2 0 1 4 A N N U A L R E P O R T

Illinois Public Media

TO EACH OTHER, OUR COMMUNITY AND OUR WORLD

connecting us

As a source of culture, news, lifelong learning and entertainment, Illinois Public Media holds a unique position in our communities. During 2014, we convened political debates and investigated issues that matter to people who live here. We invited U of I history professors to keep a crowd spellbound with stories about the Roosevelts, and showed teachers how to use digital media to help kids learn.

On-air and online, we offer you the world through the valued programming of NPR and PBS, but also connect you to local news, classical music with commentary tailored to our audience, advice about your garden from regional experts, interviews with pioneering Illinoisans, and agricultural news.

We link users of our service to people, resources and knowledge. Thanks to your support, we make life better in our community.

Moss Bresnahan President and CEO

• WILL reporters investigated the need for more mental health resources in our community with a series on barriers to accessing care and the ongoing battle against stigma.

• During 2014’s election season, WILL brought 13th Congressional District candidates together in our TV studio for debates seen across the region, and joined forces with WTVP in Peoria for Illinois gubernatorial primary and general election debates. Illinois Public Media News was honored with awards during 2014 including:

Our stories rise aboveAWARD-WINNING NEWS AND PUBLIC AFFAIRS

★ Outstanding News Operation in the downstate radio division of the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association Journalism Excellence Contest, and two first place awards for a radio feature about the Polar Express rolling into Monticello.

★ Regional Edward R. Murrow Awards for Gifford tornado coverage and a story on the Affordable Care Act’s effects on incarceration and recidivism rates.

★ Three national awards from Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, including a first place award for breaking news coverage of the Gifford tornado, and second place for a Focus program on “Parenting a Transgender Child.”

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Tiffany

Ryan WeberAmanda Tugade

Tiffany Jolley

Lise Graham

We make agriculture everyone’s businessFARMERS AND AG BUSINESSES COUNT ON OUR REPORTING AND ANALYSIS

330Hours a year of agricultural analysis, news, and weather on WILL-AM

2,250 Subscribers to Illinois Public Media’s agricultural eNewsletter

93,535Number of times people listened to a willag.org audio feature.

Our new WILLAg Farm Assets Conference

drew 228 producers to Bloomington-Normal

on Nov. 24. It built on the long-time success

of our March All-Day Ag Outlook meeting,

which drew 410 producers.

Lisa

U OF I COLLEGE OF MEDIA STUDENTS LEARN IN OUR NEWSROOM

Our interns go on to do great things

Ryan Weber, copy editor at the Washington Post “A print story can move me emotionally, but it might take an 8,000-word piece to do it. With radio you can touch someone and get to the heart of a story in three minutes.”

Amanda Tugade “Radio is uncharted territory. I’m really excited to see what I can do with it.”

Tiffany Jolley (Mullally intern) “I hope by the time I leave WILL, I’ll be able to capture the magic tradition-ally seen in NPR stories.”

Lise Graham “Public media is the most sincere media option. It all comes back to the honesty and transparency. It’s a liberated but unappreciated mechanism that we have.”

Tiffany

2,297Number of Twitter followers for WILLAg’s Dave Dickey and Todd Gleason

We make agriculture everyone’s businessFARMERS AND AG BUSINESSES COUNT ON OUR REPORTING AND ANALYSIS

Photo: Steve Parker, University of Illinois ACES ITCS

Book Mentor Project

EARLY CHILDHOOD CLASSROOMS SERVED

700

FAMILIES

4,248 BOOKS PROVIDED TO

4275

COMMUNITY VOLUNTEERS

HELPING KIDS AND TEACHERS LEARN

We help maximize every child’s potential

Book Mentor Project

42

PBS Learning Media WILL Education’s Favorite 3 resources from PBS LearningMedia

Our educational outreach coordinator, Suzanne Linder, picked these from among 88,000 free resources made available to the more than 25,000 Illinois teachers who have signed up to use the service.

• KQED’s Art School Collection introduces students to contemporary artists in their studios and includes hands-on lessons for art projects including printmaking, skratching, graffiti, animation, portraiture, filmmaking and graphic art.

• Frankenstein, MD from PBS Digital Studios is a Web series that updates the Frankenstein story to modern day, referencing science ethics, the history of monster movies, as well as Mary Shelley’s novel.

• SciGirls High Tech Fashion Design shows students how to add functional LEDS to clothing, teaching the basics of circuitry design along the way.

