WASHINGTON, D.C. — The first 50 public media stations from across the U.S. have been selected to participate in a second phase of the Digital Transformation Program delivered by the Poynter Institute. The program educates, assists, and coaches public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture to meet the needs of local audiences.
Designed in partnership with the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and funded by CPB, the new, enhanced program builds upon the strength and success of Poynter’s first Digital Transformation Program, which in 2022-23 trained 79 public media entities and 458 station personnel.
“CPB is committed to advancing innovation,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB’s President and CEO. “The Digital Transformation Program will provide coaching and resources to help stations accelerate their digital development and share best practices for achieving audience and revenue growth.”
This new phase of training includes two distinct tracks: a nine-month program known as the Fundamentals Track and a six-month program known as the Advanced Track. Each will be offered every year for three years beginning in 2025 with a capacity to train up to 225 public media stations.
This first group of 50 stations will receive Fundamentals training virtually, with stations participating in cohorts consisting of 25 station leaders and staff. The customized Fundamentals Track provides one-on-one and peer group coaching sessions, complemented by educational webinars, practical work exercises, and resource materials for the station leaders and their staff members.
“Poynter is excited to welcome these public media professionals to the program as part of our partnership with CPB,” said Poynter President Neil Brown. “We’re proud to be able to help these stations transform to a more audience-first, digital focus and build deeper connections with their community as well as grow revenues to strengthen their financial foundations.”
Each station team will receive digital transformation training focusing on core strategies, tools, and practices while working on a specific digital project aimed at driving audience engagement and revenue growth. In addition, stations will receive intensive data analytics training to enhance their data literacy and improve decision-making capabilities.
The 50 stations selected for the 2025 Fundamentals cohort include 22 public radio stations, 12 public television stations and 16 joint license stations. One group of 25 stations will start in January 2025 and the other in March.
The stations are:
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Alabama Public Television, Birmingham
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Arizona Public Media, Tucson
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Ball State Public Media, Muncie, Ind.
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Central Florida Public Media, Orlando
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Cincinnati Public Radio
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Cook County Community Radio – WTIP in Grand Marais, Minn.
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East Tennessee PBS (WETP), Knoxville
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Hawaiʻi Public Radio, Honolulu
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KACV-TV/Panhandle PBS, Amarillo
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KEET-TV/North Coast Public Media, Eureka-Arcata, Calif.
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KFAI-FM, Minneapolis, Minn.
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KGOU Radio, Norman, Okla.
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KIXE, Redding, Calif.
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KLRU-TV/Austin PBS, Austin, Tex.
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KMFA-FM, Austin, Tex.
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KPCW Radio, Park City, Utah
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KRSU (RSUTV), Claremore, Okla.
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KRWG Public Media, Las Cruces, N. Mex.
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KSJD/KZET, Cortez-Durango, Colo.
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KSMQ Public Television, Austin, Minn.
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KUAF 91.3 FM, Fayetteville, Ark.
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KUNR Public Radio, Reno, Nev.
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Lakeshore Public Media, Merrillville, Ind.
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Michigan Public, Ann Arbor-Detroit, Mich.
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Milwaukee PBS, Milwaukee
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Mississippi Public Broadcasting, Jackson, Miss.
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Newark Public Radio (WBGO), Newark-New York
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Northwest Public Broadcasting, Washington State Univ. — Spokane
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Ozarks Public Broadcasting, Springfield, Mo.
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Prairie Public, Fargo, N.D.
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Public Radio Tulsa (KWGS/KWTU), Tulsa
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RI PBS & The Public’s Radio, Providence, R.I.
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South Florida PBS, Miami-Fort Lauderdale and West Palm Beach
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Southern Oregon PBS (KSYS), Medford, Ore.
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Texas Tech Public Media — KTTZ/KCOS, Lubbock and El Paso
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Tri States Public Radio, Macomb, Ill.
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Vincennes PBS – WVUT (& WVUB-FM radio), Vincennes, Ind.
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WAER Syracuse Public Media, Syracuse
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WDAV Classical Public Radio, Davidson-Charlotte, N.C.
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WHQR, Wilmington, N.C.
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Wisconsin Public Radio, Madison, Wisc.
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WNIN Tri-State Public Media, Evansville, Ind.
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WOSU Public Media, Columbus, Ohio
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WPBS-TV, Watertown, N.Y.
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WQPT PBS, Moline, Ill.
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WSKG, Vestal-Binghamton, N.Y.
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WTJU, Charlottesville, Va.
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WUFT-TV/FM, Gainesville-Ocala
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WXPN, Philadelphia
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WYSO, Yellow Springs-Dayton, Ohio
