WXXI Year End Report 2015 - 2016 by WXXI Public Broadcasting

“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.

2016 KEY SERVICES

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.

LOCAL IMPACT

Key Services

Audience Year to Date

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

Television: 212,750 viewers weekly

Focus Content Areas:

Radio: 200,000 listeners weekly Cinema: 133,600 attendees 56,000 café patrons Online: 1,290,535 visitors



News



Arts & Culture



Education



Health

WXXI & Little (1,432,572 visitors) Social Media: (WXXI & Little) 54,141 Fans 74,965 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

Value Impact

Objective

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

Measure

2015 Actual

2016 Target

Major Content Initiatives

+/-

Plan

Partnerships

act est +/YTD

4 4

Plan

act est +/-

4 30 30

YTD Plan

Extend audience access to our services

Platforms & availability

ontrack

Align with DMA diversity annually

act est +/-

YTD

Maintain our commitment to diverse audiences

1 1 1 35 38 3 38 2 4 2 8 1 2 1 32

YTD

Regional & National Productions

Second Quarter

First Quarter Plan 4 act est 4

Demographics

TV Audience (Average GRPS per day)

890

Audience

Expand Meaningful engagement with audiences: Participation.

1% increase

830 911 81 911

act est +/-

846 900 54 900 160,000 163,600 3,600 163,600 27,007 27,400 393 49,400 630,000 672,246 42,246 672246 36,000 47,518 11,518 47,518 60,000 70,213 10,213 70,213 35,000 47,497 12,497 47,497

act est +/-

32,000 22,000 (10,000) 22,000

LYTD

135,237

120,000

act est +/YTD Plan

Website Visitors

1,250,127

1,260,000

act est +/YTD

Plan

Facebook Fans

35,107

40,000

act est +/YTD Plan

Expand Meaningful engagement with audiences: Social Media.

Twitter Followers

55,487

65,000

act est +/YTD Plan

Video Player (Views)

58,478

75,000

act est +/YTD

15,557

13,500

act est +/YTD

32.00 22.00 10.00

Operational Excellence

Plan

OE Effectiveness & 1 Reliability OE Enhanced internal 2 communications

Three nines reliability

Survey

137 Outlook folder solution

<192.5

Implement new system

act est +/-

Project tool

Budget process

Project planning tool

People & Culture

Per Narrative WCC goals

Survey

Attract a diverse staff and volunteer corp

74.00 32.00 42.00

174,000 200,000 26,000 200,000 41,000 42,600 1,600 133,500 630,000 618,289 (11,711)

35,230 41,500 6,270 90,900

618,289 40,000 54,141 14,141 54,141 65,000 74,965 74,965 40,000 68,523 28,523 68,523 13,500 15,557 2,057 15,557

44.50 42.00 2.50

WXXI

Investment Performance Go Public Campaign

In use Install behind behind Tool in place Tool in place ontrack ontrack WCC per plan ontrack ontrack

act est +/YTD act est +/YTD act est +/-

Per Report

act est +/-

Per Narrative

act est +/-

$ $ $ YTD $

-0.68%

Balanced

Per Benchmarks

2.00%

1.02% Benchmark

act est +/-

Plan

YTD

$ 17,000,000

192.50 128.00 64.50 ahead of plan

act est +/-

$ 15,220,000

42.00 32.00 10.00 54.50

Net of Income minus Expenses

Targets

13,500 15,557 2,057 ahead of plan

Training Install behind behind Tool in Place Tool in Place ontrack ontrack

$ $ $ YTD $

Plan

41,020 ahead of plan

44.50

1 1

act est +/-

(382,199) (332,691) 49,509 49,509 6.24% 6.28% 0.04% 0.04% 13,761,905 15,500,000 1,738,095 15,500,000

$ $ $ $

795,562 517,205 (278,357) (228,848) 2.91% 2.7% -0.20% -0.16% 15,380,950 15,746,000 365,050 15,746,000

Complete 4% 4.4% 0.4% 4.4%

ontrack ontrack

YTD

1,260,000 1,290,535 30,535 ahead of plan 40,000 54,141 14,141 ahead of plan 65,000 74,965 9,965 ahead of plan 75,000 116,020

Install Install ontrack ontrack Tool in Place Development behind behind WCC per plan ontrack ontrack

YTD

Assessment

behind LYTD

52.00

Plan

P3 Boards of Trustees

877 908 31 ahead of LYTD 159,500 181,800 22,300 ahead of plan 135,237 133,500 (1,737)

Select Select ontrack ontrack Research Research ontrack ontrack

Plan

Fiscal Stability

839 851 12 851

10.00

Plan

EEO and SABS Report

993 971 -22 971

Review Review ontrack ontrack Research Research ontrack ontrack WCC WCC ontrack ontrack

YTD

ontrack

YTD

Plan

P1 Mission Driven Staff

on track 42 53 11 ahead of plan 9 12 3 ahead of plan 31 33 2 ahead of plan

Plan

OE Maintain effective 3 project prioritization

1 1 33

12,750 13,783 1,033 13,783

Plan

Little (FB & Twitter)

ontrack

+/-

YTD

Theater Attendance (theater only)

38 2 3 1 11

9 9

YTD

171,650

7 15 8 46 1 1

2016 Actual

act est

LYTD

Radio Audience (Cume weekly)

Fourth Quarter 2 2

Plan

LYTD

877 Average

Third Quarter 3 2 -1

$ (339,282.49) $ $ (322,477.71) $ $ 16,805 $ $ (212,043) $ 1.68% 2.30% 0.62% 0.46% $ 16,190,476 $ $ 15,940,000 $ $ (250,476) $ $ 15,940,000 $

(49,080.17) $ 25,000 148,217 $ 10,254 197,297 $ (14,746) (14,746) behind 2.66% 1.02% 2.46% 0.89% -0.20% -0.13% 0.26% behind 17,000,000 $ 17,000,000 18,400,000 $ 18,400,000 1,400,000 $ 1,400,000 18,400,000 ahead of plan

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

News & Public Affairs WXXI remains a leading public media organization in consolidated news coverage, proving radio, television, on-line and on-demand news and public affairs programming targeted to address community issues of concern. In April of 2016, WXXI News these efforts were honored with a prestigious Edward R. Murrow award from the Radio Television Digital News Association. The regional award was in the category of Spot News, for comprehensive coverage of the Genesee Street Shootings in August of 2015. WXXI reporters were among the first on the scene after a horrific drive-by shooting near the Boys & Girls Club that killed three people and injured four others. It followed an evening basketball game. Our coverage through the night and into the next day included interviews with family members of victims, people who live in the neighborhood and city leaders. Our coverage went beyond the immediate news surrounding the shootings. WXXI News has continued to look at the factors that may be behind some of the violence in Rochester, including interviews with pastors, youth groups, criminal justice experts and educators. Story from WXXI News in the immediate aftermath of the shooting: http://wxxinews.org/post/three-dead-four-injured-rochestershooting WXXIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Helene Biandudi Hofer, host and producer of Need to Know went on the air with a special segment the week that the Genesee St. shootings happened. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=Ci1XyMDuoVQ Connections with Evan Dawson looked back at the incident a year later, revisiting issues surrounding violence in the inner city: http://wxxinews.org/post/connections-marking-one-yeargenesee-street-mass-shooting

Video Journalism Collaboration During the first part of this fiscal year, the Innovation Trail video journalism unit began developing explainer videos, and shared long pieces on the rise of women in video gaming technology and on an Ithaca entrepreneur who uses robots as maids. New Innovation Trail partner Allegheny Front reporters produced one video about the Homer City coal plant and pollution issues. In each case, the video reporter also created audio versions of the stories to be shared with partner stations. So Upstate Insight stations without television had radio and TV stories. Some partners worked in reverse of this model. Reporters at Upstate Insight station WRVO (radio-only) regularly files material for Innovation Trail that includes audio stories, graphics and images. This kind of collaborative work outside the video unit keeps the Innovation Trail website and social media fresh, and keeps the brand awareness high. \

