Houston Public Media Foundation

HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA FOUNDATION'S ORGANIZATIONAL MISSION IS TO INFORM AND INSPIRE THROUGH NEWS, PUBLIC AFFAIRS, AND EDUCATIONAL CONTENT, 24/7 ACROSS BROADCAST AND DIGITAL CHANNELS.

NEWS:THE HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA NEWSROOM WENT THROUGH A MAJOR GROWTH SPURT IN 2022 WITH SEVERAL NEW INITIATIVES TO MEET THE NEEDS OF THE HOUSTON REGION. EARLY IN THE YEAR, WE LAUNCHED EXPANDED NEWSCASTS, INCREASING OUR LOCAL NEWS COVERAGE FROM THE TRADITIONAL MORNING AND AFTERNOON DRIVE TIMES TO A STEADY FLOW OF UPDATES THROUGHOUT THE DAY. WE ADDED FOUR DAILY LOCAL NEWSCASTS TO OUR SCHEDULE AND STARTED LOCALLY PRODUCING SIX DAILY STATEWIDE NEWSCASTS. THAT MEANS WE ARE PRODUCING AND BROADCASTING LIVE, LOCAL, AND STATEWIDE NEWS EVERY HOUR FROM FIVE IN THE MORNING TO SIX AT NIGHT! ADDITIONALLY, AS PART OF OUR COMMITMENT TO THE TEXAS NEWSROOM, WE ARE NOW THE PRIMARY STATION THAT MANAGES ALL OF THE STATEWIDE NEWSCASTS THAT ARE BROADCAST IN MORE THAN TWO DOZEN MARKETS ACROSS TEXAS. THIS YEAR, THE NOVEMBER 8 LOCAL ELECTION WAS MONUMENTAL FOR THE CITY OF HOUSTON AND ITS SURROUNDING COMMUNITIES. BY PROVIDING LIVE STATEWIDE COVERAGE AT THE POLLS AND POST ELECTION RESULTS ON NEWS 88.7 AND TV8 DURING AND AFTER THE MIDTERM ELECTIONS, WE WERE ABLE TO SHARE THE VITAL IMPACT THAT VICTORS WILL HAVE ON OUR COMMUNITY. WE ALSO LAUNCHED AN ENTERPRISE UNIT COMPOSED OF SEVERAL BEAT REPORTERS AND AN EDITOR WHO ARE FOCUSED ON DEVELOPING DEEP SOURCES, DIGGING PAST THE HEADLINES, AND INVESTIGATING WRONGDOING AND MISMANAGEMENT. THE FIRST PROJECT THE ENTERPRISE UNIT TACKLED WAS OUR PODCAST 'BELOW THE WATERLINES: HOUSTON AFTER HURRICANE HARVEY'. THE PODCAST LOOKS INTO WHETHER HOUSTON IS ANY MORE FLOOD RESILIENT FIVE YEARS AFTER HARVEY DEVASTATED OUR REGION. THE ENTERPRISE REPORTERS EXAMINED MULTIPLE ANGLES OF HOUSTON'S RECOVERY, INCLUDING WHETHER FLOOD BUY-OUTS ACTUALLY WORK, HOW GREEN INFRASTRUCTURE CAN HELP SOLVE FLOODING, AND THE PAINFULLY SLOW BUREAUCRACY THAT HAMPERS RECOVERY. HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA CONTINUES TO BE A LEADER AMONG ALL BROADCASTERS, PUBLIC AND COMMERCIAL, IN BUILDING BRIDGES WITH PUBLIC SAFETY PARTNERS TO PROTECT AND SERVE GREATER HOUSTON'S COMMUNITIES. SERVING MORE THAN SEVEN MILLION PEOPLE IN GREATER HOUSTON AS THE MEDIA PARTNER FOR THE HOUSTON REGIONAL AMBER ALERT SYSTEM, DATACASTING TECHNOLOGY AND THE REGION'S EMERGENCY ALERT SYSTEM, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA PRIORITIZES A SAFE COMMUNITY, WHICH REMAINS A TOP PRIORITY. THROUGH THIS YEAR, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA HAS MADE THE FOLLOWING ACCESSIBLE FOR THE GREATER HOUSTON REGION:- FREE ACCESS TO RESOURCES FROM PBS STATIONS AND PARTNERS.- 75% OF TV HOUSEHOLDS WATCH PBS. (OVER 180 MILLION PEOPLE)- FOR THE 19TH CONSECUTIVE YEAR, PBS AND ITS MEMBER STATIONS ARE RATED #1 IN PUBLIC TRUST.- MORE THAN 34 MILLION CONSUMERS USE PBS'S SITE AND APPS.- 40 MILLION VIEWERS WATCH PBS CONTENT ON SOCIAL MEDIA.- 48 MILLION LISTENERS AND READERS EXPERIENCE NPR WEEKLY AUDIENCE ACROSS PLATFORMS.- NPR: 17 INTERNATIONAL BUREAUS; 18 DOMESTIC BUREAUS.- 94% OF LISTENERS AGREE PUBLIC RADIO IMPROVES THEIR QUALITY OF LIFE.- 89% OF LISTENERS AGREE PUBLIC RADIO PROVIDES THEM WITH INFORMATION THAT OTHER MEDIA OUTLETS DO NOT.- 74% BELIEVE PBS FEATURES A DIVERSE RANGE OF PEOPLE AND APPEALS TO DIFFERENT ETHNIC BACKGROUNDS.- PUBLIC RADIO'S 3,000+ JOURNALISTS ARE EMBEDDED ACROSS THE COUNTRY AND AROUND THE WORLD.

