ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012 a Letter from WAMU 88.5 General Manager, Caryn G
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ANNUAL REPORT FY 2012 A Letter from WAMU 88.5 General Manager, Caryn G. Mathes This past year was a celebratory one, marked by the news WAMU 88.5 also made powerful contributions to Global that WAMU 88.5 has become the most listened to radio Perspectives, the BBC’s international documentary station in the D.C. metro area. That accomplishment program featuring radio stations around the world. was followed by another exciting announcement: Our IT, engineering, and digital media teams played American University will move the station to a new a critical role in our successes by broadening our home in 2013. terrestrial radio coverage and the ease—and depth— How fitting that these accomplishments unfolded with which we take our programming to ever-changing, during a year when we marked an important milestone: ever-improving mobile platforms. 50 years on the air. More than 500 supporters turned out for a gala celebration at the National Building Museum Our commitment to engage and connect our community in October to mark our half-century anniversary. remained unflinching this past year. If anything, we redoubled efforts to demonstrate the powerful impact Arbitron’s Winter 2012 Survey*, which measured that comes from examining national issues through a average weekly listening from January 5 through March local lens. We are proud of the results. 28, showed WAMU 88.5 moving into the No. 1 spot for - Our nine-part “American Graduate” series examined the first time in station history. Subsequent surveys the high school dropout crisis in the District of Colum- confirmed the station’s leadership position, upholding bia, looking at the ramifications for the students who our vision to become for our listeners the most respected fail to graduate, for the communities where they live, and trusted voice in traditional radio and emerging and for the United States in a globalized economy. media. - Our District reporter covering local politics showed That new distinction owes much to our listeners and to there is still a place for good old-fashioned investigative our donors, whose loyalty and generosity allow us to reporting, as he meticulously waded through campaign pursue smart and relevant programming. The move to records and other sources to bring to light a D.C. campaign No. 1 also pays tribute to our tenacious news team and finance scandal. our fearless show hosts. - With its series on unemployment in the District, Our flagship programming posted strong results DCentric, our blog focused on race and class in the in FY 2012. The Diane Rehm Show attracted the nation’s capital, proved that a blog’s narrow platform highest audience among NPR-distributed talk shows, can resonate in a larger news space. airing on 164 public broadcast stations and 68 HD stations. The Kojo Nnamdi Show continued to serve as - Coastal Connection provided critical on-the-ground a catalyst for far-reaching local and regional discussion, and by-the-minute coverage of Hurricane Irene as it even crossing to the other side of the globe—thanks to roared up the coast. technology—with Joined by War: Afghanistan 10 Years American University’s decision to buy and renovate a Later. That special production connected audiences in the District of Columbia and in Afghanistan for a building to provide a new home for WAMU 88.5 and remarkable town hall discussion. WAMU’s Bluegrass Country opens the way for us to build on this year’s momentum with new energy WAMU’s Bluegrass Country added two new locally and resources. We thank our listeners and donors produced shows, even as it expanded its coverage for the confidence they placed in WAMU in FY 2012 and boosted its listenership, and WAMU HD2 saw its and look forward to engaging our community audience grow for the third year in a row. The Animal in new and creative ways—on all our media platforms House became a listener magnet in Saturday’s noon —going forward. *Winter 2012 Arbitron PPM, Washington, to 1 p.m. slot, nearly doubling its audience, and Metro DC Metro, P6+, Mon-Sun 6a-Mid Connection dominated its time slot, too. Latitudes marked its first anniversary with a strong lineup of stories around global themes, from energy to how children play. WAMU 88.5 American University Radio 2 Table of Contents TIMELINE OF STATION HIGHLIGHTS 04 THE STATION ON-AIR 06 Audience Update 06 Programming Highlights 07 WAMU 88.5 Shows 09 WAMU 88.5 News & DCentric 17 WAMU’s Bluegrass Country 19 A VOICE FOR THE COMMUNITY 21 The Community Minute 21 The Community Council 22 Community Dialogues 23 Community Partnerships 24 Educational Impact 25 WAMU 88.5 Volunteers 27 THE STATION ONLINE 28 TECHNOLOGY 29 Information Technology Engineering WAMU 88.5 FUNDING 30 Development 30 Corporate