Connections with Evan Dawson provides 2 hours of daily talk about a broad range of topics of interest to the community. The program airs on AM 1370, WRUR-FM, WEOS (Geneva) from noon to 2 pm and is repeated from 9-11 on AM1370 and on demand at WXXI.org via stream and podcast. Launched in January 2014, Connections covers an array of topics including arts, the economy, community affairs, politics, religion and health. Guests include news-makers, as well as a regular rotating panel of experts, who offer practical advice on business management, education, housing, and other topics. Evan corral the conversation and helps make sense of complicated issues. The program allows the communityâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s voice to be heard by engaging listeners through phone calls, e-mail and Twitter. The podcast of the show often attracts thousands of on-demand listeners to some of the most interesting shows. Connections with Evan Dawson also provided a broad range of voices and opinions related to major discussions going on locally and nationally on racial inequities and the response to terrorist threats including how the local Islamic community is dealing with that. 4

Need to Know, WXXI’s weekly news program serves the community with more depth, analysis, and attention to important local issues than ever before. In weekly episodes of Need to Know during the year, WXXI News devoted up to 30-minutes on the following topics of importance to the community –especially to the underserved in the community:        

Absenteeism in Rochester City School District Coverage of microbeads and potential health issues Racial disparities in autism diagnoses New challenges for addressing race in Rochester Race perspectives on Rochester policing Coverage of the Upstate Latino Summit Accessibility issues for the disabled Gun tracking issues

Need to Know was also a showcase for video work from the Innovation Trail and regional collaborative video news coverage, such as Combating Campus Crime. And Need to Know covered the local elections and debates alongside the WXXI news team and Voice of the Voter partners.

Arts & Culture Tailor Made: The story of Rochester’s Garment Industry WXXI captured the fascinating story of the local garment industry and the people who contributed to it in Tailor Made: The Story of Rochester’s Garment Industry. The documentary showcases the rich history of Rochester’s clothing industry from Michaels-Stern & Co. to the Button Factory to one of the country’s oldest and most prestigious clothiers – Hickey Freeman. It tells the story of immigration and the men and women who came to Rochester in search of work and a better life. Tailor Made delivered 24,000 viewers during its February 2016 timeslot --- 25% more viewers than Antiques Roadshow’s regular audience. Segments of the production were also featured on other WXXI programs including Arts InFocus, Need to Know and on Morning Edition.

Arts InFocus Over the course of the last year, Arts InFocus has aired 51 episodes highlighting 50 local stories including institutions such as the George Eastman Museum, Rochester Contemporary Art Center, Memorial Art Gallery, Blackfriars Theatre and Wall Therapy. The show also highlighted many individual artists such as Richard Aerni, Joe Beard, Bela Fleck, Nate Hodge, Dan Bentley and Andrea Durfee. The show’s social media presence has grown from 105 Facebook likes on 7/1/15 to 1,690 on 7/1/16. PBS reposted 7 Arts InFocus videos: segments on Airigami, Sensory Friendly Ballet, Positive Exposure, RoCo 6x6, Bela Fleck, Ebony Fashion Fair, and Borinquen Dance Theatre. The PBS postings helped Arts InFocus segments views on Facebook grow to 586,538 views from July 2015-July 2016. 5

Daily Broadcast 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. One of the strengths of live hosted music on Classical 91.5 and Different Radio, is the ability to conduct regular on-air ticket giveaways to provide experiences to listeners who might not otherwise attend community events. This helps the stations connect listeners to the vibrant arts and cultural life of Rochester and the Finger Lakes. On Classical 91.5 over 400 tickets were given away for performances that included Cordancia, Finger Lakes Chamber Music Festival, Geneva Music Festival, RPO Concerts, Nazareth Performing Artists Series, Met at the Movies, and the William Warfield Scholarship Concert. On Different Radio 175 pairs of tickets were given away for performances in 28 different venues in Rochester and the Finger Lakes, including CMAC, Water Street Music Hall, Harro East, Smith Opera House, Little Theatre, Rongovian Embassy, and Ravine’s Winery.

In-Studio Live Perfomances Backstage Pass This monthly live performance program on Classical 91.5 gives listeners the backstage experience of meeting local and visiting artists “up close and personal.” Guests included members of the Gateways Music Festival, pianist and From the Top host Christopher O’Riley, the Rochester Oratorio Society, Project Bassoon, the Ying Quartet and members of the MostArts Festival from Alfred University. Live Performances on Open Tunings Several times each week, musicians stop by Studio 280 to perform during Open Tunings on WRUR-FM 88.5 and WITH-FM 90.1. Listeners are treated to previews of Rochester and Ithaca area performances by local and visiting artists. Some of the many bands to appear include local artists Trio East and Roses & Revolutions, who performed at the Rochester International Jazz Festival as well as featured performers for the Little Theatre/WRUR Concert Series, Alejandro Escovedo, Connie Deming and Danielle Ponder. Other national touring acts included Ana Egge & the Sentimentals, Hot Club of Cowtown, Larry Campbell & Teresa Williams, Mandolin Orange and Chris Trapper.

Regional & National Classical Music Productions In addition to daily classical music and weekly local productions of Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra Concerts, With Heart and Voice, Fascinatin’ Rhythm and Stage Notes, Classical 91.5 produced a number of special programs featuring local music and musicians, including extensive holiday programming, as well as a number of arts-news features for Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Live from Hochstein The weekly lunchtime concert series, broadcast live from the Hochstein Performance Hall on North Plymouth Avenue in Rochester, features performances by artists from the Rochester area’s musical community. Produced by Mona Seghatoleslami, this season included concerts by the Rochester Philharmonic Orchestra, Amenda Quartet, Eastman Horn Choir, Musica Spei, the Eastman Cello Ensemble, and the RPO Marimba Band. In recognition of the significant classical music riches in Rochester, in January 2016, Classical 91.5 featured performances by local and regional musicians from concert halls in and around Rochester and from the studios of WXXI-FM Classical 91.5 in a series titled Performance Rochester. Highlighted performances included: Antara Winds, Bedlam, the East End Quartet, Eastman Chorale and Philharmonia, the Ying Quartet, lutenist Christopher Wilke, Hochstein Merit Scholars, Publick Musick, Pegasus Early Music and Madrigalia. Other special programming included: Diamond Anniversary A tribute to Rochester composer David Diamond, who would have been 100 years old in July 2015, featuring archival interviews and performances of his music. Monteverdi Vespers A special broadcast of Monteverdi's Vespers of 1610 performed by Pegasus Early Music, recorded live in performance at Hochstein Performance Hall. Roaring Through the 20s at Downton Abbey Recorded live on January 3, Fascinatin’ Rhythm host Michael Lasser celebrated the final season of Downton Abbey with special guests Cindy Miller (soprano) and Alan Jones (baritone and piano). Rochester Bach Festival presents St. John Passion Also broadcast nationally on 52 stations Recorded live at Reformation Lutheran Church, and conducted from the harpsichord by David Chin. Pegasus Early Music performs Membra Jesu Nostri Buxtehude’s masterpiece of sacred music, recorded at Downtown United Presbyterian Church in Rochester featuring Pegasus Early Music performers.

Holiday Programs High Holy Days 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. RPO Gala Holiday Pops Michael Butterman led the Festival High School Chorale and the RPO in their annual holiday pops concert that features a mix of festive tunes and familiar carols. RPO Messiah A special broadcast of an iconic holiday masterpiece, Handel’s Messiah performed by the Rochester Philharmonic, the Rochester Oratorio Society, and a quartet of acclaimed soloists. Christmas with Madrigalia Also broadcast nationally* The Rochester, NY chamber choir Madrigalia and their artistic director, Cary Ratcliff, return to public radio for another musical Christmas celebration. A Rochester Festival of Lessons and Carols Also broadcast nationally* A Christmas Eve tradition, featuring readings and music for the holiday. *WXXI’s holiday program offerings were broadcast on 90 stations in 20 states

Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival WXXI played a major role in the 2016 Jazz Festival taking place in June in downtown Rochester. This was WXXI’s eighth season taping the series, which has been seen by more than three million viewers across the country. Support for the series is provided in part by The Louis S. and Molly B. Wolk Foundation. The series is seen in New York, Los Angeles, Boston, Philadelphia, as well as in mid-size and smaller markets around the country. This year WXXI recorded 9 evenings of performance from the Oh Canada! series at the Rochester Club. At the same time, WXXI News provided thorough coverage of XRIJF with live reports on WXXI-AM, interviews on 88.5, two talk shows and music breaks featuring XRIJF artists. Performances from past festivals were broadcast each evening on WXXI TV. The WXXI booth was prominently featured at the festival at the corner of Gibbs and Main and WXXI and WRUR hosts made introductions at numerous performances throughout the fest. The Little Theatre functioned as a Club Pass venue for the fifth year, hosting eighteen performances during the nine nights of the festival, which was sponsored by Selena’s Mexican restaurant.

