Public Radio Development and Marketing Conference
Los Angeles, California
July 15, 2005
I am very happy to be here today. As you know, I’ve been at CPB now for eight working days — but who’s counting. What a week!
One of the very first commitments I made was to come to the Public Radio Development and Marketing Conference. The second commitment was to show up to testify before the Senate Appropriations Committee this past Monday.
Actually, that commitment was made for me. An invitation you shouldn’t refuse —
However is did give me a great opportunity to underscore the need for continued and increased federal funding for public broadcasting.
Following our testimony on Monday the subcommittee met on Tuesday and agreed to leave the full 400 million for 2006, plus 35 million for digital, 40 for interconnection and forward funding 2008 at 400 million. The mark-up is today.
This morning I’d like to take a few minutes to share with you some highlights from my testimony.
My first point of course was to make the case for our budget for 2006/2008, and to affirm my strong commitment and belief in the mission of public broadcasting.
A belief I have long held.
It began when I served as an intern at WAMU, as a student at American University in Washington, DC.
It continued when my children were small and we watched Sesame Street together and then much much later Masterpiece Theatre.
It grew as I listened to NPR in the morning before I began my day at the State Department as Assistant Secretary for Educational and Cultural Affairs.
And in fact, traveling in my car, I have public radio on constantly. But I am still not sure what the car guys are talking about, but I love what they have to say.
And I have laughed so hard listening to David Sedaris on This American Life reading Me Talk Pretty One Day.
I believe that public broadcasting is in the public interest;
That it furthers the general welfare of all our citizens;
That it is a vital connector to community for millions of people — it is radio and television worth listening to and watching.
For Americans of all races, all ages, urban and rural —
And for new Americans and their children.
And it is the only place where listeners are treated as citizens and not as consumers.
Public broadcasting strengthens our civil society — and clearly merits strong federal support.
My second point to the committee: I am committed to protecting the nonpartisan nature of public broadcasting.
This non-partisan nature was brought home to me very recently when I turned on Morning Edition in Washington, DC.
It was the Fourth of July and there was a reading of the declaration of independence. Not at mach speed to quickly get to a commercial break but slowly for the real impact so the words could take hold.
My mother who is 90 and lives a block away from me had also heard the program and she said this was a great way to celebrate the Fourth.
I come to CPB after almost four years as Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, or ECA, where I managed a bureau of hundreds of people, civil servants and foreign service officers, working with 1500 public and private organizations and 80,000 volunteers to facilitate 30,000 nonpartisan educational, cultural and professional exchanges annually.
This non partisan, non political aspect of exchanges is a key factor in terms of treating people with respect.
It is similar to the thought behind the 1967 legislation which created CPB, instructing that it be free of political or government interference and represent a diversity of views.
As I told Chairman Specter and senator Inouye, I am ready to work with congress, the CPB board and the CPB staff, the public broadcasting stations, the national and regional organizations, and public and private funders, in an open and transparent way in order that together we can serve the millions of Americans who turn to public broadcasting radio and television each week.
And I’m particularly eager to work with those of you who spend day in and day out raising the money that makes public broadcasting not only possible, but also successful. I plan to get out of Washington as soon as possible and visit stations throughout the country.
I have more than a working knowledge of fund raising. I started the National Women’s Economic Alliance, an organization for women to help them achieve as entrepreneurs.
A great deal of my time was spent talking to CEOs, making the case for their support for sustainable funding for this effort so we could work to help women entrepreneurs world wide.
Of course I thought that once I became a “diplomat” at the DOS my fundraising days were over. That was not exactly true — as all of you here understand the budget process is really fundraising raised to a very high level.
So I do understand the importance of what you do and how hard it can be. Each of you is responsible for the great success of public radio and the positive cycle of more listeners, more members, more financial support.
But I know this does not just happen and it is particularly remarkable that your success reaching out to donors and building a strong financial base is taking place within a very competitive environment in terms of general giving patterns.
In my testimony last week I was able to talk about the fact that federal funding of public broadcasting is only 15 percent of our system economy. The rest is because of your efforts reaching out to potential members and contributors.
Because of the work you do, I was able to tell the committee, that when we appeal to congress for an increase in out budget, we should recognize that millions of Americans are already including public broadcasting support in their personal budgets by writing checks to support these programs.
