiques Roadshow is supported locally by Kodner Gallery.

The Vietnam War The 10-part series from Ken Burn and Lynn Novick told the epic story of the Vietnam War. Ken Burns was our featured guest at a sold-out preview and discussion at the Touhill Performing Arts Center on September 9. The public screening connected more than 1,400 community members, including veterans and the Vietnamese community, to this powerful film. The public screening was presented by Express Scripts. We engaged the community in other ways, too. We created messages before and after each episode of The Vietnam War that connected veterans and their families to services. We partnered with the Missouri History Museum, as part of the relaunch of Soldiers Memorial Military Museum, on the Story Collection Project, a collection of untold stories about the war. In November, we held “To Hell and Back: The Healing Power of Art for Veterans,” a Vietnam-War-themed exhibit of artifacts and a documentary film screening about the important role of Huey helicopters.

Pioneer Spirit Gala Nine Network’s first-ever gala on September 9 was a resounding success, raising more than $500,000. Guests were taken on a journey through our 63-year history. The program featured Ken Burns in conversation with Nine Network President and CEO Jack Galmiche discussing The Vietnam War. The evening also celebrated the 50th anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act. A live auction and fund-a-need offered guests the opportunity to support Nine Network by bidding on Nine-PBS-themed experiences.

MEMORABLE

SHARED EXPERIENCES

Home Away from Home On March 8, we held our first-ever event outside of Missouri and Illinois. The Nine Network gathered St. Louis snowbirds together for a “home away from home” experience at the Naples Botanical Garden in Florida. We shared information about our work in St. Louis and ways to stay connected to us while away from home, like by using Nine Passport, our on-demand library of quality public television programming that can be accessed anywhere.

Saint Louis Climate Summit The Saint Louis Climate Summit at the Nine Network April 22–24 was part of Saint Louis University’s bicentennial anniversary celebration and honored Pope Francis’ call to unite leaders in defense of the health of the planet. World-renowned speakers, including Bill Nye, Carl Pope, Mario Molina, Peter Raven, Heather Eaton, Jeffrey Sachs, Mary Evelyn Tucker, and others, presented compelling research on climate change and calls for action. The Nine Network served as host and provided event management and marketing services for the summit. A one-hour special on the summit aired in July 2018; an archive of the presentations is at nineNet.org/archive.

Dancing in the Commons

“What I like best about the event is it gave people a chance to forget about all the ruckus going on in the world and just enjoy being with people of all nationalities.” — Dancing in the Commons attendee

Our new Dancing in the Commons series got underway May 4 with salsa dancing and continued in June with swing. (The tango was scheduled for August 2018.) Professional dancers from Convergence Dance and Body Center demonstrated basic dance steps before getting the party started. The free series was part of First Fridays in Grand Center in the award-winning Public Media Commons. The Public Media Commons continues to be a unique platform for a variety of creative expressions and community gatherings. The series is presented by AARP in St. Louis in partnership with the Nine Network and St. Louis Pubic Radio.

Taste & See Nine Network presents shared experiences you won’t find anywhere else. Emmy-winning Feast TV, airing on Nine PBS, explores local food and drink by taking viewers into the kitchens of the makers who define our region’s distinct culinary scene. With our unique assets, we turn Feast TV into sold-out live events. Taste & See takes viewers inside the show. Hosted by Catherine Neville, host of Feast TV, attendees get to taste the food and meet the makers. Taste & See is sponsored by Wells Fargo Advisors.

STRENGTHENING OUR FUTURE Increasing Our Signal Power Nine Network improved the power of its signal as a result of Rescan Day on June 1. The Nine Network was among the first few stations in the U.S. to â&#x20AC;&#x153;repackâ&#x20AC;? its transmission signal in response to the federally mandated spectrum auction and the assignment of a new channel. It resulted in Nine changing to a new Federal Communications Commission-approved channel assignment and increasing our signal power by approximately four times our previous signal strength. The upgrade required a significantly larger antenna, which improved reception capabilities. All the equipment purchased for the project is ATSC 3.0-compliant, the new digital television transmission standard. Our Igniting the Spirit of Possibility Campaign provided the funding for this $1.6 million conversion. Thanks to the Monsanto Fund for making a $1.3 million contribution that enabled us to make a marked improvement to our transmission in the St. Louis region.

2021 Strategic Plan The goals in our 2021 Strategic Plan, approved by our Board of Directors in June 2018, reflect the increasing complexity of our world. Since Nine went on air nearly 64 years ago, we have seen the rise of cable and satellite distribution, the transformative impact of the internet, and significant demographic shifts in the U.S. population. The pace of change continues to accelerate. The plan is designed to provide direction for the next three years, while continuing to position Nine for the future, but still leaving flexibility to respond to a dynamic landscape.

FUTURETHINKING

BEYOND FY18

Mid-Year Report 2018 FISCA L Y E A R- E N D 7 | 1 | 2017 â&#x20AC;&#x201D; 6 | 30 | 2018