WXXI Year End Report 2015 - 2016 by WXXI Public Broadcasting

2016-17 Mid-year Report

“Our community would be a much poorer society without you. Mankind’s most important hope for a successful future is education. Even if you are only able to uplift the most desperate, a little bit, WXXI is helping our community in an important way. Every time WXXI inspires one person to do better, you have uplifted our whole community. - Jim Blackburn, Founding member

You can trust our public media services to stimulate and expand understanding, inspire the spirit and improve the quality of lives.

LOCAL VALUE WXXI is the Rochester region’s most trusted media partner and independent cinema and seeks to serve the community using a wide range of programming and engagement activities. WXXI’s values reflect our community values: independence and integrity; dedication to learning; attention to diversity of perspectives and appreciation for innovation. Because of our values, WXXI selects and creates the highest-quality programming available in public media and makes it available on the air, online, onscreen and on-the-go. WXXI leads the way in the use of technology in educational media, and ensures that educational resources are available to audiences and families in all areas of the community.

2017 KEY SERVICES

LOCAL IMPACT

Key Services

Audience Year to Date

Television – four channels Radio – six stations Cinema – five screens Online & Social Educational Services

Television: 209,678 weekly viewers

Focus Content Areas:

Radio: 182,600 weekly listeners Cinema: 54,786 admissions 28,000 café Online: 744,353 visitors



News



Arts & Culture



Education



Health

Social Media: 61,337 Facebook Fans 92,427 Twitter Followers

2014-2019 Strategy Map Mission

Vision

WXXI is the essential, lifelong educational public media resource that engages, inspires and strengthens our community.

Highly valued media services when you want them, the way you want them.

Values Commitment to our community Respect for our audiences & ourselves Dedication to the value of learning

Appreciation for innovation & creativity Commitment to diversity & balance of perspectives Superior stewardship & accountability

Value to our Audience You can trust our services to stimulate and expand understanding, inspire the spirit and improve the quality of lives. Select and create high quality content that reflects and strengthens the communities we serve.

Extend audience access to our services.

Enhance our commitment to diverse audiences.

Expand meaningful engagement with audiences.

Operational Excellence Employ appropriate current and next generation technology.

Improve effective project prioritization and resourcing.

Foster superior internal communication.

People & Culture Cultivate a creative and adaptive missiondriven staff.

Attract and engage diverse volunteers/staff.

Maintain strong, supportive and engaged Boards.

Fiscal Stability Grow traditional revenue sources.

Maintain operational effectiveness and superior stewardship.

Create new revenue opportunities.

WXXI Balanced Scorecard Objective

Measure

2016 Actual

2017 Target Plan

Value Impact

Major Content Initiatives

act

est

Plan

Partnerships

act

est +/YTD Plan

Regional & National Productions

act

est +/YTD Plan

Extend audience access to our services

Number of access points

Spring 6 6

on track 50 53 3 53 9 10 1 10 33 33

3 7 4 60 2 3 1 13 4 4

on track 53 60 7 ahead of plan 10 13 3 ahead of plan 37 37

on track

10 10

+/YTD

Select and create high quality content that reflects and V1 strengthens the communities we serve.

2017 Actual

Fall 4 4

act

est +/YTD Plan

Maintain our commitment to diverse audiences

Align with DMA diversity annually

Demographics

act

est

ontrack

+/YTD

TV Audience (Average GRPS per day)

894 846 -48 846 163,600 165,000 1,400 165,000 82,000 82,786 786 82,786 700 822 122 822 46,000 49,622 3,622 49,622 75,000 82,340 7,340 82,340 10,000 11,715 1,715 11,715

LYTD

894

880

act

est +/YTD LYTD

Radio Audience (Cume weekly)

181,800

1% increase

act

+/YTD

Expand Meaningful engagement with audiences: Participation.

LYTD

Theater Attendance

Audience

est

189,600

200,000

act

est +/YTD Plan

Training Attendance

1,392

1,400

act

est +/YTD

Plan

WXXI Facebook Fans

44,697

50,000

act

est +/YTD Plan

WXXI Twitter Followers

66,038

78,000

act

est +/-

Expand Meaningful engagement with audiences: Social Media.

YTD Plan

Little Theatre Facebook Fans

9,444

12,000

act

est +/YTD Plan

Fiscal Stability

People & Culture

Operational Excellence

Little Theatre Twitter

OE Effectiveness & Reliability 1 OE Enhanced internal 2 communications OE Maintain effective project 3 prioritization P1

Mission Driven Staff

Attract a diverse staff and volunteer corp

Boards of Trustees

WXXI

Investment Performance

50th Anniversary

Three nines reliability

8,927

<64 minutes

<526 minutes 2 Surveys with actions

Survey

Project tool

12,000

Budget process Per Narrative goals

EEO and SABS Report

Per Report

Assessment

Per Narrative

Net of Income minus Expenses

0.02%

0.89%

Targets

act

Survey

Per Benchmarks

act

1.02% Benchmark

1,000,000

act

est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD Plan est +/YTD

880 880

880 863 -17

880

behind

on track 800 800 ahead of plan 50,000

1,522 50,000 50,000 50,000 78,000 78,000 7,340

ahead of plan 78,000

ahead of plan 12,000

12,000 12,000 1,715

ahead of plan

9,500 10,087 587 10,087

74.00 32.00 42.00 ahead of plan 1 1 ontrack ontrack Research Research ontrack ontrack

181,800 182,500 700 ahead of plan 189,600 199,786 10,186

200,000 200,000 107,600 117,000 9,400 199,786 700 700 -

12,000

12,000 12,000 587

ahead of plan

1 1

74.00 32.00 42.00 ahead of plan 2 2

Tool in Place Tool in Place ontrack ontrack

Tool in place Tool in place ontrack ontrack per plan ontrack ontrack

2 2

ontrack 4% 4.4% 0.4% 4.4%

$ $ $ $

1.6% 4.0% 2.40% 4.00% 7% 11.0% 4.00% 4.00% 500,000 $ 750,000 $ 250,000 $ 750,000

0.04%

5.00% 5.00%

500,000 500,000 -

$ $

1,000,000.00 1,300,000

300,000

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

VALUE IMPACT Select and create high quality content that reflects and strengthens the communities we serve.

