WSKG

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B R I A N S I C K O R A Did You Know?Dear Friends of WSKG, As we wrap up the fiscal year, I want to share with you some of the many ways your generous support has made a difference, both here at WSKG and throughout our community. Thanks to you, and others like you, WSKG received over $1.5M in membership donations and ended the year with over 11,000 members. Not only is that a 2% increase from the previous year, it is also the first increase in our membership since 2005. So thank you to all of those who decided to renew your membership to WSKG and to those who are our newest members. It is these donations that enable us to serve our community by producing local content. Last year, WSKG produced Season 4 of our television show Expressions, featuring talented local artists and musicians. We also produced content featuring locally relevant issues, such as the technology and economy reports in WSKG Radio’s Innovation Trail and a four-part television series, Pathways to Understanding: Our Energy Future, on energy issues in the region. In addition to producing substantial local content, WSKG conducted over 70 community events last year. Over 13,000 community members attended these events that ranged from Sid the Science Kid: WSKG Science in the Park for children to screenings and community discussions throughout the region of The Freedom Riders, a PBS documentary on the Civil Rights Movement. So what’s in store for Fiscal Year 2012? On September 16th, a new classical series of Expressions began with Anastasia Rizikov, a remarkably talented 12-year-old pianist. This December, WSKG will premiere two original documentaries, Johnson and Watson, produced by WSKG’s Brian Frey. And throughout 2012, we will continue to produce new episodes of Community Conversation to explore topics of local interest and importance.

Every day, WSKG strives to make a difference in our community. Thank you for making our efforts possible. Sincerely,

Brian SickoraPresident & CEOWSKG Public Broadcasting

WSKG began broadcasting in 1968 and is named after Dr. Stanley Kiehl Gambell, a Binghamton clergyman and educator. Dr. Gambell was also the founder of the award-winning children’s show Stories Revisited.

WSKG’s studios are located in the former Willow Point Elementary School in Vestal, New York. What was a gymnasium is now an HD Television studio where WSKG hosts live music concerts as part of our weekly Expressions arts show. And what was once a cafeteria now houses our digital public radio studios.

WSKG has been broadcasting classical music since 1975. The first piece of music broadcast on WSKG Radio was Camille Saint-Saen’s Organ Symphony.

WSKG is locally owned and operated by a Board of Trustees that’s comprised of representatives from WSKG’s 21-county coverage area.

WSKG provides award-winning services and learning opportunities for the youngest learners in the region. The Binghamton Association for the Education of Young Children recognized WSKG as the 2010 Friend of the Young Child for supporting and advocating for children’s opportunities for growth and learning.

WSKG Radio reaches over 90,000 listeners every week. Thanks in part to WSKG’s five transmitters in Binghamton, Ithaca, Corning, Hornell and Oneonta, you can find WSKG’s classical music and NPR’s news coverage on your radio in 21 counties in south-central New York and northern Pennsylvania. And, of course, you can listen to WSKG Radio anywhere in the world with an internet connection. Just click “Listen Live” on the homepage at WSKG.org!

WSKG works with hundreds of community partners to produce Community Conversation, a forum for respectful discussion of important community issues on WSKG Radio. We’ve addressed critical topics such as caring for an aging parent, domestic violence and natural gas drilling.

WSKG’s documentary The Flood of ’35 won two New York State Emmy Awards for best historical documentary and for best writing for a documentary. This is especially noteworthy given the significant amount and high caliber of competition originating from New York City filmmakers.