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. NYSCA awarded a $5,500/year grant for the next 3 years to continue and expand this series, and Kaki King, Alejandro Escovedo and Loudon Wainwright all performed sold-out shows in Theatre #1. This 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. 8

Saturday Night Rewind at The Little Theatre Saturday Night Rewind is a once a month series at the Little Theatre begun this year in collaboration with Fright Rags, a local apparel company. The series features throwback films shown on 35 mm film, proving audiences a chance to see the films as they were meant to be seen, using original prints for the movies. It is a nostalgic series in many ways and attracts the young fans of older media such as vinyl records who have only seen the films on TV, as well as people who enjoy seeing a film that they saw in theaters in the 70 and 80's. For the film community, it is has provided a rare opportunity to enjoy movies on 35mm film. The fun, throwback evenings of film have been very popular, averaging more than 200 attendees for Saturday night screenings. Screenings this year included:     

Evil Dead Big Trouble in Little China Aliens Indiana Jones Halloween 1&2

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. During the initiative, WXXI has engaged the community with:      

622+ hours of programming on TV and radio 1,213 Facebook posts liked by 15,125 fans and shared by 2,525 viewers 4,635 tweets re-tweeted 2,048 times 353 WXXI News-produced reports and talk shows and news magazine segments available on-air and online 12 monthly education e-newsletters to teachers and parents with resources and opportunities to support student engagement sent out to 23,000 subscribers each month. Showcasing community programs and volunteers with WXXI American Graduate Stories of Champions, produced by WXXI’s Need to Know available on on-air and on-demand (video.wxxi.org/program/wxxi-education) & Homework Hotline’s Career & College Exploration video segments available on-air and online from each Wednesday show this past season.

WXXI convened and engaged educators and community members at over 316 related events and trainings including 10 screening/talkback events at the Little Theatre. These community and educator events reached 52,285 participants.

Over the course of the initiative, WXXI raised $126,000 in matching dollars to support the station’s educational services. Additionally, 185 members showed their support to WXXI education services with $14,518 in individual donations. Evaluation Feedback: During the project, 14,000 viewers and listeners were invited to share their feedback on the project through an extensive online survey by national evaluators. On average the community reported:  80% understanding of issues & solutions to the dropout crisis as a result of American Graduate  64% discussing issues and solutions with others  38% considering doing something to help find solutions such as donating money to those working on the solutions or volunteering with an organization.

Homework Hotline completed its 25th season this April. Over 700 students were added to the Homework Hotline Hall of Fame for giving the correct answer to the Daily Teasers. Facebook increased its likes to 603, and Twitter followers rose to 403. Instagram was added to our social media presence that showcases behind-the-scenes photos of our talent and crew now at 95 followers. Sam Simpson, a math teacher from the Rochester City School District, came on board as a new host. The Hotline set saw some amazing guests throughout the season including The Gregory Street Blues Band, Champions of Change and the Seneca Park Zoo. Hotline also won a NY Emmy for the Move to Include segment on 3D Prosthetics. The upcoming season will feature a new time change (LIVE at 4:30 p.m.) and WNED Buffalo is back as a partner. And, 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 65 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 751 teachers and parents. Training has expanded to include parents and teachers in the new 3-year-old universal pre-K at City District sites and ABC Head Start. Regional Services: WXXI Education participates in partner events at surrounding school districts and non-profits to engage families in learning opportunities to support their children.

WXXI participates in the Regional Primary Care Network’s Back to School Health Fairs in Mt Morris, Lyons and Rushville, NY. The event helps kids and families get excited for back-to-school! Families are receiving school supplies, backpacks, community resources and even getting a chance to meet a special big red dog! WXXI provides information on literacy, learning, hands-on activities and getting help with your homework from PBS LearningMedia, PBS Kids and Homework Hotline.

“The 2016 Family Learning Carnival with Clifford, was a big success this past Saturday!! Thank you to WXXI, Literacy Volunteers of Livingston County, and all the KidStart staff (and family) that helped our Family Services Team in providing a great family day full of smiles and laughter!! We are already looking forward to next year!!” -Holly Green, KidStart

Indie Lens Pop-up Screenings: WXXI is proud to host a neighborhood screening series in partnership with the Little that brings people together for community-driven conversations around films from the awardwinning PBS series, Independent Lens. These free screenings are followed by lively panel discussions to encourage dialogue on social issues. The 2015-2016 Series included:

Youth Media Engagement: What’s your American Dream? That’s the question WXXI Education asked more than 80 teens from Spencerport High School, Monroe Community College Liberty Partnership, Holley Middle/High School, Arcadia High School (New York), Urban League of Rochester Black Scholars Program & Alumni Association, The Community Place of Greater Rochester, Inc., and East High School. They attended two WXXI workshops to discuss these issues and then created graffiti banners back at their home sites to share at the closing session. The project was part of RE:Dream, a national PBS online media outreach initiative, that aims to bolster community dialogue around the changing landscape of available opportunities in the 21st century. To learn more, visit: http://redreamproject.org/.

The ACCES/WXXI Regional Adult Education Network is one of seven staff development organizations established by the New York State Education Department. The RAEN 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. 

Provided nearly 100 professional development trainings/meetings to thousands of participants and participated technical assistance activities.



Networked in the community through activities such as meetings for an advisory board, local WIB and One-Stop meetings, open houses, program ceremonies, national webinars, and state and national conferences.



Collaborated with the United States Citizenship and Immigration Services to provide training to assist in citizenship preparation and civics education.



Assisted NYSED Adult Education Programs and Policies (AEPP) team in selecting and following up with teacher leaders for the NYS Common Core/TASC Teacher Leadership Training Institutes; facilitated and provided workshop sessions to disseminate practices and strategies learned at the institutes.



Participated in meetings of the Youth Works committee of RochesterWorks!, Wyoming Works (a Literacy Zone and collaborative partnership of a wide range of local agencies), local Workforce Investment Boards, and advisory board of the Rochester EOC Academic Department.



Collaborated with WXXI Education Services to provide parent involvement trainings (for RushHenrietta School District and Literacy Volunteers of Livingston County) and information about changes to the 2015 High School Equivalency test.



Increased number of registered users by 24% who are able to access the website and participate in member groups/activities so that they can be well-informed about adult literacy research, instruction, policy and practice. 12

Health Side Effects WXXI participated in this health journalism collaborative exploring the impacts of place, policy and economics on America's health. The reporting sheds light on root causes of community-wide health problems—from chronic disease, to mental health and addiction, to infant mortality—and on new efforts to solve them. Reporters are based at WFYI, Indianapolis, KBIA, Columbia, Missouri and WXXI, Rochester, New York. Stories are carried and shared by collaborative station partners throughout upstate New York. At WXXI Karen Shakerdge and Michelle Faust produced long-form and in-depth pieces: A series on foster care http://sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/kids-who-age-out-foster-care-still-needguidance-health-care Rochester’s Head Start pre-school for foster kids: http://sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/foster-kidspreschool-can-be-place-catch-socially-and-emotionally Efforts to fight hospital-borne infection: http://sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/when-cleaning-matter-lifeand-death Continuing coverage on addiction issues: http://sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/new-addiction-treatmentbrings-new-system-doctors-navigate New York’s new water-testing law for lead: http://sideeffectspublicmedia.org/post/new-york-mandates-allschools-test-water-lead-experts-say-effort-may-be-misplaced

Second Opinion Live Second Opinion’s radio show and webcast, hosted by Evan Dawson and producer by the producers of Second Opinion, offered access to Rochester’s best medical minds, with episodes on Headaches, Exercise, Pharmaceuticals, post-partum Depression and dermatology issues. Second Opinion LIVE takes live phone calls and twitter questions and is live-streamed as well as broadcast on select Fridays throughout the year.

