WSIU Community Impact Report 2012

2012

Local Content and Service Report to the Community

Bryan Kelso Crow, host of WSIU Radio’s nationally-distributed series Celtic Connections “My wife and I enjoyed last evening’s Celtic Connections program. The warmth of the music kept out the chilly night.”

Tom Manig | Auburn, Alabama

“Sesame Street Food For Thought is a great resource for families with kids.”

Sylvia Smith, Ph.D. | Assistant Professor, Animal Science, Food & Nutrition, SIU Carbondale

WSIU At-A-Glance

Loc al Value WSIU Public Broadcasting works with public media, educational, governmental, and community partners to improve the quality of life in our region and beyond by: • • • •

Connecting people with local history, arts & culture, issues, and special events; Encouraging a lifelong love for learning in people of all ages and backgrounds; Empowering viewers, listeners, and student staff and volunteers to achieve their full potential; and Inspiring dialogue, consensus, and positive change in our communities.

2012 ke y s er vi ces WSIU engaged diverse audiences through these key services: • Illinois PBS LearningMedia, a statewide online educational resource for Pre-K-13+ educators, which was officially launched, evaluated, and expanded in early 2012; • Expressions, a new local WSIU-TV series focusing on artists in the region; • Monthly Community Cinema and related film screenings and discussions; • In-depth coverage of local and statewide issues through the WSIU-TV series Illinois Lawmakers and the WSIU Radio program Morning Conversation; and • Educational outreach services directed at teachers, children, and families, including PBS Ready to Learn activities and WSIU’s Literacy Van.

LOC AL IMPAC T WSIU transformed local communities through: • Illinois PBS LearningMedia, an online educational resource for Illinois teachers – promoted with a press conference, webinars, and presentations to hundreds of PreK-13+ administrators and educators; • The launch of a local WSIU-TV arts series, Expressions, to showcase the region’s diverse artists; • Monthly Community Cinema film screenings in partnership with the Carbondale Public Library; • Coverage, discussion, and analysis of political issues and current events on the local WSIU-TV and WSIU Radio programs Illinois Lawmakers and Morning Conversation; • Distribution of 7,000 Sesame Street Food for Thought toolkits at regional and statewide events, schools, and health agencies to promote healthy living habits; and • Direct, unduplicated, face-to-face contacts with nearly 14,000 individuals from low-income and rural audiences through a variety of PBS Ready to Learn and other educational initiatives, such as Martha Speaks Reading Buddies, UMIGO, and Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers.

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WSIU In the Community

2012 service spotlight

The Power to Make a Difference

BIG MUDDY FILM FESTIVAL AND SOUTHERN ILLINOIS MUSIC FESTIVAL

our mission of service

WSIU encouraged an appreciation of the arts by co-sponsoring the annual Big Muddy Film Festival in February 2012, which raises awareness about independent films. WSIU-TV promoted the event and broadcast the winning films. WSIU also sponsored the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra’s concert series and co-sponsored the 8th Annual Southern Illinois Music Festival, which featured over three dozen performances. WSIU Radio produced an hour-long preview, which included an interview with the festival’s director.

SECOND ANNUAL SOUTHERN ILLINOIS SALUKI POW WOW WSIU invited a diverse audience to explore Native American art, music, culture, and food by sponsoring the 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Saluki Pow Wow. Over 1,700 visitors of all ages enjoyed dancing, drumming, singing, traditional arts and crafts, and cultural presentations. Dancers from North American and Central American tribes gave exhibition dances and invited guests to join intertribal and social dances.

FIFTH ANNUAL CAPE GIRARDEAU STORYTELLING FESTIVAL WSIU invited hundreds of visitors from multiple states to experience living history by sponsoring the 5th Annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival in Cape Girardeau, Mo. Guests were invited to record their own family tales and poems at WSIU’s audio storytelling booth. WSIU Radio packaged the stories as part of its Radio Voices series and also made them available online at wsiu.org.

Participants also took home a CD of their stories courtesy of WSIU students and staff.

WSIU Public Broadcasting is a vital community resource committed to making a difference in the lives of others. We believe that our primary responsibility as a public media organization is to improve the quality of life in our region. The WSIU stations strive daily to meet this goal by producing and distributing programming and services that address our region’s needs, extend equal access to the arts and culture, and help to close the learning gap, so that people of all ages and backgrounds have an opportunity to develop their full potential. We work with our partners to tell the stories of our region’s people, places, history, and events with accuracy and respect, to offer new perspectives about the world and our place in it, and to initiate dialogue about social issues that impact us individually and as communities.