T E L E V I S I O N R A D I O

Move It! Season 2As the broadcast component of WSKG’s Working on Wellness (WOW) initiative, our award-winning television show, Move It!, highlights the many ways children can eat more sensibly and can exercise creatively to stay active and fit. Through many community partners, Move It! features a variety of local organizations and opportunities to keep kids healthy. Expressions Season 4 WSKG continues to showcase the “Art and Soul” of the Southern Tier with our popular art and music show, Expressions. We kicked off our fourth season with six live shows during the summer of 2010. The series featured performances by Donna the Buffalo, Driftwood and more. We continued the season in October with a special Classical series featuring local legend John Covelli and Binghamton native David Heiss with Warren Jones, as well as the Madrigal Choir of Binghamton. New ShowsWSKG TV is always looking to bring new and popular shows to our schedule beyond thewonderful staples from PBS. This year we acquired several highly requested programs including Doc Martin, a brand new season of Midsomer Murders and special programming around the William and Kate Royal Wedding in April. Pathways to Understanding: Our Energy FutureWSKG applied for and received a grant from the Howland Foundation to address growing concern for reusable energy in our region. We produced two, 30-minute television shows focusing on solar, wind and bio-mass energy sources and solutions. Transmission UpgradesOften one of the most important daily activities performed at WSKG is also one of the most overlooked. WSKG operates several transmitters throughout our 21 county viewing area. Every day, our engineers brave the elements and the terrain to perform upgrades and repairs for many of our transmission sites. They complete vital work to keep the radio and television our viewers count on broadcasting uninterrupted.

The Innovation TrailThe Innovation Trail, a five-station partnership funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, has allowed WSKG to access the quality work of four reporters around the state and allowed us to hire a full-time reporter of our own to cover innovation and the upstate economy. To date, this has resulted in 340 original pieces of content produced for radio, in addition to online use via WSKGNews.org and innovationtrail.org. WSKG’s reporter received four Special Mentions from the New York State Associated Press Broadcast Awards. WSKGNewsIn January 2010, WSKGNews.org, WSKG’s regional news blog, launched. The site features links to Innovation Trail content, Associated Press stories and WSKG’s locally produced interviews and stories. WSKGNews.org has averaged nearly 2,000 views per month since January. Marcellus ShaleIn November 2010, WSKG Radio’s Crystal Sarakas was asked to host a forum on Marcellus Shale held at Ithaca College.

Guests at the Expressions Summer Concert Series. The Makepeace Brothers perform.

WSKG staff go on-air.

E D U C A T I O N C O M M U N I T YE N G A G E M E N T

WOWWSKG continued to engage our community through Working on Wellness (WOW), a three-year grant project focused on increasing awareness of the childhood obesity epidemic. Together, with a myriad of community partners, WSKG facilitated seventeen events and contests reaching and educating over 5,000 children regarding the importance of health and wellness. LiteracyWSKG supported the need for accessible, authentic literacy education for the early childhood and K-5 audience through our strong television and PBS KIDS presence, in addition to interactive outreach events and literacy themed contests. WSKG worked with fourteen community partners including school districts and Early Childhood Centers to directly bring over 3,000 children literacy-rich experiences. STEMWSKG collaborated with twelve community partners to offer experiential Science, Technology, Engineering and Math (STEM) learning opportunities for children ages 0-17. This work was aligned with national and state learning standards and augmented by popular, educator-created PBS KIDS programming such as Sid the Science Kid, Cyberchase and Dinosaur Train. WSKG and partners hosted twelve community events directly engaging 3,300 students. Professional Development Committed to serving the professional development needs of our Early Childhood Caregiver and K-12 Teachers, WSKG hosted workshops throughout our region. Topics included STEM, Literacy, Health/Wellness, Diversity & Social Education and best practices for incorporating Media into the Curriculum. WSKG interacted directly with over 300 educators during the year.

Leadership and Community DevelopmentWSKG is strategically focused on strengthening the quality of life in our broadcast region through support of leadership and community development initiatives, including work with the Greater Binghamton Chamber of Commerce Leadership Broome and Building Bridges Programs, MST Connect in Corning, the Livable Communities Alliance, the Catalysts for Intellectual Capital (CIC 2020) at Binghamton University and the We Live New York Summit in Ithaca.

Family Violence PreventionWSKG and the Family Violence Prevention Council partnered to educate the community about the dynamics and consequences of family violence by hosting nine screenings and talkbacks featuring WPSU’s Telling Amy’s Story, a documentary of a tragic case of domestic violence homicide.