In collaboration with other Illinois public broadcasters, WILL conducted trainings for Illinois teachers showing them how to make the most of PBS LearningMedia resources. WILL is taking steps to become a content producer for the service to create lessons to fill content gaps in math and science, and Illinois history.

Vic’s DJ Sessions

OUR HOSTS OFFER CLASSICAL MUSIC INSIGHTS

We’re playing your song

In October, WILL-FM Classic Mornings host Vic Di Geronimo selected pieces for a classical version of the DJ Sessions segment of NPR’s Here and Now. His picks:

• Domenico Scarlatti, Sonata in D minor, K. 141, Sérgio & Odair Assad

• Franz Schubert, Three Piano Pieces (1828) No. 2, D. 946, Maria João Pires: piano

• Gioachino Rossini, Il signor Bruschino Overture, English Chamber Orchestra

• Johannes Brahms, Hungarian Dance No. 5 in G minor, London Symphony Orchestra

• Antonio Vivaldi, Concerto in D minor for 2 recorders, 2 oboes, 2 violins, bassoon, strings and basso continuo, RV 566: 1. Allegro Assai; Maurice Steger: recorder, I Barocchisti

WILL-FM’s The Evening Concert:

• expanded to Sunday nights, increasing our locally programmed music by 104 hours a year.

• broadened its range of classical music by airing entire series of concerts from groups such as the Chicago Symphony and New York Philharmonic. “We included a wider variety of styles and eras, more premieres and a wider range of performers, some famous, and some soon-to-be famous,” said WILL-FM’s Vincent Trauth, who selects music for The Evening Concert.

• featured 11 different central Illinois orchestras and ensembles on Friday night’s Prairie Performances.

Photo: Todd Rosenberg

The Evening Concert expansion

science

HOST DAVID INGE CONNECTS YOU WITH ILLINOIS PIONEERS

Presenting our trailblazers

justicephilanthropy

OPERATING REVENUES 2014 2013

University funding .....................................1,256,798 ...........2,043,891 ........21%Membership contributions .......................2,260,719 ...........2,402,102 ........37%Program underwriting ...............................398,785 ..............369,302 ...........7%State grants ..............................................230,149 ..............195,723 ...........4%Other grants .............................................48,340 ................67,658 .............1%Community Service Grants and other federal grants 1,697,403 ...........1,339,090 ........28%Other income ...........................................129,471 ..............97,389 .............2%Total operating revenues 6,021,665 6,515,155Non-operating revenues Indirect support ........................................3,191,888 ...........2,964,163Other ........................................................1,552,885 ...........1,371,149

Total revenues 10,766,438 10,850,467

FISCAL 2014 FINANCIAL REPORT

% 2014 REVENUES

Rita Garman

Shozo Sato

Rainer Martens

Fred Kummerow

May Berenbaum

Howard Buffett

Murray Wise

arts

banking

agriculture

music

business

OPERATING EXPENSES 2014 2013

Local programming and production .........3,930,919 .......... 3,992,688 ..........41%Broadcasting and promotion ....................2,518,362 .......... 2,129,267 ..........26%Development ............................................2,011,057 .......... 1,842,369 .........21%Management and general ........................883,150 ............. 1,040,754 ..........9%Other ........................................................228,453 ............. 563,919 .............3%

Total operating expenses 9,571,941 9,568,997

% 2014 EXPENSES

mentoring

Ed Scharlau

Preston Jackson

Ollie Watts Davis

Nina Paley

Mark Rubel

Jeff Perkins

THANKS to the Friends of WILL for your membership support!

CONNECT WITH US

@willpublicmedia

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WILL Radio mobile app Info at will.illinois.edu/willradioapp

Instagram @willpublicmedia

Our experts cultivate community

Q: When pruning a tree, do I need to treat the cuts? A: No. The cut will heal naturally if no stump is left.

Q: What is a good cutting height for my lawn? A: A height of 2 ½ to 3 ½ inches results in a healthier lawn.

Q: Do I cut back roses in the fall? A: No, wait until spring. Look for any winter injury and remove it. You can also prune them to create a nicer shape or shorter height.

Q: My zucchini plant was growing well, then it just collapsed. What happened? A: Most likely, squash borer happened. Eggs hatch into larvae that bore into the stem. With enough damage, the plant collapses almost overnight.

Q: Why didn’t my daffodils flower this spring? A: If the foliage was cut back after flowering (last year) while it was still green, then the bulb wasn’t able to store food reserves. Also, over-crowding of bulbs will decrease flowering.