Challenging Times. Critical Impact.
WGBH ANNUAL REPORT 2008–2009
C ha l l e n g i n g T i m e s . C r i t i ca l I m pact. These are challenging times. Americans are reassessing what’s important, what brings value to their lives and their communities, and what their philanthropic support delivers. WGBH is there for them, for you. With stories that matter. With independent news and analysis that help you make your own choices about the key issues facing our nation and world. With arts that have the power to transport and surprise. And with educationally rich entertainment that helps children learn. In an age of niche media, WGBH and public broadcasting remain committed to bringing you the unexpected: people, places, and subjects you may not even have realized you were interested in. Our audiences tell us that these serendipitous moments of “accidental learning” are one of the things they value most. Today, it’s no longer enough to simply produce a program and air it on TV or radio at a given time. Our job is to make sure you can find our content when and where you choose: on demand, on the Web, and on an expanding array of digital devices. The results are impressive: We’re increasing our audience reach as much as 50% by giving you multiple opportunities to experience our content. Missed the latest Frontline on Tuesday night? No problem: watch it on Frontline’s website anytime after its PBS premiere. Enter the word “evolution” in Google and out of nearly 200 million links, WGBH’s 2001 seminal series and website of the same name pops up as #2, just after Wikipedia. We’re also out in our community, working with educational and cultural organizations to amplify their impact, and ours. And now, thanks to WGBH’s new “green” studios in Brighton, we finally have a space where we can invite the public for an even more direct experience. In 2008, more
than 20,000 people came through our doors for screenings, live performances, workshops, and tours. But we’re not looking back. Today, our talented producers are hard at work on a pipeline of productions sure to have long-lasting impact: Look for Frontline’s analysis of the global financial crisis (February 2009); American Experience’s ambitious multimedia exploration of Native American history, We Shall Remain (Spring 2009); Latin Music USA, chronicling the rise of American music forged from deep Latin roots (October 2009); a roster of live radio performances by world-renowned musicians (ongoing, 2009); reports from The World’s new Environment Desk on 89.7 (ongoing, 2009); and a Design Squad spin-off aimed at igniting teens’ interest in engineering (February 2010). We’re also looking ahead fiscally—proactively responding to the economic turmoil by making strategic decisions and hard choices now to ensure our ability to continue to bring you the distinctive content you expect and deserve from WGBH. Challenging times? Yes. Critical impact? Yes, again . . . as this report amply demonstrates. None of this would be possible without the skilled leadership of our dedicated boards, the generous support of our members, funders, and volunteers, and the creativity of our talented staff. Together, we’ll keep WGBH the vital and vibrant public media resource that millions of people from all walks of life rely on every day.
Jonathan C. Abbott
Amos B. Hostetter, Jr.
President and CEO
Chair
#1 The American public has ranked PBS the most trustworthy institution in the country for five years in a row
75%
of voters wanted more information about 2008 presidential election issues, yet nearly 80% of news stories focused on polls and tactics
38%
of Americans say they feel “overloaded” by a news environment of clutter, repetition, and sound bites By the numbers: The Choice 2008 • 7,800,000 PBS viewers • 20,000 free iTunes downloads • 1,050,000 views on YouTube • 3,400,000 video views on pbs.org
4.4%
cuts in US daily newsroom staffs in 2008 signaled the biggest reduction in 30 years
We live in turbulent times. News organizations are shuttering foreign bureaus and slashing investigative efforts, leaving fewer voices and viewpoints for the public to ponder. While the volume and velocity of information is increasing, the quality and depth of it is not. The need for original, credible information never has been more urgent.
T h e P o w e r o f I n d e p e n d e n t J o u r n a l is m WGBH and public media provide a rare and valued alternative: thoughtful, civilized discourse, and information audiences can trust. Viewers, listeners, and Web users count on us to give them context and coherence: to cover issues and events that matter—locally, nationally, and internationally—and to push past the headlines and hype with in-depth news and analysis that treat the public as citizens, not consumers. Whether interpreting global economics or a local ballot initiative, WGBH offers independent journalism—on TV, on radio, and online—available nowhere else.
Past, Present, Future Should the US police the world? How can a political party unite? In a momentous election year, American Experience connected the present and the past with its collection of presidential portraits (FDR to George H. W. Bush) and online features showing how the journey of each president has defined the most important job in America.
18
Major honors for The Presidents, including a duPont-Columbia Journalism Award and two George Foster Peabody Awards
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S T REN G T HEN I N G
Heat and Light
Global Warming Projection for the 21st Century
How do we read between the lines of a résumé to explore a presidential candidate’s character? Or analyze why a corporation ignores evidence of a climate crisis—even as glaciers are melting and rivers drying up? For millions of viewers, the answer is Frontline, the only regularly scheduled, long-form public affairs documentary series on American television. The Choice 2008, Frontline’s dual biography of John McCain and Barack Obama, gave context to the candidates’ “official” life stories, earning rave reviews and a surging audience. Even before the votes were in, Frontline was moving forward with hard-hitting examinations of the challenges facing the new president. Heat offered a rigorously researched probe into the response of big business and government to the global climate crisis. Case studies and video modules drawn from the documentary extended Heat’s reach into business schools and classrooms across the country.