EDUCATION:IN 2022, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA BEGAN A NEW OUTREACH INITIATIVE FOR EDUCATORS ACROSS THE REGION. EACH WEEK, OUR EDUCATION DEPARTMENT PROVIDES FREE WORKSHOPS AND CONSULTING TO SEVERAL OF THE 80 PUBLIC SCHOOL DISTRICTS, CHARTER SCHOOLS, AND LOCAL COLLEGES AND UNIVERSITIES IN THE HOUSTON REGION. THESE WORKSHOPS INTRODUCE EDUCATORS TO THE WEALTH OF PBS AND NPR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES AVAILABLE TO THEM FOR FREE, TO HELP THEIR STUDENTS UNDERSTAND COMPLEX ISSUES IN THE WORLD AROUND THEM, AND TO HELP EDUCATORS COPE WITH THE EVER-EVOLVING FIELD OF EDUCATION. TEACHERS ARE CONSISTENTLY ELATED WHEN THEY LEARN ABOUT THE FREE PBS AND NPR EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES THEY CAN BEGIN USING IMMEDIATELY! WITH A FOCUS ON DELIVERING NEWS COVERAGE AFFECTING PRIMARY, SECONDARY, AND HIGHER EDUCATION THROUGHOUT THE REGION, OUR HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA NEWSROOM SHARES BREAKING NEWS STORIES AS WELL AS THOUGHTFUL ANALYSIS AND IN-DEPTH REPORTING OF EDUCATION NEWS. OVER 75% OF ALL U.S. TELEVISION HOUSEHOLDS (OVER 180 MILLION PEOPLE) WATCH PBS FOR FREE! IN 2021, THERE WERE OVER 180 HOURS OF NEW DOCUMENTARIES AND 200 HOURS OF NEW ARTS AND CULTURAL PROGRAMMING. EDUCATORS ARE ENCOURAGED TO USE OVER 4,000 SHOWS, SUCH AS NOVA AND FRONTLINE, FOR THEIR CLASSES.- 81% OF PARENTS NAMED PBS KIDS THE MOST EDUCATIONAL MEDIA BRAND FOR CHILDREN, SUBSTANTIALLY OUTSCORING THE SECOND-MOST HIGHLY RATED KIDS BRAND, DISNEY+ AT 42%.- PBS KIDS AVERAGES 16.3 MILLION MONTHLY USERS.- 407 MILLION PBS KIDS MONTHLY STREAMS ACROSS PBS DIGITAL PLATFORMS.- PBS KIDS RANKED THE #1 EDUCATIONAL MEDIA BRAND FOR CHILDREN.- PBS STATIONS REACH MORE HISPANIC, BLACK, ASIAN AMERICAN AND NATIVE AMERICAN CHILDREN AGES 2-8 THAN ANY OF THE CHILDREN'S TV NETWORKS.