News & Public Affairs Election Coverage Debate WXXI and our Voice of the Voter partners (the Democrat & Chronicle, WDKX Radio and 13WHAM-TV) hosted a Democratic Primary debate on September 7th, 2016, with Assemblyman Harry Bronson and challenger Rachel Barnhart. This debate was broadcast live on WXXI radio and TV, and also streamed online on all of the websites of the Voice of the Voter Partners. Coverage of Presidential Election WXXI’s Albany correspondent Karen DeWitt attended both political conventions last year, with the Republicans in Cleveland and the Democrats in Philadelphia. She provided coverage of Rochester and other upstate delegates and issues and filed reports for WXXI and our other upstate public radio stations. Karen DeWitt also filed numerous stories throughout the year on state politics, including, how the reaction to Donald Trump’s policies might affect New York’s legislative races, the impact of a corruption scandal on state and local races, the governor’s push for a possible Democratic takeover of the State Senate, and attempts by the NYS Attorney General to reform the state’s restrictive voting laws. Work with upstate partner radio stations-Upstate Insight WXXI continues to work with its partner stations in our ‘Upstate Insight’ project, which involves collaborative efforts with other public radio stations in Upstate NY. For the 2016 elections, WXXI, WBFO in Buffalo, WRVO in Oswego/Syracuse and WSKG in Binghamton worked on a five-part series called “Upstate Money Pressures, Voters Weigh In.” In that series, residents from across the upstate area talked about issues that have significant impact on their pocketbooks and their lives. The Upstate Insight stations also provided other reports throughout the election season, including interviews with candidates and reporting on issues with Congressional representatives whose districts overlap the Rochester metro, including Congressmen John Katko, Tom Reed and Chris Collins. Election Night – November 8, 2016 Election night utilized a combination of the entire WXXI Newsroom and NPR. We provided live, continuous coverage from 8pm until 12:30 a.m. NPR provided in-depth reporting on the presidential election, and any key Congressional races, along with analysis, and live coverage of the speeches by the presidential candidates. WXXI’s coverage was hosted by Evan Dawson, along with WXXI’s Helene Biandudi Hofer and News Director Randy Gorbman. Our panel included a member of the Latino Education Task Force, the Chair of Political Science at St. John Fisher College, and a member of the University of Rochester College Republicans. WXXI’s state capitol bureau correspondent Karen DeWitt was on live during the evening as well, commenting on the results from state legislative and local congressional races.

WXXI reporters were at the major political party headquarters in downtown Rochester, doing live reports and gathering interviews with the newsmakers; the news team back at the station also worked on securing other interviews and provided robust coverage on our website, with updated results on the web and on our social media platforms, as well as providing context on the presidential coverage through results and analysis. \

Connections with Evan Dawson and WXXI News provided extensive coverage throughout the election, including voices of most candidates and community voices addressing the major issues of the campaigns. Following the election, topics addressed reactions as well as future directions. Connections continues to grow in its visibility and value to the community as a quality place for dialogue and engagement with community leaders about the complex issues of the day.

Need to Know WXXI’s weekly television news program continues to tackle tough issues –both with video stories and with honest conversation. Need to Know produced weekly episodes, dealing with education, the economy, racism, health and politics. Host and producer Helene Biandudi-Hofer covered a variety of timely topics, and she also took historical looks at racism, in program such as the December episode, that remembered a local woodshop that grew from the 1960s race riots. Additional topics included:  East High School transition  Black Lives Matter in the Classroom  Mindfulness in Health Care  Access to care for the poor  Services for HIV patients  Unity in local politics Need to Know offered recaps of local elections coverage and debates, and Helene was co-host of Election night coverage on WXXI Radio and wxxi.org. Need to Know is also available as a video podcast and on the WXXI YouTube channel.

Side Effects Side Effects is a collaborative health reporting initiative that includes content from WFYI in Indianapolis, which is the hub; KBIA in Columbia, Missouri; and WXXI in Rochester, New York. Other reporters at public radio stations also contribute stories. The project aims to shine a light on how place, policy and economics affect Americans’ health and report efforts to solve health problems. WXXI health reporter Karen Shakerdge filed several in-depth features from July through December, including the following three, which all aired on NPR as well: 4

 A two-part story on Dave Adox, who was dying from Lou Gehrig’s disease. Since the disease takes away body movement, Adox communicated by spelling out words on a tablet — using his eyes to focus on each letter. Once even that became a struggle, he decided it was time for him to die. He wanted to donate his organs, and the story revealed how medical systems aren’t well set up to help terminally ill patients who want to donate their organs. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/dying-man-s-last-wish-ends-fight-donate-his-organs  A story about breast milk banks, which take in, screen and pasteurize milk from donor mothers. With many in the medical community agreeing that breast milk can help save the lives of premature infants in particular, the banks are seeing a resurgence lately. But even though nonprofit milk banks charge much less than for-profit banks — roughly $4 an ounce vs. $30 — the cost is still too high for many new parents. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/breast-milk-bank-resurgence-helps-premature-babies-who-will-pay  A timely story in mid-December about how many transgender people were seeking to change their legal names and genders because of concerns that the process would become more difficult under President Donald Trump’s administration. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/transgender-americans-change-names-passports-ahead-trumpadministration

