East Tennessee PBS, WHYY, Community Idea Stations and Georgia Public Broadcasting Garner Top Honors in 2017 PBS Development Awards

14/06/2017

SAN DIEGO, CA; May 18, 2017 - East Tennessee PBS, WHYY, Community Idea Stations and Georgia Public Broadcasting were named today by PBS as the category winners for the 2017 PBS Development Awards, which recognizes member stations for outstanding corporate support, membership, philanthropy and special achievement fundraising efforts in local communities. The PBS Development Awards were presented at the first-annual DevDay, which followed the PBS Annual Meeting.

Since our founding, development has served as the backbone of public media, ensuring that we have the resources and capacity needed to deliver on our mission today and in the future, said Paula Kerger, PBS President and CEO. We are thrilled to recognize East Tennessee PBS, WHYY, Community Idea Stations and Georgia Public Broadcasting for their innovative leadership in fostering deep local support to sustain public television's public service mission.

East Tennessee PBS, which serves Knoxville and tri-cities regions of East Tennessee, was honored with the Corporate Support Award. The Membership Award was presented to WHYY, which serves Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, and the Delaware Valley. Community Idea Stations, serving central Virginia, was named the Philanthropy Award winner. Georgia Public Broadcasting won the Special Achievement Award. The winner of the 2017 C. Scott Elliott Development Professional of the Year Award, announced earlier at the Annual Meeting, is Earl Blauner, Special Counsel, Gift Planning and Endowment, at KQED.

In many ways, public media is about meeting viewers where they are - whether that's over the air, via the internet or increasingly over mobile devices, said Betsy Gerdeman, PBS Senior Vice President for Development Services. The most effective fundraiser does the same thing for donors, reaching both longstanding and future donors with care and consideration for their time and what matters to them most: the impact of their giving on the community. This year's recipients - East Tennessee PBS, WHYY, Community Idea Stations and Georgia Public Broadcasting - each embodied that aim with community-driven strategies.

The Corporate Support Award recognizes leaders in public media for their success in securing new sources of corporate revenue, incorporating new techniques, or developing innovative strategies and targeted marketing efforts. East Tennessee PBS was recognized for its successful launch of PBS KIDS 24/7 Service. The station researched children's viewing habits, identifying an undeniable opportunity to serve children in need of quality educational programming. East Tennessee PBS created unique packages and strategies to welcome seven new sponsors and generate $28,000 annually over a five-year period to fund this invaluable service.

The Membership Award recognizes successful membership strategies that have led to increases of net revenue, donor files or prospect pipeline, or the incorporation of new engagement activities resulting in increased giving. WHYY was cited for its commitment to black history content as a catalyst for new member acquisition. Through extensive strategic engagement, WHYY leveraged specific content - MANY RIVERS TO CROSS, BLACK AMERICA SINCE MLK and THE BLACK PANTHERS - to reconnect with and retain existing members and acquire memberships from a more diverse demographic within their community. In only 18 months, WHYY acquired more than 3,500 new donors, prospects and members through a combination of pledge events and community engagement, including screening and panel discussions and historical tours.

The Philanthropy Award recognizes successful fundraising efforts that directly strengthen a station's financial sustainability. Community Idea Stations received recognition for its major giving program, the Commonwealth Circle. Through strategic cultivation and concurrent engagement strategies that encourage face-to-face interaction with donors and interactive stewardship, the Commonwealth Circle has seen a 139% increase in number of donors giving $1,000 or more and a 99% increase in revenue over a five-year period. Year over year, 92% of donors are retained. In 2016 alone, Commonwealth Circle revenue has helped fund community outreach, TV productions about local issues and three documentary productions, including one that aired nationally.

The Special Achievement Award recognizes successful projects that have a broader organizational or community reach, or outside a single discipline. Georgia Public Broadcasting won this category for its fundraising approach across all platforms. The station refined its internal operations and changed its staff structure to give more team members a stake in development goals. Performance ratings were based on overall organizational fundraising success rather than individual goals. This led to GPB's overall development revenue growth from $4.8 million in FY13 to $7.4 million in FY16 (with $1 million year-over-year increases). The station's sustainer program grew from $264,000 to more than $1.1 million, with the aim of inducing half of all donors to become sustainers by 2018.