ARTS AND CULTURE:HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA RECOGNIZES AND SERVES THE MANY CULTURES AND VOICES THAT MAKE UP THE BEAUTY IN OUR DIVERSE REGION, WITH OUR RADIO AND TELEVISION PROGRAMS AVAILABLE AT THEIR FINGERTIPS, AND EVEN MORE WITH OUR DIGITAL AND STREAMING SERVICES. IN 2022, WE ADDED THE INTERNATIONAL NEWSCAST, 'ASIAN VIEW', FROM NHK WORLD-JAPAN. THIS NEWS FEATURE AIRS THREE TIMES PER DAY ON NEWS 88.7. WE ALSO ADDED THE WEEKLY TALK SHOW 'OUR BODY POLITIC' TO OUR SCHEDULE. HOST FARAI CHIDEYA IS UNAPOLOGETIC IN HER REPORTING OF HOW WOMEN OF COLOR ARE IMPACTED BY THE MAJOR POLITICAL NEWS OF THE DAY. ARTS AND CULTURE ARE A HEAVY INFLUENCE ON WHAT INSPIRES AND IS THE THRIVING FORCE BEHIND THESE VOICES.'ENCORE HOUSTON' CONTINUES TO THRIVE AS WE NEAR THE 200-EPISODE MARK. 'HOUSTON MATTERS WITH CRAIG COHEN' IS NOW IN ITS TENTH YEAR AS THE GOLD STANDARD FOR EXCELLENCE IN LOCAL RADIO TALK PROGRAMS. FRESH INTO THE SECOND SEASON OF NEW WEEKLY EPISODES, 'I SEE U WITH EDDIE ROBINSON' IS A PLACE WHERE CREATIVES FROM ALL WALKS OF LIFE SHARE THEIR PERSONAL HISTORIES, THEIR STRUGGLES, AND THEIR TRIUMPHS THROUGH FRANK CONVERSATIONS AND PROVOCATIVE STORYTELLING THAT EXPLORE CONCEPTS OF CULTURAL IDENTITY AND RACE RELATIONS. 'TOWN SQUARE WITH ERNIE MANOUSE' BRINGS THE TOPICS, EVENTS, PEOPLE, AND SUBJECTS CURRENTLY IN THE NEWS OR ON THE MINDS OF OUR LISTENERS. THE PROGRAM BEGAN AS A LIVE DAILY CLEARING HOUSE FOR INFORMATION DURING THE PANDEMIC AND OVER THE LAST YEAR HAS TRANSITIONED INTO A DAILY "MUST LISTEN" FOR MANY IN OUR AUDIENCE. 'PARTY POLITICS' CO-HOSTS BRANDON ROTTINGHAUS AND JERONIMO CORTINA HAVE TAKEN THE TEMPERATURE DOWN A NOTCH TO PROVIDE AN UNDERSTANDABLE ANALYSIS OF THE STORIES AND ISSUES MOST IMPACTFUL TO GREATER HOUSTON. WITH INSIGHT, HUMOR, AND AN OBJECTIVE NON-PARTISAN PERSPECTIVE, THE SHOW HELPS LISTENERS MAKE SENSE OF THE SEEMINGLY OUTLANDISH OR AT THE VERY LEAST UNUSUAL POLITICAL HAPPENINGS IN HOUSTON, TEXAS AND THE NATION. WITH ALMOST 3,300 EPISODES, 'THE ENGINES OF OUR INGENUITY' AUTHORED AND VOICED BY PROFESSORS, ENGINEERS, ASTRONAUTS, MUSICIANS, ACTORS, AND DOCTORS AND PRODUCED IN CONCERT WITH THE UNIVERSITY OF HOUSTON COLLEGE OF ENGINEERING, MAKES COMPLEX TOPICS RELATABLE TO OUR DAILY LIVES THROUGH COMPELLING STORYTELLING THAT PROMOTES NATURAL CURIOSITY. '100 YEARS OF HOUSTON' RECOUNTS IMPORTANT MILESTONES AND SHARES THE PERSONAL STORIES OF OUR CITY'S TRAILBLAZERS AND THEIR LOCAL CONNECTIONS. AS ONE OF THESE THREE REGIONAL DIGITAL CENTERS FOR INNOVATION, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA IS DEVELOPING A NEW EIGHT-EPISODE DOCUSERIES HOSTED BY PALESTINIAN-AMERICAN COMEDIAN AND HOUSTON NATIVE MO AMER. 'WELCOME TO ALIEF WITH MO AMER' EXPLORES THE HOUSTON NEIGHBORHOOD OF ALIEF AS A HARBINGER OF AMERICA'S GROWING ETHNIC DIVERSITY.IN ADDITION TO DEVELOPING OUR OWN SERIES FOR PBS DIGITAL STUDIOS, HPM WILL BE SUPPORTING WNED BUFFALO/TORONTO AND LOUISIANA PUBLIC BROADCASTING WITH THEIR OWN DIGITAL SERIES. THESE STORIES ARE FRAMED BY THE THEMES OF INCLUSION AND DIVERSITY, INNOVATION AND HEALTH. THROUGHOUT THE YEAR, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA ENSURES THAT ALL CULTURES IN THIS GREAT REGION ARE RECOGNIZED, HIGHLIGHTED, AND CELEBRATED, NOT JUST MONTHLY OR WEEKLY, BUT ANNUALLY AS WELL. IN 2022, HOUSTON PUBLIC MEDIA MADE THE CONSCIENTIOUS DECISION TO KEEP OUR HERITAGE AND CULTURE PAGES LIVE AND AVAILABLE FOR ALL TO SHARE. THE VOICES MAKING HOUSTON UNIQUE AND DIVERSE THAT ARE CELEBRATED AND FEATURED RANGE FROM CULTURES OF ARAB AMERICAN, BLACK AMERICANS, ASIAN/ PACIFIC AMERICAN HERITAGE, INDIAN HERITAGE AND MANY OTHERS.