Illinois Public Media
connecting us TO EACH OTHER, OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR WORLD
2014 ANNUAL REPORT
As a source of culture, news, lifelong learning and entertainment, Illinois Public Media holds a unique position in our communities. During 2014, we convened political debates and investigated issues that matter to people who live here. We invited U of I history professors to keep a crowd spellbound with stories about the Roosevelts, and showed teachers how to use digital media to help kids learn. On-air and online, we offer you the world through the valued programming of NPR and PBS, but also connect you to local news, classical music with commentary tailored to our audience, advice about your garden from regional experts, interviews with pioneering Illinoisans, and agricultural news. We link users of our service to people, resources and knowledge. Thanks to your support, we make life better in our community.
Moss Bresnahan President and CEO
Our stories rise above
AWARD-WINNING NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS • WILL reporters investigated the need for more mental health resources in our community with a series on barriers to accessing care and the ongoing battle against stigma. • During 2014’s election season, WILL brought 13th Congressional District candidates together in our TV studio for debates seen across the region, and joined forces with WTVP in Peoria for Illinois gubernatorial primary and general election debates. Illinois Public Media News was honored with awards during 2014 including:
★ Outstanding News Operation in the downstate radio division of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association Journalism Excellence Contest, and two first place awards for a radio feature about the Polar Express rolling into Monticello.
★ Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Gifford tornado coverage and a story on the Affordable Care Act’s effects on incarceration and recidivism rates.
★ Three national awards from Public Radio News Directors Incorporated,
Photo: Heather Coit/The News-Gazette
including a first place award for breaking news coverage of the Gifford tornado, and second place for a Focus program on “Parenting a Transgender Child.”
Amanda Tugade
Ryan Weber
Tiffany Jolley
Ti
Lise Graham
We make agriculture everyone’s business FARMERS AND AG BUSINESSES COUNT ON OUR REPORTING AND ANALYSIS
330 Hours a year of agricultural analysis, news, and weather on WILL-AM
2,250 Subscribers to Illinois Public Media’s agricultural eNewsletter
93,535Number of times people listened to a willag.org audio feature.
Lisa
Our interns go on to do great things U OF I COLLEGE OF MEDIA STUDENTS LEARN IN OUR NEWSROOM
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Ryan Weber, copy editor at the Washington Post “A print story can move me emotionally, but it might take an 8,000-word piece to do it. With radio you can touch someone and get to the heart of a story in three minutes.” Amanda Tugade “Radio is uncharted territory. I’m really excited to see what I can do with it.” Tiffany Jolley (Mullally intern) “I hope by the time I leave WILL, I’ll be able to capture the magic traditionally seen in NPR stories.” Lise Graham “Public media is the most sincere media option. It all comes back to the honesty and transparency. It’s a liberated but unappreciated mechanism that we have.”
Our new WILLAg Farm Assets Conference drew 228 producers to Bloomington-Normal on Nov. 24. It built on the long-time success of our March All-Day Ag Outlook meeting, which drew 410 producers.
Photo: Steve Parker, University of Illinois ACES ITCS
2,297Number of Twitter followers for WILLAg’s Dave Dickey and Todd Gleason
We help maximize every child’s potential HELPING KIDS AND TEACHERS LEARN
Book Mentor Project 4,248 BOOKS PROVIDED TO
75 COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS
42
700 FAMILIES
EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS SERVED
PBS Learning Media WILL Education’s Favorite 3 resources from PBS LearningMedia Our educational outreach coordinator, Suzanne Linder, picked these from among 88,000 free resources made available to the more than 25,000 Illinois teachers who have signed up to use the service. •
KQED’s Art School Collection introduces students to contemporary artists in their studios and includes hands-on lessons for art projects including printmaking, skratching, graffiti, animation, portraiture, filmmaking and graphic art.
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Frankenstein, MD from PBS Digital Studios is a Web series that updates the Frankenstein story to modern day, referencing science ethics, the history of monster movies, as well as Mary Shelley’s novel.
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SciGirls High Tech Fashion Design shows students how to add functional LEDS to clothing, teaching the basics of circuitry design along the way.