Great Lakes Today Great Lakes Today is another collaborative journalism project that includes content from the hub, WBFO in Buffalo; ideastream in Cleveland, Ohio; and WXXI in Rochester, New York. Other reporters from public radio stations also have contributed stories. The initiative focuses on long-form reports and series about the use and quality of the lakes, the region’s economic significance and future challenges and opportunities. Veronica Volk, based at WXXI, is one of the main three reporters, and she has filed several stories from July through December, including:  A story about a Michigan town that used to have a busy port on Lake Huron, but has now shifted its economic focus to tourism opportunities: There are more than 200 shipwrecks under the water along its shoreline. The area has become the nation’s first National Freshwater Marine Sanctuary. This story also was aired on NPR. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/michigan-town-rebrands-itself-shipwreck-capital-great-lakes  Volk learned from volunteers at the Braddock Bay Bird Observatory on the shore of Lake Ontario that migratory birds are arriving earlier than ever before. They say the birds are reacting to climate change. Why is that important? The change could disrupt the natural balance and put a species at risk. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/climate-change-threatens-birds-migrating-along-great-lakes  In October, Volk wrote about how funding for the federal Great Lake Restoration Initiative was facing an uncertain future. The initiative annually allocates $300 million to several projects in the watershed, including habitat restoration efforts and mitigating pollution and invasive species. Link: http://wxxinews.org/post/great-lakes-restoration-projects-face-uncertain-future

Arts & Culture Daily Music Programming WXXI’s music services on WXXI-FM, WXXY-FM, WRUR-FM and WITH-FM provide a daily stream of programming that is locally and regionally focused, and work in partnership with our area’s cultural organizations. Live, local hosts highlight local and national artists who are performing in Rochester, Ithaca and the Finger Lakes region. They keep a finger on the pulse of the local, national and worldwide arts and music scene, keeping listeners up to date with musicians who release new CDs, win awards, and break new ground with their music. In addition our local hosts are in the community regularly, representing WXXI at arts and cultural events.

Classical Productions In addition to daily classical music and weekly local productions of the RPO, Live From Hochstein, With Heart and Voice, Fascinatin’ Rhythm and Stage Notes, Classical 91.5 produced a number of special programs featuring the local music and musicians. 

High Holy Days October 2 & 11, 2016 Each year Classical 91.5 broadcasts the Rosh Hashanah and Yom Kippur evening services from temple B’rith Kodesh, as a service to shut-ins and the community in general. Clergy and choir lead the traditional reformed liturgy.

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RPO Gala Holiday Pops December 5 & 25, 2016 Michael Butterman leads the Festival High School Chorale and the RPO in their annual holiday pops concert that features a mix of festive tunes and familiar carols, produced.

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Christmas with Madrigalia December 15 & 20, 2016 Also broadcast nationally* The Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia, and their Artistic Director Cary Ratcliff, return to public radio for another musical Christmas celebration.

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A Rochester Festival of Lessons & Carols December 11 & 24 Also broadcast nationally* A Christmas Eve tradition, featuring readings and music for the holiday.

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Christmas Morning with Peter DuBois December 25, 2016 Peter DuBois has music that’s perfect for exchanging gifts and enjoying the Christmas spirit, including Christmas Concertos by Archangelo Corelli, Francesco Manfredini and Pietro Locatelli, and favorite carols from the Canadian Brass, the Choir of King's College, Cambridge and the RPO Pops. *WXXI’s national holiday program offerings were broadcast on 85 stations in 20 states

Radio Arts Features 

Composer on the Ice October 24, 2016 Composer Glenn McClure, who teaches music at SUNY Geneseo and the Eastman School of Music, traveled to Antarctic’s Ross Ice Sheet through a grant from the National Science Foundation. While he was there, he pitched a tent on the ice to listen, and to work with scientists to collect data which will ultimately shape a piece of music.



Letters from Georgia November 11 & 14, 2016 In November the Eastman Philharmonia presented the world premiere of a new work by Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts. Letters from Georgia is based on letters from artist Georgia 6

O’Keeffe to photographer Alfred Stieglitz. It was performed by the orchestra with Grammy awardwinning soprano and Rochester native Renee Fleming at the Eastman Theatre and in Carnegie Hall in New York City. 

Finger Lakes Opera Shake-Up December 5, 2016 The Finger Lakes Opera Festival lost its home base at SUNY Geneseo due to financial issues, and began taking steps to establish itself as an independent 501(C)3.



New Book Encourages Singing December 12, 2016 A new book about singing by Western New York vocal coach Richard Fink has become a top seller on Amazon. Fink outlines what he calls the seven dimensions of singing and says the best voices are often flawed.

Reachout Radio In September Reachout Radio launched Pets+Us, a weekly half-hour of readings about the companions in our lives – our pets. Compiled and read by Volunteer Mary DeFranco, the program includes articles about the relationship between pets and their humans; useful tools and new products for pets; information specifically geared toward humans who are blind; and stories from listeners about their own pets.

In the Community 

Clothesline Arts Festival September 10, 2016 Different Radio and Classical 91.5 were in residence at the Festival, broadcasting live from the grounds of the Memorial Art Gallery. During the morning Scott Regan welcomed WRUR Community DJs for a special Open Tunings program. In the afternoon Julia Figueras and Marianne Carberry spoke with artists about their work and MAG staff about the coming season.

