2015 WSIU Local Impact Report

Local Content and Service Report to the Community

2015

“ The quality and quantity of work opportunities at WSIU is outstanding. I am always kept busy with projects that are fun and will help me in my career.”

Kristopher Lewis Senior, Radio-TV-Digital Media WSIU Outreach Assistant Mascoutah, IL [Shown above left at a Community Cinema screening] [Photo: Monica Tichenor]

“ I watch several high school quiz programs from around the country, but Scholastic Hi-Q is my favorite. It’s always challenging to see if I can answer the questions before the contestants. I have a decent track record so far!”

Roger Wilkins, WSIU-TV viewer, via social media [Photo: Monica Tichenor]

WSIU At-A-Glance

LOC AL VA LU E WSIU Public Broadcasting works with partners who share our service mission to improve the quality of life in our communities in a variety of ways, including: • Providing legislative coverage, election specials, and workshops to encourage civic participation; • Harnessing the power of digital media to expand and enhance learning opportunities; • Presenting regional events that invite people of all ages to explore and learn together; • Hosting community events, films, and discussions to encourage dialogue and action; and • Producing programs that connect people with history, science, the arts, culture, and more.

2015 KE Y S ER VICES WSIU engaged diverse audiences through these key services: • Fall 2014 election specials, plus news coverage and analysis of election results • Locally-relevant specials, including a multi-media radio feature highlighting our region’s natural resources and history, and the premiere of the new radio series WSIU Almanac • WSIU Radio Listening Booth based on NPR’s Race Card Project • Strategically redesigned website and expanded digital footprint at WSIU.org • Film screenings and community conversations based on films by the PBS series Independent Lens • Digital media activities exploring science and education based on PBS KIDS resources and participation in the assessment of WONDERREEL’s children’s television programming content • Regional family and school-based events focusing on science, math, literacy, and art • Fall 2014 launch of the Senator Paul Simon Collection on Illinois PBS LearningMedia, along with participation in a civic education workshop for regional school administrators and educators

LOC AL I MPAC T WSIU transformed local communities through: • Over 1,100 hours of local programs focusing on the Election 2014 season, state politics, art, science, the environment, SIU Carbondale, and our region’s people, places, events, history, and issues; • Direct contact with nearly 11,000 teachers, students, families, and community members through 79 outreach events, 25 public library visits, 14 webinar and conference presentations, 12 parent and family events, 6 film screenings, 8 coalition activities, and daily social media messaging; • Direct contact with fans via WSIU.org and social media, engaging 284,000 people and gaining 18-million impressions, 770 new Facebook friends, 356 new Twitter followers, and 64,017 YouTube views; • Film screenings and related events, engaging over 170 area residents in conversations about social issues; • Over 8,000 hours of professional development in the broadcast industry for SIU students; and • Sponsorship of community events, such as the Big Muddy Film Festival, the Southern Illinois Music and Irish Festivals, Southern Illinois Symphony Orchestra concerts, and Stage Company productions.

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WSIU In the Community

2015 SERVICE SPOTLIGHT Community Cinema: Connecting People and Issues through Film

[L-R: Event coordinator Kate West and moderators Najjar Abdul-Musawwir, Yolanda Simon, and Christopher Mullins. Photo: Monica Tichenor.]

WSIU and ITVS partnered with the SIU College of Mass Communication & Media Arts and the Carbondale Public Library to encourage dialogue and action by hosting six Community Cinema film screenings addressing key social issues.

Films topics focused on women in comedy, a former criminal’s journey to redemption, efforts to stop gender-based violence, unconscious bias and racism, youth homelessness, and marriage equality.

A diverse group of moderators from SIU Carbondale and local communities guided audiences through discussions about each film’s themes, their impact on society, and how individuals can address social issues impacting our communities.

Guests often shared deeply personal stories about their own experiences and gained greater understanding about the challenges many people face in building a better life. After a screening of Evolution of a Criminal, one guest said she gained a “deeper understanding of the economic and educational factors related to these issues”, while another expressed optimism about the impact of “community activism and mentorship.”

Survey results and consistent attendance at the events indicate that WSIU is meeting the needs of underserved populations.

The Power to Make a Difference OUR MISSION WSIU Public Broadcasting is a vital media resource dedicated to improving the quality of life of the people we serve.

Together with our partners, we inspire personal growth, community engagement, and a love for learning. We transform classrooms, encourage civic participation, connect people to the world around them, and instruct the next generation of broadcasters. We create safe spaces where people can discuss issues, share experiences, and work together to resolve problems. We encourage people from all walks of life to explore new places, perspectives, and ideas and to use the knowledge they gain to make life better – for themselves, their families, and their communities.

OUR PARTNERS – STRONGER TOGETHER While we are proud of our engaging programming and nationallyrecognized education services, we cannot fulfill our service mission without the support of like-minded organizations and agencies.

