2016 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICEREPORT TO THE COMMUNITY

WGVU’s commitment to the community is the reason I give and decided to get

involved. Outside of being a TV and radio station they are an active group of

community members working together to solve problems, meet broader community needs and encourage

vibrancy and engagement in west and southwest Michigan. The impact of this station is far reaching and

continues to flourish as they create valuable partnerships in the community and open their lives and doors

to volunteers and community members like myself. Service to west and southwest Michigan are at the core

of the programming, events and initiatives from WGVU; which is the epitome of what public media is all

about. – Brandon DeHann

WGVU Public Media’s continued mission is to provide educational, informative, and entertaining programs and events to our community

as a service of Grand Valley State University.

WGVU is a leader in community engagement, digital services, and educational resources that make an impact in today’s world.

The first television station, WGVC-TV 35, began broadcasting on December 17, 1972. In 1984, our Kalamazoo station, WGVK-TV, began operation. In 1987, the call letters of channel 35 were converted to WGVU-TV, reflecting Grand Valley State College’s transformation to Grand Valley State University.

In 2016, WGVU Public Media provided these key local services:

Community engagement and partnerships with organizations working to improve our community.

Education resources free of charge, school assemblies, and online digital media.

Local broadcasts and documentaries, only seen on WGVU, of programs in our community including Hope vs. Calvin Basketball game, Hope College Christmas Vespers, and Grand Valley State University Football games.

WGVU partners with organizations including Grand Valley State University, the K-12 community, and Community Foundations to facilitatecommunity discussions. Preparing students for learning and adults with the resources they need to continue to expand their horizons.

We provide 2.5 million people throughout our coverage area with programming and engagement to explore each and every day.

WGVU impacts our community daily through partnerships that make a difference.

LOCALVALUE

2016 KEYSERVICES

LOCALIMPACT

IN THE COMMUNITYWGVU’s commitment to our community goes beyond on-air and radio broadcast but also include events through partner-

ships with area organizations. Community members have a voice here and we listen and respond with an array of opportunities to Educate, Entertain, Inform and Inspire.

LearningMedia SummitAs an extension of PBS LearningMedia, WGVU Public Media hosts two LearningMedia Summits through-out the year. The Summits provide an opportuni-ty for teachers and parents to gain strategies and create synergy on how to integrate over 120,000 digital resources (set to state and national stan-dards) for free into curriculums or used a resource. Attendance continues to grow with every Summit held as word continues to spread in the education community of the value of using PBS LearningMedia.

Documentary ScreeningsBlack America Since MLK: And Still I RiseWGVU continues to thrive in its efforts to engage new audiences through community screenings of rele-vant and thought provoking content. At LINCUP and on the Allendale campus of GVSU, WGVU facili-tated screenings and panel discussions around the PBS documentary Black America Since MLK: And Still I Rise. Both events allowed for participants to engage in meaningful and poignant dialogue around social justice issues and to explore the true achieve-ability of Dr. King’s dream and legacy.

KidsDay at the ZooWith nearly 9,000 attendees KidsDay at the Zoo draws families from the entire West Michigan area to enjoy a day of

activities and exploration at John Ball Zoo & Park. Community support and outreach are the core of the success of this event and WGVU is grateful to sponsors and local community organizations for their faithfulness and diligence to serve the commu-nity every August in this event.

KIDS CLUBHOUSE PARTY AND ARTHUR 20th Birthday partyEvery December WGVU Kids Clubhouse members en-

joy a fun-filled day at Craig’s Cruisers Family Fun Center. Kids select from a variety activities includ-ing mini-golf, laser tag, go-karts and indulge in the famous all-you-can-eat pizza buffet which is always a hit. This year’s party was extra special as it was Arthur’s 20th Birthday.

WGVU LOCAL PROGRAMMING- DEEPER

AND WIDERThe programs offered on WGVU FM regularly focus on the needs of minority and other diverse audiences through programs such as, the WGVU Morning Show and Mid-Day West Michigan. These programs and daily newscasts often highlight local minority organizations and their involvement in our community. Some of the regular programming on WGVU for diverse audiences has included: Inclusion Report, Women’s Health, All About Women, Black History and Hispanic Heritage.

CPB Funding is critical for WGVU Public Media. Without it, WGVU’s lo-cal programming, as well as national programming would not be pos-sible. Without WGVU TV & FM local programming, the local informa-tion and content WGVU provides would not be available anywhere to our community. CPB funding is vital to WGVU’s ability to serve our west Michigan community. CPB funding enables WGVU to provide its community local content in the forms of local news, educational and entertaining programming which allows WGVU to engage its commu-nity through several locally produced programs.

MUTUALLY INCLUSIVEA WGVU initiative in partnership with the W.K. Kellogg Foundation uses on-air programs and community events to explore issues of in-clusion and equity. WGVU continues in its efforts to bring the voices in the community to the forefront with diverse panelist and live studio audience during monthly tapings of Mutually Inclusive. Mutually Inclusive also saw great growth and engagement with the release of two documen-taries, The Push: Gentrification in Grand Rapids and We The 7th; produced by WGVU Public Media.

