ELECTIONS, GREAT MUSIC SPECIALS, & ACCOMPLISHMENTS

posted by Jack Gibson

June brings us to the end of another fiscal year and also to our year-end membership countdown. We’ve programmed some great music programs this month for the final TV membership campaign of FY12, starting June 2nd. As always, this campaign is critical to meet our financial obligations, and to securing solid footing for our new fiscal year on July 1st. If you have made a contribution this year, thank you. If not, please take this opportunity to help AZPM to finance the PBS, NPR and local productions that you have come to expect.

June’s pledge programs feature great music performances from some of today’s biggest stars, including, Il Divo: Live in London, and Great Performances: Tony Bennett: Duets II and Andrea Bocelli Live in Central Park. Music retrospectives include: Big Band Vocalists, British Beat, Ed Sullivan’s Rock and Roll Classic: The 60’s, and more. Find the complete PBS-HD 6 schedule here.

June 12th is the special CD8 election and AZPM’s award-winning local news team will provide you with the best in-depth coverage and analysis of day-to-day political events on TV, radio and online. Your Vote 2012 is designed to keep you informed and to help get out the vote! Videos, voter resources, and campaign calendars are available at the Your Vote page.

Additional program highlights this month - Mondays at 8 p.m., the new Antiques Roadshow series ‘Vintage’ (highlights of popular Roadshow programs) starts on June 18th with “Vintage Phoenix”. Thursdays at 8 p.m. brings the return of the popular summer series Wacky Americana and at 9 p.m., the premiere of Yes Minister, a classic BBC comedy series about a (fictional) self-serving Minister of Administrative Affairs, James Hacker, played by Paul Eddington (Good Neighbors).

Over the past 11 months, AZPM achieved some remarkable results. Going by the numbers, here is a list of accomplishments to demonstrate the return on your membership investment:

13% increase in PBS-HD 6 audiences; ranked among Top 10 PBS stations nationally.

8% increase in average monthly views on azpm.org

184% increase in original tweets @AZPMnews (April 2011 vs. April 2012)

2142 Facebook friends

24,052 total AZPM members

22% increase in NPR 89.1 average quarter hour audience

2 Classical Community Concerts broadcast on 90.5 FM each week that are recorded locally

642 average total hours volunteers give to the station each month

19 daily local radio newscasts between 5am and 6pm weekdays

5 local radio newscasts on Saturday and Sunday morning

6 original TV news/ public affairs programs produced each week

118% growth in original online news and feature stories

Our efforts for the benefit of Southern Arizona would not be possible without you. Please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support and best wishes for the summer.

Jack Gibson

MYSTERY, CONTROVERSY, A SUCCESSFUL RADIO PLEDGE AND THE KING OF LATE NIGHT

posted by Laura McKee

Thank you to all of the members and supporters of Arizona Public Media for the successful completion of our Spring Radio Pledge campaign on NPR 89.1 FM and Classical 90.5 FM. With your help we exceeded our goal with support from 2,249 loyal contributors. This success provides AZPM with the financial support to continue to fund the national programs from NPR and other radio program suppliers. More than 173 volunteers donated their time to help with this radio campaign and we could have not achieved our goal without them and you – Thank you!

Following on the heels of the great success of Downton Abbey, MASTERPIECE Mystery! presents three new episodes of Sherlock Holmes beginning on Sunday, May 6th at 8 p.m. Crime fighting’s most famous duo are back in this 21st-century version of the Victorian-era whodunit starring Benedict Cumberbatch (“War Horse,” “Atonement”) as Sherlock Holmes, and Martin Freeman (“The Office” UK) as his loyal friend and accomplice, Dr. John Watson. Each of the three new episodes in the new season is pegged to a classic Sherlock Holmes story by Sir Arthur Conan Doyle – delightfully, weirdly, wittily, and briskly updated – of course: May 6th– “A Scandal in Belgravia” at 8 p.m. May 13th – “The Hounds of Baskerville” at 8 p.m. May 20th – “The Reichenbach Fall” at 8 p.m. Deduce more clues here

Last month, we announced the addition of Moyers & Company to the Sunday morning public affairs program line-up on PBS-HD 6. Starting Friday, May 4th Moyers & Company and The McLaughlin Group join the Friday night news and public affairs programming block.