OUR PARTNERS WSIU could not fully harness the power of public media to transform lives without the support of partners who share our service mission. Our partners include SIU Carbondale and multiple colleges within the University, in particular the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts; the Friends of WSIU advisory board; donors; corporate sponsors; public media stations; schools; libraries; community colleges; museums; state and local service agencies; students; and volunteers. We work together to address the needs and concerns of residents and to showcase the special qualities of our region.

2012 KEY SERVICES Among the key services WSIU implemented in 2012 to inspire the communities we serve: the official launch of the PreK-13+ digital education service Illinois PBS LearningMedia; the debut of our new weekly TV arts series, Expressions, and monthly Community Cinema film screenings and discussions; revamping our TV legislative series Illinois Lawmakers; expanding our WSIU Radio interview series Morning Conversation; and engaging thousands of children, families, and teachers in healthy living, math, reading, and science through activities associated with our PBS Ready to Learn initiatives and the WSIU Literacy Van.

Professional presentations of the arts contribute enormously to a community’s cultural identity and quality of life. WSIU’s longstanding support of the Southern Illinois Music Festival and the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra is critical to the success and sustenance of these institutions, and helps to ensure that fine quality artistic programming will continue to enrich the lives of Southern Illinoisans.”

Edward Benyas, Artistic Director, Southern Illinois Music Festival and the Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra; Professor of Oboe & Conducting at SIU Carbondale

WSIU In the Community OUR LOCAL COMMITMENT The WSIU stations produced over 1,200 hours of original programming, provided hands-on training in the broadcast industry to over 100 students from around the world, and played a vital role in the delivery of educational services to students, educators, administrators, children, families, and community members.

Among our WSIU Radio highlights, our FM stations provided extensive coverage of the aftermath of a tornado that devastated the community of Harrisburg, Ill. on Feb. 29, 2012 with Jennifer Fuller’s reports airing on NPR News and appearing on the NPR news blog. Fuller, named the 2012 News Finder of the Year and Best Downstate Radio Reporter by the Illinois Associated Press, also produced nearly 60 new features for the interview series Morning Conversation. Our nationally-distributed music series, Celtic Connections, achieved a milestone when it was named the secondhighest rated Celtic music program in America by DAR.fm. Reading Baseball produced a poignant special on the 10th anniversary of 9/11, while Radio Voices captured local storytellers’ tales and documented the migration of monarch butterflies through our region. In the Author’s Voice introduced listeners to six acclaimed authors, including Gayle Tzemach Lemmon and John Clore, and the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS) continued to provide free broadcasts of regional and national newspapers and magazines to nearly 1,000 local residents.

WSIU-TV highlights include the broadcast of six SIU Men’s Basketball games, the launch of our new arts series Expressions, and coverage of the Illinois General Assembly as part of Illinois Lawmakers. Student productions the River Region Evening Edition and Scholastic Hi-Q broadcast local news and showcased 32 of the region’s top high school scholar bowl teams, respectively, from September 2011-May 2012. Our WSIU InFocus series, which was showcased on the Association of Public Television Stations website, added 26 new episodes exploring topics such as home brewing, geocaching, and the Cache River Nature Fest.

WSIU also delivered on-air and online spots featuring diverse and at-risk youth as presenters to build awareness of topics such as healthy lifestyles and women in STEM disciplines, and added the sign language program Signing Time! to our TV broadcast schedule. We also served our Latino populations through bilingual programming and outreach services.

2012 service spotlight MARTHA SPEAKS READING BUDDIES WSIU helped to improve reading and vocabulary skills in over 250 children in Pre-K through 3rd grade by introducing the Martha Speaks Reading Buddies program to Northside Elementary in Fairfield, Ill. WSIU, the Humane Society of Southern Illinois, and the Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market Vet Tech program also helped Giant City School in Carbondale, Ill. celebrate its fifth successful year with the project. Kids participated in a Raising Readers theater performance of “Perfectly Martha”, received certificates of participation, met PBS KIDS character Martha the Dog, and viewed animal care demonstrations.

