Murray introduced Kraig and welcomed him. Kraig noted that in his business, if you aren’t hearing back from people then maybe your method of communication isn’t right (a thought for auction action). Kraig has been with WPBS for over 11 years in various roles, and now leads the fundraising, programming and development.
Some facts and history:
WPBS Watertown has 2 towers in northern NY and broadcasts into Canada, boasting a membership base of 70% Canadians. As a public broadcaster, WPBS has a public mission and is a distributor of programs not a creator of content, and relies on non-advertising revenue – over 25% from memberships held by “viewers like you” - to fulfill its mission on the public airwaves. Decisions have been made locally since 1958, when the station began with a 1 hour broadcast of the Boy Scouts program, and through its affiliation with PBS which began in 1969. In 1998 it changed its call letters to “WPBS”. In 2009, members banded together to avoid having the channel dropped by Rogers as part of the basic package…a great illustration of how committed the membership is to the WPBS station and how raising one’s voice has an impact. PBS has been voted #1 in viewer trust for 16 years.
Kraig reviewed some of the production at the station and asked something of us: “if you had a TV station, what would you do with it?” District 7040 leadership is exploring ways to partner with WPBS (Kraig is joining a Watertown Rotary Club).
Editor's note: Just to add to Michelle's coverage, I spoke with Kraig at length at breakfast. He is born and raised in Carthage, near Watertown, and studied broadcast journalism, but decided his place was behind the scenes, not in front of a camera (although I think we all agree he would be excellent in that role). He is a dynamic young man who will make a great addition to District 7040, and we will probably see more of him as he explores the possibility of partnerships with our District
Following some questions from Rotary members, Ana thanked Kraig for his enthusiastic and informative presentation.