Annual Report July 2016 – June 2017 s one of the oldest public radio stations in the country, New England Public Radio would not be here without your passionate support. A The staff, the NEPR Foundation Board of Directors, and I want to personally thank you for your generosity and for being part of our listening community. Each year, putting our annual report together gives us the opportunity to take a few minutes to reflect on the work we’ve accomplished, and the places we’ve been, and the people we’ve met in our community who have made an impact on our work. FY’17 was a busy year in public media. Election years always are, as listeners tune in to hear thoughtful, well- researched reporting about the candidates, special coverage of debates, the inauguration, and the beginnings of a new president’s first term. Each day since then, NPR has covered the stories coming out of Washington with vigor and with objectivity. You hear no screaming, no arguing. You tune to NEPR for the antidote to that. In this era of so called “fake news”, political polarity, and divisiveness in our country, NEPR and NPR are needed now more than ever. We provide facts, go in-depth with enterprise reporting, and offer opinions from many INSPIRING THROUGH points of view and many walks of life. STORYTELLING Our task in public media is to find a way to see and hear one another; to seek and understand how people feel and to believe that we can get things OF done together. ALL KINDS. This work is not possible without an incredible community of listeners who support New England Public Radio. Whether you’ve been contributing since the early years of WFCR, became a first time donor, or joined us as a new underwriter in 2017, we are incredibly grateful for your support. With your help, we continue to grow in every way. In these pages you’ll read about our recently completed strategic framework, our newest NEPR– produced podcasts, our new digital editor who is helping to make our local reporting richer on nepr.net and on our social media platforms, and all the places you can now hear the NEPR News Network — including in Hampden County on 91.9FM. All this and more is made possible by you, and there is so much more to come. Thank you for your generous support. Keep listening. Thank you, Martin Miller CEO and General Manager NEPR Photo: Joyce Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: STRATEGIC PLAN Strengthen localism by significantly expanding capacity to produce high-quality news/talk programming 1 Now more than ever, the role of public media in our region and around the country is critical. Compelling in-depth journalism is at the heart of NEPR’s mission and will be at the core of what’s next for the station. We endeavor to build on the trust we’ve established with our community for the last 55 years Photo: Ben Brody\The Ben Brody\The Photo: Project GroundTruth by spending the next several years expanding our newsroom, becoming a Photo: Joyce Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: Video Still: Katy Moonan\NEPR Katy Still: Video multi-platform service and diving deeper into the stories that impact our community. his year, New England Public Radio staff along with the NEPR Leverage our assets to expand our service through Foundation Board, embarked on a strategic planning effort all platforms — radio, digital, video, and engagement to take stock of where we are as an organization and to look Across the spectrum, quality journalism no longer is constrained to a single Tto the future. The station’s move in 2014 to new, state-of-the-art 2 platform. NEPR will broaden its reach by being available when and where headquarters in downtown Springfield, and the completion of a five audiences want it by investing in multiple channels including new broadcast year, $8.6 million 50th Anniversary Capital Campaign which helped frequencies, our own website, podcasts, apps and social media. to get us here, are incredible accomplishments for New England Public Radio. Now that we’re established in our new home, we are Engage with the communities of our region ready to turn our attention to what’s next for your public radio NEPR endeavors to deepen our connection to the diverse communities station. of our region, most importantly those that are underrepresented in our listenership (notably people of color and younger people) by sharing Recognizing the rapidly changing media environment, evolving 3 new voices, developing new sources and inspiring new conversations. By audience behavior, and increased competition, our strategic bringing people together in new ways, we will grow our role as a convener framework outlines three essential goals for New England Public of thought, news, culture and commentary, to serve as an authentic voice for Radio over the next three years. our region. community engagement New England Public Radio’s management team is already at authentic voice stories connection inclusion newsroom work