From SIU Carbondale and PreK-12 schools to libraries and museums, from state and local service agencies to public media stations, from individual donors to corporate sponsors, from our Friends of WSIU advisory board to students and volunteers, we seek meaningful partnerships that create opportunities for community engagement and positive change. We also proudly support many university and community activities, including the Southern Illinois (SI) Symphony Orchestra and the SI Irish Festival.

2015 KEY SERVICES In FY 2015, WSIU: Produced election coverage and specials, including candidate forums and Illinois House District, Congressional District, and Gubernatorial Debates; hosted a WSIU Radio Listening Booth based on NPR’s Race Card Project; launched a redesigned website; hosted free Digital Media workshops, including one based on the PBS KIDS Plum Landing environmental project; invited southern Illinois children to participate in an international children’s programming content preview; created multi-media radio features showcasing our region; launched the local radio series WSIU Almanac; co-presented Community Cinema screenings; sponsored a large regional public event featuring PBS KIDS host Mr. Steve; officially launched the Sen. Paul Simon Collection on Illinois PBS LearningMedia; and represented WSIU on a civic education panel for regional administrators and teachers.

“WSIU’s Community Cinema film screening of ‘The Homestretch’ was a wonderful way to inspire compassion for the homeless. It also brought experts together who could provide a great deal of information about the problem, services available, what is missing, and great ideas for where to start. The event brought us together and was so beneficial in bringing some ideas to the Sparrow Coalition program [local homeless advocacy group] into focus. I am grateful to WSIU, the 11 Days for Compassion, and the Carbondale Public Library for hosting this valuable event.”

[Photo: SIU]

Dona J. Reese, PhD, MSW, LCSW, Associate Professor, SIU School of Social Work Member, Sparrow Coalition Coordinating Committee, Carbondale, Illinois

WSIU In the Community OUR COMMITMENT TO LOCAL PROGRAMMING

2015 SERVICE SPOTLIGHT WSIU Radio Takes Listeners to Region’s Natural Areas

WSIU’s service mission begins with locally-relevant programming.

Listed below are local program highlights from FY 2015.

WSIU-TV produced WSIU InFocus interviews with candidates for the 115th and 107th Illinois House Districts. WSIU-TV and WSIU Radio also partnered with statewide organizations, Illinois public media stations, and two regional newspapers to present U.S. 12th Congressional Debates and a Gubernatorial Debate. WSIU-TV’s Jak Tichenor, host of the statewide PBS series Illinois Lawmakers, moderated the Congressional Debates and served as a panelist on the Gubernatorial Debate. WSIU-TV also provided coverage of the Governor’s annual speeches and legislative sessions of the Illinois General Assembly, and produced the annual Lincoln Academy of Illinois Awards Ceremony showcasing accomplished Illinoisans.

We began taping episodes of our new local concert series, Little Egypt Live (premiered Fall of 2015), and produced new episodes of the art series Expressions, our high school quiz show Scholastic Hi-Q, our Emmy-winning student entertainment news series alt.news 26:46, local music program Studio A, and news programs River Region Evening Edition and Saluki SportsView. Our weekly series WSIU InFocus provided coverage of events showcasing WWII aircraft and veterans, and featured interviews with prominent visitors to the SIU Carbondale campus, including authors Patti Digh and David Zweig, former U.S. Ambassador Janice Jacobs, civil rights activist Robert Moses, historian Doris Kearns Goodwin, political strategist David Axelrod, and former Texas State Senator Wendy Davis.

WSIU RADIO recorded personal stories based on the NPR Race Card Project at a community event and created a multi-media series focusing on our region’s history and natural resources. We launched WSIU Almanac, a new series highlighting events, happenings, and local history; developed a radio feature for WSIU’s Plum Landing education project; showcased PBS/ NPR environmental content for classrooms at the annual conference of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois; interviewed moderators for Community Cinema; and celebrated both the 200th episode of our baseball history series Reading Baseball and the fifth anniversary of our jazz series Rhythm in Bloom. Local features included interviews with SIU administrators, and community and school leaders, and Science Café specials on topics such as aviation safety, 3D printing, energy, and bioethics. We also provide approximately 3,200 individuals who are visually impaired with free access to spoken word recordings of local newspapers, magazines, and other printed materials through the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service.

[Cache River Wetland – Photo: Kevin Boucher]

WSIU Radio partnered with the Shawnee National Forest, Illinois Department of Natural Resources, Farm Bureau, City of Carbondale, Southern Illinois Audubon Society, and other partners to produce multimedia features that deepened an appreciation for nature and highlighted the benefits of our region’s natural areas.

