PAULAKERGERHD.mov
Paula Kerger Event Transcript

§ [A low-tone violin-like synthesizer fanfare from
Eric Siday's "Plenipoteniary"] §

- Announcer: This is N-E-T, the National Educational Television Network. 
- Macdonald Carey: This is PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service. 

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then five warm brass notes]
 
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§ Tonight is what you make it
§ So make it good
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§ Tonight 

- Announcer: This is WHA-TV, the State Radio Council television station in Madison, presenting... 
[sentimental orchestra music]
a special dedicatory program: a two-hour long celebration formally marking the start of program operations by WHA-TV. Airing it is your host, the program director, Bill Harlan. 

- Bill Harlan: Yes, this formerly marks the beginning of television broadcasting by the state of Wisconsin. But, of course, using the latest communication devices to disseminate information and education by the state is nothing new in the history of Wisconsin. That's a story that goes a long ways back. It's a very interesting story, too. And one that seems appropriate to relate on this occasion. We're glad you could come along and be with us on this occasion. We hope you enjoyed it. We hope you'll continue to look at WHA-TV. After all, the success of educational television is going to be dependent entirely upon the quality of the programs. This means the necessity of presenting programs which are both educationally sound, at the same time attractive, interesting, and appealing which match a professional polish and the technical competence, of the best of the commercial offerings and all done on rather limited funds. That, indeed, is a serious and stimulating challenge. A challenge which we as the staff accept with pleasure. You will be the judge of how well we meet the challenge. 
[applause]
 
- Kathy Bissen: So, some things change; some things stay the same. 
[laughing]

We've come a long ways. I'm Kathy Bissen. I'm the Associate Director and Chief Operating Officer at Wisconsin Public Television, and I'm really glad we are really glad that you can join us here this evening as we celebrate you the supporters, the community partners who all make Wisconsin public broadcasting what it is today. And as I've said, we've come a long ways since that first dedicatory broadcast which I hope you noticed that we spared you the full two hours. The dip to black was purposeful. But it was our call to action back then. It’s remained the same. WPT continues to enrich people's lives, inspire, and entertain. Our best work happens for you because of you. 

And I'm sure you've seen this year is an important milestone for public broadcasting and I mean public broadcasting-- not just Wisconsin Public Broadcasting. It was 100 years ago this year that public broadcasting began on the UW-Madison campus.

That experimental station 9XM became WHA Radio which led to Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television so as we celebrate our first 100 years of public broadcasting in Wisconsin and the country, we look forward to the next century of stories and innovations that will continue to connect people of our state and with the help of our second century sponsors and with the help of you, one of the ways that WPT continues to evolve and I hope to see that our productions have evolved a bit since that first one. 

On that, we do have new ways of storytelling and for some people animation is one of those you might think that animation is just cartoons or maybe video games but for us advances in animation tools allow us to better tell some of the stories of real people in new ways. Stories that are complex, rich, and powerful. So, I'd like to introduce you to Philip Ashby. Philip leads a team of talented animators whose passion and good work are indicative of WPT's bright future. Philip Ashby. 
[applause]

- Philip Ashby: Good evening, everybody. Thank you, Kathy. 

I want to talk a little bit about animation and how it's being a big part of our programming. Animation has the ability to transport us to new worlds. It can bring form to motion. It can help explain complicated issues. It could be fun, it could be serious, and can be a dramatic. 

I'm one of the artists on the staff of WPT creating new ways to envision telling Wisconsin stories. One of the ways that we're telling stories is with our colleagues at Wisconsin Public Radio of the Wisconsin Life. We're taking some great audio stories and basically through animation created new ways to give life to these stories for television and actually for online too. 

In fact, one of these stories we're doing tonight, I'm pleased to present is on our new season premiering tonight on Wisconsin Life as we speak. It's entitled "Kitchens," and I hope you enjoy it. So, thank you. 
[applause]
 
- Michael Perry: Early in our courtship, my wife Anneliese took me to visit Tom and Arlene, an elderly farm couple she'd grown close to during her teenage years. We stepped through the screen door and seated ourselves in the kitchen. The kitchen is small and close, dominated by the bulwark of a cast iron wood range dating to 1893. Add to that encroaching cupboards, the kitchen sink and dish-staked countertops, a refrigerator, a modern electrical stove and an overloaded coat rack, and there's not a lot of room to maneuver. The wooden floors are dark brown and unpolished but worn to smoothness by over a century of boot soles. The table, as I've come to know over the course of many subsequent visits, is always happily cluttered with mail and pens and notepads and cookies and saltines and always a Skippy jar filled with peanut M&M's. The worn floor, the dim corners, the bacon grease undertones, this is the same kitchen I've known from clear back to my grasshopper-size days in Sampson township. These are not the kitchens of slick magazines and stainless steel appliances. These are the kitchens of clutter and stack, of the dishrag hung and the pans piled, of the countertop bucket spilling onion husks and potato peels. Company is happily received with no preemptive clearing of the decks. Just clomp right in, boots and all. Your chair is waiting. More often than not, left at an open angle, ready to receive the next visitor. What I'm saying is, "The first time I walked through Tom and Arlene's door with Anneliese and stepped into that kitchen, even though I had never been there before, I knew exactly where I was." When Anneliese and I left that night and after I had dropped her off and was headed by to my very bachelor home, there had been a key change within me. As I watched her laugh and trade stories, I saw signs of an old soul. A person who paid her respects and paid them to the sort of people much of the world passes by at top speed. Prior to our night in Tom and Arlene's kitchen, I saw Anneliese as beautiful, desirable, smart and strong. More than enough in other words and easily more than I had earned. But as I watched how she honored Tom and Arlene with nothing fancier than honest talk and clear laughter, I began to realize I had found a person perfectly and unpretentiously matched to the roughneck kitchen of my dreams. 
§ §
 
[applause]

- Jon Miskowski: Nice job, Philip. Hi, I'm Jon Miskowski, Director of Wisconsin Public Television. You might know Philip from the taxi driver story both that he animated and was his story. It's a really, really powerful story. Thank you, Philip, for sharing that. And congratulations on the first premiere tonight, as we're here, premiere of Wisconsin Life. I'm really glad folks had a chance to meet Angela Fitzgerald She's just this wonderful, dynamic woman with no television experience who just... just swept us away with her enthusiasm, smile, just her really interest in people. I'm really happy to share with you tonight and going forward. Sorry, my wife was scolding me like, "This is the premiere of Wisconsin Life and Around the Farm Table, and I have to be here?" 
[laughter]
There's something wrong about all this. 