WXXI keeps pets healthy, too. Unleashed: The Pet Show is hosted by WXXI News' Evan Dawson, Unleashed puts radio and online listeners in touch with veterinarians and behavioral experts who answer questions about pet health and well-being. Unleashed also touches on the human-animal connection, therapy and work animals, animal intelligence, and more. Beth Adams, WXXI's local host of NPR's Morning Edition, serves as contributing reporter for Unleashed. She produces special segments for the show and joins Evan in studio. Long-form stories included Lollypop Farm’s read-to-the-dogs program, a pug rescue group, a celebrity talking parakeet and a feature on dogs who calm witnesses in court. The program has a strong social media following on Facebook and Twitter. 13

Summer & Informal Learning Cyberchase Step It Up WXXI and the YMCA of Greater Rochester partnered on a five-week school-based active kids challenge reaching 750 city students. The goal was to increase students’ physical activity during the day through simple exercises and engage them in real-world math-based activities.

WXXI successfully increased fundraising efforts to support summer learning events. Working with Monroe County Library Systems, 8 weeks of hands-on programming was offered at Central Library. The partners designed and managed hands-on science “exploration stations.” The open house style events allowed families, daycares and camps to stop in and keep the summer learning going and prevent “summer slide.” Staff modelled easy low-cost activities and discussions to help kids explore and problem solve. The events were attended by 832 people.

WXXI also hosted the YMCA’s 1st annual Thingamajig Invention Convention at WXXI Studios where kids problem-solved in teams going on a Mission to Mars.

WXXI partnered with the YMCA of Greater Rochester to host a PBS hands-on activity for kids to move water by teaming to engineer solutions using systems thinking. 14

WXXI Radio in the Community Classical 91.5 Presents A series that spotlights classical music connections in film, presented at The Little Theatre by Classical 91.5 hosts. The series included the bawdy, fantastical 1975 film, Lisztomania; All Things Must Pass, the story of Tower Records; and Shining Night: A Portrait of Composer Morten Lauridsen.

World Series of Beep Baseball Reachout Radio volunteers participated in the 2015 World Series of Beep Baseball Tournament that was held July 26 through August 2 in Hilton, New York. Beep baseball is played with a softball that makes a loud beeping sound. When a player hits the ball, they run toward pylons that give off a buzzing noise. The game is played by players who are blind and sighted players who are blindfolded. Teams from all over the world competed, assisted by over 400 volunteers who helped with everything from concessions to guide dog sitting.

Gateways Music Festival The biennial Gateways Music Festival aims to increase the visibility and viability of classical musicians of African descent and to heighten public awareness of the contributions to classical music by musicians of African descent. Young professional and student musicians from across the country travel to Rochester every two years to meet, exchange ideas and revitalize their musical energy. WXXI was again the media sponsor for the 2015 Festival, which kicked off with Backstage Pass broadcast live from WXXI Studio A on August 11, 2015. WXXI welcomed flutist Patricia Reeves, violinist Kelly Hall-Tompkins, violists Derek Reeves and Amadi Azikiwe, trumpeter Herb Smith, cellist Kenneth Law and pianist Terrence Wilson.

Move to Include With funding support from the Golisano Foundation, WXXI has developed Move to Include: It’s Up to You!, a successful multi-media campaign that uses television, radio, news and digital content to attract audiences and encourage thoughtful and inclusive attitudes. The project focuses on intellectual disabilities. Key elements of Move to Include are local television production, television documentaries, children’s programming, radio and television news segments and in-person events and film screenings. The two-year project included:     

50 PBS Kids programs on inclusion 60 prime time TV shows 73 news stories 28 radio talk shows 25+ segments for Homework Hotline

The audience grew significantly between Year 1 and Year 2 of the project, yielding one million viewers, listeners and participants.

Positive Exposure Move to Include / Positive Exposure was the cornerstone of this year’s Move to Include. WXXI documented the creation of the Positive Exposure exhibit and the Golisano Foundation’s 30th anniversary. This coverage resulted in mentions by PBS and NPR, and it helped raise awareness about how people can be more inclusive in their daily lives. Positive Exposure featured 20 local subjects who were photographed by photographer Rick Guidotti. The segment on the exhibit was shared by PBS and was featured on Arts InFocus and on Homework Hotline. WXXI’s Move to Include initiative inspired the Golisano Foundation’s first-ever Move to Include Award, given to half a dozen local individuals who have promoted inclusion through their work and lives.

Move to Include’s Homework Hotline segment on 3-D prosthetic printing won a New York State Emmy award. “I was so impressed when I heard you introducing the theme on inclusion, (a subject close to my heart for many reasons), which led to the segment on the 3D printer prosthetics. Such a great topic and I'm sure intriguing to the kids, many of whom are never exposed to children who are physically "different" from them” --Viewer

Evaluation of the first two years of the project proves that high-quality media can move people to learn, listen and change, and prompted the Golisano Foundation to partner with WXXI for two more years of funding.

Second Opinion: CPR in America During its regular season, Second Opinion continues to provide public education and lively discussion about consumer health issues. Second Opinion wrapped up its 12th season of production with episodes aimed at a broad variety of health issues. Second Opinion’s production partner, University of Rochester Medical Center, provided experts and expertise on the following topics:          

ADHD C-Section Chronic Fatigue Syndrome Pancreatic Cancer Measles Diabetes and Patient-focused care Preventive Screenings Psychosis Rosacea Sudden Cardiac Arrest in Young Athletes

CPR IN AMERICA set out to do something no television show had ever done—teach as many people as possible the life-saving skill of Hands-Only CPR.

Second Opinion received recognition for its accomplishments on many fronts, but by far the most exciting, was its nomination for a daytime Emmy Award. Second Opinion was nominated in the category of host of an informative talk show. Dr. Peter Salgo was named among Dr. Oz, Steve Harvey and the cast of “The Chew,” and he was honored for his contribution to television informative programming. Dr. Salgo, and Second Opinion executive producer Elissa Orlando attended the award ceremony in Los Angeles in May.

During its regular season, Second Opinion continues to provide public education and lively discussion about consumer health issues. Second Opinion wrapped up its 12th season of production

90% of people who suffer out-ofhospital cardiac arrests die. Receiving immediate CPR can double or triple a person's chance of survival. But 70% of Americans feel helpless because they don't know CPR or they're afraid of hurting the victim. A 2012 study showed that people who view a Hands-Only CPR demonstration are significantly more likely to deliver lifesaving chest compressions. CPR IN AMERICA aimed to help make a tangible difference in the cardiac arrest survival rate. With the help of the American Heart Association, CPR in America taught millions of people the life-saving skill of Hands-Only CPR. This special was a first-of-its kind production and has been seen on more than 185 public television stations and was re-broadcast in February 2016, for Heart Month.

Helping bridge military and veteran needs with community support and awareness. Veterans Connections Provides Resources at WXXI.org/veterans   



Program highlights, events and WXXI News stories Categorized resource connections to local veterans’ services On-demand collections of classroom and family resources, programming and veteran story collections from media partners.

About Veterans Connections: To draw awareness to and address the needs of local veterans, WXXI and the Little Theatre convened a group of Board members and community leaders to form a Veterans Affairs Task Force. The task force identifies the most pressing needs and issues facing veterans and their families and makes recommendations about ways that WXXI/Little programming and outreach can help address those needs.

Accessed by 6,300 unique users 8,000 times.

The American St. Nick Pittsford native Richard Brookins plays the lead role in this documentary that tells the amazing true story of war, honor, luck and love. The American St. Nick shares the remarkable story of a handful of American soldiers who during the chaos of war, help bring Christmas back to a small Luxembourg town, and unknowingly create a holiday tradition that continues to this very day. WXXI & M&T Bank collaborated on a premiere screening and panel discussion on November 10, 2015. The theatre was filled with community members wanting to know the story. WXXI broadcast the program on WXXI-TV and distributed the program nationally through America Public Television. 115 PBS stations carried the documentary. The program also broadcast nationally on PBS World on December 29, 2015.

WXXI Veterans Voices Project WXXI News produced 40 veterans’ reports and 4 Connections shows on Local Initiatives Honoring Veterans for Veterans Day, Services for Aging Vets, Homeless Vets, and a Valor Day Preview. WXXI connected local audiences with Veterans Coming Home initiative, an exciting national, public media digitalfirst content production and engagement project that will help bridge the military-civilian divide by focusing on stories of post 9/11 veterans from all over the country.

On-air and On-Demand: WXXI aired 33 Veterans Programs this past year.