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Rochester Pride Parade July 16, 2016 WXXI staff participated in the Annual Rochester Pride Parade, accompanied by Clifford and Elmo.

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American Boychoir Concert December 3, 2016 Classical 91.5 was the media sponsor for a special holiday concert by the renowned American Boychoir.

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Connections Live at the Little Theatre December 9, 2016 The two-hour special was part of WXXI News' Degrees of Diversity, a weeklong series reporting on the state of diversity among teaching staffs in the area.

Music and Art at the Little Theatre Given the challenges facing cinema across the country, the Little Theatre has been developing new ways to increase attendance beyond traditional first-run films. The WRUR/ Little concert series has been a major success with four sold out shows last year. NYSCA awarded a $5,500/year grant for the next 3 years to continue and expand this series. This past four featured two capacity shows, including the NPR local Tiny Desk Concert winner Danielle Ponder and the Tomorrow People and café favorites Watkins & the Rapiers performing their evening of original Christmas songs. This Theatre #1 program builds on the hundreds of performances held in the café every year. The café is also developing its presence in the visual arts scene, hosting well curated shows of local artists and featuring artist discussions and openings 7

Tailor Made WXXI took its documentary about the garment Industry national, with distribution planned though National Educational Telecommunications Association. The documentary follows Rochester’s history as a leader in making fine menswear, and as a welcoming home to immigrants who came here to work in the garment industry. It also looks at the role Susan B. Anthony and the Women’s Rights Movement played in improving poor working conditions. Duffy Hickey, the grandson of Hickey Freeman co-founder Jerry Hickey, shares how his grandfather became one of the giants in Rochester’s clothing industry. By the end of the Great Depression, the industry was largely controlled by an elite group of companies known as “The Big Five:” Hickey-Freeman, Bonds Clothes, Michael-Sterns, Fashion Park, and Timely Clothes. The documentary explains how the Rochester Button Factory played an important role in the industry, providing buttons for many of the major fashion houses throughout the world. Tailor Made also remembers the Feinbloom Brothers and their impact on sportswear with their company, Champion Products. They launched the very first sports sweater, which became a huge success and was immediately copied by others in the industry. Today, Champion is the outfitter for many collegiate and professional teams, and their active wear is worn by people of all walks of life. Viewers meet today’s craftspeople – a tailor, a textile artist, and a clothing designer. They also hear from B. Thomas Golisano, Rep. Louise Slaughter, Senator Charles Schumer, Scott Pitoniak, Burt August, John LiDestri, and many others who share their connections to the industry.

Cultural Expressions WXXI and the City of Rochester produced three half-hour specials that highlighting the history and contributions of Rochester’s diverse cultures. The programs aired on WXXI and on City 12. From Spoken Word to Jazz featured an in-depth conversation with Dr. Paul Burgett, Vice President, Senior Advisor to the President and University Dean at the University of Rochester, and Grammy award nominee, musician, and music producer Jimmie Highsmith, Jr. about jazz and its roots. Family History and Storytelling interviewed Dr. David Anderson of Black Storytelling League and Akwaaba, Maggie Moore-Holley, retired Social Worker/Reenactor; Robert "Djed" Snead, Playwright and Actor; and Geraldine Copes-Daniels, great grandniece of famed abolitionist Harriet Tubman. Heritage, Pride and Famil, featured stories of well- known families from Rochester’s Latino community in conversations about cultural identity, heritage and family. Guests included siblings Nancy Padilla, community leader and former elected official, Nydia Padilla- Rodriguez, founder of Borinquen Dance Theatre and musician Tony Padilla; retired musician Victor Antonetti Sr. and his sister Maria AntonettiFigueroa, Secretary at Rochester City School District. A reception for Hispanic Heritage month honored more than 100 attendees, and the viewership for Cultural Expressions was strong, with each episode attracting from 6,000-13,000 viewers. 8

Education American Graduate is an ongoing local-national campaign to engage the community in improving graduation rates by keeping more students on the path to graduation through a cradle to career approach to education.

 

Broadcast 42 “Spotlight on Education” programs on WXXI-TV &WXXI-World highlighting educational challenges and opportunities locally and nationally throughout the month of September-October, 2016, Offered on-demand access to programming via the WXXI American Graduate site. (wxxi.org/grad) Event: Indie Lens Pop-up: The Bad Kids Screening Event (January 30th) as part of American Graduate. The post-screening discussion will include Center for Youth programs that parallel what is shown in the film. Social media posts and education e-news monthly section to keep attention on these important issues covered in news and programming.

Homework Hotline launched its 26th season in September. Now airing live across New York State, the program continues to support learning for all young people. This season features a time change (LIVE at 4:30 p.m.). In addition to the live broadcast on all public stations across New York, a live Webcast on the show's website, homeworkhotline.org, means anyone who needs help can see the show not only from a TV but also from their computer or phone. WXXI’s Educational Outreach Center provides services cradle to career: WXXI Ready to Learn: WXXI provided 26 Ready to Learn Curious Kids workshop sessions for Pre-K & Kindergarten Parents, Teachers, Staff, Speech Therapist, and Special Education Teachers from City School District, ABC Head Start and Community Based Agencies. Regular professional development offerings allow educators and parents to increase their skills in supporting and promoting student learning in and out of school using WXXI Ready to Learn on-air & online resources, books, apps and hands-on activities. The sessions were attended by 518 adults impacting 2103 children in their care. Training has expanded to include parents and teachers in the new 3 year old universal pre-K at City District sites. 4050 more sessions are scheduled to take place through May, 2017. Summer & Out of School Learning: WXXI continued our efforts this year to support summer learning and out of school learning events working with collaborative partners. These efforts included: A collaborative partnership with Monroe County Library System to host 6 weeks of “Exploration Stations” at Central Library where WXXI designed and managed hands-on science “exploration stations” to keep the summer learning going and prevent “summer slide”. These events were attended by 697 people. Summer 2016 was themed as fairy tales with a twist! Kids helped fairytale characters solve problems through hands-on STEAM (Science, Technology, Engineering, Art, Math) activities. WXXI’s Bob the Builder outreach explored providing toolkits with model activities and program media to area libraries to host their own screening/building9

