Report to the Community 2015 Letter from the President
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NASHVILLE PUBLIC TELEVISION REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY 2015 LETTER FROM THE PRESIDENT Kathy Mattea taping an Aging Matters segment Commitment to our Subsequently they play a crucial role in inform- We are also developing projects based on a community is one ing our major projects such as Aging Matters. much younger demographic through the Amer- of NPT’s core values. ican Graduate public media initiative. Our NPT This year we took this Now in its third year, Aging Matters is truly Reports projects in this area involves numerous especially to heart as one of the most important projects with which discussions with parents, students, teachers and we focused on expand- I’ve been involved in my career. The issues other stakeholders. The resulting videos and lon- ing the impact of our facing seniors and our broader community, ger features reveal crucial topics concerning the key projects through as more of us grow older, will have a long- education of Middle Tennessee’s young people. numerous screen- lasting impact on the future of Nashville. ings, discussions and Education and awareness are critical With shows including Downton Abbey, Tennessee workshops with partner elements in helping to foster changes that Crossroads, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline and organizations through- will ensure the best possible outcomes for NOVA you can always count on television that out the region. our seniors. touches hearts and minds on NPT. In the months ahead, we will share more projects that contin- Our commitment to serving Middle Tennessee With Aging Matters, we are working to tell the ue to spotlight important issues that encourage has always encompassed so much more than whole story about aging. Through documen- viewers to engage with NPT and their neighbors. what you see on the television screen. Every taries that highlight concerns, challenges and week we are out in the community, talking to realities faced by seniors, we hope to combat Sincerely, our audiences about important issues such stereotypes and misconceptions about what it as aging, immigration and education. These means to be an older adult. This also taps into conversations give voice to your concerns a larger national dialogue about the way we Beth Curley and the issues that are affecting your life. approach aging and the elderly. President & CEO 2 BOARD OF DIRECTORS OFFICERS Michael A. Koban, Jr., Chairman Beth Curley, President and CEO Robert V. Dale, Treasurer Cristina Welhoelter, Secretary DIRECTORS Scott E. Becker Jennifer R. Frist Jeff W. Gregg William W. Hastings Carlene M. Lebous Jack D. Lowery, Jr. Charlie McCarter Eleanor McDonald John S. Sergent, M.D. Yanika C. Smith-Bartley Jessica J. Thomas Karen H. Thompson Denine Torr Timothy J. Walsh Peggy Warner Peter Westerholm EMERITUS Charles W. Cook, Jr. Ben R. Rechter STAFF Beth Curley, President and CEO Kathy McElroy, Vice President and CFO Kevin Crane, Vice President of Content and Technology Daniel Tidwell, Vice President of Development and Marketing ON THE COVER Downton Abbey, Season 5 Ken Burns’ The Roosevelts: An Intimate History 3 NPT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS WESSYNGTON PLANTATION DESPERATE DAYS RECONSTRUCTION The Tennessee Civil War 150 project concluded this year with three new documen- taries featuring regional historians and nearby locales. The series received the Public Relations and Media Award given by the Tennessee Society of the Daughters of the Revolution earlier this year. The organization was impressed by the depth and breadth of the presentation of the events of the Civil War in Tennessee and its effect on the lives of Tennesseans. Wessyngton Plantation: Wessyngton Plantation: A Family’s Road to A Family’s Road to Freedom Freedom tells the story of one family’s long connection to a Middle Tennessee tobacco Desperate Days: Last Hope of the Reconstruction: A Moment in the Sun, plantation where generations of them were Confederacy begins three years into the the final documentary in the series, is a enslaved. The documentary was inspired by Civil War and documents the central role riveting tale of revenge, domestic terror and a Tennessee State Museum exhibit Slaves Tennessee played as the South reckoned broken promises after the Civil War. The film and Slaveholders of Wessyngton Plantation with depleted manpower and resources as chronicles how advances made by formerly and the book that led to it – John F. Baker Jr.’s well as a series of stinging defeats. enslaved people were quashed through The Washingtons of Wessyngton Plantation. various means. 