DINOSAUR TRAIN NATURE TRACKERS WSIU immersed nearly 1,000 children and families in hands-on science activities at a Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers event at Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, Ill. Presented in partnership with sponsors Cedarhurst and Old National Bank, the event featured an afternoon of nature challenges, dinosaur storytelling and crafts, and photo opportunities with Buddy the T-Rex from the PBS KIDS series Dinosaur Train. Other activities included Dinosaur Train episodes, exploring dinosaur fossils, and interacting with life-like dinosaur sculptures created by William Adams of Herrin, Ill. SIU Carbondale Professor of Geology Dr. Scott Ishman and students in the Geology program helped kids identify different types of dinosaurs, their traits, and their habitats.

Martha Speaks Reading Buddies is so exciting. Our class was presenting book reports and one of the students used the word “extraordinary” when describing the dog in his book from the series. His face just lit up; he was so proud.

We took a ‘commercial break’ for Martha Speaks! We have all of our posters up in the hall. I printed the big words we studied in speech bubbles and added them to the posters in the hall, as well. The more the students see them, the better!”

Gayle McGehee, Third Grade Teacher, North Side Elementary, Fairfield, Ill.

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WSIU Stories of Impact

Illinois PBS LearningMedia In Spring 2012, WSIU and its state public media partners helped to transform Illinois classrooms with the public launch of Illinois PBS LearningMedia, a free, on-demand media service offering 22,000+ digital resources from PBS, NPR, the Library of Congress, NASA, National Geographic, public media stations in Illinois, and other organizations.

Illinois PBS LearningMedia is a highquality tool teachers can use as they personalize lesson plans for classes and individual students. Having the ability to go to one place and research thousands of electronic resources that can be used immediately helps teachers make connections with their digital students.”

Dr. Christopher A. Koch Superintendent of Education, State of Illinois, Springfield, Illinois

WSIU and its partners hosted a press conference at the Illinois State Capitol Building in Springfield on March 5, 2012, which was well attended by media and resulted in multiple print and broadcast stories about the service throughout the state. During the press conference, station partners released the results of a Fall 2011 pilot study to evaluate the effectiveness of Illinois PBS LearningMedia.

Commissioned by the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council and created by Dr. Evangeline S. Pianfetti of the University of Illinois College of Education and other researchers, the pilot study collected data from 74 teachers representing 43 public and private schools across the state. Results were unanimously positive and confirmed that digital resources help local teachers strengthen connections with students.

Results are available at http://illinois.pbslearningmedia.org.

WSIU introduced Illinois PBS LearningMedia to hundreds of school administrators and teachers at Rural Offices of Education (ROEs) and schools, during Teachers’ Institutes, and in locally-hosted webinars and hands-on presentations.

RELATED ACTIVITIES: WSIU provides SIU Carbondale students in the PreK-12 Teacher Certification Program with training in how to use Illinois PBS LearningMedia to improve classroom instruction. WSIU also shares PBS Teacherline content with educators and received a $2,200 grant to produce a series of videos featuring area teachers speaking about education as part of the national TeacherWall project.

quick facts WHEN: Late Fall 2011-Present

WHere: Illinois State Capitol Building in Springfield, Ill., Rural Offices of Education, Teacher Institutes & K-12 schools statewide

PARTNERS: 20 Illinois public media stations, Rural Offices of Education, PreK-12 school districts, and SIU Carbondale

RESULTS: Successfully evaluated Illinois PBS LearningMedia and published a pilot study of the effectiveness of the service’s 22,000+ digital free resources.

Seventy-four teachers from forty-three public and private schools statewide gave a unanimously positive review of the service.

Planned and hosted with Illinois public media partners a statewide training webinar (with plans for more), led professional development workshops for hundreds of teachers and administrators in southern Illinois at Teacher Institutes, conferences, schools, and ROEs, and provided training to SIU students enrolled in the Teacher Certification Program.

Illinois PBS LearningMedia continues to be my “go-to” site for media integration of the subjects I am teaching. I have referred my co-workers to the site. I use it for the interactive media, the digital media, and for inspiration. Ideas from PBS LearningMedia are now a regular part of our class curriculum. Setting up different folders and the ability to add external links in a particular folder make this site extremely user-friendly. Thanks, PBS.” Kelly Green, Special Education Teacher, Sparta High School, Sparta, Illinois

WSIU Stories of Impact quick facts

Community Cinema Film Series

WHEN:

After a successful 2011 screening of American Experience: Freedom Riders, WSIU recognized the need to create a public space in which people could learn more about today’s most challenging issues and engage in civil discussions about how to resolve problems. WSIU partnered with the Carbondale Public Library and the African American Museum of Southern Illinois to launch Community Cinema, a civic engagement initiative from the Independent Television Services (ITVS) and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

Spring 2012, with plans to continue Sept 2012-June 2013

WHere: Carbondale Public Library, Carbondale, Ill.