6:00 p.m. BBC World News 6:30 p.m. Arizona Illustrated 7:00 p.m. The PBS NewsHour 8:00 p.m. Washington Week 8:30 p.m. Arizona Week 9:00 p.m. Moyers & Company 10:00 p.m. Need to Know 10:30 p.m. The McLaughlin Group airs Monday-Friday

The addition of these programs on Fridays exemplifies AZPM’s commitment to bring you the most in-depth, local, regional and national news and public affairs coverage during the congressional, senate, and presidential campaign season. Visit here for program schedules.

On May 16th at 6 – 7 p.m. Christopher Conover and Andrea Kelly, AZPM Political Correspondents, will host a special one-hour CD8 Candidates Forum on Arizona Illustrated. All three CD8 candidates, Ron Barber (Democratic), Jesse Kelly, (Republican) and George Manolakis (Green) will participate and answer questions. This political forum will broadcast on PBS-HD 6, NPR 89.1 FM/1550 AM and also online at azpm.org. Members, viewers and listeners are encouraged to participate. Send your questions to azpm.org/yourvote, Facebook/Azpublicmedia, and Twitter@azpmnews.

PBS-HD 6 features two new Nature shows this month on Wednesdays at 8 p.m. “The White Lions” on Wednesday, May 9th, tells the story of two rare white lion cubs on their journey to adulthood, and “Cracking the Koala Code” on May 16th explores how koalas manage to survive and thrive on a diet poisonous to almost all other herbivorous mammals. Finding Your Roots with Louis Gates, Jr. continues in May on Sundays at 7 p.m.with the last three episodes of this critically acclaimed series: May 6th - Sanjay Gupta, Margaret Cho and Martha Stewart; May 13th – John Legend, Wanda Sykes and Margaret Cooper; May 20th – Michelle Rodriguez, Adam Grenier and Linda Chavez.On Monday, May 14th at 9 p.m. American Masters celebrates “Johnny Carson: King of Late Night”. Narrated by Kevin Spacey, this special explores the life and career of The Tonight Show host through unprecedented access to Carson’s personal and professional archives, interviews with family, colleagues, and performers, who appeared, began or were influenced by The Tonight Show.

The Hollywood at Home film series continues Saturdays at 9 p.m. with more great commercial-free films: “Love in the Afternoon” on May 5th, “Bullitt” May 13th, “Bringing Up Baby” May 19th, and “Key Largo” on May 26th. A special bonus night, Wednesday, May 23rd features “Papillon” with Steve McQueen and Dustin Hoffman. For great film trivia go here.

ReadyTV’s featured chef of the month in May is Steven Raichlin. His critically acclaimed series Primal Grill will air throughout the month on Cox 82, Comcast 201 and Broadcast 6-3. Check here for a complete schedule.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership, and continued support.

Jack Gibson

YOUR VOTE 2012, EXPLORATION WEDNESDAYS & TV PLEDGE UPDATE

posted by Laura McKee

Thanks to the outstanding support of people like you, Arizona Public Media completed another successful PBS-HD 6 membership campaign, exceeding its goal of $300,000 from 2,048 dedicated supporters! We now transition to showing similar support for NPR 89.1 FM and Classical 90.5 FM for the upcoming radio pledge campaign, “It’s Up To Us” airing for one week--April 21st through the 28th. Our goal this spring is to raise $250,000. When you become a first-time member or renew your membership through either radio or TV (or online), you help continue funding the award-winning, informative, and entertaining local and national programming from PBS and NPR that you love. Your member dollars are also reinvested right back into this organization and help make possible our commitment to increase local and national news coverage and special programs all year long.

The AZPM’s “Your Vote 2012” election coverage is underway on PBS-HD 6, NPR 89.1FM and online at azpm.org. A large part of our programming this year will be dedicated to providing you with the most in-depth, local, regional and national political news coverage for the upcoming campaign season. Locally-produced programs, Arizona Week, Arizona Illustrated, Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable, Arizona Spotlight, plus the national television and radio news and public affairs shows will keep you up to date on the latest political news and campaign developments. Also, the PBS-HD 6 Sunday morning public affairs line-up just got better! Starting April 1st at 9 a.m., Bill Moyers & Company joins Washington Week at 10 a.m. and Arizona Week at 10:30 a.m.