2020–2029 Low Growth Projection
2090–2099
2020–2029 High Growth Projection
2090–2099
Surface Temperature Change (oC) 0
Fishing for Answers
Global Perspectives
Water has been called the 21st century’s oil, a vulnerable commodity in short supply. Fresh Water, Salt Water, a special investigative series from WCAI, WGBH’s Cape and Islands NPR® station, offered a comprehensive examination of the imperiled resource that supports and defines the region. To ensure maximum impact, WCAI collaborated with the national grassroots network Coalition on the Public Understanding of Science (COPUS), where the Fresh Water project is a featured online resource.
The World found compelling ways to keep American listeners plugged in to the year’s fast-moving global economic crisis well beyond Wall Street. The WGBH/BBC World Service/PRI co-production took US audiences through the volatile European and Asian markets with specials like The Urbanization of China, and examined an African economic meltdown in Undercover in Zimbabwe.
90% reduction in
OUR DEMO C R A C Y
2007
2
3
4
5
6
7
8
Bringing It Home
2,500,000
New England cod population 1978
1
people hear The World on radio and the Web each week
Emily Rooney’s live reports from the floors of the political conventions in Denver and Minneapolis-Saint Paul offered Greater Boston viewers a rare local lens on a newsworthy national stage. Back in Brighton (where she interviews hundreds of political and cultural newsmakers each year), Rooney was joined on successive nights by a Massachusetts trifecta— Congressman Barney Frank, Governor Deval Patrick, and State Treasurer Timothy Cahill— to help viewers make sense of the worldwide monetary crisis and its consequences for the Commonwealth.
3
21%
of the US population is classified as economically underserved (earning less than $20,000 annually)
8
27%
00
Th
e
t se firs
a so n
of
Children from low-income families score 27% below average in reading comprehension
$2 billion
is spent annually on US students forced to repeat a grade because of reading problems
Raisi n g a G e n e r ati o n o f L e a r n e r s Across the United States, children enter school with varying degrees of academic readiness, family support, and financial resources. With school budgets challenged, the odds increasingly are stacked against the economically underserved. Getting kids off to a good start in life is an urgent priority. WGBH is committed to creating an appetite for learning in all kids and helping every child move forward. Raising children to be literate learners, with a special eye toward reaching the underserved, informs all of WGBH’s programs and services for young people—on air, on the Web, and out in the community. WGBH is PBS’s number one producer of children’s TV and Internet content.
Opening Young Minds Arthur fosters an early interest in reading and writing, expands children’s social and problemsolving skills, and helps kids tackle everyday issues. This year, the popular WGBH children’s series focused on the importance of getting out, getting active, and getting involved in the community, and even featured a visit from Lance Armstrong (in bunny form) who taught the Elwood City gang about the importance of bike safety and good citizenship.
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Mindful that literacy is the single best predictor of future success in learning and life, WGBH collaborates with educational experts to research and deliver curriculum-based content that is educational, innovative . . . and fun.
72%
of children expressed a strong interest in reading Marc Brown’s Arthur books after watching the WGBH series
l e v e l i n g t h e p l ayi n g
Martha S
peaks introduced young aud
ience
s to
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ab ar ul ord yw
s
Building Vocabulary Vocabulary development is one of five elements of literacy. Martha Speaks, WGBH’s new animated adaptation of Susan Meddaugh’s books about a chatty yellow canine, is encouraging 4- to 7-yearolds across the country to expand their knowledge of words. The TV-based initiative, with online and outreach components, enables children to bolster their oral vocabulary—and helps disadvantaged kids keep pace with their peers.
Lifting Literacy
Eco-Fun Kids love interactive activities. Enter WGBH’s online carbon footprint calculator, produced in partnership with Ontario’s Zerofootprint, which allows youngsters to measure their own impact on the planet. The activity is part of our Web-exclusive, animated meetthegreens.org project to get kids excited about recycling, water conservation, and other practical environmental strategies.
The most widely used TV series in elementary school classrooms, Between the Lions is anchored by outreach initiatives that help low-income children build strong reading skills. Its preschool literacy curriculum is used in childcare centers in Mississippi and Massachusetts, and in American Indian Head Start centers in New Mexico, with measurable results.
field for children
21%
Kindergarten viewers of Between the Lions scored 21% higher than non-viewers in early reading ability
Staying Curious Curious George nurtures the natural curiosity of preschoolers, inspiring them to explore science, engineering, and math concepts in the world around them. The animated series, based on H.A. and Margret Rey’s classic books, is the most popular children’s show on American TV among the 2-to-5 set and one of the most-visited kids’ sites on pbs.org. This season, George and his preschool audience are discovering the earth sciences through new escapades, from growing a prizeworthy carrot to chasing rainbows.
