Regional Productions 2007-2010

Collaborations

Educational Services

Higher Education Cooperation Fact Sheet

Western Reserve PBS Viewing Area

Introducing Western Reserve Public Media
On Oct. 1, 2008, WNEO/Youngstown and WEAO/Akron (formerly known as PBS 45 & 49) adopted a new name: Western Reserve Public Media. This new identity better reflects our regional coverage, which unifies the major metropolitan areas of northeast Ohio — Akron, Canton, Cleveland and Youngstown/Warren. Western Reserve Public Media also represents the full range of the organization’s broadcast, Internet, new media and print services.

The advent of digital television opens an exciting new realm of possibilities for multiple broadcast channels. Under its new umbrella identity, WNEO is still channel 45 in the Youngstown market and WEAO is still channel 49 in the Cleveland-Akron (Canton) market. The channels formerly known as PBS 45 & 49 are now Western Reserve PBS, our primary, high definition broadcast service. In 2009 we introduced three additional digital broadcast services, Fusion, MHz Worldview and V-me.           

History and Mission
Western Reserve Public Media is made up of two separately licensed public television stations (WNEO and WEAO) and an Educational Services division operating under one 501(c)(3) corporation, Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc. (NETO). WNEO was established in 1971, is licensed to the city of Alliance and serves the Youngstown designated television market. WEAO went on the air in 1975, is licensed to the city of Akron and serves the Cleveland-Akron (Canton) designated television market. All programming is simulcast on the two stations.

The corporation, NETO, is owned and operated by a consortium of The University of Akron, Kent State University and Youngstown State University. The consortium provides no financial support to the organization. The board of directors consists of 15 members.

It is the mission and purpose of Western Reserve Public Media to see that the powerful medium of television is used to teach, illuminate and inspire. We do this through the presentation of consistently outstanding programs and lifelong educational services that are responsive to the varied interests and needs of northeast Ohioans. The organization continually strives to bring to our viewers cultural and artistic enlightenment and enjoyment; exposure to local, state and national public affairs of importance; and the opportunity for lifelong learning through formal instruction and general educational programming.

Check out the timeline of Western Reserve Public Media’s history.

Coverage Area and Viewership
Western Reserve PBS and our standard-definition channels are available to 1.8 million households and 4.4 million viewers in northeast Ohio and western Pennsylvania. (See our coverage map.) The organization not only embraces regionalism, it is regionalism. Western Reserve PBS is the only broadcast television service in the area that links together the entire northeast Ohio region. The most recent household and head counts from A.C. Nielsen show that the Cleveland-Akron (Canton) designated market area (DMA) is the 18th largest market in the country, and the Youngstown DMA is the 110th largest. Cleveland is the 59th largest Hispanic television market. In an average week, over 700,000 viewers watch Western Reserve PBS, according to A.C. Nielsen ratings and Media Audit data. Audiences for the other broadcast services are not yet measured by Nielsen or Media Audit.

The Digital Television Transition
A 1996 federal mandate required all of the nation’s over-the-air broadcast television stations to change from analog to digital television (DTV) transmission. At midnight on June 12, 2009, all full-power TV stations across the nation shut off their analog signals and switched exclusively to digital transmission.

Core Programs and Services
Broadcast Services: Western Reserve PBS, Fusion, MHz Worldview and V-me
Western Reserve Public Media airs an annual total of 35,040 hours of commercial-free television on four broadcast services:

Western Reserve PBS is the primary, high definition broadcast service and offers a wide range of programs on subjects including science and nature; drama, art and music; how-tos, travel and adventure; history and biography; and news and public affairs. Additionally, the station airs over 60 hours of children’s programming each week. We are committed to creating regional productions including NewsNight Akron and dozens of one-time-only programs on subjects of regional interest to our viewers (public affairs, the arts and history, for example). In October 2009, we will launch a weekly series on the regional economy. We also enjoy an excellent relationship with regional independent producers and serve as the premier television outlet for their work.

In 2009, the organization launched three standard definition channels, Fusion (WNEO.2/WEAO.2), MHz Worldview (WNEO.3/WEAO.3) and V-me (WNEO.4/WEAO.4) Fusion offers a combination of arts and culture, public affairs, regional productions and BBC Worldwide programming. MHz Worldview is an independent, noncommercial service presenting English-language content, including news, documentaries, cultural programming, films, music and sports, from public broadcasting networks around the world. V-me is a Spanish language public television service. These new digital channels are available over the air and are also carried by Time Warner Cable (positions 368, 369 and 804), Massillon Cable (positions 84 and 85) and Armstrong cable (positions 416 and 417). Carriage on other cable and satellite services is pending.