Among our top stories of 2015: WSIU’s Kevin Boucher talked with Bob Baer of the SIU Physics Department to learn about mysterious radio bursts from space, explored the Cache River wetlands with Matt Whiles of the SIU Zoology Department, went behind the scenes at Carbondale’s Water Treatment Plant with Operations Manager Tony Harrison, explored the flora and fauna of the Shawnee National Forest, and witnessed bald eagles at Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge. Boucher also took an informative wildflower walk at the Trail of Tears State of Park, visited the Maple Festival at Touch of Nature Environmental Center, and examined the region’s local food system.

RESULTS: WSIU Radio’s corresponding online stories generated the most web traffic of any local content during FY 2015. The Shawnee Forest and Crab Orchard Wildlife Refuge reported increases in community participation after the stories aired.

WSIU provides an invaluable educational service to our community. I’m a fan of many of WSIU’s radio and television programs. As a member of the Audubon Society of Southern Illinois, I also appreciate the opportunity to share my knowledge of birds on WSIU Radio. I think it’s important to raise awareness about the unique features and wildlife of our region and to encourage people not only to get out and enjoy the outdoors, but to work together to preserve it.”

Laraine Wright, Treasurer, Audubon Society of Southern Illinois

[Photo: T.J. Price]

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WSIU Stories of Impact [Photo: League of Women Voters]

Fall 2014 Election Specials

QUICK FACTS

WSIU-TV and WSIU Radio engaged citizens in the political process and encouraged informed voter participation through a series of Fall 2014 election specials.

September-November 2014

WSIU produced WSIU InFocus forums for candidates running for the 115th and 107th Illinois House Districts and worked with partners the Marion Cultural & Civic Center, Lindenwood University, Southern Illinoisan, Belleville News-Democrat, League of Women Voters of Jackson County, and Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU Carbondale to present two 12th

In the fall of 2014, the League of Women Voters of Illinois organized and broadcast a televised Gubernatorial Debate in partnership with WSIU and other Illinois public media stations. Bedrock to the League’s mission is to ensure that voters are provided information as they evaluate candidates for election.

Our partnership with WSIU achieved the goal of offering voters an authentic experience, for which we are grateful.”

Mary H. Schaafsma

Executive Director, League of Women Voters of Illinois, Chicago

U.S. Congressional District Debates between incumbent Democratic candidate William Enyart, Republican challenger Mike Bost, and Green Party challenger Paula Bradshaw. The debates were also available online on WSIU and partner websites.

WSIU-TV senior producer Jak Tichenor, host of the statewide PBS series Illinois Lawmakers, moderated both Congressional Debates. Jennifer Fuller of WSIU Radio, Molly Parker of the Southern Illinoisan, and Beth Hundsdorfer of the Belleville News-Democrat served as panelists.

WSIU also co-presented and broadcast statewide a Gubernatorial Debate between incumbent Democratic Governor Pat Quinn and Republican challenger Bruce Rauner with partners WTVP Peoria, WILL/Illinois Public Media, WUIS Springfield, and the League of Women Voters of Illinois. WSIU’s Jak Tichenor moderated the debate, with panelists H. Wayne Wilson, host/producer of WTVP’s At Issue; Amanda Vinicky, statehouse bureau chief for Illinois Public Radio at WUIS; and Jamey Dunn, executive editor for Illinois Issues magazine and reporter for WUIS. RELATED PROGRAMMING: WSIU Radio, WSIU-TV’s River Region Evening Edition student news series, and WSIU InFocus provided election coverage and post-election analysis. WSIU also provided coverage of the legislative sessions of the Illinois General Assembly and the Governor’s annual State of the State and Budget speeches as part of the Illinois Lawmakers television series.

Guests listen at the 12th U.S. Congressional District Debate in Marion, IL. Photo: T.J. Price.

12th U.S. Congressional District candidates debate the issues at an October 2014 debate held at the Marion Cultural & Civic Center in Marion, IL. Photo: T.J. Price.

WHEN WHERE WSIU-TV Studios; Marion Cultural & Civic Center, Marion IL; Lindenwood University, Belleville IL; WTVP Peoria Studios

PARTNERS Marion Cultural & Civic Center; Lindenwood University; WTVP Peoria, WILL/Illinois Public Media; WUIS Springfield; Paul Simon Public Policy Institute at SIU Carbondale; Southern Illinoisan; Belleville NewsDemocrat; League of Women Voters of Illinois & Jackson County

REGIONAL SPONSOR Forbes Financial Group

RESULTS Over 500 citizens attended the two public 12th Congressional District Debates and the downstate in-studio Gubernatorial Debate.

Three million people across WSIU’s service region had direct access to our Election 2014 specials. Over 10 million people had access to the Gubernatorial Debate via Illinois’ public media stations. Multiple print, TV, and radio media outlets provided extensive coverage.