PARTNERS: ITVS, CPB, Carbondale Public Library, NAACP – Carbondale Chapter, African American Museum of Southern Illinois

RESULTS: Crowds grew monthly and reached an overall total of over 200. Encouraged by the response, WSIU and the African American Museum of Southern Illinois hosted a Black History Month film, which included a visit by original Freedom Rider Ernest “Rip” Patton.

Film screenings were held monthly from January through May 2012 in the Carbondale Public Library’s community room and featured films from the PBS series Independent Lens, including Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock, More Than A Month, Revenge of the Electric Car, Hell and Back Again, and Strong!. After each screening, local experts invited the audience to discuss the film’s most prominent themes and to share how they might take action in their own communities.

“Community Cinema is a worthwhile project for our community,” says participant Carolin Harvey of Carbondale, Ill. “The films are informative and help you see things from a different point of view.”

WSIU-TV and WSIU Radio promoted the Community Cinema series on the air, online, through social media and press announcements, by distributing eCards to donors, and hanging posters on the SIU Carbondale campus and at businesses in Carbondale. WSIU Radio’s Morning Conversation series aired interviews with local experts scheduled to facilitate film discussions. WSIU and the Carbondale Public Library have continued their partnership for the 2012-2013 year.

The screening of Strong! sparked a summer sports equipment drive led by SIU Kinesiology students to benefit youth in Marion, Carbondale & Harrisburg, Ill.

I grew up in Carbondale in the 1970s, in one of the first generations to go to desegregated schools. I’m a white person. It was painful and almost unfathomable to realize that, had I been born a little earlier, nearly half of my classmates would not have been a part of my daily life. This diminished my view of myself and my country. It was something unhealed, and not discussed.

Then WSIU showed Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock through Community Cinema at my library. A discussion followed, with African American community members sharing their stories of segregation and desegregation. Finally, that unhealed thing was opened up, admitted, discussed. Public media, like public libraries, brings us opportunities for catharsis, moving our society forward in a peaceful and thoughtful manner. That kind of progress is valuable; it’s indispensable.”

Diana Brawley Sussman Director, Carbondale Public Library, Carbondale, Ill.

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WSIU Stories of Impact Expressions – New Local TV Arts Series WSIU raised public awareness about the diverse artists who live in our midst and the positive impact of locallycreated art on a region’s culture and economy with the debut of the weekly, half-hour TV arts series, Expressions.

Created in collaboration with the School of Art & Design at SIU Carbondale, regional artists, local businesses, and donors, Expressions showcased 24 professional and student artists from towns scattered across WSIU’s service area – from Ste. Genevieve, Cape Girardeau, and Sikeston, Mo. to Anna, Belle River, and Grand Chain, Ill. Hosted by Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, a painter and associate professor of art at SIU Carbondale, the series featured a wide variety of artists in its inaugural season, including metalsmith John Medwedeff, watercolorist Mary Pachikara, mask artist Marilyn Boysen, luthier Adam Kinser, and urban airbrush artist Malcolm McRae (photo above, left). Local businesses supported Expressions’ launch by sponsoring the program and by donating furnishings and materials for the set.

Expressions also provides SIU Carbondale students with professional training in the broadcast industry. Graduate student Tamara John, a native of Trinidad, served as the creator and producer of the first season of the series, which is also staffed by fellow students. After John’s graduation in May 2012, graduate student Rajvee Subramanian of India took over as producer.

In season two, Expressions will expand its reach to artists from St. Louis, Mo., Arcola, Ill., and Paducah, Ky., among other cities, thanks to the support of new and current sponsors.

Illinois Lawmakers

I was thrilled to be a part of the first season of Expressions and have made connections with other artists and with a new client.

The program is so valuable in teaching the general public about art and the artists in their community.”

Fran Jaffe WSIU encouraged Painter, Anna, Ill. civic participation and informed voter decisionmaking through the newly-revamped TV series Illinois Lawmakers, which provides statewide coverage of the Illinois Governor’s speeches and the veto sessions of the Illinois General Assembly.

