2014 Annual Report 1963 First staff member, Clair Tettemer, hired, 1964 and first television antenna erected. KFME signs on. 1965 Prairie Public’s first television The Carnegie program: a 60-hour 1967 Commission English literature course. coins the phrase “public television.” 1969 Public Broadcasting Service 1970 established. We all learn how to get to “Sesame Street.” National 1971 Public Radio 1976 established. “SPIN” with Cal Olson and “Peek at the Week.” 1980 “North Dakota This Week” and 1981 “Boyd Christenson Interviews .” Prairie Public Radio established. 1987 Prairie School Television offers a world of learning to 1989 60,000 students across the state. Remember Abercrombie and Sweet Violet? 1991 “¡Hablemos Espanol!, a Spanish language 1992 course, debuts. Network infrastructure includes all of North Dakota. 1993 CEO Dennis Falk receives North Dakota Broadcasting Association’s 1994 highest honor, the Pioneer Award. Prairie Online is a forerunner of social networking. 1995 Prairie Satellite Network inaugurated 1996 at 76 sites across the state. Radio translators installed to reach seven 2000 underserved areas. Public media expands to 2006 new online platforms. Corporate identity Transition to digital television changes to and radio broadcasts allows for Prairie Public. multiple program streams. 2009 Prairie Public celebrates 50 years 2011 of providing quality radio, television, View or listen anytime, and public media services anywhere on mobile that educate, involve, devices. and inspire the people 2014 of the prairie region. Prairie Public Broadcasting, Inc. Fiscal Year 2014 began October 1, 2013, and ended September 30, 2014 Prairie Public Broadcasting is a trusted public media service dedicated to building an exciting and productive future for our region and its people by offering a window on the world and creating a forum for discussion of important issues. When you support Prairie Public, Prairie Public Broadcasting your contribution goes to work to make great television and radio provides quality radio, programs happen. It works to secure the very best of PBS and NPR programming, along with high- television, and public media quality, original productions created to meet your interests and needs. services that educate, Individual and community support is a crucial part of Prairie Public’s involve, and inspire the success, and this annual report celebrates our dedicated partners people of the prairie region. and contributors. Prairie Public is a member of Prairie Public is a member of NPR, a the Public Broadcasting Service, privately supported, nonprofit membership a private, nonprofit corporation organization that serves its audience in that provides quality television partnership with independently operated, programming and related services. noncommercial public radio stations. 2 AN EYE ON THE FUTURE We move at a lively pace here Public media is not just a provider at Prairie Public. of good radio and television Our days are programming. We have a strong filled with live commitment to the arts, news broadcasts, and public affairs, and high-quality interviews and content for education. We believe video shoots, in excellence, professionalism, pre-production intellectual honesty, and and post- transparency. We are in the business production, outreach activities, of providing educational experiences, networking, scheduling, fundraising, using the power of radio and and myriad other activities. television to inform and inspire. But we’re always looking toward the As we create the public media future—the future of public media system of the future, we must re- in our region and of the people it imagine how we fulfill our mission. serves. After all, public media is We harness every single resource, about lifelong learning. both local and national, and every single platform, to serve the public Since we celebrated Prairie Public’s with quality content. 50th anniversary this year, we’ve had an opportunity to reflect on how much We are innovators. We have five we’ve grown. Yet what’s especially decades of experience creating exciting are the opportunities that distinctive educational content, and lie ahead. we know that public media holds a special place in your heart and the We understand the changing ways the hearts and minds of all the people public consumes information. We are in our region. in the midst of a radical change in the technology of media, and public We’re dreaming big. Just as our media is up to the task. founders did 50 years ago. These changes in technology require Thank you for making it all possible. new thinking, and new inspiration, You make a difference. from everyone in our industry. Technology will continue to evolve, and we are evolving with it. We are moving forward with confidence to fulfill our public service mission, using the best of the future’s technology and platforms. We are building on what makes public media John Harris so unique and so powerful, in order Prairie Public to imagine the public broadcasting President & CEO system of tomorrow. Prairie Public is committed to respect for the individual and our audience, to lifelong learning, civil discourse, and our regional identity. Those who work at Prairie Public take pride in our programming and our service, expressing it through honesty and accuracy, a strong work ethic, teamwork, workplace diversity, effective stewardship of gifts and talents, and good humor. 