BRUSHBACK: A Legacy of Black Baseball in West MichiganBrushback chronicles West Michigan’s black baseball history dating back to 1906. The pitching aces and homerun hitters who excelled were respected ath-letes; the men who wore the uniforms had families, worked jobs and were pil-lars in the community. Despite their athletic ability and community standing, Negro league players dodged injustice, ridicule and racial discrimination just like a brushback pitch.

From Ted Rasberry’s Grand Rapids Black Sox and Kansas City Monarchs to the Detroit Stars, owned by his niece Minnie Forbes, Brushback explores the true stories of West Michigan black baseball by the men and wom-en who played the game on and off the field.

A LEGACY OF BLACK BASEBALL IN WEST MICHIGANBRUSHBACK

WGVU Digital StudiosYou asked for quicker and clever content now receive it

at your fingertips and on all platforms as WGVU has broad-ened its content and reach through WGVU Digital Studios. Every weekday on Facebook and YouTube enjoy our new exciting content with these shows.

GVSports ShortsAnchor Up with Grand Valley State University sports. For

clever content and highlights, check out GVSports Shorts. Go Lakers!

The DraughtThe craft beer scene has dubbed Grand Rapids Beer City USA, every week we pour into a new edition of The Draught highlighting

local breweries and brew masters. Be sure to drink up all The Draught has to offer.

A Few Moments in Science!Bottom line, everything that happens in this world is con-

nected to Science! Every week on A Few Moments in Science we’ll demon-strate science concepts in action with some bangs and booms and, “Wow, that’s COOL”!

Order Up! with WGVUOrder Up! with WGVU serves you highlights and interesting fea-

tures from some of the area’s well known and not so known eateries. We dish about all the great finds in food and even quirky features as we sample from our growing restaurant scene.

Art UnfilteredThe Arts are alive and well in West and Southwest Michigan and we prove that by getting up close and personal with local artist each

and every week! From the stage, to the concert hall to making art in a pri-vate studio, we go UNFILTERED and bring each artistic talent to life!

WGVU PUBLIC MEDIA | A SERVICE OF GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

WGVU PUBLIC MEDIA | A SERVICE OF GRAND VALLEY STATE UNIVERSITY

presented by WGVU Public Media | A Service of Grand Valley State University

presented by WGVU Public M

edia | A Service of Grand Valley State University

a few moments inSCIENCEpresented by WGVU Public Media | A Service of Grand Valley State University

UP WITH WGVUA Service of Grand Valley State University

STORIES OF IMPACT“Why I tune-into WGVU - First, a look to you for Big Band music! That is music! And the singer R Singers! Second, that

music promotes, love, harmony, friendship, godly morals and ethics. Oh, how I do love”- Anonymous

“WGVU’s Big Band Music! I wish I could surround myself with it! I hope you never stop (I grew with it I’m 81.5).”– Michael, Cedar Springs

“WGVU is important because of their values. We don’t have to worry about our watching “trash” TV. Go Michigan Out-Of-Doors and wood working shows! Hurray for all the food and craft shows! And of course all the kids shows.”– Marvin, Rockford

“I don’t always have time to listen to the radio, but always try to catch up in the evening. I love the interesting topics and reports (around the world) on up to date issues. Please continue to let John Doe Public participate in some discussions.”– Maureen, Kalamazoo

“It presents entertainment in an honest and relevant way and the news is cur-rent and tends to be unbiased.”– Charlotte, South Haven

“We feel the programming on WGVU to be more to our taste. It appeals to our intellect rather than our visceral reaction. It’s programming for “thinkers.” – Norman, Kalamazoo

“I am thankful we can still find programming that is nonviolent and where there is no profanity. I especially enjoy “Washington Week”.” – Mary, Zeeland

“I live in Illinois so I listen thru the internet on my smart phone at work. Thanks for making it available that way. Thank you

for playing music from the 50’s 60’s and 70’s. As you probably know. Hardly anyone plays the 50’s anymore and from the 60’s is decreasing. Thanks again! “- Jason, Marseilles, IL

“We do enjoy! Travel films are great. Zimmery’s travel/ethnic foods is very tolerable, as well. My spouse enjoys (even) the English comedies, and Doc Martin is worthy, too. Number of competitive cooking shows seem excessive. So many request and cost of living keeps rising – tougher for retirees.”– Roy, Portage

“WGVU is important to me because of the programming that enriches my life through the intelligent and provocative choices you air. I need to grow as a well-rounded person who can understand differing points of view and WGVU does aim to help its audiences do that. Thank you for being there.”– Marian, Muskegon

WGVU Public Media is an integral part of our community’s landscape. Its mis-sion is to educate, inform and entertain with quality programming and commu-nity engagement activities. Its membership base is strong. The citizens who value its programming and outreach willingly provide financial and volunteer support and have done so continuously since the station began in 1972. These citizens served by WGVU regularly share that our station has positively im-pacted several generations of their families.

Programs airing on WGVU Public Media are among the highest quality and most authoritative on topics including science, nature, arts, history, public af-fairs, and include the most educational programs for children. WGVU provides the only public television, news and emergency information to the 2.4 million people living in the surrounding 28 counties, while WGVU radio serves approx-imately 1.3 million unique listeners.