Illinois Lawmakers is essential, intelligent television. The program’s consistent commitment to quality raises it above all others. Simply put, nobody, anywhere, does it better.”

Rich Miller Editor and publisher of the influential political newsletter “Capitol Fax” and frequent contributor to Illinois Lawmakers

Hosted and produced by WSIU-TV’s Jak Tichenor in collaboration with WTVP Peoria and Illinois Public Media - WILL Urbana, the series received a new look and production schedule in Spring 2012 to make it even more timely and responsive to the quickly changing political scene at the Illinois Statehouse. It also secured its first two program sponsors: The Illinois State Bar Association and the School of Law at Southern Illinois University.

Now it its 27th season, Illinois Lawmakers transitioned to a half-hour format to take advantage of multiple time slots now available on member stations’ main digital and PBS WORLD channels. Production was moved from Wednesdays to Thursdays, normally the last day of each week’s legislative session, to ensure that audiences would have the latest possible news from the state Capitol. The series’ production values were updated and a new website, illinoislawmakers.org, was launched for Internet audiences.

The program added Illinois Public Radio Statehouse reporter Amanda Vinicky to its complement of veteran journalists providing analysis and commentary, and for the first time, Illinois Lawmakers’ coverage of the Governor’s Budget Message in April 2012 was simulcast on the state’s 16 Illinois Public Radio stations.

Illinois Lawmakers is the longest-running TV series covering the Illinois General Assembly.

Produced on location at the Illinois Statehouse, it features lively debates by lawmakers, interviews with legislative leaders, and expert analysis by veteran broadcast journalists.

WSIU Stories of Impact PROGRAM: Morning Conversation This live interview series from WSIU Radio keeps listeners informed about current events, and local people, places, and issues. In response to listener requests for more local content, host Jennifer Fuller has expanded the series to 6-8 monthly features, including regular Science Café segments focusing on new discoveries in science and technology.

Guests range from SIU Carbondale administrators to the Southern Illinois Roller Girls, from local business leaders to Burmese human rights activist Bo Kyi.

We enjoy Jennifer Fuller’s Morning Conversation coverage of SIU events. We appreciate the balance of that coverage and her ability to ask probing questions in a very civil way.”

Joyce & Robert Killian, Carbondale, Ill. PROGRAM: Lincoln Laureates Produced by WSIU-TV for the Lincoln Academy of Illinois, this inspirational annual program raises awareness about prominent Illinoisans who have been awarded The Order of Lincoln, the state’s highest honor for achievement, and encourages viewers to give back to their communities. Among past Laureates are astronaut Jim Lovell (photo, on left), President Ronald Reagan, and author Studs Terkel.

The Lincoln Laureates program is an integral part of our public outreach program as we tell the stories of our state’s heroes and encourage civic engagement and community service throughout the Land of Lincoln.”

Tom Johnson, Chancellor, The Lincoln Academy of Illinois, Springfield, Ill. PROJECT: Sesame Street Food For Thought WSIU partnered with Women With Infants & Children (WIC), Illinois Ag in the Classroom, the Illinois Farmers Market Association, and the SIU College of Agriculture to address food insecurity issues associated with poverty by distributing over 7,000 Sesame Street Food For Thought toolkits at WIC meetings, Ag in the Classroom events, the Illinois State Fair, Farmers Markets, and other locations. WSIU brought the Literacy Van to Farmers Markets in Anna, Benton, and Carbondale, Ill. where children enjoyed activities from Fizzy’s Lunch Lab and Eat Smart for a Great Start, and received books and seed packets.

PBS KIDS characters are always a big draw for children. I think they have a positive influence.

I also like that Food For Thought is in Spanish.”

Toni Kay Wright, MS, RD, LDN, SNS, Health & Nutrition Coordinator, SIU Carbondale Head Start PROJECT: UMIGO WSIU addressed the math learning gap among at-risk children with UMIGO (YouMake-It-Go), a new Ready to Learn initiative launched in partnership with WTTW. UMIGO teaches basic math skills and encourages creative problem-solving using i-Pod math games, construction sets, books, cards, videos, board games, and other transmedia. Partners and schools helped to expand the project and to create new educational materials for children.

I want to thank you for your program this summer on UMIGO. My little girl struggled last year in math. This summer we used the cards, workbook, and money book. She now knows her money and is doing well in school. She is no longer struggling and now has an ‘S’ instead of an ‘N’ in class - her first.

She was so proud of her report card. I cannot thank you enough for what you do.”