5
17th
30 years ago, the US ranked third among developed nations in the proportion of college students receiving degrees in science or engineering; today, we rank 17th
95%
of Fortune 1000 STEM (science, technology, engineering, and mathematics) executives think the US is losing its global leadership position in science and technology
1 in 5
American adults believes the sun revolves around the earth
By the numbers: Nova and Nova ScienceNow in 2008 • 18,800,000 website visits • 3,400,000 podcast downloads
The scientific challenges facing our nation and world are daunting. Global warming and alternative energies. Nanotechnology. Genetic therapy. Science and technology are intimately connected with our 21st-century lives—even if we never choose a career in science. Every time we make a difficult health-care decision or cast a vote on an environmental issue, our understanding of science and technology informs our actions.
E n gi n e e r i n g a n I n t e r e st i n S ci e n c e WGBH is committed to making science accessible to the general public, introducing important science concepts on air, online, and out in the community and shining a light on how scientists work. Attracting the next generation to careers in science and engineering is a special WGBH passion. In that spirit, we create curriculum-based, age-appropriate programs and services that spark an early, and continuing, curiosity about all things science.
Popular Science Nova ScienceNow fills a gap in the science media landscape with short, magazine-style segments about cutting-edge topics rarely covered elsewhere—like using computers to spot art forgery or the implications of personal genetic profiles. As host, astrophysicist Dr. Neil deGrasse Tyson helps the series reach out to a whole new generation of science enthusiasts. And Science Café gatherings take Nova ScienceNow on the road to local pubs and coffeehouses for beer, pizza . . . and conversations with celebrated scientists.
600
Science Café events held this year, in 30 states
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S h a r p e n i n g t h e Nati o n ’ s
SuperNova Tackling the big questions has made Nova the most popular science program on American TV. In The Bible’s Buried Secrets, an international team of scholars led audiences on an in-depth exploration of science, scripture, and scholarship to examine the origins of the Hebrew Bible. New media technology is expanding Nova’s reach: Together with its companion series Nova ScienceNow, Nova tallied 18.8 million website visits and 3.4 million podcast downloads in 2008.
#1
Nova is the number one video resource in high school classrooms nationwide
Designed to Inspire Design Squad turns tweens and teens on to engineering. Drawing from the popular reality competition format, contestants learn how to think smart, build fast, and contend with an array of engineering challenges—all under the energetic eye of MIT-trained mechanical engineer/host Nate Ball. Online, kids get to employ their problem-solving and engineering skills with WGBH’s first multiplayer game, “Fidgit,” which simulates real-world physics to let kids design and build online.
110,000
Go Fetch!
Dream Big
Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman couples hands-on science with a popular live action/animation format to introduce 8- to 11-year-olds to a variety of scientific concepts, along with practical lessons in teamwork, problemsolving, and camaraderie. This season, Fetchers probed the scientific principles of structures, habitats, and chemistry—with hosting help from a quirky, irreverent, animated dog. Ruff!
WGBH has joined with a nationwide coalition of engineering organizations to attract, and encourage, college-bound high school girls to pursue engineering. Our robust Engineer Your Life Web and outreach initiative profiles 12 young female engineers who “dream big and love what they do,” presenting engineering as an exciting college major, career choice, and life path.
10,000
US high school guidance counselors use Engineer Your Life resources
71%
of surveyed kids in Fetch! afterschool clubs report they don’t do hands-on science activities in school
virtual game rooms created by “Fidgit” players in first two months post-debut
S ci e n ti f ic E d g e
7
16%
Decline in audience for US nonprofit theaters since 1992
Only 2%
of professional classical musicians in the US are African American or Latino
1 fighter plane
Annual budget for National Endowment for the Arts is less than the cost of a single fighter plane
B e st S e at i n t h e H o u s e Music, drama, dance, literature, the visual arts. They help us express ourselves, explore our world, transcend cultural differences. They teach us to think in new ways. They bring joy to our lives. In our 24/7, YouTube world, the arts are everywhere . . . and nowhere. Not in families where pricey tickets make cultural outings an extravagance. Not in classrooms where the relentless pace of high-stakes tests relegates the arts to extracurricular pursuit. Not even in a 500-channel TV universe dominated by pop personalities and driven by commercial pressures. WGBH offers free admission to the best our culture has to offer, from Yo-Yo Ma to The Calder Quartet, Herbie Hancock to Esperanza Spaulding, George Balanchine to Bill T. Jones—world-class artists to be sampled and savored in your easy chair, on the road, at the gym. Arts are for everyone, and we offer great performances 365 days a year!
All Classical
Innovation Lab In an age when cameras are as ubiquitous as cell phones, how does public media open its doors to the next generation of media makers? With “open calls” encouraging users to submit short, personal, election-themed vignettes, or videos on climate change. With
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an online “sandbox” of rights-free footage, and an invitation to “video mash-ups.” With a Filmmakers in Residence program connecting up-and-comers with established WGBH production talent. All three are elements of the WGBH Lab, bringing fresh and original voices to TV and the Web.