Underwriting 42 AU BOARD OF TRUSTEES, FY2012 45 WAMU 88.5 EMPLOYEES, FY2012 47 WAMU 88.5 American University Radio 3 Caryn G. Mathes congratulates the founders of WAMU 88.5 at the station’s 50th anniversary gala at the National Building Museum. Timeline of Station Highlights June 6, 2011 September 16, 2011 WAMU 88.5 News received four awards from the WAMU’s Bluegrass Country moved its antenna to Chesapeake Associated Press Broadcasters Associa- Bethesda, Md., improving reception for 105.5 FM tion (CAPBA). listeners and allowing the station to reach a potential terrestrial radio audience of more than 2 million June 25, 2011 people. The Kojo Nnamdi Show received second place for the Best Call-in Program from the Public Radio News September 27, 2011 Directors, Inc. for two programs focusing on Maryland’s Legendary Washington broadcaster and WAMU 88.5 wiretapping laws. commentator Fred Fiske signed off the airwaves after 64 years on air in Washington and more than July 29, 2011 30 years at WAMU. Metro Connection received a 2010 PASS Award from the National Council on Crime and Delinquency for September 29, 2011 its report on inmates who serve sentences away from Katy Daley, host of The Katy Daley Show on WAMU their families. Bluegrass Country, was named Bluegrass Broadcaster of the Year by the International Bluegrass Music September 4, 2011 Association. Caryn G. Mathes, WAMU 88.5’s general manager, was elected to a three-year term on the NPR Board October 29, 2011 of Directors. WAMU 88.5 celebrated its 50th anniversary with a black-tie gala honoring voices from the station’s September 6, 2011 past and present. WAMU 88.5 launched a redesigned wamu.org, featuring easier navigation, expanded listening options, November 19, 2011 and improved integration of multimedia content and WAMU 88.5’s Metro Connection and the DC Public social media tools. Library began “Door to Door,” a multimedia project documenting the history of District of Columbia September 8, 2011 neighborhoods. The Kojo Nnamdi Show partnered with America Abroad Media for Joined By War: Afghanistan 10 Years Later, December 12, 2011 the third in a series of town hall discussions Longtime Washington traffic reporter Jerry Edwards between audiences in Washington, D.C., and Kabul, returned to WAMU 88.5 as the station’s morning Afghanistan. traffic reporter. WAMU 88.5 American University Radio 4 Actors from Lean and Hungry Theater perform Shakespeare’s The Tempest in the WAMU’s studios. Two residents of the Barry Farms neighborhood in Washington, D.C., featured on Metro Connection’s “Door-to-Door” segment. January 2, 2012 The Kojo Nnamdi Show received a Gracie Award® for WAMU’s Bluegrass Country revamped its schedule the program “The Tech Sector and the Glass Ceiling.” to add two new local programs: The Bob Webster Show and The Chris Teskey Show. March 15, 2012 January 24, 2012 WAMU’s Bluegrass Country began broadcasting from 93.5 FM to listeners in Frederick and Hagerstown, Md. WAMU 88.5 launched American Graduate, a special nine-part series examining the high school dropout March 21, 2012 crisis in the nation’s capital. The Education Writers Association awarded WAMU 88.5 News a first-place award for education reporting. February 2, 2012 American University announced it would purchase April 13, 2012 and renovate a building at 4401 Connecticut Ave., NW, WAMU 88.5 News received two Regional Edward R. to house WAMU 88.5 and WAMU’s Bluegrass Country Murrow Awards for outstanding local reporting from beginning in 2013. the Radio Television Digital News Association. February 20, 2012 April 29, 2012 WAMU 88.5 News joined American Public Media’s WAMU 88.5 was ranked the No. 1 radio station in Public Insight Network of citizen sources for news Washington, D.C., a first in the station’s history. The stories. station posted a 7.5 share of audience in Arbitron’s March 4, 2012 Winter 2012 Survey. WAMU 88.5 and Lean & Hungry Theater partnered to present the live-to-air broadcast adaptation of Shakespeare’s The Tempest. March 5, 2012 WAMU 88.5 American University Radio 5 Audience Update WAMU 88.5 continues in its mission to provide content Audience to WAMU HD2 Bluegrass Country has every day that engages and educates our diverse marked upward growth for three years, culminating community on a local, national, and global level. In in 22,500 listeners in Fall 2011. providing this public service to the Washington- All data comes from Fall 2011 and Winter 2012 Baltimore metropolitan area, the Eastern Shore, and Arbitron PPM, Washington, DC Metro, P6+, Monday- beyond, our mission is to remain the standard for Sunday 6a-Mid and Monday-Friday 6a-10am. lifelong learning through civil discourse, in-depth news, and compelling entertainment. WAMU is com- mitted to multimedia, multi-platform content that STREAMING Statistics FOR WAMU puts an enhanced focus on the local community.