Dear Friend, We have all just experienced an exciting and historic presidential race of which the overarching theme was hope and change – a theme that we can embrace at WXXI. This year we worked to be an independent voice for our community, striving to provide balanced coverage of the issues and candidates locally and nationally – and proving the value of public broadcasting. While securing our role as a public media resource, we also keep our eyes on the future as 2009 will certainly be bringing about exciting, sometimes challenging, change and opportunity. This past election season, WXXI presented more engaging and in-depth coverage than ever before. We aired all the presidential and vice-presidential debates, hosted many local forums, and offered Free Air Time to local candidates. We’re proud that our coverage was clear of the hyperbole and polarization apparent in so much of the media. You didn’t have to suffer through negative political ads on WXXI this election season, but you did see and hear thoughtful, intelligent exploration of the issues. I suspect users of WXXI entered their polling places on November 4th more aware of the issues and better prepared to make informed decisions than any other group in this community. We also helped usher in new hope in education as we used our airwaves and services to shed light on the changes we can expect for our children in the future. In April, we dedicated more than 15 hours of news coverage to introduce the new Rochester City School District Superintendent, Jean-Claude Brizard, to our community. Then, this past November, we welcomed Governor David Paterson to Rochester and presented a live summit on educational engagement and dropout prevention from Nazareth College. We utilized our new statewide interconnect to include every public television station in the state in the broadcast of the summit. Also, in trying to initiate hope and change, we launched an ongoing community dialogue about violence in Rochester. Need to Know: Response to Murder, an hour-long special, told the story of the murder of a young black male in the City of Rochester, and how the community responded. We also covered this story on WXXI radio and on WXXI.org. Rochester City Police Chief David Moore, a guest on the program, commended WXXI for dedicating the time to tell the human side of what normally is a one-day headline – and forgotten after that. With your support, WXXI helped students across New York State with their studies through Homework Hotline. Our GED Connection programshelped adult learners earn a high school diploma. We filled our studios for WXXI Voices lectures and again welcomed over a thousand participants to our sold out Speaking of Women’s Health conference. We shared stories about the Power of Forgiveness, while at the same time leading another Dialogue on Disabilities. Arts and culture had a front row seat at WXXI during the year, with the new series OnStage highlighting the local music scene and presenting the best local bands to the public. We presented, in high definition, the best of last year’s Rochester International Jazz Festival to the entire nation (and our cameras were back to capture the action at the 2008 festival). But in order to do all that, we had to embrace change. In 2008 we merged our radio, television and online news services to create the WXXI Center for Public Affairs. We did so to strengthen our position as the trusted source for coverage, debate and civil discussion on the issues that concern Rochesterians. We’ve recently changed our Web site as well. WXXI.org now provides not only a more expansive way to navigate the site and more information at your fingertips, but ways to interact with us – as well as the entire community. The site is a continuing evolution and you can look forward to new features and more interactivity in the coming year. Perhaps the biggest change we are preparing for is the transition from analog television to digital television on February 17, 2009. With the digital signal comes more WXXI programming with better quality and better sound. We have worked to provide information throughout the year on how the digital transition may affect you. If you’re still not sure whether you’re prepared, I encourage you to visit our DTV site at WXXI.org/dtv or call our DTV hotline at (585) 258-0200. It was a busy year across all our services, and I anticipate another full year ahead. As we enter a time of great change, challenge and opportunity, you can trust that WXXI will be your source for exploration of those issues and help bring the perspective and understanding you expect from your public broadcasting station. But all that work could not happen without your support. You make a difference in this community because your contribution to the station makes the programs, service, and productions possible. This year, with the uncertain economy and the pressure on government funding and corporate support, we need you as a partner more than ever. As you plan your year-end giving, please keep in mind the news, the music and cultural programming, the children’s shows and the documentaries that make a difference in your life. I hope you agree that your investment in WXXI pays dividends every day. On behalf of all of us at WXXI, please accept my very best wishes for a happy, healthy holiday season – and a wonderful New Year! Best regards, Norm Silverstein |
 |