From fiscal year 2000 to fiscal year 2003 public radio revenues rose from $551 million to $675 million.
In 2004, more than two and a half million individual contributors gave nearly $250 million to their public radio stations.
That kind of success doesn’t just happen. You’ve made it happen — not through a one size fits all approach but a multi-tiered approach through direct mail appeals; scripting and organizing on-air fund-raising; calling on prospective underwriters.
And making the case for support — reaching out to contributors where they are reachable — by mail, telephone, internet, on-air and face to face.
I don’t think for example you can find a public radio station home page that doesn’t show up front how to give — and that major shift has taken place in just a few years.
You’ve met tough challenges, while respecting, upholding ethical fundraising standards, and protecting public radio from over-commercialization.
And I could add...
Convoluted underwriting rules, do not call lists, restrictive mailing list policies — those things do not make your job easier, but you understand their importance, and you operate effectively within their boundaries.
In a few minutes, Tom Thomas — whom you all know, and whom I’m looking forward to getting to know better — is going to talk with us about his observations on where we need to go from here.
We know that public radio faces challenges. Future success depends on addressing these challenges.
There’s the challenge of technology — of HD radio, satellite radio, internet streaming, podcasting ... I salute KCRW, this morning’s session sponsor, who I’ve learned is now serving up 100,000 podcasts a week from its own Web site.
There are the challenges of demography. Someone told me recently that here in LA, mass is celebrated in 30 languages: from Arabic, Aramaic, and Armenian to Tongan, Ukrainian, and Vietnamese — with stops along the way at Croatian, Tagalog, Igbo, and Samoan. And of course, I suppose, in a few parishes, English.
These changes create huge opportunities as well as big challenges for public radio.
We have the opportunity to reach out to bigger and more diverse audiences, to explore new services and multiple channels, to experiment with new platforms.
We are also dealing with a new kind of listener, on who wants to participate and through that participation to shape programs and access them anytime, anywhere.
We have the great prospect of harnessing this new technology to generate new streams of public service programming, and the fact is we can become even more relevant, more connected to our communities by building on the strength of the system — local stations.
NPR, PRI, APM all produce great programming. But it is at the station level — all over the country, in every sizeable town and city — that the critical decisions are made. It is where you live, where your kids go to school, and where you are a member of the community.
You understand at a real level what the needs are of your community, and what kind of mix of national programming and locally produced programs will serve those needs, increase listeners and encourage that positive cycle of membership.
Your base of knowledge and experience enable you to make the decisions about how to raise the funds that provide most of public broadcasting’s support.
Each station tailoring its case and its techniques to its own local community.
This uniquely local character more and more differentiates public radio from media colleagues outside our system.
And speaking of the importance of our local station connections, I know the significant role that you play as development professionals in reinforcing the importance of our stations as local institutions.
The on-air personalities may get the public recognition, but we at CPB also recognize how much you contribute.
We are eager to hear from you about how we can help.
In fact, I am going to continue at CPB what I started at the State Department and that is to give you my e mail, which is pharrison at cpb.org. I promise to respond to your emails. It is a way we can continue to talk beyond this conference. And believe me, since it was announced that I am the new CEO of CPB, I am hearing from everyone.
And as you already know, public radio is valued passionately by listeners.
My daughter lives in Petaluma and recently I was here visiting. Evidently my fame and a very bad photo of me preceded my trip — and so many people began to talk to me about their commitment to public radio.
As one woman said, it is my lifeline. I gave her my email too.
I know she represents just one of the publics with whom you engage to ensure sustainable support.
Because of your efforts I was able to tell Chairman Specter during Monday’s senate hearing that public broadcasting really represents the best example of public private partnership.
Unlike commercial media, which at the end of the day must deliver a return to shareholders, our obligation is to the public — to deliver a return to the listeners and viewers in the communities we serve.
To treat them with respect and as people capable of processing information beyond a sound bite.
That is why they listen in increased numbers, why they seek us out on the dial and on the Web. It is a real connection to what they value and need in their day.
I am enthusiastic about joining you in this industry — it took me a while since that internship at WAMU, but it wasn’t really that long ago, right?
I look forward to meeting and working with each and every one of you. Thank you.