Blueprint AmericaSupported by a grant from WNET, the Blueprint America initiative targeted community members, professional planners and young people. Activities included a regional essay contest, production of radio news features, special television and radio show airings and a public screening of the PBS documentary, Beyond the Motor City. Aaron Woolf, the producer, made a special guest appearance and participated in a community panel discussion with regional leaders and the general public.

Freedom RidersWSKG partnered with community organizations to address issues of citizenship and civic responsibility by highlighting the 50th anniversary of the historic Freedom Rides. In addition to comprehensive digital resources, WSKG held five screenings of the American Experience production Freedom Riders throughout our broadcast region with community talkbacks afterward. 230 individuals attended these events in anticipation of the national premier of the film on May 16, 2011.

Who do you want to be when you grow up?

Having fun at WSKG Educational and Community Engagement events!

D E V E L O P M E N T

Innovation in FundraisingIn our role as an aggregator of community information, WSKG featured the work of the Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties in our Fall 2010 WSKG Radio fundraiser. Listener contributions enabled us to exceed our goal by over $32,000 and triggered material and service donations to Habitat from area businesses, including Builders Best Do It Center, Finger Lakes Electric Supply Company, JB Smith Heating & Air Conditioning, Paul Yaman Construction and Dean Shea of Sunny Brook Builders.

Leadership SocietyMembership in WSKG’s Leadership Society, comprised of individuals who make WSKG a priority in their philanthropic giving, grew by 68%, while revenue from this select group of individuals rose to $206,780 in Fiscal Year 2011. Many Leadership Society members have made use of special benefits such as the Lending Library of primetime television programs and complimentary DVDs of WSKG-produced documentaries. Our staff has enjoyed meeting Leadership Society members at the station for Expressions tapings and at arts venues throughout our coverage area.

Sustaining MembersA newer category of donors, Sustaining Members, has shown outstanding growth from 74 to 1,171 participants. By designating a never-ending contribution from a savings, checking or credit card account, Sustaining Members provide the station with a stable source of income, eliminate the cost of renewal and installment reminders and reduce the cost of processing payments.

Television FundraisingBy acquiring new resources and better utilization of existing ones, the Television Programming and Development teams have increased collaboration on scheduling, resulting in consistent growth in revenue during WSKG TV fundraisers. During Fiscal Year 2011, contributions from television fundraisers totalled $224,000, up from the $168,000 mark in Fiscal Year 2010.

Neil Byrne of Celtic Thunder helps answer phones during a television fundraiser appearance.

F I N A N C I A L S

Membership Revenue

Underwriting Revenue

New York State Funding

Federal CPB Funding

Grants

Other Income

Rental Income

37%

8%

20%

20%

5%

2%

8%

RevenuesFY 2011

Educational & Outreach

TV & Radio Operations

TV & Radio Programming

Engineering & IT

Administrative/Finance

Membership & Underwriting

ExpensesFY 2011

4%

22%

24%

18%

16%

16%

In FY 2011, WSKG’s annual operating budget was $4.5 million. $1,697,795 (37%) of our total annual operating budget comes directly from membership revenue. Federal and state funding combine for $1,814,387 (40%) of the annual budget. WSKG spent $1,892,190 (24%) of our total expenses on TV and Radio Programming and Fees.