engineering events. This is a potential way to reach more families and increase our family engagement. 8 events were held attended by 232 participants around the viewing area during December, 2016 school break. This is a great way to host events in multiple locations through trusted partners. Future events include: 2 events in February, 2017: Recycled Inventions for Take Your Child to the Library Day, and PBS Kids Scratch Jr. app coding event to help kids explore the idea of coding and game development, both at Central Library. WXXI continues to partner with Strong National Museum of Play to offer events: In November 2016, an evening camping themed screening as WXXI was held with Buddy from Dinosaur Train. The event attracted 85 participants to coincide with Strong’s Dinosaur exhibit weekend. WXXI will explore another evening offering with “Pups and Pizza” in March, 2017 to correspond with the museum’s Super Hero Weekend, featuring Super Why and his dictionary dog, Woofster.

The ACCES/Finger Lakes Regional Adult Education Network is one of seven staff development organizations established by the New York State Education Department. The FL RAEN serves 9 counties and provides research-based professional development resources to improve the skills of adult education practitioners and the quality of the adult education, family literacy and workforce development programs funded by NYSED. The FL RAEN provided 23 professional development trainings/meetings to 289 participants from July-December 2016;

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

STORIES OF IMPACT Classical 91.5 & The Little Theatre This year WXXI Classical 91.5 became part of the Classical Music Rising project, a collaborative project of this country’s leading classical stations to shape the future of classical music radio. As terrestrial broadcasting confronts evolution in delivery across multiple platforms, demographic and cultural change, and disruption in the music industry, the initiative focuses on strategy, innovative, outreach and collaboration to strengthen broadcast radio, digital media and live classical performances. Working with the Little Theatre helped Classical 91.5 with its outreach efforts.

Classical 91.5 Presents connects with audiences by spotlighting classical music connections in film. Films are chosen by our classical music hosts and are followed by a panel discussion led by one of the hosts. Each presentation offers the opportunity for a greater understanding of classical music and its power in our lives and our society. A sold-out presentation of On The Waterfront included an introduction and discussion with Jack Garner, hosted by Classical 91.5. The film Florence Foster Jenkins was enhanced by the plying of original Florence Foster Jenkins recordings and a discussion.

Another collaborative initiative at the Little Theatre brings regular classical guitar music to the Little Café. Classical Guitar Night began in October in partnership with the Rochester Guitar Club. On the first Sunday of each month Eastman School of Music Guitar students perform a diverse range of classical guitar music in a casual and cozy environment. Café patrons can enjoy beautiful music at no with dinner or drinks, played by some of the finest musicians in New York State.

Audience Reaction “This was such a great movie to see and the discussion afterwards was so interesting! I was sorry when it ended! Thanks Mona and Jack and WXXI and The Little! A GREAT afternoon at the movies!” Kitty Corcoran, Rochester 11

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

STORIES OF IMPACT Degrees of Diversity Degrees of Diversity is the culmination of a year-long investigation of teacher diversity in Monroe County. Spearheaded by Evan Dawson and producer Megan Mack, the project discovered that, while more than 80 percent of public school teachers in the U.S. are white, the disparity is much more severe in the Rochester and Finger Lakes regions. Degrees of Diversity takes an in-depth look at diversity among local teaching staffs.

Series Promotion

Degrees of Diversity was a five part series, a series of Connections talk programs, including one live Connections at the Little Theatre, a television news segment, reporting from Capitol correspondent Karen DeWitt and reaction from state and local officials. A well-developed Website and social media assets insured that all segments of the community could hear and discuss live and on-demand. WXXI took Connections with Evan Dawson on the road for the first time, with a live broadcast from The Little Theatre to cap the week-long reporting series and community dialogue on teacher diversity in Rochester. Approximately 100 people attended the 2 hour discussion and participated in the Q&A. The series drove social media connection with WXXI. Webpages: http://wxxinews.org/topic/degrees-diversity?page=1 Degrees of Diversity Analytics December 5 - December 18 (2 weeks of series) December 5Previous WXXINews.org 18 period Change Sessions 29,591 21,095 40% Users 21,219 15,072 41% Pageviews 60,258 45,103 34%

Degrees of Diversity warranted special promotion which included a logo for the series, on air spots, a slide at the Little, heavy promotion on WXXI.org and on social, plus an Rochester Business Journal email blast buy to selected professionals which include administrators, teachers, and community leaders (attached) with a 44% open rate (4,400 sent/1,700 opened it) and Facebook ads.

The website featured a clickable map for users to search their school district numbers. 12

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

STORIES OF IMPACT

Saturday Night Rewind A monthly 35mm film series presented by the Little Theatre and Fright-Rags, Saturday Night Rewind is a homage to the 80s, and has one primary goal: fun. It’s a chance for film lovers to see horror classics, iconic summer flicks, and cult favorites on their original format (35mm film). Each screening includes a preshow filled with glorious 80s clips and throwback movie ads, and more. The series surged in popularity in the Fall of 2016. The August 20th screening of Raiders of The Lost Ark filled Theater 1 with a near sellout, including one gentleman who arrived at the theater in a glorious recreation of Indiana Jones’ classic wardrobe. October was another huge month for the series. The spookiest month of the year was a perfect time to expand the SNR format and screen a film every Saturday in the month. The lead up to Halloween included: The Warriors (with special guest Joe Bob Briggs of MonsterVision, along with the show’s iconic set), Lady in White (with a Skype conversation with director Frank LaLoggia), Beetlejuice, The Greasy Strangler (with an in-person appearance by star Sky Elobar), and Halloween parts one and two back-to-back.

