Reportto the Community
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REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY Public Broadcasting for Greater Washington FISCAL YEAR 2020 | JULY 1, 2019 – JUNE 30, 2020 Serving WETA reaches 1.6 million adults per week via local content platforms the Public Dear Friends, Now more than ever, WETA is a vital resource to audiences in Greater THE WETA MISSION in a Time Washington and around the nation. This year, with the onset of the Covid-19 is to produce and hours pandemic, our community and our country were in need. As the flagship 1,200 distribute content of of new national WETA programming public media station in the nation’s capital, WETA embraced its critical role, of Need responding with enormous determination and dynamism. We adapted quickly intellectual integrity to reinvent our work and how we achieve it, overcoming myriad challenges as and cultural merit using we pursued our mission of service. a broad range of media 4 billion minutes The American people deserved and expected information they could rely to reach audiences both of watch time on the PBS NewsHour on. WETA delivered a wealth of meaningful content via multiple media in our community and platforms. Amid the unfolding global crisis and roiling U.S. politics, our YouTube channel nationwide. We leverage acclaimed news and public affairs productions provided trusted reporting and essential context to the public. our collective resources to extend our impact. of weekly at-home learning Despite closures of local schools, children needed to keep learning. WETA 30 hours programs for local students delivered critical educational resources to our community. We significantly We will be true to our expanded our content offerings to provide access to a wide array of at-home values; and we respect learning assets — on air and online — in support of students, educators diversity of views, and families. culture and heritage. A renowned source of superb programming, WETA brought the world increase 15% to audiences as they persevered in social isolation. Our extraordinary in Washington Week website traffic productions, broadcasts, streams and community services provided entertainment and inspiration, joy and respite, engagement and connection. This WETA Report to the Community highlights the company’s outstanding, million Americans innovative work in Fiscal Year 2020 on behalf of the public. Through generous 20 ongoing support, those we serve have demonstrated how much they value our rely on WETA Learning Media efforts. We thank them, and our many partners and funders, for sustaining WETA’s vital services. Sincerely, 46,500 hours per week spent listening to Classical WETA Sharon Percy Rockefeller 11.8 million streams President & CEO, WETA of Ken Burns and Henry Louis Gates, Jr., documentaries Timothy C. Coughlin a year producing live Chairman, WETA Board of Trustees 52 weeks radio and television WETA NATIONAL PRODUCTIONS ENGAGE THE COUNTRY WETA is a content powerhouse renowned for its PBS NewsHour expansive portfolio of national productions. WEEKNIGHTS In Fiscal Year 2020, WETA presented to audiences Millions of Americans turn to with Tim Alberta of Politico, moderated art as national news, the program PBS NewsHour with Anchor and the final Democratic primary debate of highlighted cellist Yo-Yo Ma’s project, across the country more than 1,200 hours of Managing Editor Judy Woodruff for the 2019. In addition, PBS NewsHour featured #SongsOfComfort, which gathered and PBS NewsHour Student balanced and honest reporting that has live coverage of the House Judiciary amplified artist voices from across the Reporting Labs (SRL) new programming — from insightful news and made it one of the country’s most trusted Committee’s public impeachment country during the pandemic. connects students with news operations. In addition to the solid hearings and, from the U.S. Senate, the pbs.org/newshour | @NewsHour a network of public analysis to documentaries that illuminate important impeachment trial of President Donald reporting and in-depth coverage that A production of NewsHour Productions LLC, broadcasting mentors and are the trademarks of the newscast, Trump; and presented Robert Mueller’s a wholly owned nonprofit subsidiary of WETA an innovative journalism moments in history; and from stories of health and JOURNALISTS PBS NewsHour’s award-winning full testimony before the House Judiciary Washington, D.C., in association with WNET curriculum to develop digital wellness to celebrations of culture and music. journalism encompasses primetime Committee and House Intelligence in New York. Major funding provided by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, PBS, media, critical thinking and specials, engaging podcasts and a Committee. and public television viewers. Major corporate communication skills while robust website. funding provided by American Cruise Lines, producing