WSIU raised awareness through on-air spots, eCards, posters, press announcements, online calendars, and social media, and through SIU Carbondale, the WSIU Friends Board, regional Chambers of Commerce, project partners, and our corporate sponsor.

Illinois Gubernatorial candidates square off at a downstate debate at WTVP Peoria. Photo: WTVP.

WSIU Stories of Impact [Photo: Lynn Chambers-Ketchens]

WSIU Radio Listening Project

WSIU Radio created a safe space for community members to share their personal experiences with and perspectives on race by hosting an NPR Race Card Project Listening Booth at a local community event.

WSIU’s Listening Booth gave people in our community a unique opportunity to discuss issues around race openly and honestly. By sharing our stories, no matter how painful, we not only learn empathy and compassion, we’re also more likely to work together for the common good.”

WSIU partnered with Carbondale Community Arts to set up the listening booth at a community-wide celebration of the 50th anniversary of the Civil Rights Act of 1964 held at the Carbondale Civic Center in Carbondale, Illinois. Based on NPR’s Race Card Project, WSIU’s listening booth offered guests the opportunity to share their personal stories about race and identity in one, six-word sentence and then provide the story behind the sentence they chose.

WSIU Radio General Manager, Jeff Williams, recorded conversations with community members of various ages and backgrounds. Six of the conversations were packaged and broadcast on WSIU Radio, which were so well-received by listeners that we decided to turn the “The Listening Project” into a recurring oral history series. An SIU Carbondale faculty member in Cinema & Photography also planned to include the radio segments in a documentary project on civil rights history in rural areas.

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QUICK FACTS WHEN November 2014

WHERE Carbondale Civic Center, Carbondale IL

PARTNERS Carbondale Community Arts, Carbondale Civic Center

RESULTS

Community members shared personal stories and perspectives about race. WSIU Radio recorded and broadcast six conversations to broad acclaim among listeners.

The radio features led WSIU to add “The Listening Project” as a recurring oral history series. An SIU faculty member planned to include the radio segments in a rural civil rights documentary project, further strengthening the relationship between WSIU and SIU Carbondale academic units.

Lynn Chambers-Ketchens Co-Founder/ Executive Director, Legacy Training & Development SIU Law Student Grand Chain, Illinois

WSIU Expands Digital Footprint in FY 2015 Digital media consumption habits are changing rapidly, with a greater focus on OnDemand programming, which is why WSIU chose to rethink our digital strategy in FY 2015.

Shown: SIU student and social media assistant, Kelsie Mullen.

[Photo: Katrina Stackhouse] WSIU’s Digital Services department provides professional development opportunities for students interested in marketing and communications careers. Students gain hands-on experience while providing WSIU with valuable input about content that appeals to a millennial audience.

WSIU partnered with Element 74 in Cape Girardeau, Missouri to create a website redesign highlighting locally-produced news posts, video, and other multimedia while also leveraging our robust collection of PBS and NPR digital content. WSIU also partnered with NPR to create a user-friendly design for our news website, which offers more features and optimized viewing on desktop, tablets, and mobile devices. Visitors who engage with us are as close as Carterville, Illinois and as far as the Ukraine, United Kingdom, India, and Brazil. WSIU also overhauled our social media strategy, since it’s the public’s preferred means of communicating with us and offers an ideal opportunity to connect with young people. In October 2015, we revamped our social media presence, sharing more non-promotional local content, talking with the public about local issues, and continuing the conversation after broadcast.

RESULTS: The new WSIU.org won a Silver American Advertising Award. We garnered over 18-million impressions and engaged with 284,000 people on Facebook, added 770 new Facebook Friends, and gained 356 new Twitter followers. In addition to Facebook and Twitter, we grew our social presence on the social media platforms YouTube and Google+.

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WSIU Stories of Impact [Photo: Kevin Penrod, SIU MCMA]

Plum Landing Multimedia Project

QUICK FACTS

WSIU and the New Media Center at SIU Carbondale’s College of Mass Communication & Media Arts partnered with WGBH Boston to nurture an appreciation for the natural world by hosting an interactive event for families, with results included in a national case study of the PBS KIDS property Plum Landing.

WSIU hosted a multimedia indoor-outdoor science exploration for children ages 6-9 and their families to get them engaged with the region’s woodlands and lakes and to encourage them to care for the environment.

I wanted to bring my friend, Norma, from Big Brothers Big Sisters to WSIU’s digital hike because it sounded like fun and provided an opportunity to gain navigational skills on the computer and outdoors. We explored SIU’s campus using a magnifier, compass, nature journal, and camera. We also met other families and learned how technology and the natural world can be combined.”

Georgia Norman Volunteer, Big Brothers, Big Sisters Carbondale, Illinois

WSIU provided nature journals so hikers could document their exploration of SIU’s natural areas.