Holly Klope, Parent, Carterville, Ill.

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WSIU Evaluating Outcomes, Measuring Impact

On t h e R oad w i t h P B S K I D S!

PA RTNER ING F OR PO S ITIVE I M PAC T • Transformed classroom teaching and learning statewide through the official launch of Illinois

PBS LearningMedia, an online digital educational resource for PreK-13+ administrators & educators

• Inspired an appreciation of the arts and raised awareness about the talented artists who live and

work in our midst through the new WSIU-TV arts series Expressions and by sponsoring the Southern Illinois Music Festival and the Southern Illinois Symphony Series

• Initiated dialogue about and understanding of key social issues impacting our communities and the world by hosting monthly Community Cinema film screenings in partnership with the Carbondale Public Library, and by holding related screenings in other locations & communities

• Encouraged civic participation and informed voter decision-making by providing coverage,

discussion, and analysis of issues through local programs such as Illinois Lawmakers, WSIU InFocus, Morning Conversation, and WSIU Radio local news

• Addressed the educational needs of nearly 14,000 children and families through PBS Ready WSIU LITERACY VAN INSPIRES AREA KIDS & FAMILIES WSIU’s Literacy Van continues to be one of the stations’ most visible resources for bringing media and technology resources to families.

The colorful van with its popular PBS KIDS characters draws children together wherever it goes, from parades to schools and libraries to Farmers Markets and community events. Old and new media and technologies are combined to give children access to fun and meaningful learning opportunities not otherwise available to them.

Many other public broadcasting stations throughout the U.S. have used WSIU as a model to implement their own Literacy Van services.

WSIU’s van is made possible by a partnership with John A. Logan Child Care Resource and Referral.

to Learn and other educational activities, such as Sesame Street Food for Thought, UMIGO, Martha Speaks Reading Buddies, Dinosaur Train Nature Trackers, Read for the Record & Read Across America, local Kids Fairs, Dia de los Nîños, and Summer Reading Celebrations with local libraries

• Invited over 2,000 people of all ages to explore living history and regional culture through the 5th Annual Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival and the 2nd Annual Southern Illinois Saluki Pow Wow

• Provided equal access to a diversity of new and emerging musicians and musical styles through WSIU Radio’s nationally-distributed Celtic music series Celtic Connections, local jazz show Rhythm in Bloom, and experimental music program Sounds Like Radio, and through plans to launch a local soul/R&B series, Magic Soul, in Fall 2012

• Connected nearly 1,000 area listeners, who are blind or print-impaired, to their communities through the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS)

• Empowered over 100 students from around the world to develop their career potential by providing thousands of hours of hands-on training in all aspects of the broadcast industry

LOCAL / REGIONAL PARTNERS

A Word from a SIRIS/WSIU Radio Partner When individuals begin to lose their sight, reading the local newspaper is often the first thing they miss. By utilizing the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS), individuals with a print impairment stay engaged with the local community. As State Librarian, I am pleased to partner with SIRIS by providing a grant to help sustain this valuable service to the residents of southern Illinois.”

Jesse White, Illinois Secretary of State and State Librarian, Springfield, Illinois

African American Museum of Southern Illinois Area Public & Community Libraries Area PreK-12 Schools Ashley Furniture HomeStore Big Muddy Film Festival Calico Country Sew & Vac Cape Girardeau Convention & Tourism Bureau Cape Girardeau Storytelling Festival Carbondale Community Arts Carbondale Main Street Carbondale Public Library Cedarhurst Center for the Arts Child Care Resource & Referral College of Agriculture, College of Education & Human Services, College of Engineering, College of Mass Communication & Media Arts, educ8kdz Registered Student Organization - SIU Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Jackson County Health Department John A. Logan College Lowe’s Home Improvement Marion Cultural & Civic Center NAACP - Carbondale Chapter Native American Student Organization, SIU Regional Offices of Education Shawnee National Forest SIU Credit Union Southern Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market Veterinary Tech Program Southern Illinois Humane Society

Southern Illinois Healthy Communities Coalition Southern Illinois P-20 Education Alliance Southern Illinois Music Festival Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra Southern Illinois University Stevens Floral Gifts & Framing Varsity Center for the Arts Women With Infants & Children, Region V

ILLINOIS PARTNERS

Illinois Arts Council Illinois Department of Agriculture Illinois Farmers Market Association Illinois Humanities Council Illinois Migrant Council Illinois P-20 Education Council Illinois Public Broadcasting Council Illinois Public Radio Illinois State Library WILL - Illinois Public Media WTTW Chicago WTVP Peoria

NATIONAL PARTNERS Independent Television Service National Center for Media Engagement National Educational Telecommunications Association PBS & PBS Ready to Learn United Way WGBH - Boston WTTW - Chicago

WSIU-TV producer Jak Tichenor and author Patti Digh on the set of WSIU InFocus.