WGBH was born at a concert hall, broadcasting live from Boston’s famed Symphony Hall. These days, classical music is not just a mainstay on 89.7. It’s also available around the clock on All-Classical WGBH (online and on digital radio’s HD2 channel), and at wgbh.org/classical, including our Classical Performance and Classical Connections podcasts. Live performance is more than ever a WGBH cornerstone, with hundreds of concerts a year, many presented right here in our Fraser Performance Studio. For proven performers and emerging artists alike, WGBH provides a broad stage and an ever-widening audience.
27,000 people a week download 89.7’s Classical
Performance podcast—which also made iTunes’ Top 10 music podcast list
a lifeline
Austen Power Thomas Hardy’s Tess of the d’Urbervilles. E.M. Forster’s A Room with a View. Charles Dickens’s Little Dorrit. Modern-day Masterpieces all. Changing with the times while holding fast to its literature-based roots, Masterpiece shortened its name this year and divided into three distinct “seasons”—Classic, Mystery!, and Contemporary—each with its own on-air host. The Complete Jane Austen led to a 50% increase in Masterpiece viewership, proof positive that great books, top talent, and an audience hungry for substance add up to timeless television.
Poetic License Poetry, a part of everyday life? Indeed. Poetry Everywhere, a WGBH co-production with David Grubin, brings a spectrum of voices—Emily Dickinson to Yusef Komunyakaa—to the Web and to PBS stations, to be sprinkled through the broadcast day. On radio, Garrison Keillor’s Writer’s Almanac provides powerful 89.7 “driveway moments” every weekday morning. In 2009, Keillor will lend his voice to Poetry Everywhere with introductions to each poem. New avenues for reaching new audiences: It’s pure poetry.
300
260
Masterpiece productions since the WGBH series’ 1971 debut
Number of poems Garrison Keillor introduced to radio audiences in 2008
Teens with Talent How do you get to Carnegie Hall? Practice, practice . . . or with the WGBH production that brings a popular public radio series to television. From the Top at Carnegie Hall captures the passion and determination that take rising young musicians from Hometown USA to New York’s prestigious classical stage. Gifted vocalists, peerless pianists . . . America’s got inspiring talent, and WGBH showcases it.
66%
of adults who participated in school music enrichment programs say it fine-tuned their problem-solving skills
f o r t h e a r ts
9
64%
of the Boston public high school class of 2000 entered college; seven years later, only 35% had graduated
1 in 6
secondary school teachers lack formal training in the core academic subject they teach
25%
Increase in adults returning to Massachusetts community colleges to hone their skills in these difficult economic times
A T r u st e d R e s o u r c e f o r L e a r n i n g Being a teacher is hard work. Overcrowded classrooms, insufficient time to plan lessons, government-mandated standards, and students with a range of learning styles challenge even the most skilled educators. Teachers are caught between too much information and too few resources. The same is true for millions of busy lifelong learners who want credible information from a trusted source to enhance and enrich their lives.
Live and Learn For those with an appetite for learning, the lecture doors never close. WGBH’s Forum Network partnership with New England’s leading cultural and educational organizations provides free public lectures online by the best and brightest. The Web service allows everyone to experience the wisdom of Maya Angelou, Madeleine Albright, Desmond Tutu, and hundreds of others. WGBH is taking our successful Forum model national, working with PBS and NPR to help other public stations offer free online audio and video lecture webcasts to their communities.
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Education—both formal and informal, in classrooms and living rooms—is what WGBH is all about. Millions of teachers, students, and families turn to WGBH for curriculum-based videos and materials drawn from our extensive archive of engaging multimedia resources. And thanks to the Web and broadband, these resources are more accessible, and more utilized, than ever. We’re also using both traditional and new media to better serve curious people everywhere with the know-how and inspiration to pursue their passions, from antiques to cooking. It’s on air, online, on demand . . . and free.
4,000,000
WGBH Forum Network online streams/ downloads in 2008
pa r t n e r i n g i n
Teachers’ Domain Cumulative Log-ins by Year 1,200,000 1,000,000
Teacher Toolkit Teachers’ Domain, WGBH’s free online media library, gives K-12 educators digital resources, standards-based lesson plans, plus videos and interactive activities to enliven their classrooms and excite students. Teachers in more than 60% of US public schools (and in 174 other countries) have signed on for the service, which uses content from WGBH productions like Nova and American Experience to create media-rich curricula in science, history, and more. And fee-based professional development courses help teachers keep their skills sharp and deepen their content mastery.
800,000
600,000 400,000 200,000
2002
2003
2004
2005
2006
2007
2008
Classroom Guides Antiques Roadshow has taken the nation by storm, becoming public TV’s most-watched program and a popular Web destination with a searchable online video archive. This year, Roadshow joined other signature WGBH productions in the classroom, with a curriculum-based, online guide that helps middle school teachers use a hit TV series to ignite students’ interest in history.
1,000,000 Accessible Lessons
Stemming the Tide
WGBH has a long and pioneering history of making media accessible for the 36 million Americans with vision or hearing disabilities. In a 2008 partnership with Watertown’s Perkins School for the Blind, WGBH introduced Teachers’ Domain digital resources to Perkins classrooms, providing specially formatted, timesaving curriculum units for teachers of visually impaired students. One veteran Perkins teacher thanked WGBH “for giving me more time to teach.”