WSIU organized a digital hike, complete with nature journals and maps, for homeschool families and others to help launch the website at pbskids.org/plumlanding.

Participants enjoyed computer games in the New Media Center and an interpretive walk through SIU’s Thompson Woods to Campus Lake. SIU Radio-TV-Digital Media student Kristopher Lewis videotaped the digital hike and created an online feature posted to wsiu.org/educators.

WSIU Community Engagement Producer Kevin Boucher interviewed participants to create a companion radio piece for the Southern Illinois Radio Information Service (SIRIS), WSIU Radio’s radio reading service for individuals who are blind or visually-impaired.

WSIU also extended our partnership with the Shawnee National Forest by delivering a presentation at the annual conference of the Environmental Education Association of Illinois, held at Touch of Nature Environmental Center in Makanda, Illinois. WSIU’s Beth Spezia and Kevin Boucher presented “Get To Know Your World Through Public Media” featuring images and sounds from the digital hike, combined with related local WSIU Radio segments on Earth Day activities and astronomy. WSIU’s event results and local materials were used by WGBH to prepare a national case study for distribution to public media stations later in 2015.

WSIU Outreach Assistant Sara Blackstad with a young explorer, who shows off her drawing of SIU Campus Lake wildlife.

WHEN October 2014-April 2015

WHERE SIU Carbondale’s New Media Center, Thompson Woods, and Campus Lake; Touch of Nature Environmental Center, Makanda IL

PARTNERS WGBH Boston, New Media Center / SIU College of Mass Communication & Media Arts, Environmental Education Association of Illinois, Shawnee National Forest

RESULTS Participants documented their experiences through nature journals and shared their photos with Plum Landing. WSIU recorded the events and shared the video at wsiu.org/educators. WSIU recorded interviews with participants for a companion radio piece on WSIU’s Southern Illinois Radio Information Service in Dec of 2014.

WSIU gave a presentation about the project at the Environmental Education Association of Illinois Conference in April 2015. Our local materials and event results were included in WGBH Boston’s national case study for Plum Landing and shared with public media stations nationwide. WSIU also built new relationships with the region’s homeschool community.

WSIU promoted the event through partners, in print, on air, online, and via email and social media.

[Photos: Pearl Franz] A young explorer sketches his interpretation of SIU’s Campus Lake after the hike.

WSIU Stories of Impact [Photo: Randy Osborn]

Wonderreel For Digital Natives

QUICK FACTS

WSIU collaborated with Wonderreel, an online video platform, to encourage cross-cultural understanding and to gather critical research data about children’s viewing habits and preferences by conducting content previews of Wonderreel’s international children’s television programs.

Approximately 200 elementary school children and teachers in Herrin and Carbondale, Illinois learned about other cultures while screening quality children’s films from around the world. Videos from Brazil, Chile, France, New Zealand, and the United Kingdom were presented.

The Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale integrates diverse programming to help young people reach their full potential.

The international children’s program screening by WSIU and Wonderreel provided a special opportunity for our members to see films from around the world. Exposing Americans to media in different languages and from other countries goes a long way to creating knowledge and sensitivity about people in other places.”

Randy Osborn Executive Director, Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale, Illinois

Children were engaged throughout the screenings, often laughing out loud or gasping in astonishment at each film.

They openly shared their views and seemed to enjoy the post-film discussion and the process of filling out their surveys, during which they asked questions and talked about films they liked the most. Almost 75 percent of the children said they’d watch Wonderreel “a lot”, while another 45% said they’d watch “more than anything else.”

“I think those were the best programs I’ve ever seen in my life, and I would love to see them again and again and again!“ said one fourth-grader from Herrin Elementary School. “My favorite film was the one with the kids on the island (Five on a Treasure Island, UK). It showed maps and a lot of adventure, and you got to see things that were really cool and exciting.”

WSIU staff and SIU Carbondale students gathered data to identify the viewing habits and preferences of the children through observations, discussions, surveys, and videos.

Results were included in a report and video, which helped Wonderreel take the next step in product development and distribution. The video was shared with teachers locally and at the CineKid Festival in Amsterdam, Holland.

Watch it online at http://bit.ly/WSIU_wonderreel.

Children at Herrin Elementary School smile during a Wonderreel film screening. Photo: T. J. Price.

Carbondale New School students laugh during a discussion after the film screenings. Photo: Monica Tichenor.

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WHEN August 2014

WHERE Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale and three elementary schools

PARTNERS Wonderreel, Herrin Elementary School, Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School, Carbondale New School, Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale

RESULTS Approximately 200 children gained knowledge about other cultures and found commonality with their peers in other countries while previewing international children’s television programs.