Series Films July 30: Predator Aug. 20: Raiders of the Lost Ark Sept. 17: Rock ‘N’ Roll High School Oct. 1: The Warriors (with special guest Joe Bob Briggs of MonsterVision) Oct. 8: Lady in White (Skype interview with director Frank LaLoggia) Oct. 15: Beetlejuice Oct. 22: The Greasy Strangler (with Pet Monkey preview and inperson talkback with stat Sky Elobar) Oct. 29: Halloween and Halloween II Nov. 19: The Last Starfighter Dec. 17: A Christmas Story

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

STORIES OF IMPACT 50th Anniversary 50th Anniversary Celebration Breakfast & Special Programming WXXI welcomed more than 100 original members of the station to a breakfast reception at the … rooftop ballroom of the Strathallan hotel on 9/6/16-WXXI’s official 50th Anniversary of Television services in Rochester.

Promotion for the 50th anniversary included a feature in the Democrat & Chronicle (attached), coverage of the Founders Breakfast by 13WHAM-TV, a special anniversary piece inserted into the September Program Listings (which was sent to all members, not just those who subscribe to the listings), an anniversary video, print ads (Democrat & Chronicle, Geva playbill, City Newspaper), social, as well as spots on our own air, and a slide at the Little.

The celebration continued on T.V., with a specially curated prime-time line-up featuring Julia Child’s French Chef which was the same episode that aired when the WXXI signal first went on air September 6, 1966.

This year’s fundraising campaign around the 50th Anniversary has already achieved its annual goal of $1,000,000 in support of programming, production and endowment thanks to several key donors. The Anniversary continues to inspire support to keep the station strong.

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

AUDIENCE

Extend access to our services WXXI continues its commitment to provide services when and where the audience wants them. We have expanded so far this year to additional streaming services, including iTunes Radio. Therefore, in addition to some reasonable growth on our more traditional platforms, growth in access to services via alternate means has grown substantially. With the ability to track these services it is evident there are listeners across the country and across the world, with an average monthly cume of more than 30,000 unique listeners.

Expand Meaningful Engagement with Audiences: Participation Television Audience

Average DMA Cume Persons 2+ 250,000 200,000 150,000

World Create

100,000

WXXI HD 50,000 0 2015 July- Nov

2016 July-Nov

WXXIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s television viewership continued to be stable and strong. As services are able to measure the impact of on-demand viewership, it should indicate some growth.

Programming Highlights Marathons We have begun to employ the marathon technique when a series lends itself to the format. In addition to our upcoming annual Super Drama Sunday marathon we have recently aired marathons of The Great British Baking Show (Master Class), This Old House, and Sherlock. Our Create channel continues to offer Nationally distributed weekend marathons designed around a common theme. We aired a marathon of the entire series of Downton Abbey over Labor Day weekend which commenced on Friday night and continued through Monday night raising $41,636 locally by 250 pledges. Other marathons on the horizon include Soundbreaking on the day of the Grammyâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s and Victoria on the day of the Oscars. 15

Messages from viewers support the importance of WXXIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s role in helping to bridge the nationâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s racial divide by continuing the dialogue in our community. The broadcast of Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise was another fine example of the culturally enriching programming that only WXXI offers. It presents the ongoing struggle for equity and the achievements that come on the heels of change and acceptance of all Americans. While it is uncomfortable for some to view, it speaks to a level of awareness that needs to be raised about how we empower and disempower the citizenry within our borders. Schools across Monroe county should take the opportunity to view it with their students as the lessons of agency and advocacy from a Black perspective are rarely seen in textbooks or mainstream media. I believe that it would provide better conversations and dialogue about how we move through the next four years locally to ensure that our community isn't cast back into the behavior and actions (disenfranchisement based on color, gender, economic and reproductive choice) from earlier decades.

Radio Audience WXXI experienced stable listening across all stations with some growth in on-line listening. Notable, while still small numbers, listening to WITH is growing and WXXI-FM experienced especially strong listenership this past six months. 200000 180000 160000 Stream

140000

WITH

120000

WXXY 100000

WEOS

80000

WRUR

60000

WXXI-FM WXXI-AM

40000 20000 0 Fall 2014

Fall 2015

Fall 2016

Weekday hour-by-hour listening by genre indicates the breadth of audience service provided by WXXI stations through news and music programming.

WXXI Radio Weekday News Listening

WXXI Radio Weekday Music Listening

30000

20000

10000

WXXI-AM

WRUR

WEOS

5A 6A 7A 8A 9A 10A 11A 12P 1P 2P 3P 4P 5P 6P 7P 8P

40000

5A 6A 7A 8A 9A 10A 11A 12P 1P 2P 3P 4P 5P 6P 7P 8P

40000

WXXY

WXXI-FM

WXXY

WRUR

WITH

Theater Ticket Sales

Cinema Ticket Sales 600,000 500,000 400,000 Spring

300,000

Fall

200,000 100,000 0 2014-15

2015-16

2016-17

Ticket sales are stable, but attendance continues to climb with more people attending special events, film festivals and cafĂŠ events.