WGBH’s Eye on Education has been examining critical issues in education since 2000. Now, Eye on Ed is focusing its journalistic lens on the high school dropout crisis here in Massachusetts. Project Dropout, an ambitious, multimedia partnership with WBUR, is raising awareness and encouraging dialogue on what many nationwide are calling “the silent epidemic.” At-risk students are creating online video diaries throughout the school year, Greater Boston and WBUR are presenting a series of reports, and a live TV special, co-hosted by Emily Rooney and David Boeri, is set for spring 2009.
e d u cati o n
43%
teachers, afterschool providers, librarians, and parents use WGBH’s online guides and educational materials every year
High school dropout rate in Boston
!1
36%
Reduction in funding for Massachusetts-wide inter-library loan services since 2001
1 in 5
American households is caring for an elderly family member
28%
of Boston residents are first-generation immigrants, speaking 140 languages
Rooted in the Community Communities throughout New England, and across our nation, are making tough choices this year—trying to maintain core services while cutting back in areas deemed worthy but expendable: the music enrichment program, the children’s library hour, the English as a Second Language adult education course. As the only locally controlled TV broadcaster in Boston, WGBH is working hard to fill the gap: providing a virtual public square where information and community resources are shared, opportunities for learning and self-enrichment are plentiful, and important regional issues that speak to the needs and interests of our diverse audiences are explored. And WGBH is reaching out across our communities, building and strengthening alliances with like-minded educational and cultural organizations to amplify the ways people of all ages and backgrounds can interact with our content . . . and ultimately, with each other.
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Celebrating Diverse Voices Celebrating all our stories is a WGBH tradition—not just through our Heritage Month offerings, but 365 days a year. Basic Black and María Hinojosa: One-on-One (whose interviews this year included Los Angeles Times journalist Sam Quiñones and the Grammywinning “Texican” trio Los Lonely Boys) offer new perspectives on timely community issues. And WGBH’s participation in a variety of local initiatives—from the Roxbury Film Festival to the Cambridge Science Festival—help expand all our horizons.
building our
To Your Health In three 2008 PBS specials—Caring for Your Parents, The Truth About Cancer, and Depression: Out of the Shadows—WGBH raised awareness and offered prevention strategies, along with free materials and workshops for millions of Americans facing critical health-care decisions, for either themselves or loved ones.
100%
of Massachusetts libraries received outreach materials for WGBH’s 2008 health specials
A Greener Planet How can we sustain our planet? Our homes and gardens are good places to start. And who better to help than WGBH’s “how-to” favorites? The Victory Garden covered everything from drought-resistant plants to new ways to compost. This Old House gave tips from the ground up with the construction of an innovative prefab, eco-friendly home in Weston. The ideas, and conversations, continue online.
350,000
Victory Garden website visits in 2008
Breaking Barriers “Radio simulcasting for deaf listeners” joined the list of firsts in the 2008 US presidential election— and continued a proud tradition of WGBH breakthroughs in accessible media. Millions of Americans with hearing loss were able to experience NPR’s election night coverage thanks to a live, captioned broadcast available on the Internet and viewable on specially equipped radio receivers. And simultaneous transcriptions of NPR’s election coverage, posted on npr.org and harris.com, extended the reach even further.
300
US movie complexes (Patriot Place cinema among them) are equipped with the MoPix® captioning and descriptive video system invented at WGBH
c o m m o n w e a lt h
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F i s c a l U p dat e : F Y0 8
Strong community support as well as careful fiscal management enabled WGBH to successfully balance its operating budget for the 28th consecutive year. In response to an ongoing weakened economy, WGBH is proactively taking steps to ensure our ability to maintain and invest in our core public service media activities. Our net asset balances reflect a bond refinancing that ensures fixed rates for the life of our bonds. This prudent fiscal approach helped WGBH maintain its position as one of the nation’s top public media organizations—as a leading producer of high-quality programs for TV, radio, the Web, and other media; as a provider of access services for people with vision or hearing impairments; and as an originator of educational technologies for educators and students. Our program services for New England-area audiences were supported primarily by viewers and listeners, regional business sponsors, and a federal Community Service Grant (CSG) from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Program Venture funds garnered from capital campaigns augmented major individual contributions to provide bridge funding, enabling WGBH to move forward with the development of new productions for local and national broadcast, and to support our digital channels and services. The sale of our former Allston property and revenue from our Breaking New Ground Campaign enabled us to finance the construction of our new studios in Brighton. Our national productions for television and the Internet were funded primarily by restricted grants from corporations, foundations, individuals, government agencies, and PBS. Our media access technologies for people with disabilities were supported by grants from CPB and the US Department of Education, and by the sale of services.
Fiscal Outlook Aggressive fiscal vigilance is the watchword for FY09. In response to the economic downturn, WGBH is re-forecasting our FY09 budget and reducing expenses to reflect the softness in revenue sources. WGBH is committed to responsibly balancing expenses to match available revenue while retaining our capacity to invest in new programs and developing technology. Continued generous membership support will allow us to provide important services to audiences across New England. Grants from foundations, corporations, individuals, government agencies, and public broadcasting entities enable us to produce programs, websites, and new media content for the nation . . . and the world. We are grateful to all our supporters for your generous contributions, particularly during these challenging times.