For those of you who prefer to escape the rigors of politics, PBS-HD 6 is your source for entertaining and educational programs. This month we launch Exploration Wednesdays with the addition of a brand new series America Revealed with host and guide Yul Kwon, winner of “Survivor: Cook Islands.” This new series airs at 10 p.m. and joins popular series Nature, at 8 p.m. and NOVA at 9 p.m. A new season of Finding Your Roots with Louis Gates, Jr. returns on Sundays at 6 p.m. with new episodes including “Barbara Walters and Geoffrey Canada” beginning on April 1st.

On Earth Day, Sunday, April 22nd at 6 p.m. PBS-HD 6 will premiere “Seeking Water From the Sun.” This locally-produced special 30-minute documentary looks at the drama of science and the reality of life on the Navajo Nation and the lack of usable water. It explores the trials and tribulations faced by UA scientists designing and building a solar powered water distillation prototype, the first step of a plan to purify ground water for easier access to areas of the Navajo people and their livestock. This program will air on public stations throughout the west and then nationally in the fall.

The popular Hollywood at Home film series continues on Saturdays at 9 p.m. with a great line up of classic films: “Bus Stop” on April 7th, “Arsenic and Old Lace” April 14th, “The Great Train Robbery” April 21st, and “The French Lieutenant’s Woman” on April 28th.

Ready TV’s featured chef of the month in April is Lidia Bastianich, known as the “First Lady of Italian cuisine and restaurants in the U.S.”. Tune in to Lydia’s Italy Kitchen throughout the month on Cox 82, Comcast 201 and Broadcast 6-3.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership, and continued support.

Jack Gibson

SPRING IS IN THE AIR

posted by Laura McKee

Many exciting things are happening around NPR 89.1 this month. Perhaps you’ve noticed there are now local morning newscasts on Saturday and Sunday. This extended coverage is made possible by listener support and fulfills our strategic intent to provide southern Arizona with the best in-depth news coverage. The popular weekend program Wait…Wait Don’t Tell Me comes to Tucson’s Centennial Hall as a part of UApresents on Thursday, March 15th. This sold-out show will be taped for broadcast to the national NPR audience on Saturday, March 17th.

Join us on March 3rd at the Fox Tucson Theatre for the national premiere simulcast broadcast on ReadyTV of “Amos Lee with Calexico” Live from the Artists Den. Tickets are free to the public. Doors will open at 7 p.m. with the broadcast starting at 8 p.m. The original concert was taped at the Fox Theatre Tucson on August 23, 2011 as part of the fourth season of this innovative music series. Live from the Artists Den airs on ReadyTV on Saturday nights at 8 p.m. on Cox 83, Comcast 201 and Broadcast 6-3.

The Tucson Festival of Books comes to the University of Arizona on March 10 and 11th. AZPM is again proud to be a part of this event. Our theme this year, ReadyTV and its great cooking programs, will be featured in the Culinary Tent as well as the new Science City – Science of Food tent. Come see us at the festival and register to win some great Culinary Gift Baskets from our highlighted ReadyTV chefs; Jacques Pepin, Steven Raichlen, Huber Keller, and the folks from America’s Test Kitchen.

The PBS-HD 6 spring membership drive, “You Make It Happen,” starts March 3rd. Program highlights include “Big Band Vocalists” and “Superstars of the Seventies Soul Live”, the latest installments of the MY MUSIC series, premieres on March 3rd at 7 p.m. and 9 p.m. respectively. Great Performances celebrates the 25th anniversary of one of the world’s most spectacular musicals, “Phantom of the Opera at the Royal Albert Hall” on Sunday, March 4th at 6 p.m. Also, “Tony Bennett: Duets II,” another Great Performances program airs on Thursday, March 8th at 8 p.m. and features the singer’s greatest hits performed by Bennett and today’s biggest stars, including John Mayer, k.d. lang, Sheryl Crow, Josh Groban, and more. On Monday the 5th, don’t miss “Dr. Wayne Dyer: Wishes Fulfilled,” as the best-selling author presents his Five Wishes Fulfilled Foundations at 8 p.m. and don’t miss “Celebrating North America’s Steam Railways” premiering on Monday, March 12th at 8 p.m. Last but not least - the ever popular, “Joseph Campbell & the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers” returns on the 18th and 19th at 9 p.m.