Events Program Screenings & Discussion: WXXI is proud to host a neighborhood screenings in partnership with the Little that brings people together for community-driven conversations around films from the awardwinning public media. These free screenings are followed by lively panel discussions to encourage dialogue on social issues. Including: 10/2016 PBS Fall FilmFest Preview & Hamilton’s America Social Media Campaign Posts 9 Organic Posts to WXXI FB 3 Promoted Posts to WXXI FB 11 Organic Posts to WXXI Education FB & WXXI Kids FB 15 Tweets WXXI Educ & WXXI Total:

Lifetime Post Total Impressions 36,177 137,205 7,466 59,119 239,967

“I am absolutely amazed. I just watched a rap, hip hop, operatic, I don’t know, it was such a jumble of musical genres of Hamilton and it was absolutely captivating. I am 80 years old. I absolutely hate rap and hip hop but this was fascinating. This man is a genius! Who did this portrayal – who did all this music. He said it took him six years – I believe it! I’m just absolutely utterly stunned. I really am. I have been in musical things of one kind or another, both and a musician and a singer, this is just stunning!”-Caller after the broadcast First Generation Listen Event a Lost Borough Brewery WXXI hosted a listening party at Lost Borough Brewery featuring NPR Podcasts. 35 people attended and Evan Dawson and Veronica Volk moderated the discussion. WXXI 50th Anniversary Open House On September 24th approximately 5,000 people from all over the community visited WXXI at 280 State Street for the 50th Anniversary Open House. Attendees toured all 5 floors of the station, visited the television and radio studios and talked with staff about WXXI’s programs and services. Community partners like the YMCA and Wild Wings joined the even offering children’s activities and wildlife education. Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me On October 24th, more than 2,400 public radio nerds gathered at the Auditorium Theatre for the first-ever live recording of the popular NPR News Quiz Show, Wait, Wait Don’t Tell Me. WXXI President, Norm Silverstein introduced the show and Garth Fagan was the night’s special guest. Generation Listen at Lollypop Farm October 26th WXXI partnered with Lollypop Farm for an animalthemed listening party at Lollypop’s Fairport facility. 50 people attended and Beth Adams moderated.

Expand Meaningful Engagement with Audiences: Social Media Online and Social Media Usage In the past 6 months there have been over 1 million visits to the WXXI websites by over 600,000 unique visitors. Nearly 140,000 visits by 77,000 unique visitors to the Little Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. Mobile traffic to our sites continues to increase with 58% traffic from desktop, 10% from tablets and 32% from mobile phones.

Online: WXXI & The Little Sites (July-Dec, 2016) WXXI Sites The Little Theatre 1,034,035 visits/sessions 1,861,889 page views 666,984 unique visitors

139,354 visits/sessions 388,476 pageviews 77,369 unique visitors

Facebook Demographics:

Twitter Demographics:

Our WXXI Apps and Mobile Use continue to grow: iOS app: 5,200 downloads Android app: 2,733 downloads Launched Mobile and Responsive Email Newsletters via a new platform from NPR Digital Services and launched new responsive mobile sites for Reachout Radio and Classical 91.5. New WXXI Offerings in the PBS Video Player: WXXI launched local video channel offerings in the PBS Video Player last year. Channels include: Arts in Focus, Second Opinion, WXXI Education, and WXXI Presents for local documentaries. Videos in the player are available online, mobile, Apple TV and other approved OTT devices. This project involved TV production, TV programming, IT, Engineering and Education & Interactive Services. We continue to add content to the player. A membership based service known as Passport is available to watch additional titles as a benefit of membership once they expire in the open video player.

Social Media Detail Organization

2015-2016 Facebook Twitter

WXXI Social Media Little Theatre Social Media Total of WXXI/Little:

July-Dec. 2016 Facebook Twitter

44,697 9,444

66,038 8,927

49,622 11,715

82,340 10,087

51,141

74,965

61,337

92,427

Top Categories: Category

Included Accounts

Facebook Twitter

Classical

Classical & Hosts & Shows

7,365

3,956

Different Radio

Stations & Shows

5,199

1,015

News

News, Reporters, Hosts & Initiatives Innovation Trail, Great Lakes

4,806

62,912

Education

WXXI Kids, Education & Homework Hotline

12,974

4,111

WXXI Station

WXXI Station Account

11,222

7,910

The Little

The Little & Little Popcorn

11,715

10,087

Production Initiatives

Second Opinion, Move to Include, Art in Focus

6,935

2,077

2017 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

PEOPLE & CULTURE Cultivate a mission-driven staff that is knowledgeable, creative and adaptive This year’s professional development included a presentation for all staff on Diversity & Anti-Bullying. Staff also participated in public broadcasting and job-related webinars, teleconferences & professional development conferences. Community outreach continues to be a priority for staff as they promote careers in public broadcasting through presentations to visiting groups and at area educational institutions. Technology & Operations personnel have facilitated over 100 uplinks for community & national clients so far this year.

Attract and engage a diverse staff and volunteer corps to extend our effectiveness. We continue to promote diversity in recruitment and hiring practices through involvement in area job and internship fairs. WXXI engages 20-30 interns a year, broadening the educational experience of students who often find their way back to WXXI as employees. We will, once again participate in the New York State Broadcasters Association (NYSBA) internship sponsorship program, whereby 1-2 students, pursuing college programs in broadcasting, are selected for paid internships here at WXXI.