!4
Operations: Sources and Uses Sources
FY08 Sources of Funding FY08
FY07
$143,718,000
$129,979,000
24,710,000
24,851,000
Community Service Grant (CSG) from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
7,570,000
8,459,000
Royalties, video, and foreign distribution
20,037,000
20,789,000
Other (including WGBH Auction and outside captioning and sales)
19,523,000
17,517,000
Net transfers from WGBH program funds for programming and reserves
11,198,000
4,083,000
$226,756,000
$205,678,000
$146,477,000
$126,968,000
Grants and contracts Contributions from individuals
Total Sources
Operating Expenses Program development and production (includes TV, radio, Web, new media, instructional, and access technologies)
14,424,000
12,544,000
Educational services and program information
25,097,000
25,355,000
Support services
40,560,000
40,395,000
$226,558,000
$205,262,000
$198,000
$416,000
Excess of operating sources over expenses and transfers
$4,644,000
Grants for future programming*
100,227,000
39,041,000
188,755,000
203,851,000
63,716,000
60,507,000
$357,342,000
$317,571,000
Total Net Assets
* In accordance with accounting principles, multi-year grants for production are recognized completely in the year they are received, resulting in significant swings in this balance ** This includes the net present value of future revenue streams
Individuals 12% Service revenue 4% Program funds 4%
Corporate support 17%
Royalties and license fees 9%
Other 5%
Investments 1%
FY08 Major Activities Radio production and broadcast 5%
Program development 1% Access technologies 4%
Support services 12%
Enterprises expenses 6%
General audience TV programming 45%
Local TV production and broadcast 11%
$14,172,000
Capital campaign, debt service, and Board-designated funds** Endowment (market value)
PBS 31%
Children’s TV programming 14%
Net Assets Undesignated
Foundations 5%
Instructional and interactive 2%
Broadcast (public TV and radio program services)
Total Expenses
Government agencies 5%
Corporation for Public Broadcasting 7%
FY08 Funding Sources for WGBH’s New England TV and Radio Services Royalties 12% Investment income 5% Local business sponsors 7%
Federal (CSG) 14%
Audience support 48%
Other 14%
Financial Report
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WGBH Today: Productions with Critical Impact . . . WGBH is a regional media resource with deep roots in Boston and a national reach. #1
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36,000,000
WGBH is PBS’s single largest producer of content for television (prime-time and children’s series) and the Web. We’re also a major supplier of programs heard nationally on public radio, and a pioneer in educational multimedia.
We offer 11 local TV services: WGBH 2/HD, WGBH 44, WGBH World, WGBH Create, ’GBH Kids, and WGBH On Demand; for Boston cable subscribers, Boston Kids & Family TV; and serving western New England, Springfield’s WGBY 57/HD along with WGBY World, WGBY Create, and WGBY Kids.
Americans with hearing or vision loss are able to access media thanks to captioning and described video technologies pioneered here at WGBH.
24/7 There are more ways than ever to access WGBH content, when and where you choose: television, radio, the Web, podcasts and vodcasts, DVDs, multimedia teaching tools . . . our reach and impact keep growing.
3 Three WGBH public radio services enrich and entertain listeners: WGBH 89.7, All-Classical WGBH 89.7 HD2 (both on the Web at wgbh. org/radio), and WCAI, our Cape and Islands NPR® station (90.1, 91.1, and 94.3, and online at capeandislands.org).
wgbh.org Our website offers program information, in-depth content, WGBH Forum Network lectures and other on-demand media, and more.
One Guest WGBH’s all-digital, LEED-certified green studios at One Guest Street in Brighton signal a new era not only in public media, but in public service . . . as we open our doors for performances, screenings, workshops, and tours that amplify the impact of our programs and expand our community ties.
Millions Today, WGBH productions reach millions of people throughout New England, across the country, and around the world every single day. All our efforts rely on the generosity of the public we serve.
. . . on Television and the Web
. . . on Radio and the Web
2008–2009 WGBH Productions American Experience America’s Ballroom Challenge Antiques Roadshow Ask This Old House Basic Black Caring for Your Parents Depression: Out of the Shadows Eye on Education: Project Dropout Food Trip with Todd English From the Top at Carnegie Hall Frontline Frontline/World Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie Greater Boston Latin Music USA María Hinojosa: One-on-One
Masterpiece Nova Nova ScienceNow Simply Ming The New Yankee Workshop This Old House The Truth About Cancer The Victory Garden We Shall Remain from American Experience WGBH Lab
Classical Productions Boston Symphony Orchestra BSO on Record Classics in the Morning Classical Connections Classical Performances Classical Weekend New Year’s Day from Vienna Sunday Concert (including Live from Tanglewood)
For Children Arthur Between the Lions Curious George Design Squad Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman Martha Speaks Peep and the Big Wide World Postcards from Buster
Jazz and Blues Blues on WGBH Jazz Decades Jazz from Studio Four Jazz with Eric in the Evening
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Celtic, Folk, Society, and Culture A Celtic Sojourn Folk on WGBH Sound & Spirit News The Point (WCAI) The Takeaway (co-production of WNYC and Public Radio International in partnership with BBC World Service, The New York Times, and WGBH) The World (WGBH co-production with BBC World Service and Public Radio International)
. . . exclusively on the Web The Fin, Fur and Feather Bureau of Investigation (fffbi.org) The Greens (meetthegreens.org) WGBH Forum Network (forum.wgbh.org)
For Teachers and Students Engineer Your Life Teachers’ Domain Teaching in Community Colleges Teaching Reading, 3–5
. . . and Critical ACCLAIM WGBH productions and services earned more than 75 awards in 2008, including many of broadcasting’s top honors.