Critical data on children’s television viewing habits and preferences was documented in a report and video, and shared with educators locally and at the CineKid Festival in Amsterdam, the world’s largest children’s television festival.

Wonderreel, in part, credits the content preview in Southern Illinois as a key factor in helping them to secure funding towards product development and distribution.

WSIU strengthened existing partnerships with after-school organizations, elementary schools, and PreK-12 educators, paving the way for future collaborations designed to engage students and to improve educational outcomes, especially among underserved populations in our region.

A student at Our Lady of Mt. Carmel School in Herrin completes a survey. Photo: Monica Tichenor.

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WSIU Stories of Impact [Photo: WSIU]

Cedarhurst Family Day Celebration

WSIU and project partners led over 1,000 children and families in a celebration of learning and discovery at “Math, Music & Me With PBS KIDS Host Mr. Steve,” a series of free events held in March of 2015.

Over 400 special needs students and preschoolers from Mt. Vernon City Schools honed their language, math, and science skills during special music performances by PBS KIDS host Mr. Steve at Dr. Andy Hall Early Childhood Center.

The kids had quality interactions with Mr. Steve.

While singing along, they learned new things, such as identifying prepositions like ‘under’, ‘over’, and ‘through’. They were fully engaged. It’s been exciting to see it happen. We encourage people to support WSIU and the educational programs they bring to our children and communities in a positive way.”

Mr. Steve also performed in WSIU’s TV studio for the guests and staff of the College of Mass Communication & Media Arts. Local musicians Andrew Staff and Mark Stoffel joined Mr. Steve and musician Chris Listorti of SteveSongs on stage. At Cedarhurst Center for the Arts in Mt. Vernon, WSIU nurtured a love for math, music, and art in 750 families through Mr. Steve performances, photos opportunities with PBS KIDS characters Peg+Cat and Curious George, outdoor games, mural painting, math and music activities, PBS KIDS mobile apps, giveaways, and more. See WSIU’s event video at http://bit.ly/WSIU_MrSteve2015.

QUICK FACTS WHEN March 2015

WHERE Dr. Andy Hall Early Childhood Center, Head Start & Cedarhurst Center for the Arts, Mt. Vernon IL, WSIU Studios, Carbondale IL

PARTNERS Cedarhurst Center for the Arts; Mt. Vernon City Schools; SIU Credit Union; Modern Woodmen of America; SIU College of Mass Communication & Media Arts, Honors Program, School of Music & Music Education; Local Musicians Mark Stoffel & Andrew Staff

RESULTS

Over 1,000 children and families from across three states enjoyed math, art, science, and music activities, and interacted with PBS KIDS host Mr. Steve, Peg + Cat, and Curious George. Fifty SIU students and volunteers learned how to organize, promote, manage, and document a public event. WSIU raised awareness of events through sponsors, schools, our program guide, print ads, on-air spots and interviews, newspaper articles, signage, email, and social media.

Susan Staples Coordinator, Pre-K Program Program Director, 21st Century Stars Afterschool Program Mt. Vernon City Schools Mt. Vernon, Illinois

Civic Education Workshop Featuring the Paul Simon Collection WSIU partnered with SIU Carbondale, the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute, and Illinois PBS LearningMedia to encourage civic participation by leading a panel discussion at a November 2014 Civic Education Workshop for regional school districts hosted by SIU.

Shawnee High School students and their teacher, Jamie Nash-Mayberry, show off their McCormick Foundation Democracy School banner.

[Photo: Jennifer Fuller]

WSIU Educational Outreach Coordinator Beth Spezia, WSIU-TV Senior Producer Jak Tichenor, and John Jackson of the Paul Simon Public Policy Institute discussed “P. S. Illinois: The Paul Simon Collection”, WSIU’s educational materials available through the online digital media teacher resource Illinois PBS LearningMedia. Based on WSIU’s television documentary about the late U.S. Senator Paul Simon, the collection is designed for use with Government, History, Current Events, Journalism, and Social Studies courses for grades 7-12. Approximately 75 school administrators and educators learned how to best utilize the Simon Collection in their classrooms and gained political insights from John Jackson, who shared observations from his book The Essential Paul Simon: Timeless Lessons for Today’s Politics.

WSIU Evaluating Outcomes, Measuring Impact

2015 SERVICE SPOTLIGHT

PARTNERING FOR POSITIVE IMPACT

[Photo: Kevin Penrod, SIU MCMA]

LOCAL / REGIONAL PARTNERS

WSIU provided hands-on experience with storytelling and digital media content to the SIU Carbondale community through “Press Play: A Tour of Children’s Transmedia.”

Hosted by WSIU and the Global Media Research Center in the SIU College of Mass Communication & Media Arts, the event combined play spaces with PBS KIDS and WSIU media content. Participants engaged with eBooks, tablets, PBS KIDS Lab content, and tabletop games and provided input on the development of educational games.