L E A D E R S H I P S O C I E T YB O A R D O F T R U S T E E S

C O M M U N I T Y A D V I S O R Y B O A R D

Ron CappielloChairHomer, NY

Brian WetzelVice ChairBinghamton, NY

Charles GilinskySecretaryVestal, NY

Michelle BerryTrustee Liaison to the CAB

Dr. David DinhoferVestal, NY

Xibai GaoVestal, NY

Harry GravesNorwich, NY

Melissa CollinsOwego, NY

Stacy McCabeVestal, NY

Libby and Toby AndersonAnonymous The Arthur FoundationJane and William BassettAnonymous Don and Bonnie BeagellLee BearschBeverly R. and Steven BeerLinda and Robert BiemerKaren BrazellJoel and Susan BrockAnonymous Dave BurchJim and Terry ByrnesPhilip and Carol CaliEric and Mary Lou CarterAnonymous Charlotte CookDale and Nellie CorsonAnne Boyer CottenAnonymous Charles R. CraigMr. and Mrs. Ernest DanforthRobert and Kris deVenteAmy DickinsonDavid Dinhofer, MDClover M. DrinkwaterAnonymous Garabed Fattal, MDIrma M. Fattal, MDKatherine A. FitzgeraldMarcia Weber and James FlawsMary and David FlinnBarbara Johnson FooteFranklin Conklin FoundationAnonymous Marilyn Gaddis RoseAnonymous Anonymous Martin GollerDr. Edward J. GrandtKirk and Penny GreggKeith Vaughan and Elisabeth HanleyAnonymous Judith D. HealeyRandi and Dustin HewitAnonymous Benjamin Fordham and Jennifer JensenAlan and Barbara JonesJocelyn Mallet and Gerald E. KadishPamela and Gregory KeelerMike and Linda KehoeShirley W. KellerAnonymous Anonymous Dr. Terence M. LenhardtMary Jane LenhardtBruce and Diane LercherCharles Lesko, JrEdward and Karen LeveneAlison LuriePatricia J. Foreman and Robert F. LuschAnonymous

AnonymousAnonymousAnn and Peter MartinKenneth McClaneRobert and Luann McDanielsDarlene Ninos and George McKeeRobert H. Cole and E. Marie McKeeRita MelenVincent Montalto, Jr. in memory of Marilyn MontaltoDayle and Thomas MorelloTim and Elizabeth MountAugust and Joan MuellerAnonymous Lucinda NobleNorth Pound FoundationMary Poplawski and Harry NuckolsAnonymous Anonymous Gene and Judy PeckhamMrs. Donald R. PetersonDr. and Mrs. Donald PollockDavid and Claudia RadinJoann Spain RasmussenAnonymousRev. Dr. Barbara and Mr. Joseph RentonAnonymous Kimberly N. RothmanDavid and Naomi RuprightEileen and John SandsThe Bert Santora Charitable TrustAnonymousAnonymousJanet Rutkowski and Dr. John SharplessWinslow T. ShearmanTom Billingsley and Edie ShepardKate and Brian SickoraDr. and Mrs. Gene SienkiewiczDr. William Isbell and Dr. Judy SigginsJoyce Sirlin-RandAnonymous Donna L. SokolDuane and Mary SpildeKent and Heather StruckBen SwanAnne D. TaftGene and Carol TarenRobert B. ThomasDaniel TimmonsDr. Pam Cook and Dr. Mark TinklepaughJanice UlangcaDrs. Marguerite and Norman UphoffVector Magnetics Charitable Gift FundGary and Kathe VergasonPeter and Cathryn VolanakisRose C. Wadsworth in memory of John Taylor WadsworthCharles and Jane WalcottDoris and Peter WalshDick and Judy WardellAnonymousAnonymousCindy WestermanEmily Wright

Randi HewitChairCorning, NY

Dr. Lawrence KileyVice ChairEndwell, NY

Bill CraneSecretary/TreasurerCortland, NY

Brian SickoraPresident & CEO

Dr. Judy SigginsBinghamton, NY

Gerald R. SmithBinghamton, NY

Dr. Mark VaughnPainted Post, NY

Dr. Charles WalcottIthaca, NY

Michael WillisCooperstown, NY

Margaret WoodHonorary Trustee Montrose, PA

Frank A. Nemia, Esq.WSKG General CounselBinghamton, NY

Michelle BerryIthaca, NY

Bijoy DattaBinghamton, NY

Sheila DoyleBinghamton, NY

Katherine FitzgeraldVestal, NY

Kevin HartyEndicott, NY

Dennis MillerHorseheads, NY

Julia B. MillerEndicott, NY

William OliverCooperstown, NY

Dr. Max PfefferIthaca, NY