Television George Foster Peabody Awards Design Squad Frontline—Cheney’s Law Nova—Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial Emmy Awards
Creative Arts Masterpiece—Cranford (hairstyling) Daytime Between the Lions (writing) Curious George (children’s animated program) Design Squad (directing) Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (theme song) Peep and the Big Wide World (writing) News and Documentary American Experience—The Living Weapon (research) Frontline—The Undertaking (arts and culture programming) Nova—Forgotten Genius (lighting direction, scenic design) Primetime Masterpiece—Cranford: Eileen Atkins (supporting actress) Promotional Announcement Frontline—No One But You, Snow New England Kid Quest (WGBY)—2 awards María Hinojosa: One-on-One WGBH Lab—2 awards AAAS Science Journalism Award Nova—Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial American Bar Association Nova—Judgment Day: Intelligent Design on Trial (silver gavel) Association for Women in Communications Clarion Award Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman Banff World Television Award Masterpiece—Cranford (best miniseries) Bradford Washburn Award Neil deGrasse Tyson (host, Nova ScienceNow)
British Academy of Film and Television Arts (BAFTA) Award Masterpiece—Cranford: Eileen Atkins (best actress)
Penn State College of Communications Bart Richards Award for Media Criticism Frontline—News War
Cine Golden Eagle Awards Antiques Roadshow Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie—China
Ralph Lowell Award Henry Becton, Jr.
Garden Writers Association of America Silver Award of Achievement The Victory Garden Imagen Award/Influential Latino in Entertainment Industry María Hinojosa (host, One-on-One) International Reading Association Broadcast Media Award Between the Lions iParenting Media Award Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman (best series)
Reel Lives, the Cancer Chronicles Film Festival Award The Truth About Cancer (best film) Silver Circle Lifetime Achievement Award Judy Stoia (executive producer, Between the Lions) S.I. Newhouse School of Public Communications at Syracuse University Mirror Award Frontline—News War (best investigative piece)
Outreach Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Awards The Complete Guide to Teaching Jane Austen Design Squad Educators’ Guide Team ATB Activity Guide Awards for Publication Excellence The Complete Guide to Teaching Jane Austen US Army Level Community Relations Award Postcards from Buster—The Case of the Coin Purloined
Web
James Beard Foundation Media Awards Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie The Victory Garden
Writers Guild of America Award Frontline—Return of the Taliban (documentary, current events)
Asian American Journalists Association Award Frontline/World—South Korea, Everyone’s a Journalist
National Association of Hispanic Journalists Leadership Award María Hinojosa (host, One-on-One)
Radio
Association of Educational Publishers Distinguished Achievement Award Nova Teachers website
National Association of Science Writers Award Nova—Forgotten Genius National Council of La Raza ALMA Award American Experience—Roberto Clemente National Space Club of Huntsville Media Award Paula Apsell (senior executive producer, Nova) New York Festivals Television Broadcasting Awards Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman From the Top at Carnegie Hall Gourmet’s Diary of a Foodie—China The Hidden Epidemic: Heart Disease in America New York Hall of Science Distinguished Achievement Award Paula Apsell (senior executive producer, Nova) Overseas Press Club Award Frontline—On Our Watch Parents’ Choice Awards Between the Lions Curious George Design Squad Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman Peep and the Big Wide World Postcards from Buster
Asian American Journalists Association Awards The World—Asian Americans and Gambling The World—Inside North Korea: A Personal Memoir Edward R. Murrow Distinguished Achievement Award in Journalism The Price of Paradise: Working Lives on the Cape and Islands, WCAI (best news series) Jazz Week Award Eric Jackson, Jazz with Eric in the Evening (radio programmer of the year) Overseas Press Club Lowell Thomas Award The World—Effects of China’s “One-Child” Policy Radio and Television News Directors Association Unity Award The World ’s Global Resource Service Society of Environmental Journalists Award The World—Sierra Gorda: An Environmentally Connected World Society of Professional Journalists Sigma Delta Chi Award The World—Rwanda: Trying to Move On
Association of Marketing and Communication Professionals Award Teachers’ Domain—2 awards Cine Golden Eagle Award Afterschool Training Tool Kit Growing Up with Epilepsy International Academy of Digital Arts and Sciences Webby Awards Frontline/World (best online documentary series) Frontline/World—Dubai: Night Secrets (best individual episode, news and politics) Massachusetts Innovation Technology Exchange (MITX) Award Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman National Parenting Publications and parenthood.com Award The Greens New England Emmy, Web Award Basic Black Parents’ Choice, Web Awards Arthur Curious George Design Squad Engineer Your Life Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman Peep and the Big Wide World Postcards from Buster Teachers’ Domain: Poetry Everywhere Special Collection The Greens Zoom WGB H Today
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C r e at e d a n d P r o d u c e d at W G B H B o s t o n Project Manager Susan Reed Writers Diane Carasik Dion, Cynthia Broner, Susan Reed Designers Gaye Korbet, Tyler Kemp-Benedict Print Production Lenore Lanier Gibson, Mark Hoffman Photo Researcher Lisa Abitbol Lists Coordinator Kathleen McCarthy Printer Smith Print, Norwell, MA
WGBH Constituent Communications Director Cynthia Broner
Sources
Photo Credits
All WGBH statistics and charts courtesy of WGBH Research and respective WGBH production units.