The photo shown above was used by CPB in their annual Public Media Stations Report.

WSIU IN THE NEWS WSIU’s commitment to excellence in fulfilling our service mission brought national and regional recognition to staff and students in FY 2015.

• Renee Dillard, Director of Marketing & Corporate Support, was awarded the 2014 Development Professional of the Year award by the Public Radio Association of Development Officers. Dillard nearly quadrupled WSIU’s business revenue over an eight-year period.

• Benjy Jeffords, Digital Media Production Specialist, earned top awards for local TV features and newswriting in the Illinois Associated Press Broadcast Contest.

• River Region Evening Edition (RREE) won 2nd Place for Best Student Newscast in the state, while three RREE students won 1st place in separate reporting categories in the Illinois Broadcaster Association’s Silver Dome Student Awards.

• alt.news 26:46, WSIU’s entertainment news series, placed 3rd in the nation in the magazine show category in the College Television Awards presented by the Academy of Television Arts & Sciences.

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Area Lions, Kiwanis & Rotary Clubs Belleville News-Democrat Big Muddy Film Festival Boys & Girls Club of Carbondale Carbondale Community Arts Carbondale Main Street Cedarhurst Center for the Arts Chocolate Factory - Golconda Crab Orchard National Wildlife Refuge Cypress Creek National Wildlife Refuge Early Learning Challenge Innovation Zone Foodworks Girl Scouts of Shagbark Council Illinois Eastern Community Colleges Jackson County Healthy Communities John A. Logan College League of Women Voters - Jackson County Local Municipal Governments Marion Cultural & Civic Center Modern Woodmen of America Murphysboro Apple Festival NAACP - Carbondale Paul Simon Public Policy Institute Regional Chambers of Commerce Regional Food Cooperatives Regional Law Enforcement Agencies Regional Offices of Education & PreK-12 Schools Regional Public & Community Libraries St. Mary’s Good Samaritan Health Care Science Center of Southern Illinois Shawnee National Forest SIU Credit Union Southern Illinois Association for the Education of Young Children Southern Illinois Coalition for Children & Families Southern Illinois Collegiate Common Market - Vet Tech Program Southern Illinois Healthcare Southern Illinois Healthy Communities Coalition Southern Illinois Humane Society Southern Illinois Irish Festival Southern Illinois Music Festival & Symphony Orchestra Southern Illinois P-20 Education Alliance Southern Illinoisan Southern Illinois University: Colleges of Agriculture, Education & Human Services, Engineering, Mass Communication & Media Arts Southern Illinois University: Athletics, Child Development Laboratories, Center for International Education,

Southern Illinois University, continued: Center for Service Learning & Volunteerism, Continuing Education, educ8kdz, Global Media Research Center, Head Start, Morris Library, Non-Traditional Student Services Southern Region Early Childhood Programs Stage Company United Way of Southern Illinois University Mall The UPS Store - Carbondale Varsity Center for the Arts WIDB Wright Do-It Center

ILLINOIS PARTNERS Environmental Education Association of Illinois Illinois Arts Council Illinois Child Care Resource & Referral Agencies Illinois Department of Natural Resources Illinois Education Collaborative Illinois Farmers Market Association Illinois Humanities Illinois League of Women Voters Illinois Migrant Council Illinois News Broadcasters Association Illinois P-20 Education Council Illinois Public Broadcasting Council Illinois Public Radio Illinois State Board of Education Illinois State Library League of Women Voters of Illinois WILL Urbana/Champaign, WTVP Peoria, WUIS Springfield

NATIONAL / WORLD PARTNERS American Cancer Society American Public Radio & American Public TV American Red Cross Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Independent Television Service (ITVS) International Association of Audio Information Services National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) National Public Radio (NPR) Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) PBS LearningMedia PBS Ready to Learn PBS Teacherline Public Radio International (PRI) WGBH Boston Wonderreel

REACHING OUT TO MAKE A DIFFERENCE We’ve been busy! Here are more ways WSIU used its resources in FY 2015 to make a difference in our region: EXPANDED the positive impact of PBS KIDS digital media by partnering with other public broadcasting stations in the Illinois Education Collaborative to apply for a Ready to Learn Transmedia Grant, awarded in 2014 to address the needs of low income and special needs populations in central and southern Illinois. WSIU and partners will engage 12,000 educators and 13,000 children over the next two years.