So, tonight we're here to introduce you to Paula Kerger, to thank you for your support, and to look ahead a little bit, as we just, on about the really bright future that we have on Wisconsin Public Television. And as you've heard, since you watch Wisconsin Public Television, this all started in the physics department on this campus, and that was Professor Earle Terry and his students who really, Terry was teaching his students physics through this thing, later called radio. I didn't write that pause in there, I was just trying to remember what the word was called. And so, as Kathy mentioned, in 1917 he invited his friends to come to his home and hear this thing. So they set up a receiver in his home, and they heard this thing that some called wireless telephone, which is kind of interesting because you think what they thought of it then. So, they weren't really impressed. It really, they was like, why do we need this, we can listen to music in many other ways and things like that, but we got past that sort of rough beginning. 

But to understand how early we are in public broadcasting, our first broadcasts were in Morse code. Professor Terry and his students learned, taught themselves how to blow glass. They taught themselves how to blow glass so that they could create the tubes to broadcast the human voice. They couldn't buy it out of a magazine, or whatever catalog, or something like that, they had to create them, and then sometimes they just lasted for a minute and they broke. 

But I think that that's such a wonderful story for us in public television and public radio, is that I feel like that glass blowing story is really our motivation always, that we're always trying to figure this out, always trying to invent it and re-invent it, and Wisconsin, that is the beginning of public broadcasting. So everything that you see on public television, everything on PBS, everything on NPR, starts here on this campus, and we've inherited that legacy. 

So, broadcasting at the turn of the century was very much a hobbyist kind of thing, clearly there were some naval implications, military applications, but there were a few people like Professor Terry and his students, and I'll repeat that, his students, who really recognized there was an educational opportunity. Now this is a time where they haven't even perfected voice broadcast. We haven't perfected voice broadcast and they believe that there's an educational opportunity here. 

That's just amazing, so how did they think, okay, we can transmit Morse code, and so they were transmitting weather reports, they were transmitting farm reports. They were sending signals that people set their watches and clocks to. So how did they imagine what we have today, but they did. They did, they imagined that they could take the wonderful content and conversation and teaching that was happening on this campus, and that they could share it with the whole state. 

So, this is also an auspicious day, as Marta reminded us, who's a little bit of our keeper of our educational history, because on October fifth in 1930-something was the first educational broadcast on Wisconsin Public Radio, became Wisconsin Public Radio. So not only is it this 100th anniversary, today is that first educational broadcast. So, folks know about School of the Air. Many of us grew up with that, heard it in the classroom, programs like, Let's Sing, Let's Write, Let's Draw. So I think that as the director of Wisconsin Public Television, think about these folks who thought that they could teach art and drawing through the radio, just think about that a little bit, and I think, why would they think that? What were they thinking, and yet it worked, it worked. 

And Paula commented on that a little bit, to the imagination, and I think that's still part of our legacy, is really imagination, of re-thinking, not only what we've done and respecting that legacy, but re-thinking that. And Paula certainly inherited, in these last few years, tremendous technology changes and PBS has been right there and been available to people in brand new ways, and that's because of Paula's vision. 

So if we go forward a little bit, and in 1954, as you saw that was our very first broadcast, and one thing I found is interesting. So we've been thinking about this centennial for a few years, and what we went back to is that story of radio and that founding story, so if you went a little farther forward in that video, that's exactly the story they tell. Of Professor Terry, of starting on this campus, this idea, a Wisconsin idea, and bringing this knowledge and information of this campus to the state. So in 1954, WHA-TV comes on the air. 

Boris Frank, who some of you know, who's quite a character in Madison, and the world, was an original staff member of WHA-TV, and Boris tells us about that time. Now, he told us they were a little disappointed they weren't the first public television station, that's Houston, but he said, in that time, it was WHA in Madison, WQED in Pittsburgh, KQED in San Francisco, and WGBH in Boston. WGBH is the next year in '55, but they really were the stations who invented this, who really really charted the course. So Houston was first, but quickly forgotten. 
[crowd laughing]
Sorry I shouldn't have said that. 

One of the first things they did in 1954, was they borrowed this idea called "The Friendly Giant" from radio. This was a program that started in '53. But in 1954 one of the first things they did was create a children's program. And think about how important public television has been to the lives of our children. Wisconsin Public Television was there, if not first, one of the first, because we know at the very same year in Pittsburgh, Fred Rogers is working on his very first show. So at that very same time in Madison and Pittsburgh, they're really inventing what we see in Sesame Street, Electric Company, that wonderful legacy of children's programming that, again, starts here, starts in Pittsburgh, by these people who, and sometimes they're just making it up, just saying this is what we should do. 

So this year we're really proud that part of that legacy continues, and Paula gets a lot of credit for, is the introduction of the 24/7 Kids channel. This is really wonderful service to our families and I don't know if we shared this with you, Paula, but we got some ratings information about the PBS Kids channel, and it's already bigger than our Wisconsin channel, already bigger than Create, so this is already this great success, and we know families will continue to find that. 
[applause]

Thank you. Also, going back to Terry, right from the beginning, they're talking about, thinking about how do we serve Wisconsin schools? And that continues to be an important part of our legacy. One of the projects that really, just every time I see it, just really gets me, just makes me feel so good, is the student reporting that you all see on the NewsHour. So I'm a NewsHour nerd, and love that show, and I just think about, here's the gem of a news show, and they give up their time to these young people to share their stories. This is a show that has closets full of Emmys and they find time to share stories with children. And even if they aren't the best stories that you're ever going to see, or the, it just feels so good. So, we have been partnering with the NewsHour to extend this program throughout the state in our education department, and including some work-- great work-- that we're proud of with our journalist colleagues at Black River Falls High School and Wauwatosa, and so we thought we'd listen to two of those students now.