Educational Services
Western Reserve Educational Services, a service of Western Reserve Public Media, is funded by the State of Ohio through eTech Ohio and serves K-12 students and educators in eight Ohio counties (Carroll, Columbiana, Mahoning, Portage, Stark, Summit, Trumbull and Wayne). This includes 92 public school districts and 134 nonpublic schools, 256,700 students and over 21,000 educators. Since 1973, Western Reserve Educational Services has been training teachers to use the latest educational technologies in their classrooms. Educators also use the station’s instructional television programming; our locally produced multimedia curriculum projects to help students prepare for and pass Ohio’s proficiency tests; and our in-school technology and instructional television consultation services.

In the 2008-09 school year, Western Reserve Educational Services’ 21st-Century Learning Center staff of educational technology consultants delivered 182 professional development technology sessions to 2,794 educators.

The Ready To Learn Service
Western Reserve Public Media’s Ready To Learn (RTL) service is a parent and child care provider outreach project that supplements PBS children’s programs. The RTL staff offers free workshops, print materials and Web resources geared toward parents as well as child care providers to help extend the learning from our children’s shows into reading and hands-on activities. Our free workshops are aligned with the state of Ohio’s “Step Up to Quality” standards and present the professional training now required of all family and in-home child care providers. In the 2008-09 fiscal year, our RTL staff presented 76 training sessions to over 811 care providers.

Ohio Ready To Work Service
Western Reserve Public Media continues its work with the Ohio Ready To Work project, aimed at strengthening communities by helping the unemployed and underemployed with additional training and skill development. The project is based on a partnership between the Ohio Educational Television Stations (OETS) and other agencies involved in training today’s workforce. Episodes of GED Connection and Workplace Essentials Skills, two PBS series, are broadcast weekdays by Western Reserve PBS. Over 400 kits of our support print materials have been distributed in the eight-county service area of A.B.L.E. centers and workforce literacy agencies.

Community Outreach
Western Reserve Public Media extends the value of programming beyond the television set through community events and partnerships with local organizations and agencies. Station community events touch more than 100,000 northeast Ohioans annually, and our regularly published newsletters are delivered to over 49,000 readers. In FY09, Western Reserve Public Media’s outreach focused on educating the public about the digital television transition. Other outreach activities range from workshops and documentary premiere screenings to live performances, town hall meetings and public lectures.

Internet Services
Western Reserve Public Media’s Web site at www.WesternReservePublicMedia.org is home to thousands of pages of station-created content. Visitors will find video on demand, the daily program schedules for all of our digital broadcast services, station e-newsletters, blogs and our locally developed multimedia curriculum kits for K-12 classrooms, featuring online teacher guides, interactive lesson plans and instructional video. We also house over 100 hours of regional programming on the site.

Operating Budget and Funding Sources
Western Reserve Public Media’s 2010 fiscal year operating budget is $5.2 million. Revenue comes from these sources:

Private Support (72%) Private funding includes revenue from 16,000 members, corporate and foundation underwriting grants and entrepreneurial activities such as tower rental income.

State Funding (13%) Almost all of this funding supports Western Reserve Educational Services and its outreach to K-12 educators. Additionally, Ohio Educational Telecommunications provides partial support for nighttime and weekend operations.

Federal Funding (15%) Federal funding comes to Western Reserve Public Media through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).

 

Governance
Western Reserve Public Media is owned and operated by Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio, Inc. (NETO), a consortium of The University of Akron, Kent State University and Youngstown State University. The board of directors is made up of 15 members, including the presidents of the three universities and other university and community representatives.

Affiliations
Western Reserve Public Media is affiliated with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) and Ohio Educational Television Stations (OETS).

Facilities and Operations
Western Reserve Public Media employs 22 full-time and three part-time staff members and engages the services of 29 freelance professionals for special projects.

The operations center, administrative offices and location of public files are housed at 1750 Campus Center Drive, Kent, Ohio, 44240. The organization’s Western Reserve Production Hub is located on the first floor of the United Building in downtown Akron.

Additionally, the organization operates three transmitters: the WNEO-DT 45 transmitter, located in Salem, serves greater Youngstown and western PA; WEAO-DT 49 transmitter, located in Copley, serves the greater Cleveland, Akron and Canton areas; and W44CR-D 44 is located in Youngstown and serves low-lying areas of the Mahoning Valley.

Last update: Feb. 1, 2010