PBS, 9 Stations Get $2.2 Million In Grants

PBS and nine local public broadcasting stations have received matching “membership challenge” grants totaling $2.2 million from Newman’s Own Foundation to help strengthen fundraising efforts and increase support for programs and services that inform, educate, entertain and inspire audiences.

“Our mission is to use the power of media to change lives and help all Americans ‘be more,’ ” said Paula Kerger, president-CEO, PBS. “Our member stations are just as diverse as our country, and each meets the unique needs of its local community. These grants will help us continue to serve those communities, foster rich civic dialogue, encourage participation in the arts and provide access to quality education.”

“Paul Newman believed in the power of civic engagement and conversation to make ours and the future’s a better world,” said Robert Forrester, president of Newman’s Own Foundation. “Today we underscore our commitment to public broadcasting, a relationship that Paul deeply valued and one we hope continues to inspire and expose people to new ideas, issues and dialogue.”

In total, $2.2 million was awarded to the PBS Foundation, to advance the organization’s commitment to ensuring all Americans have access to the arts, and nine local public broadcasting stations:

• CPTV, Connecticut Public Television, is Connecticut’s only locally-owned media organization producing TV, print and Internet content for distribution to the state’s wide-ranging and diverse communities. CPTV serves the entire state of Connecticut, reaching an estimated 750,000 television viewers each week.
• KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET produces and distributes award-winning programs that explore the people, places and topics that are relevant to its region.
• KCTS serves Seattle, Central Washington and British Columbia. The station reaches over 1.6 million people in Washington and 828,000 in Canada with programming that entertains and inspires.
• TPT, Twin Cities Public Television, serves the people of Saint Paul and Minneapolis. The station has long been a trusted resource of information and inspiration to the Twin Cities and for the state of Minnesota, offering a diverse range of programming.
• WAMC Northeast Radio is a regional public radio network serving parts of seven northeastern states: New York, Massachusetts, Connecticut, Vermont, New Jersey, New Hampshire and Pennsylvania. Stations and translators are in twenty locations throughout the region, sharing quality programming with listeners.
• WETA is the leading public television station in the nation’s capital, serving Virginia, Maryland and the District of Columbia with educational, cultural, news and public affairs programs and services. WETA TV reaches 1.3 million Washington area viewers in an average week.
• WNET is the premier public media provider of the New York City metropolitan area and parent company of public television stations WNET and WLIW, America’s first and third most-watched public television stations. WNET and WLIW reach millions of people each week with programming that celebrates arts and culture, offers insightful commentary on the affairs of the day, explores the worlds of science and nature and inspires learning.
• WSHU radio serves listeners in Fairfield, New Haven and New London counties in Connecticut and Suffolk County in New York. The station broadcasts exemplary NPR News, local reporting, classical music, and cultural programming to foster intelligent discourse and contribute to an informed electorate.

WTTW provides unique, relevant and valued content and services that enrich, engage and educate diverse communities in Chicago and around the world.