[PBS NewsHour]
- Hi, I'm Judy Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of the PBS NewsHour, here with some very special guests.
- Hi, I'm Kim Liedholm from Black River Falls High School.
- And I'm Angelina Ritta from Wauwatosa West High School. We're here as the part of the PBS NewsHour Student Reporting Labs Academy.
- It's a nationwide network of high school journalists in communities across America. Our work has actually appeared on the PBS NewsHour broadcast.
- As Wisconsin Public Television celebrates the centennial of public broadcasting in the badger state, we are proud to partner with the statewide Reporting Lab to mentor the next generation of public media reporters and producers.
- And let me correct a little bit of what she said, because she talked about, you can clap, sorry. 
[applause]

I jumped on the applause. But it's not simply the reporters and producers, kids need to know how to navigate media and news and things like that, so even if they don't become journalists, we know the world that we live in, we know where information is coming from all over the place, and this is a really wonderful project, and we're also collaborating with the School of Education here on that project as well. I want to mention now a gift from Monroe and Sandra Trout, Dr. Monroe and Sandra Trout from Appleton, who has made a million dollar endowment gift to support our work with Wisconsin schools. 
[applause]

Monroe talks about his motivation for that gift. He was in a family where he said he was the first person to graduate from high school—

Not the first person to go to college, the first person to graduate high school. 

And he talked about four teachers that changed his life that really inspired him to move on in education, to go to college who did all the work that nobody in his family could do or really imagine. And so, Dr. Trout's gift, and Sandy's gift is really to the teachers of Wisconsin. So, we're really proud of that. And he also made a leadership gift to help us launch the 24-7 Kids channel. 

So, this is our centennial. Honestly, we talked for a little bit about a centennial public broadcasting program, and we kind of thought that might be boring. Now, as we've dug into the story, there's so many great stories. We probably blew this. We probably missed this opportunity. 

But one way that we decided to celebrate our centennial is we have some neighbors down the street here at the Capitol that are also celebrating their centennial. I don't know who the "their" are except that's our place. So, we're celebrating our centennial. And Michael Bridgeman many of you know from Remarkable Homes-- that great program. Such a wonderful celebration of our state and these wonderful places in our state. He and our producers are working on Our House. So, I thought I'd give you a very first look at that. 

[Our House]
§ §

- It's a masterpiece of design and engineering.
- They wanted it to be a symbol of self-rule.
- A very high-minded, idealized notion of democracy.
- Designed by an American master.
- This was the crowning gem in his life's work.
- And filled with priceless artwork.
- It's Wisconsin's most valuable work of art. There's nothing like it. 
- It's a state capitol that was created for all of us.
- I always think of it as the most public building in Wisconsin.
- It's always open 365 days out of the year.
- After a catastrophe ruined its predecessor.
- An hour after the fire starts, it's lighting up the sky.
- The Capitol would face its own disaster.
- There were actually parts of the mosaics that leaned forward.
- The whole thing was at risk of crumbling down.
- And it would take a massive 12-year effort to save the building.
- The restoration of this building was important because this is a masterpiece.
- This National Historic Landmark is one of the most admired capitols in the country. I'm going to discover its remarkable history, explore its grand spaces, and uncover a few of its hidden secrets.
- This is the story of Our House: The Wisconsin Capitol 
§ §
 
[applause]

- Hey, congratulations, you have a nice house! 

And also, with that project we're working with teachers across the state to create curriculum, to create materials so teachers can teach government through the materials that are coming together in that project. 

And one of the really exciting parts of that is we're partnering with the UW School of Education, with, have some of the leading work with gaming and learning and we're working with them on this project and really excited about that. 

Also, speaking of celebrations, as many of us were celebrating the 4th of July weekend, our folks were doing something else. Some of our folks were working, but this is really good work if you can get it. 

I'm gonna show you a preview of our third installment of Wisconsin From the Air, which our folks shot. Wisconsin From the Air: Water. I don't think that's an official title just yet, but sounds good. A little bit of work they did on the 4th of July weekend this summer. Take a look. 

[Wisconsin From the Air: Water]
§ §
 
§ § 
[applause]

So, you're the first to get a look at that. This is a program that's in the works for next year. It's not a 10-year project like Vietnam but there is some work to be done. And about a year from now, it'll be done, and it'll be broadcast in December. And that will follow the Mississippi, Wisconsin River, and Lake Michigan, so follow those parts of the state. 

Before I welcome Paula to the stage, I wanted to introduce you also to Adah Sorensen. Adah was born in Rockford. I think we have a picture of Adah. And actually what's really exciting I heard from folks is her family has shared some video of her. You've seen some of these spots where we recognize people who've made gifts. I'm really anxious to see that. You will see a spot that will tell a little bit of Adah's story. So I'll give you a little bit of that, and I'll tell you about her gift. 

Adah was born in Rockford. She worked as an office assistant. Her father was quite a successful entrepreneur and businessman. She later retired to care for her mother. She loved the arts and theater. And I think as we've heard from her family, she volunteered in theater in Chicago for years and years. She's a Wisconsin Public Television member for 25 years. She passed away last year. And in her estate, she benefited her family along with six community organizations that were really important to her. Her niece, Cindy, was really happy to hear that. 

Of those groups, Wisconsin Public Television was included. And share with her their collection of VHS tapes that she had of recording Wisconsin Public Television programs, so she knew this is just one thing that brought art and creativity and inspiration into her life. She will continue that with her gift. Today, I'm glad and happy to announce that Adah has left a bequest for Wisconsin Public Television. It's a $1.2 million gift to support and sustain our work. 
[applause]

And I'm really anxious for you to see that video. I'm anxious to see it myself. Let me say this, working in public television, when you open a letter, and someone has included you in their will, not me but Wisconsin Public Television in the will, it makes me feel like I should get serious about my job. 
[audience laughing]

It's like, “Wow.” It just means so much to us to think about people making a gift like that. It's so inspiring. And we have a number of you in the room, and I want to thank you for that, for your legacy gift, and that inspiration that it provides our staff in everything we do. 