In addition to a hit parade of regularly-scheduled films, The Little Theatre holds special series and screenings every month. These series often present sharp educational elements through documentaries, talkbacks with filmmakers and stars, café meet and greets, or all of the above. These series help us include members of the community who might otherwise not attend films. MONDO Movie Series The Little Theatre has always welcomed the strange, the offbeat, and, as they say in Italy, the mondo. With that in mind, it is taking further ownership of that identity with MONDO MOVIES. The Little is hosting $5 screenings of cult films that fans rarely get to see on the big screen. One Take Documentary Series This series continues to be a highlight in the Little’s 2015-16 programming. “One Take” is a documentary series dedicated to showing quality films by local and New York State filmmakers, presented by funding from NYSCA. Events include post-film discussion with either in-person or Skyped guests. NT Live Series National Theatre Live launched in June 2009 with a broadcast of the National Theatre production of Phèdre with Helen Mirren. We've since broadcast more than twenty other productions live from the National Theatre, and on occasion other theatres in the UK.

Ballet in Cinema The Little featured another season of Bolshoi Ballet productions in 2015-16. These screenings are full ballets from the world-class Bolshoi Theatre, recorded and played to audiences as if they were in the best seats of the historic Russian icon. Science on Screen This series creatively pairs screenings of classic, cult and documentary films with lively introductions by notable figures from the world of science, technology, and medicine. Each film is used as a jumping-off point for the speaker to reveal current scientific research or technological advances, providing the perfect combination of entertainment and enlightenment. Post-film discussions are created in partnership with RIT.

Upstate Insight The collaborative newsroom, Upstate Insight, produced a series designed to be aired around the 25th anniversary of the Clery Act, which requires campuses to self-report crime statistics, provide support to victims and provide and communicate crime policies, as well as New York Governor Andrew Cuomo’s newly adopted “Enough is Enough” legislation – a uniform sexual assault policy for college campuses. The stations then held a series of planning meetings to discuss air dates, story-telling, style guidelines and topics. News directors pulled the Capitol Bureau and Karen DeWitt into the series by requesting an explainer story on “Enough is Enough.” The series Combating Campus Crime ran on all partner radio stations and websites, WXXI, WRVO, WSKG and WBFO the week of December 14th-18th, 2015.

… Part 1- How Well is the New Law Against Campus Sexual Assault Working?—New York State Capitol Bureau correspondent Karen DeWitt reports on how the state’s ‘Enough is Enough” legislation has worked. Part 2 - Campus Police Use Software To Record Crime Stats - WXXI reporter Veronica Volk talks to officials at a local state university campus about how they are using newly-developed software to track crime statistics. Part 3 - Body cameras for Syracuse University public safety officers follow a nationwide trend --Tom Magnarelli of WRVO looks at the reasons that campus police at Syracuse University have started using body cameras. Part 4 – How Community Colleges are dealing with security at on-campus housing -- reporter Solvejg Wastvedt of WSKG explores a study that shows a quarter of community colleges nationwide now have on-campus housing, and that is creating some security challenges. Part 5 - How students at college campuses are being trained to prevent crime. Reporter Eileen Buckley of WBFO talks with students and officials at the State University in Buffalo about how students and staff are being trained on new requirements regarding reporting sexual assault and other crimes and what steps are being taken to help students prevent assaults.

“The collaborative mission that produced our “Combating Campus Crime” series proved one important thing. To put it mathematically, 1+1+1+1+1 = more than 5 when it comes to collaborative journalism… we learned that when multiple newsrooms pool their resources and ideas, moderate efforts by each contributor produce a result that is far more significant than one might expect. Listeners of each station heard a comprehensive series that would have certainly taken one newsroom a huge chunk of time to produce – and without the geographic reach.” Brian Meyer, WBFO

Finding Tammy Jo Finding Tammy Jo is a true-crime narrative podcast coproduced by WXXI News and the Democrat and Chronicle, hosted by Veronica Volk and Gary Craig, about the story of a murder investigation that began in 1979 around Caledonia Jane Doe, who was recently identified as Tammy Jo Alexander after three decades. The podcast explores the lengthy investigation, the life of the girl before she died, and the outpouring of support from the community that adopted her story (and why). Veronica was interviewed by Dan Lizette, who puts out a regular podcast show on the web focusing on intriguing podcasts around the country called “The Podcast Digest.”

http://www.thepodcastdigest.info/

• •

Charting #96 in iTunes News & Politics Over 48,675 listens and downloads

Excellent Podcast About an Intriguing Case by RambelingE

Promotion and Outreach •

Front-page Sunday newspaper spread on the day of the launch

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Subsequent weekly columns written by Gary

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Tweeted, shared on Facebook to large social following

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Created an exhibit featuring photos and artifacts from the case designed and distributed postcards

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Interview between Beth Adams and Veronica Volk on both Morning Edition and All Things Considered the day after the launch

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Aired the first episode on Connections, followed by a discussion with Veronica and Gary hosted by Evan Dawson.

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Featured the case in a segment on Need to Know

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Posted each episode on websites (with banner)

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Aired weekly 20-second promos on AM1370

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Live podcast taping at the Little Theater that drew an audience of almost 100 people (included question and answer segment and live interviews with key players of investigation)

Really well written and produced podcast about the murder of an anonymous woman and the decades long quest to identify her and work toward some form of justice. This case is particularly refreshing because listening restores some faith in the justice system. You don't hear enough about tenacious detectives who want the truth more than anything else. The authorities in this case had several opportunities to clear the case by laying blame on individuals who had falsely confessed, and they did not take the bait; instead they followed thousands of false leads and held on to the hope that one day the truth would be known.

•

Written up by Wired mag http://www.wired.com/2016/05/thisweek-in-podcasts-june-1/

Photonics Series When it was announced that an integrated photonics manufacturing hub would locate in Rochester, N.Y., the news received wide media attention — and created high hopes that it could help transform the region’s economy. In March, WXXI and Innovation Trail reporters Sasha-Ann Simons and Veronica Volk produced a three-part video, radio and web series about photonics: what it is, the politics surrounding the location of the hub and how the industry will affect the region’s economy. The series included an animated explainer video about what photonics is, which helped our audience understand more about the science behind the industry. The series also conveyed information on what expectations will realistically come to fruition. The videos posted on Facebook reached a far larger audience than most stories, with a total reach of nearly 24,500 and about 3,900 video views.

After the series aired online and on the radio, the reporters received overwhelmingly positive feedback, including one woman who called Volk to tell her such work is why she supports and appreciates public media. Other feedback: “The video was very well done. I thought it did such an excellent job breaking down what I’ve been trying to explain for a year.” — Alexis Vogt, MCC professor of optics

…

“This is awesome. I’m very impressed by your work.” — Paul Ballentine, University of Rochester scientist and story source “I think you did a super job on yesterday’s news item explaining what photonics is. Although you probably appreciate compliments from all types of listeners, this compliment is from a listener with a Ph.D. in physics. Explaining complex technical concepts to the general public is not easy, and you did it very well in this piece.” — Nancy Torpey

Extend access to our services Audio on Demand Increasingly audiences want to listen to WXXI content at a time of their choosing. In support, we have a number of opportunities for listening on WXXINews.org through on-demand audio, audio segments, archived programs, and podcasts. In 2015-2016, monthly on-demand audiences averaged nearly 8,000 unique listeners. Overall, more than 132,000 hours of programming were downloaded, varying from one- or two-minute news reports to full hour programs. Usage of specific content varied, of course. The Connections with Evan Dawson episode, Life 101 Course Prepares Students For Life After High School, had nearly 1,200 downloads of the one-hour podcast.

Television Audience Over the past three years, WXXIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s audience has been fairly stable on the main channel. In the changing media landscape a plateau is welcomed almost as much as a period of growth.

WXXI HD DMA Cume 140 120 100 May

February 60

November July

40 20 0 2013-14

2014-15

2015-16

For the first time, audience data has been reported for WXXI’s Create and World Channels. While still relatively small compared to the main channel, over 46,000 people tune into World or Create each week.