4 NPT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS CAREGIVING ECONOMICS OF AGING AGING IN PLACE healthcare and other fields, the documentary examines various scenarios of requirements such as long-term care and living longer. AGING MATTERS tion, that of providing care for older people, Hosted by Grammy-winning singer and whether a little help around the house or more NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Aging in Place, songwriter Kathy Mattea, the NPT Reports: extensive and life-sustaining attention. As the the fifth documentary in the series, explores Aging Matters series explores how Americans documentary shows, our reliance on informal what it really takes for elderly citizens to suc- – particularly those in Middle Tennessee – arrangements and a fragmented system has cessfully age in their own homes, including approach the realities of growing older. This implications for recipients and providers of available transportation; accessibility within fiscal year we completed three Aging Matters care – especially as we face a boom in the the home and surrounding environment; and documentaries; each broadcast premiere was aging population. the existence of a supportive community. paired with a pre-recorded panel discussion on related topics. We also created 26 short NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Economics of Aging Matters is made possible by the support Aging Matters updates on pertinent topics. Aging examines the sobering facts regarding of Cigna-HeathSpring, The West End Home Americans’ preparedness for meeting the Foundation, The HCA Foundation, Jeannette NPT Reports: Aging Matters: Caregiving costs of their senior years. Through conver- Travis Foundation and The Community covers an integral part of the aging equa- sations with retirees and experts in finance, Foundation of Middle Tennessee. 5 NPT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS NEXT DOOR NEIGHBORS NPT’s Emmy Award-winning Next Door cultural city and used Next Door Neighbors: Neighbors series continued to tell the stories Community from 2014 as a key discussion of Nashville’s newest citizens through a series element. Over 100 community members, or- of ten short features and one longer docu- ganizations and businesses attended. Partic- mentary. Next Door Neighbors: New Begin- ipants listened to immigrant stories and had nings, the eighth documentary in the series, the opportunity to connect with community focuses on refugees from Rwanda, Haiti and organizations serving immigrant populations. Burma. Nashville’s Public Library system requested This year our Next Door Neighbors docu- screenings of the series at five branches over mentaries were distributed through the World the course of the year. NPT also conducted Channel, an alternative public television chan- eight corporate screenings with documenta- nel. NPT also continued to extend the impact ries from the series. Finally, a highlight reel of Next Door Neighbors: Bhutanese Screening at Nissan of Next Door Neighbors through screenings, the series was produced to offer an overview discussions and other community events. of the compelling stories told in the films. In February 2015, Lipscomb University hosted Next Door Neighbors is made possible by the a major event on Nashville’s future as a multi- support of The Nissan Foundation. 6 NPT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS TENNESSEE CROSSROADS VOLUNTEER GARDENER Tennessee Crossroads’ 28th season brought Volunteer Gardener produced 23 new shows viewers 42 new stories and continued to be in 2014-2015. “I continue to be awestruck by one of the highest-rated, locally produced the passion people have for growing and programs in the entire PBS system. In nurturing a favorite type of plant,” said November 2014, the fifth annual Tennessee Greta Requierme, the show’s producer. Crossroads Thanksgiving Day Marathon “It can quickly turn into an obsession, some- presented 15 hours of Crossroads favorites thing they readily admit.” This year, Volunteer and travel specials to viewers. The marathon Gardener spotlighted people for whom that aired from 7 a.m. to 7 p.m. on NPT2 and is certainly true. For example, the Brentwood then switched over to NPT from 7 to 10 p.m. gardens of the current president of the Amer- for an additional three hours of shows. ican Daffodil Society include several types of miniatures, species and historics of the flower. Volunteer Gardener also profiled a conifer collector with more than 600 specimens. 7 NPT ORIGINAL PRODUCTIONS ARTS BREAK Arts Break continued to provide viewers with a look inside Nashville’s vibrant visual and performing arts scene. 15 new epi- sodes featured Andy Warhol’s Flowers at Cheekwood, a season of events at OZ Arts Nashville and Nashville Ballet’s production of Swan Lake among other topics. ARTQUEST Two-time Emmy Award-winning series ArtQuest: Art is All Around You continued to introduce children to experiencing and understanding art. Compare Kandinsky and Engineering Art and 13 other new segments used exhibition visits and talks with creators to keep young minds flowing with creativity. 8 NPT AWARDS Children’s Health Crisis: Food won the Emmy Award in the Public Affairs category, with awards going to NPT producer Will Pedigo and editor Matthew Emigh. Two NPT productions received Emmy Awards for outstanding programs from the Mid-South Chap- Two NPT productions were recognized by the ter of the National Academy of Arts and Sciences. National Educational Telecommunications ArtQuest: Art Is All Around You, a co-production Association. Aging Matters: End of Life with the Frist Center for the Visual Arts, won for Best received a NETA Award for Best Documentary; Children’s Program with statuettes going to pro- while ArtQuest: Art Is All Around You received ducer and writer Linda Wei, editor Matthew Emigh a NETA Award for Instructional Media.