So last year, when I was standing on this stage in this very spot, we did, which I thought was kind of a crazy thing, we set a goal of 100 new bequests. So we are thinking about it. It's our centennial. This is a little bit about tying the story of our past but really, this is most importantly about our future. And one of the things that we did was say two goals among all our goals in this centennial year. One is that we would talk to all our best friends about legacy giving, and thinking about including Wisconsin Public Television in their estate plans, so I'm talking to you right now, all of our best friends. And I'm glad to announce we are, really tremendous progress. We'd never had a year like this. We have 68 new intentions of folks who included Wisconsin Public Television in their will. That is tremendous. And I want to thank, we can applaud but let's thank Aimee Granger and Erica Lee. 
[applause]

You have to stand up. And the staff in Wisconsin Public Television who really convene this really meaningful conversations with people, so I want to thank you for that work, and that really forward-looking work. 

Just one final thought, this year, we talked a lot about Let's Draw 'cause it just seems crazy, so we keep talking about it. In fact, there was a traveling exhibit of artwork inspired by Let's Draw. Maybe you've heard about that. Radio created a Let's Draw mug 'cause we're really good at mugs, you know? 
[audience laughing]

Like we do something, it's like where is the mug for this? But today, in this morning, Paula was talking about Let's Draw, and the conversation is about that, people just imagining the future that, and in our obligation to do that as well. And for the first time when you said that, it struck me that that first word in Let's Draw: "Let's"-- and we've been talking about this for more than a year. It never occurred to me until I heard you say that. You said, "We're really careful about titling.  They may not be good but we put a lot of work into it."

Sometimes you put a lot of work, and it still is not good but we put a lot of work into it. But "let's?" so I had to think back into the '30s why that word "let's?" And clearly I think when you think about it, you have that image, that feeling of a classroom, right? "All right, children. Now let's sing. Now let's open your textbook to..." So clearly, they drew that word out of the classroom. "Let's sing. Let's write." So they were conscious of that. 

But also, "let's" is this really wonderful word, and it's, like, struck me. It's an invitation but it's also an invitation to collaborate. So it's not just simply you do this, it's let's do this together, and I think that's a really powerful word, and a really powerful part of our legacy, and what you all do with us in inventing and reinventing the service, so thank you. 

All right. Now I'm gonna introduce Paula Kerger, president and CEO of PBS. Paula is the longest serving president in PBS history, and we will say our own biases, the most distinguished and most accomplished as well. Since her arrival, she has made really significant commitments to the arts, to news and public affairs, educational content for children, diversity, and really this use of digital tools to really get PBS out there, how people are consuming it, which is a really significant accomplishment. 

Under Paula's PBS leadership, we've had growing audiences on air and online. She can take credit for Downton Abbey. It's on her watch. 
[applause]
 
And Vietnam, and introducing the 24/7 channel. If it was just those three things, that's an amazing legacy. 

So 82% of people in America watch public television, 70% of children watch PBS Kids. Online viewing of public television content in 2006 was 4.4 billion views. That's amazing. So that makes Paula one of the most influential educators in our country, if not the most. 

So really glad to have you here as we celebrate and share your thoughts on this. But we have one other story to share with you in this introduction. So get this, and I have to acknowledge Malcolm Brett who helped made this connection. So earlier, I was talking about Professor Earle Terry about like an hour ago when I started this speech, right? 
[laughter]

So Earle Terry works in the physics department. And I said he really was this father along with other, really, his students, and other key people created. Paula's grandfather was a physicist who loved the arts, and started a public radio station, and his name was Ed Arnold. So there is this wonderful connection to our story and your story, and Paula was born into public broadcasting. So ladies and gentlemen, let's welcome Paula Kerger to Wisconsin. 
[applause]

And in introduction, let's look at this wonderful reminder of the work that she has done, and what she has brought into homes across America. Thank you. 

[PBS promo]
[upbeat music]

- Aziz Ansari: This is the first time I've done anything where, like, "Here's some tissues, just in case."
[Henry Louis Gates, Jr. laughs]
 
[American Authors sing "What We Live For"]

§ I drive a beat-up car
§ A Caravan
§ The color blue
§ Hey
- It's important to talk about things that are taboo.
§ Places we've been to
§ Hey
§ We're taking off
§ Oo-ooh
- Isn't it wonderful?
§ This is what I live for
§ Baby, you're my open road
- Look how happy people are to see us.
§ You can take me anywhere the wind blows
§ Right into the great unknown 
§ We can throw our hands up at the window
§ This is what we live for
§ Oo-ooh
§ This is what we live for
- William H. Macy: I got a chill. 
[laughs]

§ This is what we live for
- It's fascinating. But it's also so lovely to hear the story. 
[laughs]

§ This is what we live for
§ Oo-ooh
- And I promised myself I wouldn't cry.
§ This is what we live for
§ This is what we live for
§ This is what we live for 
[applause]
 
- I definitely have the very best job in the world. I'm so proud of everything that we do in partnership with stations, and I am so very, very happy to be here in Madison. This is not my first visit. Malcolm has tapped on the shoulder before but I'm really glad to be here with you, Jon and Kathy and just the whole team. And what an amazing animation clip that is. I loved, loved that piece. It's just truly fantastic. 
[clapping]

I've been in public broadcasting for 25 years. I've spent almost a dozen years in this job, and 13 years before that at WNET. It was Malcolm's old hometown station in New York City. And from the time that I first started working in public broadcasting, first, I got to know Malcolm, and he was working then with Byron here at the station, and I knew both of them because the work that they did was so distinguished, and so important for our entire system. And it's not just because Wisconsin is in fact the birthplace of public television and public broadcasting. It's 100th year anniversary. It's hard to think about that. 100 years since that first radio broadcast from 9XM from the university. Malcolm made a point today of taking me to Radio Hall, so I could actually see it. 

Now you know there was a water main break, and so, there was not a lot to see. 
[laughter]

Everything is still shrouded in plastic, but the idea was a good one because I felt that I was standing on sacred ground because it is in fact where all of those original ideas started. 