DMA Cume Persons 2+ 250,000 200,000 150,000 100,000 50,000 0 July

November WXXI-HD

Create

February

May

World

Programming Highlights Downton Abbey on Masterpiece was the top performing program for the February sweep in its sixth and final season, averaging 49,000 viewers each week in the 9pm Sunday Masterpiece slot. The Democratic Presidential Candidates Debate was our second most watched program in February gathering 28,000 viewers on a Thursday night. The brightest spot of the sweep was how well Tailor Made: The Story of Rochester’s Garment Industry performed (24,000 viewers) - delivering 25% more viewers than what Antiques Roadshow averaged in that slot. Second Opinion improved by 60% on Thursday nights as compared to February 2015 with 8,000 viewers in February of 2016. May Create Highlights: Our Primetime GRPS are up 41% over last year, and our Full Day GRPS are also up 41%. Lidia’s Kitchen proved to be a local favorite occupying the top 11 spots on the Top Performers Report ranking programs in the NSI by Household viewing. World February Highlights: The top program for the sweep on WXXI-World was B.B. King on American Masters which aired on a Saturday at 9pm with 10,000 viewers. Ironically the program only gathered 9,000 viewers when it premiered on WXXI-HD on a Friday Night earlier in the month which meant that it didn’t even crack the top 25 list. Independent Lens does better on WXXI-World on Saturdays at 8am than it does on WXXIHD with its premier on Mondays at 10pm. (2,000 viewers vs. 1,000) Our World channel provides our viewers the ability to catch a program that they may have missed earlier in the week, as well as offering a wealth of News & Public Affairs and Documentary programming that we aren’t able to schedule on WXXITV. 24

Radio Audience WXXI experienced stable listening across all stations with some growth in on-line listening. Notably, while still small numbers, listening to WITH is growing and WXXI-FM experienced especially strong listenership over the past year.

Radio Audience Weekly Cume 250,000

200,000

Stream WITH

150,000

WEOS WXXY

100,000

WRUR WXXI-FM

50,000

WXXI-AM

0 Spring 2014

Fall 2014

Spring 2015

Fall 2015

Spring 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 Total Weekday Listening 50,000 45,000 40,000 35,000 30,000 25,000 20,000 15,000 10,000 5,000 0 5A

WXXI-AM

10A 11A 12N

WXXI-FM

WRUR

WXXY

WEOS

5P WITH

Online and Social Media Usage In the past year there have been over 2.3 million visits to the WXXI websites by nearly 1.3 million unique visitors and 277,845 visits by 142,037 unique visitors to the Little Theatreâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s website. Mobile traffic to our sites continues to increase with 62% traffic from desktop, 38% from tablets and from mobile phones. In social media WXXI and The Little Theatre have 47,518 fans across their Facebook pages and over 70,213 followers on Twitter. Online: WXXI & Little Sites WXXI Sites 2,309,236 Visits/Sessions 3,758,680 Page Views 1,290,535 Unique Visitors

The Little Theatre 277,845 Visits/Sessions 789,030 Page Views 142,037 Unique Visitors

Social Media: WXXI & The Little 54,141 Facebook Fans 74,965 Twitter Followers Twitter Demographics and Stats

Facebook Demographics & Stats

WXXI Apps and Mobile Use continue to grow: iOS app: 5,090 downloads Android app: 2,031 downloads Launched Mobile and Responsive Email Newsletters via a new platform from NPR Digital Services Launched New Responsive Mobile Sites for Arts In Focus (artsinfocus.tv) and upgraded WRUR & WEOS to new responsive site.

New WXXI Offerings in the PBS Video Player WXXI launched local video channel offerings in the PBS Video Player this year. Channels include: Arts InFocus, 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 Interactive Services to produce content, create online captioning, select programming, prepare files and metadata and create process and infrastructure for final contribution. Traffic to the WXXI Video Player has increased dramatically in comparison to the period last year. WXXI/PBS Video Player (video.wxxi.org) 116,020 Page Views 77,212 Unique Users = 286% growth in users over the same period last year 187,563 Video Sessions= 487% growth over the same period last year

Theater Ticket Sales This yearâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Inner Loop construction project, exacerbated by the Charlotte Square construction project, disrupted theater audiences and complicated the parking challenges at the theater. In addition Little Theatre tickets sales continue to follow the pattern of national sales, in that traditional film events struggle with attendance and films have much shorter runs. This results in both small audiences and reduced revenue. In an effort to counter this trend, the Little continues to develop new special film series and unique experiences. These efforts have been working well. A look at ticket sales for this year compared to last year shows a recovery in the spring due to special efforts such as the Little/WRUR Concert Series and Saturday Night Rewind.

Ticket Sales July-Dec

Dec-June

As the construction is completed, new forms of outreach and marketing will work to convert the new neighbors to patrons of the theater.

255,377 268,182

301,338

In addition to these sales, of course, the theater continues to serve as a venue for all the major film festivals in town, as venue for the Xerox Rochester International Jazz Festival, and other special events, serving thousands of additional patrons.

252,968

FY 14

FY 15

Maintain our commitment to diverse audiences We continue to work to diversify our audiences and provide appropriate programming to those audiences. Currently our television services are fairly similar to the diversity of the region, as noted in the most recent Media Audit.

Rochester Market Ethnicity Profile HISPANIC 6% BLACK 9%

ASIAN 3%

OTHER 2%

WXXI Ethnicity Profile

HISPANIC 6%

ASIAN 2%

OTHER 3%

BLACK 10%

WHITE 78%

WHITE 81%

Business Office Operational Efficiency    

Reorganized and consolidated accounting positions for efficiency and results. Published audited financial statements with a clean audit opinion and on time. Saved about $5,000 in credit card processing fees. Established both quasi and true endowment investment accounts for the Little Theatre.

Security and Safety     

A full security assessment was conducted in 2015. This led to enhanced security measures as the lobby area is now locked down (doors & elevator), controlling access to other floors. An additional security officer was hired. Many events/programs requiring security presence were held at WXXI (Antiques Appraisal Fair, Open House, TV/Radio Drives, Second Opinion, Kids Club Event, Volunteer Recognition, Talking Abbey, etc.) – no major security incidents reported. All security officers received annual in-service training, successfully passing the exam in order to renew their NYS Security Guard license. Four received additional “Active Shooter” training, successfully completing the course. Installed Swift911 service for a mass alert program that can instantly alert employees at both WXXI and the Little in case of emergencies. Flexible alert lists and means of messaging provide many other uses for employees and the public.

WXXI Client Services / Uplink Operations During the past 12 months, WXXI’s digital Ku Band uplink has provide live content to virtually every television network. Live studio segments as well as recorded feeds place Rochester in the center of the actuality. Whether it be ABC, NBS, CBS, Blumberg, BBC, CBC, CNBC or any other of the news and entertainment channels , WXXI Client Service has interfaced with top level networks on a daily basis.

Transmission Upgrades The past several months saw significant improvements to WXXI’s transmission facilities. Staff designed, purchased and installed a new transmitter for WXXI-FM and added some additional control systems. Robust remote control and telemetry An integrated remote control system was implemented and audio program delivery to WXXI-AM was enhanced. This project replaced the old dialup remote control system that provided only a small picture of what was actually occurring at any site at the time the site was dialed up. To accomplish this WXXI engineers designed and built a system to provide all sites with full-time network connectivity. This connectivity enables the continuous transfer of control and status information between the State Street Technical Facility and the five transmission facilities.

Emergency Alert System Federal Communications Commission rules now require network connectivity for all origination/repeating systems. For WXXI only the television system was compliant as new equipment had been purchased to support the Joint Master Control technical integration to our plant. The recently added remote site connectivity made the design and implementation easier than in the past.

Network Upgrades A new backup and recovery solution for WXXIâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s critical data and servers was installed that is more streamlined and allows for more granular restores, a significantly larger and more robust local backup storage solution, and an offsite cloud solution to replace rotating physical tapes for offsite storage. In addition this year brought the deployment of new networking devices and improved network design to improve the speed, resiliency, and overall performance of WXXI and The Little's Networking Infrastructure. This will also prepare us for future technical improvements, such as a new phone system, video conferencing, and On-Demand viewing of content and programming throughout the station.

Building Improvements In conjunction with the replacement of the AM 1370 transmitter, the French Road property received a makeover and much-needed maintenance attention, including: New gravel stone to the parking area Painting Removal of old & crumbling concrete steps from the rear of the property Rebuilding of the decayed & falling chimney Replacement of the front entrance sidewalk hazards, steps & porch Removal of old & fallen trees Upgrades to building & maintenance at the State Street building included a new, more cost-effective cleaning contract and snow removal contract, preventive maintenance improvements to all roofing areas and skylights to help prevent leaks. Incandescent and florescent fixtures at both the State Street facility and The Little Theatre were replaced with LED fixtures and lamps, which has greatly improved the lighting inside and outside the areas and provides a better margin of safety as well as operational efficiency. The front landscaping at WXXI was updated in April 2016. The pavers and grasses have a cleaner look and will be much easier to maintain through all the seasons. The Heron sculpture in the courtyard also got some work in April. The Heron has been leveled and stabilized, with a promise of a fresh coat of paint from the sculptor, Mary Taylor.