About PBS

PBS, with nearly 350 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches nearly 100 million people through television and nearly 28 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS' broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS'

LINK:	http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/east-tennessee-pbs-whyy-community-...
	See more stories from pbs

Most recent headlines

05/01/2027

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be demoed at CES 2026

Worlds first 802.15.4ab-UWB chip verified by Calterah and Rohde & Schwarz to be ...

01/06/2026

Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026

January 6 2026, 05:30 (PST) Dolby Sets the New Standard for Premium Entertainment at CES 2026 Throughout the week, Dolby brings to life the latest innovatio...

02/05/2026

Dalet Flex LTS Delivers Smarter Search, Faster Editing, and an AI-Ready Foundation for Modern Media

Dalet, a leading technology and service provider for media-rich organizations, t...

01/05/2026

NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to Integrate Dolby's Full Suite of Premium Picture and Sound Innovations

January 5 2026, 18:30 (PST) NBCUniversal's Peacock to Be First Streamer to ...

01/04/2026

DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION

January 4 2026, 18:00 (PST) DOLBY AND DOUYIN EMPOWER THE NEXT GENERATON OF CREATORS WITH DOLBY VISION Douyin Users Can Now Create And Share Videos With Stun...

18/03/2026

Net Insight Names Larissa GrnerMeeus CPO

Newly named chief product officer (CPO), Larissa G rner Meeus will return to Net Insight on May 4. Larissa G rner Meeus will become CPO of Net Insight on May 4...

18/03/2026

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026: Select Sessions Now Available to Watch on SVG PLAY

SVG Europe's The Football Summit 2026 explored how the sports broadcasting i...

18/03/2026

SVG's SportsTech@NABShow Blog Goes Live as Countdown to Vegas Heats Up

The 2026 NAB Show kicks off one month from today and SVG is once again set to cover the show from every angle. SVG's SportsTech@NAB Show Blog is now live - ...

18/03/2026

The Premiere of Dead Lover Showcases Grave Robbing and Sex With a Giant Finger

(L-R) The cast and crew of Dead Lover at The Ray Theater for its premiere at the 2025 Sundance Film Festival. (Photo by Robin Marshall/Shutterstock for Sundan...

18/03/2026

Music Row Piano from Wiltone Productions

Yamaha C7 captured in Nashville Wiltone Productions have announced the release of Music Row Piano, a deeply sampled Yamaha C7 piano library that's been ...

18/03/2026

Techivation introduce T-Warmer Mk2

Bass-enhancement plug-in upgraded Along with a steady stream of new releases, Techivation have recently been revisiting some of the older plug-ins in their ...

18/03/2026

Tonal Balance Control 3 from iZotope

Mix-reference plug-in overhauled iZotope's powerful mix-referencing plug-in has just reached its third major version, and now boasts a new capture proce...

18/03/2026

Toontrack Transistor Organ EKX

Latest EZKeys 2 expansion arrives Toontrack's staggering collection of EZKeys 2 expansions has grown once again, and the latest instalment delivers a on...

18/03/2026

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture

Jess Ho explores the politics of food in new SBS Audio podcast For The Culture 18 March, 2026 Media releases New SBS Audio podcast For The Culture, hosted ...

18/03/2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz at NAB 2026

Future-ready broadcasts with ATSC 3.0 and enhanced services from Rohde & Schwarz...

18/03/2026

LCTWS 2026

London Calling - When The Industry Convened to Help Streaming Find its MoJo In this blog, Laura Rognoni reflects on key discussions from the Connected TV World...

18/03/2026

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations

SMPTE Unveils 2026 NAB Show Educational Presentations Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments SMPTE , the home of media professionals, technologists, a...

18/03/2026

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K

Auditel Ad Campaign Shot on Blackmagic PYXIS 12K Brie Clayton March 18, 2026 0 Comments LED wall virtual production blends 12K open gate acquisition w...

18/03/2026