And I think that this whole idea that you could reach out beyond this university where all of this great work was happening, and you could bring great work across the state to every city in town is really profound and important. It's as forward-looking as any of the new technology that people are wrestling with right now, the idea that every person in this great state would have access to content that we hope entertains but that also educates and inspires, and can make a critical difference in people's lives. That is this brilliance of what was envisioned by people here in this community, and the potential of public broadcasting. 

And so, it was a few years later in 1967 that President Lyndon Johnson then codified this grand idea into federal law when he signed the Public Broadcasting Act. So a true 40 years later when this idea then really began to move across the country as not just the individualized stations but something that stations and states could come together, and share the content that was being created into something that was even more significant. And it was another native son of Wisconsin, Newton Minnow, who was the former chair of the FCC under John F. Kennedy, and who by the way is a personal hero of mine, who helped pave the way for that landmark legislation. So indeed, all roads come back to Wisconsin. 

As a country, we're so much the richer for it. When you think about it, the legacy that was set forth in this country, and Jon, you said it brilliantly, not only lives in every broadcast that comes from our PBS system and also from public radio but it lives in every one of our 350 member television stations and 900 member stations in NPR. That's quite a history and quite a legacy. 

Throughout the last century, we've witnessed a lot of change, and certainly in the time that I have been in this job, just 12 years, so much has changed. But we've never strayed away from our roots. We remain committed to that very simple idea that every individual, regardless of where you live or what your economic means, has access to enriching and engaging content. 

And it's interesting, in a time of great abundance in technology, one in five households don't have access to cable or satellite, and 16% lack access to broadband. We are available in almost every home because we deliver our signal through broadcast as well as through the other technologies. And for millions of people, particularly in rural and underserved areas, we may be the only connection to the world, we may be the only opportunity to see a Broadway show, or to visit the furthest corners of the Earth, or to access content, which really does move the needle in children's learning. 

So I think it's very fitting that public broadcasting was born out of the university, a great university because education is really central to our work, and it's core to who we are. And you see it, that thread go all the way back to the friendly giant, to the groundbreaking work of Fred Rogers and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and it does carry through to every program that we produce. Fred, in particular, embody the essence of what we try to do in our PBS Kids work, and we continue to be guided by his strong belief in the fact that television has the power to inspire children, and unlock their boundless potential. 

When we celebrated what would have been Fred's 89th birthday earlier this year, hundreds of people reached out on social media to share the impact he had on their lives, and there were so many powerful stories, wonderful stories. But there was one that stays with me throughout each and every day, and it was a woman in Virginia who posted this message on Facebook, and she wrote, 
"I grew up in poor, rural Appalachia. My father was an alcoholic. Mister Rogers was the first man I knew who talked calmly and quietly about real things. Logical, intelligent, kind. I married an engineer. I'm an author. My oldest son is a biologist. My twins are studying now, one to be a doctor and the other a physicist. All because of the difference PBS and Mister Rogers made in the life of a child who was hungry for more than the gloom she knew." 
[applause]
 
PBS centers, stations are committed to building on this extraordinary legacy consistent with Fred's philosophy. We don't view our work in a vacuum, rather we look at our work as part of a larger ecosystem, I talked to a group of educators this morning about this, made up of the places where children learn, and that means in the community, at school, and in the home. So whether it's shows like Odd Squad, which teaches children about math and collaboration, or Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood. And for those of you who don't know Daniel Tiger, Daniel is a descendant of Daniel Striped Tiger from Fred Rogers and Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and that show really helped children build the socioemotional skills that they need to be successful when they enter school. Our programming reaches more kids ages two to five, and more kids in low-income homes, and more moms with young children than any children's television network. But for every child we reach, we know that there are so many more who could benefit if they had access to this content, and that was the inspiration why we launched the 24/7 channel earlier this year. It is the only free national children's television service that is available 24 hours a day, seven days a week. And I am truly grateful to Wisconsin Public Television, and many of the people in this room, and the people in this community who have worked together to help bring the service to families across the state. We've been closely monitoring the date, and we know that we're reaching more families than ever before. The service is especially important to the millions of children who do not have access to preschool. So while the metrics around the service are impressive, we're really heartened to hear directly from families who've been touched through this service. And a few months ago, right after we launched the service, I got a phone call from our station in Alabama who told me that a grandmother had left a voicemail message on his phone, and he actually forwarded the message to me, and I'd like to share that with you now. Roll the tape. 
[applause]
 
It was actually even slightly longer clip. What we had left out of that is she says, "I can't afford cable television, and so I didn't have many options for my grandkids," and then she launched into that story. 

And you know, when we run the planning stages for this, there were a lot of people who had thought we were crazy. "Launching a broadcast television channel when everyone is just clamoring to watch television online? Are you nuts? Why are you launching a 24-hour children's channel? Which children are up in the middle of the night? Are you nuts?" 

And I'll tell you a few things. One is a lot of children like this woman's family who really don't have options for other children's programming, certainly not educational children's programming. There are a lot of children who are living in hospitals right now, and we talked to children's hospital in particular who have been so anxious for us to provide a service that would be available 24/7. There are a lot of children who live in homes where their parents work different shifts, and so, they're up and down during the night, and families are looking for resources to help support it. And so, when we launched the channel, we even had a conversation within our system about the fact that we were gonna provide a 24-hour children's channel. 

As I was telling a group earlier today, at the station, if we were running a commercial organization, I would run children's content during the day, and I'd probably run infomercials during the night, and I'd make money, and everybody would be happy, and it would be a beautiful thing. But the thing is, I don't care if there is even 10 children that are watching in this community overnight. If we're making the lives of those kids a little bit better, then we fulfilled our mission, and it's worth it. 

And that, to me, is different than if we were in commercial television. I don't dismiss commercial television. I think there is a lot of great work there. We're just in a very different business. We're not driven by a financial bottom line but we do need to balance our budget, so thank you for everything you're doing to help us do that. 

But we are, at the end of the day, driven by service, service to the public. And I think when that is not the constraint, it allows you to do things that benefit community, and aren't just tied to how much money that you'll get on the other side. 