Little Theatre Major Improvements to drainage at The Little Theater After dealing with literal flash floods in the 2-5 theater complex, drainage improvements were designed and installed to relieve the flood at the front doors as well as the emergency exit on the west side. This involved removal and replacement of the pavers and trenching of and widening the existing drainage system. This system was then connected to the storm drain system and has worked well through the heavy downpours. 30

Renovations With the help of a grant from the Urban Initiatives program via the Finger Lakes Regional Economic Development Council, The Little Theatre completed some significant infrastructure improvements including improved wastewater management, roofing improvements, restroom facilities and the repair of water-damaged walls, ceilings and floors. Most significant for audience service was the installation of an ADA-compliant restroom facility on the main floor of theatre #1.

Basement stairway

First-floor ADA-compliant restroom.

Lobby event space renovation.

Cultivate a mission-driven staff that is knowledgeable, creative and adaptive WXXI staff participated in a number of training & professional development activities throughout the year, including presentations on Active Shooter, Financial Wellness, Basic Supervision & Diversity/AntiBullying, as well as individually attended webinars, teleconferences & professional development conferences. Each month brings new displays of artwork in the Staff Art Gallery contributed by WXXI staff, their family members and volunteers. Future plans for the Gallery include a staff photo competition. The Work Culture Committee (WCC) was developed as a forum to discuss and raise matters of general health and safety concerns, building appearance, communications, suggestions or ideas for improving processes, need for professional development opportunities, and other suggestions for strengthening our organization. They also assist in coordination of staff social activities, i.e. parties, picnics.

Attract and engage a diverse staff and volunteer corps to extend our effectiveness. Diversity in recruitment and hiring practices is an ongoing goal as we follow best practices to attract qualified applicants and retain a committed, engaged staff. Twenty to 30 interns a year find opportunities to expand their knowledge and experience in nearly every department of the organization. This year, we have expanded the internship opportunities in response to input from students and prospective interns. This includes partnering with the New York State Broadcaster’s Association and Princeton University, which has enabled us to offer a few paid internships to participating college students, in addition to our regular roster of internship opportunities. In addition, we take the opportunity each year to recognize an Employee of the Year at our annual Staff-Trustee Luncheon, as staff members and trustees gather to make and renew acquaintances and celebrate the accomplishments of the organization.

Board Development 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. The Board Development Committee nominated one new trustee to the Board during the fiscal year. Board Engagement One new trustee participated in Board orientation, was named to a committee and assigned a mentor to assist with transition to the Board. A Spectrum Auction Task Force was created to advise the Board of Trustees on the station’s possible participation in the auction by the FCC of broadcast spectrum for broadband use. The Task Force is chaired by Trustee Christopher Booth.

The Veterans Connections Task Force hosted several special screenings and talkbacks. Service: When Women Come Marching Home was screened in August 2015 at The Little and was attended by 178 people. The documentary highlights the special challenges facing disabled female veterans as they transition from active duty to civilian life. American Saint Nick was shown in November 2015 to a packed theatre. The documentary tells the true story of American soldiers who brought Christmas back to the children of a small Luxembourg town. The screening was followed by a discussion with the American St. Nick Richard Brookins. “WXXI Veterans Voices Project” highlighted veterans stories told at the annual Stars and Stripes Celebration, an event that pays tribute to the local heroes of our Armed Forces. A Board Planning Session was held in December 2015 at Nixon Peabody with 27 participants in attendance, including Trustees, Trustee Council and senior staff. This year trustees completed the biennial Board Self-Assessment survey. The survey is a two-part assessment and an important opportunity for Board members to provide thoughts and feedback on the effectiveness of the Board and personal performance as a trustee. Board participation was 76%. Board Financial Goals Board giving achieved a goal of 100% participation and raised $59,100 between WXXI and The Little. Combined giving of the Board, Honorary Trustees and Trustee Council was $207,060. Additionally Trustees, Honorary Trustees and Trustee Council member had paid or pledged $2,000,000 toward the “Go Public” Campaign which successfully closed at $18,400,000. Board pledges represent 11% of Campaign funds. Board Participation The “Board Engagement” series expanded to include Breakfast with the Board, Lunch with the Board and Cocktails with the Board. Increased Board participation shows the series remains popular. These events are offered six times a year and 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. In September 2015, the Board Summer Social Event took place at the home of Dr. Cynthia ReddeckLiDestri and her husband John. In attendance were 63 guests, representing the Board of Trustees, the Trustee Council, Honorary Trustees, and senior staff. Trustee Ken Glazer and Buckingham Properties hosted an August 2015 fundraiser to benefit the “Go Public” Campaign, which was attended by several hundred people. The fifth annual Trustee Council-Former Chair Luncheon was held in October 2015 with 17 attendees, including six former Board Chairs. The group enjoyed a casual lunch and a presentation on “The Voice of the Community.” Numerous trustees and members of the Trustee Council were present at the November 2015 Associate of the Year event featuring a keynote address by NPR White House Correspondent Scott Horsley. The event honored 2015 Associate of the Year recipients Dawn Lipson and the late Dr. Jacques Lipson. In January of 2015, the Staff-Trustee Luncheon was attended by ten Trustees, two Honorary Trustees, four Trustee Council members, three CAB members, three Little Theatre Advisory Board members and seven members of the Volunteer Leadership Council. The keynote speaker was Dan Meyers, president of Al Sigl Community of Agencies. 33

In February, the Board Chair and the immediate Past Chair attended the Public Media Summit in Washington, DC, with the president. This annual event provides an opportunity for Board Officers and Trustees to participate directly in advocacy efforts on Capitol Hill by attending meetings with United States Senators and Congressional Representatives. Several trustees attended the Volunteer Recognition event in April 2016 to honor the numerous volunteers who are dedicated to supporting WXXI and the Little Theatre, including the Charles M. Wise Volunteer of the Year, Mary Holley. Trustees, Honorary Trustees and Trustee Council members participated in many other events including attending a lunch with NPR President Jarl Mohn, an event with former NPR correspondent Michele Norris, a lunch with Genealogy Roadshow host Kenyatta Barry and a dinner with Lidia Bastianich, host of Lidiaâ&#x20AC;&#x2122;s Kitchen. Board Members participated in a Thank-A-Thon event in May 2015. Trustees called recent major donors to personally thank them for their generosity in supporting the highquality arts, news and educational programming that our community relies upon. 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 the â&#x20AC;&#x153;Go Publicâ&#x20AC;? Campaign. Board Self-Assessment The 2016 Board Self-Assessment survey was completed this year. Survey participation increased to a 76% response rate in 2016 versus 71% in 2014. Overall, Trustees rated their level of satisfaction with their service on the Board of Trustees an average of 4.4 out of 5.0. The trustees were positive about the open-ended question format saying that it seemed less boiler-plate. While there was an initial concern about not having quantifiable data, in the end there were more qualitative answers than have been received in the past, as well as more participation by members of the Board.