“I love WSIU InFocus – the content, the production quality, and more.”

Aldona Johnson | Carbondale, Illinois

“WSIU is the perfect place for students like me who crave opportunities to get involved with live productions. Doing live broadcasts helps you market yourself for internships and jobs after graduation.”

Nick Gresham | SIU Carbondale Radio-TV Graduate

In Their Own Words I love the interviews with local SIU staff, and I think the local WSIU Radio news staff does a great job with that. Thank you for all the great programs, especially the news nationally and locally. I feel I can trust it completely.” Sharon Hess, Raleigh, Illinois In addition to serving the southern Illinois community, WSIU continues to provide valuable hands-on experience to SIU students. The SIU Alumni Association is proud to support WSIU. Michelle Suarez, Executive Director, SIU Alumni Association I listen to WUSI-FM in the morning for great entertainment, balanced and informative news, and cultural stories.

At least once a day I start a sentence with ‘I heard a story on NPR today.’

Karen Cheatum, Effingham, Illinois

public media fans share their thoughts about WSIU

I support WSIU because the news is such high quality, with high standards. I listen all the time…It’s a beacon in the dark!

G. Adrienne Nakamura, Carbondale, Illinois Public radio has the best programming for intelligent conversation. No ranting or raving.

Pat B. Jones, St. Louis, Missouri WSIU is my lifeline to the world.

Mary Black, Carbondale, Illinois I’ve gained a lot of knowledge about television production. Nothing compares to the experience that working even a single season on Scholastic Hi-Q can teach you.

Garrett Ford, SIU Radio-TV graduate

Not many students have the opportunity to create and produce a television program that is broadcast to three million people. I’m very grateful for the opportunity to produce Expressions in its first season.

Tamara John, SIU MCMA graduate

WSIU has been instrumental in helping our students ages 3-8 with literacy and technological services. They have been able to provide a reading corner in our library with grant funds. They have also provided technology to our students in grades K-2 by providing software that students can use at home and at school.

Allene Houston-Jones, Principal, Cairo Elementary School, Cairo, Illinois

Thanks to John Hochheimer and his Rhythm & Bloom show, I was turned on to some classic jazz that I was unfamiliar with. I could not get out of my vehicle as I sat in the driveway...

Yeah, one of ‘those’ moments!

James Kirkland, Stonefort, Illinois

I want to thank everyone at WSIU-TV for working to provide quality, entertaining, interesting, and informative TV programs. My favorite programs include Great Performances, Nature, and WSIU inFocus.

Joseph Kazda, Marion, Illinois

Rhythm & Bloom is a bright spot. I’ve learned some things about jazz listening to your show. Keep up the rhythm because ‘car-bonde-lay’ needs it to bloom!

Steve Borrego, SIU Carbondale graduate WSIU’s Raising Readers program continues to invite families to reinforce basic reading and math skills at our library. Families are encouraged to participate in programs that entertain and educate, that encourage further exploration at home at their own pace through reading, hands-on experiments, the internet, and computer games. Irena Just, Herrin City Library, Herrin, Illinois SIRIS helps to raise awareness about the physical challenges people with disabilities face. Anything that brings the community together for a positive outcome is a good thing. I think that’s the best part about SIRIS. Matthew Borowicz, Carbondale, Illinois Public radio reaches Illinois communities in a way that few other media do. And as an active listener to WSIU, I can tell you that our community trusts our local public radio news because of the station’s professionalism.

Sheila Simon, Illinois Lieutenant Governor The children were engaged in the interactive games and eager to wait for their turn. I was amazed. I think it brought video of exceptional quality into my classroom.

Pilot teacher, Illinois PBS LearningMedia

Communications Building, Suite 1003 - Mail Code 6602 | Southern Illinois University | 1100 Lincoln Drive Carbondale, Illinois 62901 | Phone: (618) 453-4343 | Fax: (618) 453-6186 | Web: www.wsiu.org | Email: contact@wsiu.org