I think a lot about Newton Minnow. He was, as I think many of you are aware, the person credited with that comment about television, referring to it as “a vast wasteland.” And in that speech, he talked a lot about his worry that the potential of television would be squandered but he also talked a lot about its potential, and he said, "We need imagination and programming, not sterility, creativity, creativity, experimentation, not conformity, excellence, not mediocrity." 

And I think that very much comes at the core of what we try to do. Now we live in an explosion of scripted television, and I shared with the staff this afternoon, we're competing against organizations that have resources significantly larger than us. 

Recently, Netflix announced they're investing $7 billion in television programming. 

$7 billion. 

Our budget is not that high. In fact, our budget for the entire year is less than what Netflix spent on a single series, The Crown. And so, that gives you a sense of how far your beloved public broadcasting service and this great station punches above its weight. 

We take a relatively modest amount of money, and through the great work and creativity and imagination and experimentation of great producers like the ones that you have here in Madison, and we have across the country, we create programming that stands separate and apart from anyone. And we have a large audience that shows that we shouldn't underestimate the American public. 

And I think that as we look at the work ahead, we've got a lot to be excited about. I think we were part of what has spawned frankly this new era in quality drama, and it started with that little series called Downton Abbey. And that tradition has continued for programs like Poldark, Victoria, which is returning from much anticipated second season. It's going to be fantastic. We look around at channels that were dedicated to learning and discovery. And they have now filled their airtime with schedules focused on reality. No one remembers that TLC stood for the learning channel. No one remembers that. No one remembers that A&E used to stand for Arts and Entertainment. That's what the idea was when all these cable channels were created. And meanwhile as we look across a sea of channels, we see a lot of holes. We don't see a lot of other television organizations thinking seriously about science and natural history, and so, we created, on Wednesday night, what I call the smartest night on television. We've watched the arts virtually disappear from network television with the exception of the competition shows. 

I happen to love them. I love anything that profiles creativity but it doesn't reflect some of the things that I see as I travel around this great country, and I see some of the amazing work that is happening in music, in theater, and dance. And that is in fact the legacy of our country. And collectively in public television, we're looking for ways to better showcase and bring more of that. 

This fall, we will be bringing some of Broadway's most acclaimed musicals on Friday nights. There is a lot we could talk about in relation to news. I love the fact that you profiled the work that you're doing with kids in the NewsHour, and I absolutely believe that if we are able to inspire kids to think about journalism, not only as a professional career but to help them better evaluate the news and the information that they read and see, we are a richer community for it. We have doubled down over the last few years in the work we do in news and public affairs. The late, truly great Gwen Ifill used to say, "Our job is to bring light, not heat." 

And we are relentlessly focused on bringing the news. You're familiar with the oft-repeated refrain, “There is more that unites us than divides us.” And I think this is a moment in our country when our commonalities don't always reveal themselves, and to be able to bring together an opportunity where we can talk and share ideas and share differences and come to some decisions about where we would like our country go, this is where public broadcasting excels. We have the opportunity to convene conversation, and bring people together in one place. And in many of the places where I visited around the country, our public stations are in fact the last locally-owned and operated, 

[enunciating]
locally-owned and operated-- And I didn't even have that glass of wine. I'm just exhausted. This man has worked me into the ground over the last day. 
[laughter]

The last remaining locally-owned and operated broadcasters are the public television and radio stations. And I think that that is not only a unique position for us but it provides a unique obligation. The people that run this station live in this community. They understand the needs of Madison and all of the state of Wisconsin. They're focused on what makes the state great, they're focused on the issues that the state wrestles with, and they think about ways that they can showcase stories that truly represent the station's history and culture. 

And when I look at the work that we do collectively, I think the one project that I think best describes the potential of bringing people together around a moment in our history was the work that we just showcased with Ken Burns's and Lynn Novick's The Vietnam War. It's 10 years in the making, 18 hours, testimony from nearly 80 witnesses, which represented a wide variety of perspectives but not the perspectives of historians, the perspectives of people who lived through that period of our nation's history. And I am so very proud that we had the series on our schedule. We broadcasted over two weeks. 

For those of you who missed it, you can watch it in streaming form, and we are rebroadcasting it through this entire fall, so that people will have a chance to see it. There are pieces of this film that will live in classrooms. This film has provoked conversation. And I brought a little clip. It gives you a tiny behind-the-scenes look at this project. So if you would, roll the clip. 
[tense music]
 
[plane engine whirring]

- I thought I knew a lot about Vietnam. I was there. And I am a career military guy, so I spent a lot of time after Vietnam trying to understand what happened there. And I learned something every day working with Ken and Lynn, so I guarantee you that across this country, people are going to find out things they didn't know before.

- When my husband and I, we were both asked to be on the board of advisors, we jumped at the chance, and who wouldn't? Our first meeting was in New Hampshire, and Ken and his crew would show the first cut of the episodes. Ken and Lynn would go around the table, and ask us to give comments. Ken heard my comments and heard my story, so he decided to include me in the film. 

- Seeing the whole war from the other side's point of view is a historic breakthrough, senior Viet Cong, senior North Vietnamese generals. Nobody has done that before. Now we see a picture that is much more interesting and comprehensive. 

- I knew Ken and Lynn will produce a first-rate film but I was really blown over about how they approached it. It is a very passionate film, a very gripping, riveting film. And through the personal experiences of the people in the film, you will really relive the war through their eyes. Everybody, at the end, was touched, transformed by the work, everybody. 

- When we started talking to Ken and Lynn at the early stages of this project, we knew that it would be significant, and the end result has been nothing less than extraordinary. I'd like to share a few of the recent headlines. 

From Time Magazine, "The Vietnam War is all the things you expect from Burns opus: elegant, deeply felt, cerebral." 

The Washington Post, "The Vietnam War clocks in at 18 hours, and it's worth every single minute of your time." 

And my personal favorite from the New York Times, "The Vietnam War will break your heart and win your mind." 

I've been on the road a lot. These past few weeks, I've been in Boise and Salt Lake and Austin, and I can tell you there have been extraordinary number of people who've approached me to talk about the significance of this film, from veterans who haven't thought about the war in a long time, some of whom said they were not sure they were gonna be able to watch the film but did, and have found it to be extraordinarily important, to people who fought against the war, to many people who are far too young to understand the war or remember it. 