External Recognition & Awards Staff & Station-wide Norm Silverstein & WXXI Hélène Biandudi Hofer Rhonda Austin

2016 Media Award, The Upstate New York chapter of The Peace Island Institute and the Turkish Cultural Center of Rochester Champion for Youth Leadership Award, Teen Empowerment Center Established Media Professional Award, Rochester Media Association

Mona Seghatoleslami Rising Star Award, Rochester Media Association

Social Media PBS Finding Your Roots @WXXIToteBag

PRism Award of Excellence (PRSA), Facebook Campaign category PRism Award of Excellence (PRSA), Twitter Non-profit category

News Genesee Street Mass Shooting – WXXI News Staff

Fixing Rochester’s Segregated Schools- The Urban-Suburban Story Need to Know The Crackdown on Silicosis (Reporter Sasha-Ann Simons) Rochester’s Poverty Crisis (Need to Know host/producer Hélène Biandudi Hofer’s) Change Ringing in Rochester (Vice President of Radio Jeanne Fisher) Schools for South Sudan (Need to Know)

Edward R. Murrow Award from the Radio Television Digital News Association New York Associated Press Association Awards Nomination, winner Best Spot Coverage, Radio category New York State Broadcasters Association Award, Outstanding Public Affairs Program or Series New York Associated Press Association Award Nomination, winner in the Best Feature, TV category New York Associated Press Association Awards Nomination, special mention in the Best Public Service, TV category New York Associated Press Association Award Nomination, special mention in the Best Use of Sound, Radio category st 1 place, Best News Series, New York State Associated Press Association

Television Second Opinion “Childhood Cancer” Second Opinion “Addiction to Pain Medications” Second Opinion “PTSD” Music for Life: The Story of New Horizons Paley on Park Avenue: New York City Homework Hotline Move to Include: Positive Exposure Second Opinion & Host Dr. Peter Salgo Homework Hotline’s Move to Include: 3D Printed Prosthetics Beginning With the End (WXXI presenting station for this David Marshall Film)

Bronze Telly, Health and Fitness Category Bronze Telly, Health and Fitness Category Bronze Telly, Health and Fitness Category Bronze Telly, Documentary Category New York Emmy, Arts: Program/Special category New York Emmy Nomination New York State Broadcasters Association for outstanding program or series designed for children Bronze Telly, Documentary category Daytime Emmy Award Nomination, Outstanding Informative Talk Show Host category New York Emmy, Health/Science: Program Features/Segment category New York Emmy, Director: Post Production New York Emmy, Editor: Program

Membership & Major Giving Highlights Despite not making the overall goal, membership totals increased by 4.9% from fiscal 2015. Considering the public phase of the campaign was also underway, this is very good news. The focus this year was to encourage members to become sustainers – or monthly donors. The efforts produced a second year of 15% growth in number of sustaining members. Another major effort was the launch of WXXI Passport in December 2015, a PBS video streaming service. To date, this program has resulted in nearly $30,000 in pledges. Of these 450 pledges, 73% came from new or rejoining members. In September, Geoffrey Ward (author who writes many of Ken Burns documentary scripts) visited Rochester to address members and supporters at the Little. The event attracted about 250 people and over $15,000 in support. A major donor dinner with Geoff was also held. Downton Abbey screenings in December at the Little Theatre attracted more than 1,000 people. A companion brunch at restaurant 2 Vine was attended by about 100 people and 300 people attended a Downton-themed Michael Lasser concert on January 3rd. In October, dinner with Lidia Bastianich, host of Lidia’s Italy, was held for individuals who made significant gifts to the Go Public Campaign. Associates Event Over 250 people attended the annual Associates event which featured NPR White House correspondent, Scott Horsley. The event honored 2015 Associates of the Year, Dawn and Jacques Lipson. The 20th anniversary of President & CEO Norm Silverstein was also celebrated. Geneology Roadshow In April, WXXI welcomed Genealogy Roadshow host Kenyatta D. Berry for a presentation at the Little Theatre. Ms. Berry’s family has roots in the greater Rochester area, and she discussed her research into the local branch of her ancestry – and even met a few cousins for the first time at the Little Theatre! The event attracted more than 100 people including members of the Rochester Genealogical Society and the Western New York Genealogical Society. A luncheon with major donors was held earlier in the day as well.

WXXI members gathered at the Rochester Contemporary Art Center in June to celebrate the station’s role as collaborative partner and champion of the arts in our community. Guests enjoyed RoCo’s annual 6x6 exhibition (including pieces submitted by WXXI staff) and had the opportunity to meet and mingle with Classical 91.5 hosts.

Little Theatre • • • • •

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Little Theater membership met, and exceeded their fundraising goal of FY’16 by $18,430! Membership grew by 247 new/returning members in FY’16. Member Movie Nights continues to provide a unique experience to Members. This year a Member Movie Matinee offered an opportunity for those not available on weeknights to attend FREE movies at The Little as well. 550+ were in attendance for March’s Member Movie Matinee! Membership continues to work with the Projection Department on Membership/CYE/Add Gift promos. These promos frequently star ‘Little Chaplin’ and were featured in the Democrat and Chronicle. In an attempt to elevate service at the Little to surpass expectations, in March 2016, all Little Theatre staff attended a 4 hour, grant funded, customer service seminar provided by ZingTrain. This training, along with monthly Customer Service Counsel meetings, allows Little Theatre staff the opportunity to review and discuss the processes to provide our patrons with the best customer service experience. The Seat Sale in Theatre 1 has sold 155 seats of 296, moving closer every day to its goal.

Auction New this year was the successful Auction Kick-off Event (held on April 1 at The Little Theatre). With over 200 attendees throughout the night, it was a great promotional tool for the Auction Featured Artists & the Auction in general. The event had a preview of items donated by local artists, and featured a live painting with musical accompaniment by local artist, Mark Groaning. The live painting on stage was projected in real time onto the screen via a GoPro camera, which added to the special experience. For 2016, the Auction acquisitioned 3, 500 items worth a little over $440,680. The gross revenue was $208,366. That resulted in a 47% ROV. There were nearly 1,500 registered users and 1,340 bidders with more than 35,000 bids placed. Exceeding the goal for ROV and grossing higher revenue than in 2015, along with more bidders and bids placed, allow the 2016 Auction to be classified as an overall success.

Go Public Campaign It is wonderful to report the Go Public Campaign has exceeded its goal of $17 million! Thanks to a capstone gift of $2 million from philanthropist Tom Golisano, we raised $18.4 million for the future of WXXI and The Little. Tom’s gift will enable us to upgrade critical production equipment and technology at WXXI in the B. Thomas Golisano Production Center where we produce Second Opinion, Homework Hotline, local documentaries and much more! We thank everyone in the community who made a gift to the Go Public Campaign which we finished in honor of our original Co-Chairs, Larry and Jane Glazer. Funds raised through the Go Public Campaign will be invested in TV and radio programming, equipment and technology and endowment at WXXI as well as technical upgrades and renovation of The Little Theatre. 37

Corporate Support WXXI/WRUR/WEOS/WITH Underwriting + Little Theatre Ad Sales The underwriting team served over 220 unique underwriters/advertisers in FY ’16, with a wide range of business categories and geographical regions represented. From ceramicists to financial advisors, from breweries to car dealerships, our business partners ran the gamut. Digital sponsorships increased dramatically – the sales team nearly tripling revenue in this area year-over-year. The underwriting team also exceeded this year’s corporate sponsorship goal for The Little Theatre. Underwriting revenue in other media categories remained relatively flat. Over-the-top media and digital media solutions sold by media conglomerates continue to serve as competition in the marketplace.

Digital Revenue Trend $60,000 $50,000 $40,000 $30,000 $20,000 $10,000 $FY '12

FY '13

FY '14

FY '15

FY '16

The underwriting team worked in concert with a University of Rochester student (winter/spring) as well as an intern (spring/summer) this year. Projects centered around marketing, communications and audience engagement, with initial trials of NPR’s Generation Listen model being the most exciting of the bunch. Generation Listen is a movement to connect with younger audiences who share our curiosity about the world, and our passion for creating a more informed and civically engaged public. In March, in partnership with our intern, we hosted the first of our Generation Listen events on the U of R campus that focused on Women’s History Month. Guests actively listened, shared and connected with content and each other in meaningful ways.

WXXI – NPR: Generation Listen Event, March 22, 2016 @ The University of Rochester Creative, targeted collaborations continue to differentiate our media brand in the market. The underwriting team spearheaded a number of media sponsorships this year. Partners of note include the Memorial Art Gallery, ImageOut, the YWCA, the Landmark Society, Causewave Community Partners, Teen Empowerment Rochester, Geva Theatre, and the Mental Health Association of Rochester. And our own events – from special PBS screenings to Jazz Fest happenings at the Little – continue to appeal to our business partners as they provide a level of engagement with highly desirable audiences that are hard to reach any other way.

WXXI – Downton Abbey Screening, December 27, 2015 @ The Little Theatre Sponsors featured: ESL Federal Credit Union, Oriental Rug Mart, Ferris Hills at West Lake

Integrated Corporate Event Sponsorships 

Masterpiece – Downton Abbey Season 6 ($37,500 total in sponsorships!)

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MVP’s Healthy Living Series @ The Little Theatre

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The American St. Nick screening & postfilm discussion @ The Little Theatre (presented in partnership with M&T Bank)

The American Saint Nick Screening & Panel Discussion (11/10/15)