ENCOURAGED healthy eating habits through Sesame Street Food For Thought resources and related activities at area Farmer’s Markets;

INFORMED citizens about local history, people, events, issues, and the environment with the addition of the new local WSIU Radio series WSIU Almanac and by expanding our local TV series WSIU InFocus to include local WSIU Radio feature stories; INSPIRED over 1,500 teachers to maximize classroom teaching and learning using digital media through Illinois PBS LearningMedia and PBS KIDS Lab workshops and webinars; ENHANCED reading and vocabulary skills in young children through Raising Readers Theater performances, and Summer Library, Martha Speaks, Read for the Record, Read Across America, and Family Night events;

BOOSTED math and literacy skills in children using PBS KIDS digital content at a 100 Days of School Celebration for over 500 students and their families at Northside School in Herrin, IL; RAISED AWARENESS about flooding in towns along the Mississippi and Ohio Rivers by partnering with the Shawnee School District in Wolf Lake, IL on the “Save the Levees” project, using WSIU’s multimedia platform to keep citizens informs about regional disasters and emergency preparedness; and ADDRESSED the needs of persons with disabilities in Carbondale, Ill. by offering production and engagement resources to SIU students producing a documentary on independent living.

In Their Own Words “Everything I love doing, I discovered while watching PBS. Started with Sesame Street, when Maria taught us bits and pieces of Spanish, then there were evenings with James Galway, Henry Mancini, Arturo Toscanini, and other great musicians. The Rolex Three-Day Event from the KY Horse Park in Lexington got me into more scrapes than I can recall on my fat old cremello pony and later my “too much horse for her” fireball, Dash. When I saw America’s Ballroom Challenge for the first time, I knew, one way or another, I’d wind up wearing too much glitter and spinning a lot. Mister Rogers told me that if that was who I was, that was okay, because he liked me just the way I was. Thanks, PBS! You were my favorite family!

Ginger C., Marion, Ill. “Thank you for everything you do! We appreciate the new PBS KIDS resources for our patrons.

Thanks for thinking of us!”

Bryan-Bennett Public Library, Salem, Ill. “WSIU is the best broadcasting on air, no comparison. I listen all day, every day. There’s nothing I don’t like.

Michael C, Centralia, Ill. “Overall the iPads and technology [WSIU provided] to our building is a great asset and has improved grade level performance by allowing the students to interact at a level that reinforces the skills they are learning in school.”

Angela Farley, Kindergarten Teacher Northside Primary Center, Herrin, Ill. “I really like your local programs, especially what Jennifer Fuller and Kevin Boucher are doing.”

Jerry B., Carbondale, Ill.

public media fans share their thoughts about WSIU

“As a member of the Sparrow Coalition, I am grateful to WSIU and especially Jennifer Fuller for supporting our educational projects in Carbondale about homelessness. Thank you!

Maurine P., Carbondale, Ill. “I love the quality television programming that PBS provides & that it is still available free, over the air, not just to cable subscribers. I grew up on Sesame Street, Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, Reading Rainbow, The Electric Company, and 3-2-1 Contact.”

Marietta J., Jackson, Mo. “WSIU’s Family Study Room at Morris Library is an excellent resource for families with parents who are working to further their educations. This not only provides a place and activities for children, but also access to technology that parents might not have otherwise.”

Sarah Caldwell, Senior, Early Childhood Education, SIU Carbondale “I’m a transplant from Chicago and every morning before work, on my days off, and in my car, WSIU keeps me sane. Or as sane as is possible! Thank you, WSIU! My family & I are so grateful you exist!

Felicity J., DeSoto, Ill. “Where else could we get this programming, but Channel 8? We have enjoyed the The Roosevelts.

We love PBS!” Lois A., Murphysboro, Ill. “WSIU Radio and Television are my life lines to the local and larger worlds.”

Bonnie C., Carbondale, Ill.

“What parents were saying as they walked into the lab was ‘This is the hot spot.’ All the children were wandering around Northside Primary Center looking for WSIU’s lab because they heard we had all the PBS KIDS games. It was fun to watch the kids enjoy educational games that we provide. I really think this way of learning is here to stay.”

Kristopher Lewis, Senior, Radio-TV-Digital Media, SIU Carbondale “I travel a lot and have WSIU/NPR on the radio constantly. At home and in the truck, NPR comforts my mind. Morning Edition and All Things Considered are some of my favorites.”

Scott C., Newton, Ill. “Thank you for giving me the opportunity to participate in the ‘Math, Music & Me with Mr. Steve’ event in Mt. Vernon. It was an awesome event. I had a great time!”

Amaranath Reddy Pokuri, Graduate Student, Electrical & Computer Engineering, SIU Carbondale “WSIU is on our radio going home and going to work. We get so much in-depth news, as well as many other programs for enjoyment, such as Fresh Air. Thank you for being there for all of our family.”

Kay G., Dieterich, Ill. “I’ve listened to WSIU since I was a kid. WSIU is an unseen voice of clarity.”

Patrick J., Carbondale, Ill. “WSIU is our greatest source of unbiased news, excellent entertainment, and educational programs.”

Clay K., Makanda, Ill.

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