original news The production team created notable Babbel, BNSF Railway, Consumer Cellular, STUDENT This fiscal year brought the opening of specials: Confronting Coronavirus shed Fidelity, Johnson & Johnson, and Raymond reports. In the spring of 2020, PBS NewsHour West with Stephanie Sy light on recommended health precautions James, with additional support from Cambia when schools transitioned as anchor and correspondent. The new and the pandemic’s economic impact; Health Foundation, Carnegie Corporation of to distance learning, SRL New York, Chan Zuckerberg Initiative, The Race Matters: America in Crisis focused bureau, based at Arizona State University’s Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Doris Duke created a flexible-learning Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and on the frustration pouring out onto Charitable Foundation, Ford Foundation, unit, “Making Sense of Mass Communication, allows the news America’s streets, outrage about police Foundation for Child Development, Heising- ENGAGING Coronavirus Through organization to better serve audiences on brutality, and America’s systemic racial Simons Foundation, The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation, Lyda Hill Philanthropies’ Storytelling and Media the West Coast and at pbs.org/newshour — disparities; The Plastic Problem explored AND IF/THEN Initiative, Robert Wood Johnson Making,” that focused on and to expand its 24/7 coverage of national the deep impact that plastic is having Foundation, The Kendeda Fund, John S. and local community journalism, and international news. on the environment; and China: Power James L. Knight Foundation, The Lemelson and Prosperity spotlighted the emerging Foundation, the Library of Congress, Lumina scripting, and video editing. In this time of unprecedented news superpower and its relationship with the Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. The curriculum was widely MacArthur Foundation, The Andrew W. events, PBS NewsHour covered topics far United States. The podcasts Broken Justice adopted as teachers searched Mellon Foundation, The Gordon and Betty and wide, from the Covid-19 pandemic, and America, Interrupted delved into the Moore Foundation, the National Institutes for meaningful remote- protests for racial justice, and the 2020 nation’s public-defender crisis and the of Health, National Science Foundation, The learning projects. EMPOWERING election to presidential powers, U.S.- coronavirus pandemic, respectively. David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Park Russia relations, and climate change. Foundation, The Pew Charitable Trusts, Public Welfare Foundation, The Skoll Foundation, The politics team followed the stories PBS NewsHour is also committed to Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, Friends of the unfolding in Washington, D.C., and on making room for stories about how NewsHour, and others. the campaign trail, exploring the communities are connecting in new issues and events in the 2020 races; ways and shining a light on hope, and PBS NewsHour’s Judy Woodruff, resilience and beauty in the world. For Amna Nawaz and Yamiche Alcindor, example, through Canvas, which elevates Judy Woodruff and the team of PBS NewsHour producers and reporters deliver nightly newscasts and a breadth of digital content, primetime specials and podcasts that illuminate national and international issues. 2 NATIONAL PRODUCTIONS 3 NEWS AND DOCUMENTARIES FOR AN INFORMED CITIZENRY Washington Week FRIDAYS Moderator and Managing Editor Robert feature Washington Week Bookshelf Costa, one of the most respected spotlights Costa in discussion with Finding Your Roots with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. journalists in Washington, takes the authors of new books relevant to politics. FALL 2019/WINTER 2020 audience as close to the news as possible, The segment is part of Washington Week THIS IS OUR STORY. Finding Your Roots, hosted and executive- former participants’ stories. Altogether, NEXT FROM HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. live every Friday night. Washington Week Extra, which streams live each Friday THIS IS OUR SONG. produced by Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Season Six featured 27 new guests features a rotating panel of the top after the Washington Week broadcast The Black Church: explores how the interaction of different including Jon Batiste, Sterling K. Brown reporters in the nation’s capital, with and features Costa and journalists, This Is Our Story, BBC World News racial, religious and ethnic groups has and Diane von Furstenberg, disclosing Costa and his colleagues reporting on the historians and others. Further adding to This Is Our Song produced a diverse society in the United family histories that illustrate the power urgent issues of the day — the pandemic the conversation this year are Instagram WEEKDAYS, VARIOUS DAYPARTS explores the States