Page 1: ©Eric Roth. Pages 2–3: Courtesy of Campaign for Barack Obama. ©Steve Marcus/ Reuters/Corbis. ©2007 Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, WGI AR4/NASA. ©Gavin Hellier/JAI/Corbis. Scott J. Ferrell/ Congressional Quarterly, Inc. Pages 4–5: TM & ©2008 WGBH. TM & © “Martha” and underlying Martha books artwork: Susan Meddaugh. ©WGBH/Marc Brown. Curious George: TM & ©2008 Universal Studios and/or HM Co., All Rights Reserved. ©WGBH. ©WGBH/Richard Termine. Pages 6–7: ©WGBH/Julia Cort. ©WGBH/Emily Pratt. Providence Pictures. ©WGBH/Emily Pratt. ©WGBH. Biomimetic MicroElectronic Systems Engineering Research Center. Pages 8–9: ©Lois Greenfield. ©BBC/2008/Nick Briggs for Masterpiece. By permission of The Trustees of Amherst College Archives & Special Collections. ©WGBH/Lisa Abitbol. ©WGBH/Richard Termine. Pages 10–11: Courtesy of The United Nations. ©Nancy Louie/iStockPhoto. The Perkins School for the Blind. ©WGBH. Pages 12–13: NASA. ©WGBH. ©WGBH/Tanit Sakakini. ©Seshu Photography. ©This Old House/Anthony Tieuli.
Page 1: Challenging Times. Critical Impact. PBS #1 in trust: GfK Roper Public Affairs & Media survey (February 2008). Pages 2–3: The Power of Independent Journalism 75% of voters: The Pew Research Center for the People & the Press/ Project for Excellence in Journalism (2008). 38% feel overloaded: Columbia Journalism Review (November–December 2008). 4.4% newsroom cuts: American Society of Newspaper Editors (2008). Global warming graphic: Intergovernmental Panel on Climate Change, Fourth Assessment Report 2007 (AR4/NASA). 90% NE cod reduction: WCAI interview with Tisbury, MA town official for Fresh Water, Salt Water series (2008). Page 4: Raising a Generation of Learners 21% economically underserved: Nielsen Media Research (2007). 27% low-income children: National Center for Education Statistics, “The Condition of Education.” $2 billion annual spending: US Department of Health and Human Services (reported by The Literacy Company/Educational Statistics, 2008). Page 6: Engineering an Interest in Science US ranks 17th: sciencedebate2008.com. 95% of Fortune 1000 STEM executives: Bayer Facts of Science Educational Survey XIII, “Making Science Make Sense® Initiative” (September 2008). 1 in 5 adults: Center for Biomedical Communications, Northwestern University Medical School in Chicago (The New York Times, August 30, 2005).
WGBH Design Director Douglass Scott ©2009 WGBH Educational Foundation. 0812027
Pages 8–9: Best Seat in the House 16% audience decline: National Endowment for the Arts (The Boston Globe, December 26, 2008). Only 2% classical musicians: Project STEP (String Training and Educational Program, Boston Symphony Orchestra/New England Conservatory/Boston University School of Music, 2008). 1 fighter plane: National Endowment for the Arts (The Boston Globe, December 26, 2008). 66% of adults who studied music: The Harris Poll® #112, harrisinteractive.com (2007). Pages 10–11: A Trusted Resource for Learning 64% entered college: Massachusetts Board of Education Task Force Study (The Boston Globe, November 19, 2008). 1 in 6 teachers: Education Week, “Out-of-Field Teaching Persists in Key Academic Courses and High-Poverty Schools” (December 10, 2008). 25% increase in adults returning to community colleges: Bunker Hill Community College (The Boston Globe, December 23, 2008). 43% high school dropout rate: America’s Promise Alliance (2008). Page 12: Rooted in the Community 36% library funding reduction: Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (December 2008). 1 in 5 elderly caregivers: Administration on Aging (mentalhelp.net, eldercare statistics, 2003). 28% Boston immigrant population: The Boston Foundation/Boston Indicators Report (2002).
WGB H Le ader ship
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