developing a multi-year business plan to help us reach these youth education culture goals. Planning for the station’s expanded news focus, new cultural flexible diversity programming and community engagement is underway and we look regional experimentation storytelling digital collaboration forward to updating you as we move ahead with our vision for the future of public radio in western New England. empowerment tools fact-based journalism partnerships reflection music We encourage you to take a look at the full strategic plan, local coverage available on our website at . If you have streaming podcasts NEPR.net/strategicplan outreach expansion questions, or comments, please share them with us by calling 413.735.6600 or emailing [email protected]. NEW IN FY17 In Contrast jj Exploring Culture in the Making with Ilan StavAns In July, NEPR debuted a new podcast called In Contrast, hosted by Ilan Stavans, which explores wide-ranging topics from art to politics through interviews with the people experiencing and defining the issues of the modern world. Recent guests have included such diverse figures as American poet Wendy Barker, children’s book author Norton Juster, Washington Post journalist Wesley Lowery, New York Times op-ed columnist Bret Stephens, The New Yorker foreign-correspondent Robin Wright, and PBS broadcaster Ray Suarez. New episodes of In Contrast are available on the second and fourth Wednesday of each month. You can find all episodes atnepr.net/incontrast , or wherever you get your podcasts. In Episode 5, Ilan Stavans talks with Juster Norton, author of The Phantom Tollbooth VAULT SESSIONS New England Public Radio launched a new live recording project called “The Vault Sessions” through a partnership with Laudable Productions. The Vault Sessions feature intimate video recordings filmed live at NEPR’s space in downtown Springfield. Local and national musicians play a short set in front of the station’s architectural centerpiece — a room–sized vintage bank vault. In April, we debuted “The Value Sessions,” with an acoustic set by Matthew Szlachetka, a Nashville-based musician with roots in western Massachusetts. Other performers have included experimental folk artist and composer Sam Amidon; two of North India’s most revered classical musicians, Ramu Pandit and Rabindra Narayan Goswami; and singer–songwriter, Hayley Reardon. To watch all of our Vault Sessions, visit nepr.net/vaultsessions. Photo: Joyce Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: NEPR FOUNDATION also made to the board’s Executive was hired to anchor the morning Committee. In addition to Angelika news program on a full time basis. Anglika Melien was named president Melien becoming Board President, Heather Brandon also joined the of the New England Public Radio Robert Feldman is now First Vice NEPR newsroom in September. She Foundation this year, and we President, Carey Baker the Clerk/ is the station's first Digital News Secretary and Tim Boomer the Editor. Heather comes to NEPR from Treasurer. The New England Public NPR affiliate WNPR in Hartford, Radio Foundation is an independent, Connecticut, where she worked nonprofit organization created as Digital Content Manager and with the purpose of conducting Digital Editor, spearheading many of fundraising activities for NEPR and the station's digital initiatives. She to guarantee the station’s future as a also previously produced WNPR premier public media organization. talk shows and news broadcasts. Photo: Joyce Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: NEPR is committed to delivering Roxie Pin NEPR STAFF high quality digital content to our Photo: Joyce Skowyra\NEPR Joyce Photo: from Barrington Stage Company At the end of May, we said goodbye listeners, readers and social media in Pittsfield, Massachusetts where Anglika Melien followers on nepr.net, and through welcomed several new members to to two familiar New England she headed the development our podcast offerings. You can find the board. Tim Boomer (formerly Public Radio voices. Henry Epp, department from 2012-2016. Her 30- expanded coverage of many local an advisor to the board), Kathleen the local host of Morning Edition year career in development began stories at nepr.net or by following Dugas, Shannon Gurek, Patricia since 2014, moved to Vermont for at Clark University in Worcester, NEPR on social media. Hallberg, Sura Levine and Jamina his new position as the host of All Massachusetts and took her to Smith We also welcomed Roxie Pin to Scippio-McFadden all joined the Things Considered at VPR. Susan College School for Social Work NEPR’s development department. foundation as directors. Former Kaplan, the local host of All Things in Northampton, Massachusetts, In her new role as Senior Major Gifts Board President Paul Lambert Considered at NEPR, joined the where she managed the graduate Officer, Roxie works directly with has transitioned to Immeadiate newsroom at WGBH in Boston.