As always, our goal is to provide you with a wide variety of programming so you can “vote with your pledge” and let us know the types of shows you’d like to see more of on PBS- HD 6.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership, and continued support.

Jack Gibson

RATINGS SUCCESS PLUS FEBRUARY PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS

posted by Laura McKee

“Downton Abbey,” the Emmy® Award winning Masterpiece Classic series has been lighting up the internet! During the Golden Globe Awards, Twitter reported that the moment “Downton Abbey” won for best mini-series; it was the most buzzed moment of the awards show with 6,162 tweets-per-second – outpacing last year’s Super Bowl and royal wedding! Tune in to one of the most acclaimed international television hits on Sundays at 8 p.m. on PBS-HD 6 through February 19th. Watch the turmoil, the spoils of war, and the dashing of romantic dreams.

The fall television ratings have just been released and the Hollywood at Home weekly Saturday night film series has proven to be a big winner. The films “Moonstruck,” and “Kiss me Deadly,” all proved to be ratings winners along with our perennial hits Keeping Up Appearances, Sherlock Homes, Antique Roadshow, and As Time Goes By. The Hollywood at Home series in February includes “Anastasia” on February 4th, “To Have and Have Not” on the 11th, “One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest” on the 18th and the original “Ocean’s Eleven” on February 25th; all at 9 p.m. with no interruptions. On Super Bowl on Sunday February 5th, we have Hollywood at Home movies scheduled at a special time: “Local Hero” at 3 p.m. followed by “People Will Talk” at 5 p.m.

Ready TV, AZPM’s new 24-hour life-style channel looks to be a hit -- increasing its audience by 22% in the first month on the air. The featured ‘chef of the month’ for February is world-renowned chef and teacher Jacque Pépin, with his series “Essential Pépin.” Visit here for more information.

AZPM radio audiences are growing as well. For the fall 2011 ratings period, Classical 90.5 FM realized an eight percent increase in audience share, and a 2.5 percent increase in weekly unduplicated audience compared to the previous year.^ The unduplicated audience for NPR 89.1 increased by eight percent over the previous ratings period.^^ We are gratified by these ratings results and thank you, our loyal listeners and members for their support. Also, we hope you join us in welcoming Garrison Keillor back to Tucson for his “One Man Show” at Centennial Hall on Feb. 1st, as well as tuning into his program, A Prairie Home Companion, each weekend on NPR 89.1 and Classical 90.5.

As the November 2012 election season heats up, AZPM is your source for in-depth local, regional and national election coverage on TV, radio, and online. AZPM reporters will continue to provide in-depth stories of the political landscape and how they affect you, your family, and our community. Add this to the PBS and NPR national coverage from The PBS NewsHour, The Diane Rehm Show, and All Things Considered and you can see how AZPM lives up to its reputation as ‘a trusted source of in-depth news and information’.

In addition to Masterpiece Classic: “Downton Abbey” this month PBS-HD 6 will offer:

A new installment in the American Experience presidential profile series with “Clinton” on Monday, February 20th and 21st at 9 p.m. “Clinton” is the fascinating story of an American president, William Jefferson Clinton, who rose from a broken childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history, and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage. Also this month from The American Experience is “The Amish,” a two-hour special, which examines the beliefs, lifestyle and history of the Amish, as well as their complex relationship to mainstream American culture. Beautifully and lyrically photographed, “The Amish” is part history and part observational documentary.

Antiques Roadshow continues each Monday night at 8 p.m. with brand new shows from Tulsa, Oklahoma; Eugene, Oregon; and Tampa, Florida. Highlights include signed Ty Cobb memorabilia dating back to the early 1950s, an original Rosemary’s Baby drawing by art designer Clem Hall, a 1919 oil painting by Norman Rockwell valued at $500,000, and a circa 1600 Ming Dynasty cast bronze guardian figure valued at $70,000 – $100,000.

On Tuesday the 14tu at 9 p.m., FRONTLINE presents, “The Interrupters,” a film which follows the inner workings of CeaseFire, an innovative program in Chicago designed to prevent shootings. “Interrupters” reports on the simmering disputes and the senseless shootings in their neighborhoods. Directed by Steve James (Hoop Dreams, Stevie), this film is a compelling observational journey into stubborn, persistent violence that plagues our American cities.