3 In 1965, Prairie Public began TELEVISION production of its first instructional THAT programs–a 60-hour English literature course; a program that introduced MATTERS teachers to the uses of public television programs in the classroom titled Teachers Orientation; and Art About Us, an instructional series hosted by Fargo art teacher Bruce McGhie. Television has become more sophisticated. Today, public television can deliver its award-winning science, nature, children’s, arts, and how-to programming in high-definition clarity with web resources to extend the learning experiences. In 1959, Dr. Ted Donat and a group of like-minded partners formed the North Central Prairie Public continues with its Educational Television Association mission to educate, involve, and inspire to bring educational television to our with programs that serve audiences region. The number of homes with a through the positive, creative treatment television set had skyrocketed to 90 of concerns to humankind. In 2014, the percent, and educational television’s Prairie Public production I Am A Person time had come. Dr. Donat’s vision was awarded first place in The Gabriel became a reality on Sunday, Awards, designed to honor works of January 19, 1964, when KFME excellence in film, network, and cable Channel 13 sent the first public television and radio programs. television signal across these prairies. Prairie Public has always served as an accessible forum for our region, with classics such as Spin, Prairie News Journal, and Peek at the Week informing viewers in past decades. Today, Prairie Pulse hosts conversations with newsmakers and explores the arts, history, and culture of our region. First Broadcasts TELEVISION Prairie Public’s television 1964 KFME Fargo programs are as varied as its audience. 1974 KGFE Grand Forks In 2014, viewers grooved with Prairie 1974 Cable Winnipeg Musicians, were creative with Painting 1979 KBME Bismarck with Paulson, and appreciated 1980 KSRE Minot regional art and celebrated community 1982 KDSE Dickinson accomplishments with Prairie Mosaic— 1983 KWSE Williston all from the comfort of their living room chairs—via their television set or with 1992 KJRE Ellendale their desktop or handheld devices. 2005 KCGE Crookston 2008 KMDE Devils Lake 4 2014 Television Productions 6 Brothers Fargo Film Festival Preview Show 2014 North Dakota State of the State 2014 Governor Address and Democrat Response The Little Country Theatre: 100 Years at North Dakota State University Ongoing Series Painting with Paulson, Season Fifteen Prairie Mosaic, Season Five Prairie Musicians, Season Four Prairie Pulse, Season Twelve 5 Public radio continues to evolve, RADIO WITH with online and on-air products delivering signature news and entertainment programs SUBSTANCE to people on the go. Listeners can stream radio broadcasts, stock up on the latest podcasts from NPR and Prairie Public, and they can use NPR One, a new audio app that connects their mobile devices to a stream of public radio news and stories curated for an individual’s preferences. Prairie Public helped North Dakota celebrate 125 years of statehood in 2014 with special “Countdown to Statehood” essays written by historian Jim Davis on Dakota Datebook, and hosted Thomas Jefferson, actually Clay Jenkinson—pictured on the right with Bill Thomas, Doug Hamilton, and Ashley On September 1, 1981, Thornberg—at a live taping of news director Dave Thompson The Jefferson Hour. turned on his microphone and delivered KCND-FM’s first radio broadcast. Since then, Prairie Public’s radio news team Prairie Public’s distinctive radio has been earning accolades for its coverage service has spread to cover every of local and regional news since the first corner of the state and is widely broadcast. In 2014, the team was honored recognized for excellence. But our with Sevareid Awards for the reports titled greatest reward is the knowledge Minot: Rebuilding Dreams, produced by that Prairie Public is a trusted Dave Thompson, and for Cavalier Flooding, partner in the everyday lives of produced by Danielle Webster and Todd thousands of our listeners. McDonald; and for