Corporate Public Broadcasting (CPB) funded training to foster digital innovation

(AUSTIN, Minn.) October 29, 2024. KSMQ Public Television is among 50 public media stations selected to participate in the Digital Transformation Program, a virtual program developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture. 

"We are thrilled to be selected for the CPB Digital Transformation Program, as it provides KSMQ with an exciting opportunity to expand our digital capabilities and enhance our service to viewers across our region and beyond. Through this program, we will be able to better connect with our audience by improving content access, engagement, and personalization, while also fostering stronger community involvement. These advancements will not only deepen our connection to our current audience but also help us reach new and more diverse viewers through digital platforms. We’re excited to build momentum through this transformation, highlighting the vital role public media plays as a valuable community resource,” said Laura Archbold, station manager.

Designed in partnership and funded by the CPB, the new program builds on the strength and success of the first Digital Transformation Program, which in 2022-23 trained 79 public media entities and 458 station personnel. “CPB is committed to advancing innovation,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “The Digital Transformation Program will provide coaching and resources to help stations accelerate their digital development and share best practices for achieving audience and revenue growth.”

In addition to one-on-one and peer group coaching sessions, the program will include a series of educational webinars, work exercises, and resource materials that span the program curriculum. The new phase of training, known as the Fundamentals Track, will be delivered virtually over nine months to two cohorts of 25 station leaders and their station’s personnel each year for three years. “Poynter is excited to welcome these public media professionals to the program as part of our partnership with CPB,” said Poynter president Neil Brown. “We’re proud to be able to help these stations transform to a more audience-first, digital focus and build deeper connections with their community as well as grow revenues to strengthen their financial foundations.”

The stations selected, from Alabama to Washington State, Hawaii to New York, include 22 public radio stations, 12 public television stations and 16 joint license stations. One group of 25 stations will start in January 2025 and the other in March.

About KSMQ Public Television

KSMQ Public Television began in 1972 as an educational broadcast facility and has since developed into a professional television outlet. As a PBS member station, KSMQ offers high- quality, non-commercialized content that is both educational and entertaining. Its programs often focus on local interests, inspiring viewers to discover local connections, build strong communities, and become better informed. KSMQ serves as a valuable part of southern Minnesota's and northern Iowa's advancement, acting as a community-based catalyst for public dialogue on both local and far-reaching issues. The station's programming reaches over 225,000 households and more than 700,000 people across a 24,000 square mile coverage area. KSMQ offers four distinct broadcast channels, delivering significant impact through both broadcast and web-based shows. For more information, visit www.ksmq.org.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.

About The Poynter Institute

The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media, and 21st-century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at newsrooms, conferences, and organizations around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum, with hundreds of interactive courses and tens of thousands of registered international users. The Institute’s website produces 24-hour coverage about media, ethics, technology, and the business of news. Poynter is the home of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Pulitzer Prize- winning PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise, a digital information literacy project for young people, first-time voters, and senior citizens. The world’s top journalists and media innovators rely on Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians, and broadcasters. This work builds public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment, and discourse that serves democracy and the public good. Learn more at poynter.org.

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