WGBH 1999-2000 Annual Report Text Version
Introduction | President's Letter | Awards | Financials | Annual Report with Images
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Not so very long ago, "media" referred only to film, television, radio, and print. That's no longer true. Personal computers, the Internet, digital television and cable, direct broadcast satellite services, and the anticipated convergence of television and computers are changing how we communicate with one another, how we access information, and how we connect to what is now a global community. While our counterparts in commercial media scurry to extract profit from this explosion in new media, we in public broadcasting see opportunities to deliver more educationally rich programs and services to more people than ever before.Gone are the days when all our efforts culminated in a single ephemeral event known as a broadcast. Today, WGBH is not only producing television and radio programs, we're creating interactive Web sites, books, videos, teacher's guides for print and online, and even IMAX films. We're also developing a prototype for "enhanced" digital TV so that someday soon when you tune in a WGBH series on your television (or computer!), you'll enjoy simultaneous access to activities and information that will further enrich your learning experience.
As the media platforms through which we distribute our educational content multiply in the year 2000 and beyond, we believe WGBH's distinctive, high-quality programs and services will be more needed and valued than ever. That's why we're building on our strengths as the single largest producer of television programs and Web content for PBS, as well as a major supplier of programming for public radio stations nationwide. We'll continue to tackle difficult but important subjects that commercial broadcasters simply won't broach--whether it's evolution or teaching children to read. And in an era of increasing concentration of media ownership in a few powerful but distant hands, we're determined as a locally based public broadcaster to pump even more resources into programs and services that speak to the needs and interests of our New England audience via 'GBH/2, 'GBH/Select 44, and 'GBH/89.7fm in Boston, WGBY/57 in Springfield, and wgbh.org on the Web.
How can WGBH accomplish such an ambitious agenda in 2000 and the years ahead? The WGBH Campaign: Expanding the Vision will provide us with the critical financial base we need to research and develop the next generation of programs and services and to implement key digital innovations. Our goal is to raise $33 million by the Campaign's completion in December 2000, and we're well on our way.
This is a very exciting moment to be a public broadcaster. For the first time in WGBH's nearly 50-year history, technology is finally catching up with our aspirations and educational mission. We hope you find satisfaction in knowing that all that we've done and all that we hope to do is made possible by your generous support. Thank you for joining us as we shape the future of public broadcasting in the new millennium.
Sincerely,Henry Becton
PresidentEdith L. Dabney
Chair
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