And as with every major project we take on in public television, what you see on the screen is only just the tip of the iceberg. The magic really happens in the community. Stations have partnered more than 350 local organizations to host over 250 community engagement events and activities over the last couple months. And again, all roads come back to Wisconsin because it was in 2010 when WPT presented Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories, which was an influential documentary that gave veterans a platform to share their experiences but it was in the same year that the station hosted a series of events and activities across the state designed to give voice to Vietnam veterans including the remarkable LZ Lambeau community event, which engaged 75,000 people from across Wisconsin to honor Vietnam veterans, and to give them a place to gather with family and friends. 

And I will say that there are people that still, across the system, talk about that extraordinary event, and that was in fact the pebble that was tossed into the pond that has begun to ripple out that inspired all of the community activities that have happened since then, of course building up to this broadcast as well. And I think that through these oral histories, and other resources that have been built for the classroom, we've created something that is more than just this television experience but it's something that I think epitomizes the unique power of public broadcasting, which is presenting content that gives oxygen to complex issues, encouraging civil discourse at a time it is so desperately needed, and finding common ground on even the most divisive of issues. 

So before I finish my remarks, and I'd be happy to take a few questions, a few of you have asked me during cocktails about what's going on in Washington. 

I can't answer that but I can tell you that amid the debate, some have asked whether or not there should continue to be an investment in public media. I believe, as do many of the friends and volunteers and supporters of public media across the country that I have had the privilege to get to know, that our work is needed more than ever. 

At a time when commercial news media pushes Americans apart by dividing us into isolated segments, public media remains focused in bringing us together. At a time when low-income and rural families risk falling behind, public media has proven educational content is available in every single home. 

And at a time when trust for nearly every national institution has eroded, the American people continue to put their trust in PBS and local stations. For the 14th consecutive year, we have been deemed the most trusted of public institutions. 

So when I speak with legislators on Capitol Hill, I press upon them the unique and important role the public media holds in the media landscape, and I also remind them that it is the most effective public-private partnership in America with the federal investment of only $1.35 per person per year. We create programming that truly makes a difference in people's lives. And that $1.35 person per year is not to create resources that are flowing back to me. The resources that we raise through the federal corporation go to stations. It plays an important role in the station here in Wisconsin. It plays an absolutely essential role to our rural stations. They are serving communities that do not have the resources that will support a public television station. So here in Wisconsin, it's about 10% of your budget comes from the federal government. The other end is Alaska, which is 60% of the resources for that station come from the federal government. 

That's why we fight for it so hard is to make sure that in fact, public television stays strong. And when there was some discussion early on about the elimination of public broadcasting, it was coal miners in West Virginia that were reaching out to legislators saying, "This is an important resource for our family." It was parents in Detroit for whom we have engaged in a very intensive scope of work around the early childhood education that reached out to legislators saying, "This is important." And through the great work of people coming together across the country right now, we are in both the House and the Senate budget at full funding. 
[applause]

So I am hopeful about the future, and the thing that, to me, is really significant to think about is this milestone that we're celebrating 100 years. This is a singular achievement. You are first. It all started here. And that accomplishment belongs to each and every person in this room and this community. 

I see a lot when I travel for public broadcasting, the good, the bad, and the ugly. I've been in so many communities across this country, and there truly are a handful of stations that stand out, and here we stand, and I felt it again in Radio Hall, hallowed ground. It all started here from your beginnings with this idea of using radio to teach... art. How weird is that? 
[laughter]

It is just so weird. But what an interesting thing that there were a group of people that were willing to give it a try. And as I shared with the members of the station earlier today, as we look at all these new technologies that continue to evolve, and we think about how we can use that for the purposes of education and inspiration as well as entertainment, it is that next generation and that next generation that I hope will do as many crazy things as trying to think about how to think about Let's Draw 'cause I love what Jon said about the word “let's.” He's right. It brings everyone together. You have the great privilege and the great responsibility of stewarding the station that has had such an important role in this community, in the state but I'm here to tell you on this country. And speaking on behalf of all of my colleagues in public broadcasting across the United States, I just want to say thank you. This is a huge moment. I was so honored when Malcolm asked me to come and be with you to mark this 100th anniversary. This is a great enterprise. This is a great organization. I believe its true greatness sits right ahead of us, and so, I look forward to seeing all that you accomplish. I probably won't be around for the next 100 years. 
[laughter]
 
But certainly for the next years and the next decades, there is so much that can be done when you think about the possibility of using this media as a way to bring communities together, and to build the communities in which we want to live, and it will be my privilege to work alongside of you to ensure that this station and this service stays strong and relevant for generations to come. Thank you so much for inviting me. 
[applause]
 
- Kathy Bissen: Thank you, Paula. Thank you for your leadership, your stewardship, and everything you've done for public broadcasting for so many years. We have a few minutes to ask just a few questions if folks have any that they are inspired to ask at this moment.

- audience member: We actually have portraits done by the woman who learned to draw. 
- Paula Kerger: Really? 
[laughs]
[applause]

[laughs]
 
- audience member: And I would never have thought that this would be possible. 
[laughter]

- I still can't imagine it but what a powerful thing. What a powerful thing.
- Kathy Bissen: Any questions? 
I have one.
- Paula Kerger: Yeah. Downton Abbey is not coming back. 
[laughs]

- Kathy Bissen: Clearly you've been traveling around the country for many, many years. You come into warm, welcoming groups of supporters such as you have here tonight in Wisconsin. You've represented public broadcasting in an amazing fashion in rooms that are perhaps not as welcoming. As you go into each of these rooms, you probably are prepared for what is going to happen in that particular situation. When have you been the most surprised by something you weren't expecting?

- Paula Kerger: I think that. Look, I... I have had the privilege of traveling to almost every state in this job. So there's three states I haven't visited: South Dakota, which I'm going to visit in a few weeks, Alaska, and Hawaii. Now that's really stupid that I haven't been Alaska and Hawaii and South Dakota. But anyway, those are the only ones left, and I'm hoping, I am going to Alaska next year, and hopefully someone will send me to Hawaii. 
[laughing]

Actually we have amazing public television service in Hawaii that the kids, 'cause with the islands and the geography so distributed, the kids actually run a news service across the state, and it's really fantastic, so I am dying to see it and visit Hawaii, but the thing that surprises me is sometimes when I have been to very small communities... And I... 