Board Devlopment Ensure future growth and success through continued development of a strong, involved and committed Board of Trustees. Board Recruitment The Board Development Committee (BDC) meets on a regular basis with the goal of identifying a diverse pool of Trustees to keep WXXI connected to the community, assure representation by major corporations in our region, and to best position the station for the success of the “Go Public” Campaign. Board Engagement The “Board Engagement” series continues to be a popular event. Monthly breakfasts and lunches are hosted by the President. These informal get-togethers engage Trustees outside of the Boardroom, offering them a way to learn more about WXXI and each other. A Board Planning Session was held in December 2016 at Paychex with twenty-eight participants in attendance, including Trustees, Trustee Council and senior staff. Board Participation Several members of the Board of Trustees, Trustee Council and Honorary Trustees were on hand to announce the successful completion of the “Go Public” Campaign. The Campaign ended with $18,400,000 against a goal of $17,000,000. In August 2016, the Board Summer Social Event took place at the home of Mr. Mark Cleary. In attendance were forty-seven guests, representing the Board of Trustees, the Trustee Council, Honorary Trustees, and senior staff. In September, 2016, many Trustees and Trustee Council members participated in the official kick-off of WXXI’s 50th 21

Anniversary celebration. Nearly 100 people attended, including many “Founding Members” of WXXI who have been contributors since WXXI went on the air in 1966. Trustees and Trustee Council Members donated sweaters to the Mr. Rogers Sweater Drive for Rochester City Schools Several Trustees were on-hand to greet over 5,000 visitors attending the WXXI Open House in September 2016. Guests enjoyed a day of fun and discovery as WXXI opened its doors to the public for tours, kids’ activities, greetings from on-air hosts, news team, PBS Kids Characters. Trustee Dr. Cynthia Reddeck-LiDestri and her husband John hosted an October 2016 fundraiser to benefit The Little Theatre’s Seat Campaign which was attended by nearly a hundred people. Numerous Trustees and members of the Trustee Council were present at the November 2016 Associate of the Year event featuring a keynote address by Carroll Spinney, the long-time puppeteer of Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch. The event honored 2016 Associate of the Year recipients Justin Vigdor and Nancy Brush. Throughout the year, Trustees recorded television and radio spots for membership campaigns, to encourage viewers and listeners to become members of WXXI and the Little Theatre. In October 2015, they also recorded spots focusing on WXXI’s 50th Anniversary. Community Advisory Board The Community Advisory Board (CAB) is one of WXXI’s most effective resources for ensuring diverse community input into local programming. The principal focus of the CAB is the identification of the most pressing needs and issues of the local community, so that WXXI can acquire or produce programming to meet those needs. The October 2016 CAB meeting welcome 7 new members.

2016 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

FISCAL STABILITY Membership & Major Giving Highlights Fiscal Year 2017 has been an excellent year for Membership at WXXI. Currently membership of $1,973.200 represents a 13.5% increase from Fiscal Year 2016 at the same period and 7% ahead of our budgeted goal. Also significant, the number of members increased by 3.78% over last year. This is the first time in many years with this type of increase. Throughout the not-for-profit industry, when an organization is coming out of a Capital or Comprehensive Campaign there is usually an increase in donations. Second, public broadcasting stations often see an increase in donations and membership during election years. Next, WXXI has very successfully been promoting the 50th Anniversary which has increased our visibility in the Rochester area. We have also placed a greater importance on major giving. (Both mid-level and major giving income is significantly up over last year.) Finally WXXI Passport has been a boon for acquiring new members. Since December 2015, 707 individuals have joined WXXI specifically to receive passport services – just over 500 are new or rejoining members. While we are pleased with this success, we will be continuing with a strong solicitation program for the remained of the fiscal year.

Little Theatre       

Fundraising for the Little has increased 6% from last year at the time and 4% ahead of the budgeted overall goal for the fiscal year to date. The Little has welcomed 207 New Members since last year at this time, up 60+ in this fiscal year alone. The renewal rate increased from 83% in FY’15 to 92% at the close of FY’16. The average gift increased from $122 in FY’15 to $126 at the close of FY’16. The number of Student Members almost doubled, increasing from 84 in FY’15 to 144 by the close of FY’16 due to increased focus on the millennial demographic from both Membership and Marketing. On Halloween, the Little held a ‘Trick or Treat, Buy a Seat’ party generously hosted by John and Cindy LiDestri, raising close to $30k for the Little’s Capital Campaign. Members of the Little Theatre can now take part in a monthly Member Preview Program, allowing them a sneak peek of some limited run programming in exchange for feedback about the programming.

Associates Event WXXI hosted more than 175 people at the Country Club of Rochester on November 19th for an evening celebrating honorees, Justin Vigdor and Nancy Brush. Legendary puppeteer and voice actor, Caroll Spinney provided the evening’s keynote address.

Go Public Campaign On July 20th, WXXI celebrated the successful conclusion of the “Go Public” Capital Campaign with a reception and presentation in Studio A for around75 people. Tom Golisano attended and presented WXXI with a $2 million gift to push the campaign over its $17 million goal to end at $18.4 million.

Corporate Support The underwriting team increased its number of unique underwriting/advertising contracts year-over-year, and saw a bump in revenue at the midyear mark for both WXXI and The Little Theatre. Between July and December over 15 creative packaging options were distributed to our client base and prospects, including integrated sponsorship opportunities for Wait Wait… Don’t Tell Me!, Victoria (Masterpiece), Sherlock (Masterpiece) and WXXI’s biennial Open House. Media sponsorships were granted to a number of non-profits during this period as well. Notables include:  Genesee Country Village & Museum  Rochester Children’s Book Festival  ImageOut  MAG  The Strong  Community Design Center Rochester  Susan B. Anthony Museum & House  Rochester City Ballet  Causewave  High Falls Film Festival  Nazareth College Arts Center