Nature continues with new episodes on Wednesdays: “Raccoon Nation” and “Ocean Giants” at 8 p.m. followed by new NOVA episodes; “Hunting the Elements” on February 8th and 15th at 9 p.m. The international science series, Inside Nature’s Giants continues at 10 p.m. with more new episodes, “Great White Shark” on February 1st and “Big Cats” on February 8th.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership and continued support.

Jack Gibson

^ Average Quarter Hour share year over year in the Metro area; and a 2.5 percent in Total Market Cume audience, age 12+. Figures from the Fall 2011, ©Arbitron, Inc. ©Radio Research Consortium, Inc.

^^ Metro Cume audience, age 12+, from the previous survey (Summer 2011). Figures from the Fall 2011, ©Arbitron, Inc. ©Radio Research Consortium, Inc.

ANNIVERSARIES AND PROGRAMMING HIGHLIGHTS FOR JANUARY

posted by Laura McKee

A year has passed since the tragic events of January 8th rocked our community. On Thursday, January 5th, AZPM will premiere a locally produced, one-hour special, Together We Heal, a thought-provoking documentary of the emotional healing both individually and community wide over the past year. Narrated by NBC News correspondent and Tucson native, Savannah Guthrie, Together We Heal features in-depth interviews with victims and their families, and the doctors and nurses who treated them. This special will repeat again on Sunday, January 8th at 6 p.m. We also encourage you to let us know how you are healing by telling your story on our website.

We start the year with some terrific new programs! We are very excited about the second season of the Emmy® Award winning Masterpiece Classic series, “Downton Abbey”. World War I has shaken Downton Abbey to its foundations and both heroes and villains struggle to survive and forge ahead. Don’t miss the first episode of season two which begins Sunday, January 8th at 8 p.m. and continues in February. Check out a preview.

We celebrate the first anniversary of Arizona Week this month, AZPM’s weekly statewide news program hosted by Michael Chihak. Each Friday at 8:30 p.m. Arizona Week reviews the week's top news in Arizona and provides depth and understanding of the key issues that affect the state. Highlights of the past year include two lengthy interviews with Gov. Jan Brewer, one, the day her economic package passed, the other, the day she vetoed several bills at the end of the legislative session; and a group interview with five Arizona mayors discussing finances, economics and politics. Arizona Week airs each Friday in Tucson at 8:30 p.m. and Sunday morning at 10:30 a.m. and in Phoenix on Fridays on KAET8/World.

Other highlights include Antiques Roadshow, with new shows from Tulsa, Oklahoma and Eugene, Oregon. On Tuesdays American Experience brings us back to the Wild West with “Billy the Kid” on the 10th, a two-hour “Custer’s Last Stand” on the 17th, “Wyatt Earp” and “Geronimo” on the 24th and “Annie Oakley” and “Jesse James” on the 31st.

Topping off Wednesdays, ‘the smartest night of the week’, international science series, Inside Nature’s Giants, airs new episodes, “Sperm Whale” on January 18th and “Monster Python” on January 25th. Add this to new Nature programs: “Kangaroo Mob” and “Fortress of the Bears” Wednesday at 8 p.m. followed by new NOVA episodes; “Deadliest Volcanoes”, “Bombing Hitlers Dams”, “Spies of WWII” and “Mystery of a Masterpiece” at 9 p.m.

Ready TV feedback from loyal viewers continues to roll in and bring in new viewers and programs. The chef of the month in January is Hubert Keller, one of the most imaginative and talented chefs in the United States. Check out his series Secrets of the Chef throughout the month on ReadyTV Cox channel 82, Comcast channel 201 and Broadcast channel 6-3.

The popular Hollywood at Home film series continues each Saturday at 9 p.m. This month films include: Arthur, the comic love story starring Dudley Moore and Liza Minnelli on January 7th, Shake Hands with the Devil the Irish drama with James Cagney, January 14th, the original Thomas Crown Affair with Steve McQueen and Faye Dunaway on January 21st and the romantic drama, Goodbye Again with Ingrid Bergman, Anthony Perkins and Yves Montand on January 28th. For fun film trivia go here.

On behalf of all of us at AZPM, thank you for your viewership, listenership and continued support.

Jack Gibson