In collaboration with other Illinois public broadcasters, WILL conducted trainings for Illinois teachers showing them how to make the most of PBS LearningMedia resources. WILL is taking steps to become a content producer for the service to create lessons to fill content gaps in math and science, and Illinois history.
We’re playing your song OUR HOSTS OFFER CLASSICAL MUSIC INSIGHTS
Vic’s DJ Sessions In October, WILL-FM Classic Mornings host Vic Di Geronimo selected pieces for a classical version of the DJ Sessions segment of NPR’s Here and Now. His picks: • Domenico Scarlatti, Sonata in D minor, K. 141, Sérgio & Odair Assad • Franz Schubert, Three Piano Pieces (1828) No. 2, D. 946, Maria João Pires: piano • Gioachino Rossini, Il signor Bruschino Overture, English Chamber Orchestra • Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor, London Symphony Orchestra • Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in D minor for 2 recorders, 2 oboes, 2 violins, bassoon, strings and basso continuo, RV 566: 1. Allegro Assai; Maurice Steger: recorder, I Barocchisti
Photo: Todd Rosenberg
The Evening Concert expansion WILL-FM’s The Evening Concert: • expanded to Sunday nights, increasing our locally programmed music by 104 hours a year. • broadened its range of classical music by airing entire series of concerts from groups such as the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic. “We included a wider variety of styles and eras, more premieres and a wider range of performers, some famous, and some soon-to-be famous,” said WILL-FM’s Vincent Trauth, who selects music for The Evening Concert. • featured 11 different central Illinois orchestras and ensembles on Friday night’s Prairie Performances.
Presenting our trailblazers HOST DAVID INGE CONNECTS YOU WITH ILLINOIS PIONEERS
science May Berenbaum
Fred Kummerow
Rainer Martens
Shozo Sato Rita Garman
justice
Murray Wise
philanthropy Howard Buffett
FISCAL 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT
% 2014 OPERATING REVENUES 2014 2013 REVENUES University funding......................................1,256,798............2,043,891.........21% Membership contributions........................2,260,719............2,402,102.........37% Program underwriting................................398,785...............369,302............7% State grants...............................................230,149...............195,723............4% Other grants..............................................48,340.................67,658..............1% Community Service Grants and other federal grants 1,697,403............1,339,090.........28% Other income............................................129,471...............97,389..............2% Total operating revenues 6,021,665 6,515,155 Non-operating revenues Indirect support.........................................3,191,888............2,964,163 Other.........................................................1,552,885............1,371,149 Total revenues
10,766,438
10,850,467
Nina Paley Mark Rubel
arts
mentoring
music Ollie Watts Davis
Preston Jackson
banking
Ed Scharlau
business agriculture Jeff Perkins
OPERATING EXPENSES
2014
2013
% 2014 EXPENSES
Local programming and production..........3,930,919........... 3,992,688........... 41% Broadcasting and promotion.....................2,518,362........... 2,129,267........... 26% Development.............................................2,011,057........... 1,842,369 .......... 21% Management and general.........................883,150.............. 1,040,754........... 9% Other.........................................................228,453.............. 563,919.............. 3% Total operating expenses
9,571,941
9,568,997
THANKS to the Friends of WILL for your membership support!
Our experts cultivate community
Q: When pruning a tree, do I need to treat the cuts? A: No. The cut will heal naturally if no stump is left. Q: What is a good cutting height for my lawn? A: A height of 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches results in a healthier lawn. Q: Do I cut back roses in the fall? A: No, wait until spring. Look for any winter injury and remove it. You can also prune them to create a nicer shape or shorter height. Q: My zucchini plant was growing well, then it just collapsed. What happened? A: Most likely, squash borer happened. Eggs hatch into larvae that bore into the stem. With enough damage, the plant collapses almost overnight. Q: Why didn’t my daffodils flower this spring? A: If the foliage was cut back after flowering (last year) while it was still green, then the bulb wasn’t able to store food reserves. Also, over-crowding of bulbs will decrease flowering.
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