And so, I'll tell a story. This is a surprising moment. It's not walking into a full room. But I went to visit-- We have a station that serves part of rural Tennessee in Cookeville, Tennessee. It's one of the tiniest stations in our system. The station itself is literally under the bleachers of the football stadium at the college. You walk into the station, and you go into the warrens, and they have rows and rows and rows of bookshelves filled with crumbling tapes. This is something I've been working with the general manager to fix, and it's really the cultural history of that community. It's a community that doesn't have other commercial television stations. The public station is it. 

And I went to a party. When I first got there, I just come into public broadcasting. I've been in a few years, maybe a year or two. And this guy came up to me, and he asked me to put out my-- and he was kind of a strange-looking guy-- and he asked me to put out my hand and close my eyes, and I did it, and the woman from the station was laughing at me. She said, "Are you always so trusting?" But I did it, and he put something on my hand. He closed my hand, my fingers around it, and he said, "What is it?" And I felt it, and I was pretty sure I knew what it was, and I said, "It's an arrowhead, right?" And he said, "Yes, it is," and he said, "I'm giving you this because of the people in this community." 

So now I'll explain the funny-looking guy. He had been a hippie. He had moved up to that part of Tennessee back in the '60s, and were it not for the people in the community, he would have died because he didn't know what he was doing. He had this idea he was gonna live on the land, and they basically fed him, took care of him, taught him how to farm, and so forth. 

His name is Hippie Jack, and he does a few like bluegrass music. He does Bluegrass Underground, which is a show that's done in a cave that is broadcast from that station. So a station with a staff of about 10 people does a national show. And the general manager herself works the camera. 
[speaking to managers]
You are an underachiever. ¶ 
[laughter]
 
Anyway, so I'm holding this arrowhead, and he said-- and I knew the story about hippie. I'm never sure whether to call Jack or Hippie, but everyone else-- So I call him Hippie. 

He said, "That arrowhead has power." And he explained where he had found it, and he said, "And I give it to you because the people in this community have very few options." This is a community where people watch television over the year almost exclusively, many through just old antennas that are nailed to their homes. And he said, "Without public broadcasting, their lives would be so challenged," and he said, "I'm giving you this power because we're counting on you." 

I have that arrowhead on my bureau, and every morning when I'm home, I touch it 'cause I do think it has power. It reminded me that not only the obligation but the fact that for many people-- Look, we're all here for different reasons. We may like NewsHour or we may like performance programs or we may love Charlie Rose or whatever it is, Downton Abbey, pick the thing, but for so many of the people for whom we provide a service, it is absolute lifeline. For the kids in that community, I can tell you there is no Pre-K. This is how they're learning, so when they enter school, they have a base of knowledge that will help them succeed.
 
And I'm glad you asked me the question because it's not that arrowhead and that story and thinking about all of that, it's not just about what motivates me every day or what motivate Malcolm or any of the team at Wisconsin Public Television.

That's your story. That's what you're making possible. You're doing this for your family and your friends and the people's lives you touch but for so many people in this community, it's it. It's the thing that really gives so much focus and inspiration to lives, and it makes a profound difference. So you can all carry that little arrowhead. I wish I could give it to each one of you. Just remember the people for whom it's really, it's everything. 

- audience member: I just wondered about Downton Abbey. Were you surprised at the success? And also, I understood that a lot of stations turned it down, and I just wondered what you saw in that, or what made you decide?

- Paula Kerger: It's true, it's true. No one knew. There may be people that wander around the country and claim credit that they had this great vision that Downton Abbey was gonna be-- It's absolutely true. 

So I'll tell you a quick story. Probably the one program more than any other that people always talk to us about bringing back is Upstairs Downstairs. It was just a favorite for so many people for years. And so, we had the opportunity to bring back Upstairs Downstairs. Jean Marsh had put together this idea, and had started to line people up. So we made the commitment. We're very excited. Upstairs Downstairs. 

We also were approached about doing this new version of Sherlock Holmes that had an actor with the unlikely name of Benedict Cumberbatch we had actually worked with on a couple of projects, and that seemed like a really great idea. And so, we committed to both of those for the season of Masterpiece Theater. 

And then, we were approached to consider the television version of Gosford Park. And the creator of Gosford Park, Julian Fellowes, had mapped out a television series. He had cast Maggie Smith. 

And we had a long discussion about whether it was just too much like Upstairs Downstairs. It felt like too much of a good thing. 

And I remember our then-head-of-content at the time who is now running our station in San Francisco, and I was sitting in my office and him, he couldn't even remember Downton Abbey, he just kept calling it that Gosford Park project. He said, "What do you think? Is it just too much? What do you think?" 

Rebecca Eaton, head of Masterpiece, actually did turn it down the first time. She doesn't always remember that part of the story but I remember. 
[laughter]

We just finally decided that we would do it. And we knew that it would be something that people would love. I loved the idea of doing yet another version of what had been a program that people would love, and I love the idea of having Maggie Smith. Maggie Smith was probably the thing that really clinched it, and so, we agreed to do it. 

When it aired in the UK, and please don't grind me about the fact that it always aired in the UK before here but it did, and it aired on commercial television in the UK by the way, so part of the reason that we delayed it is we had to take the commercial breaks out, and actually put it together in a way that was appropriate for our air. 

We knew that it was hugely successful, so we were optimistic. But after the first broadcast, it just completely blew everything away. 

I believe, and I used to argue with the television critics about this, and people who would write me really nasty letters that we were holding back Downton Abbey when they knew that people in the UK were seeing it, that it was a perfect show for January. I think that it was a perfect show for when people came home from the holidays. It's cold. It's dark. You've already spent your money. And you crave something that you could hunker down and just watch and enjoy. 

It was hugely helped by social media. That was probably the first project we did that social media really played a role because the first season was very successful, people started talking about it but they started talking about it online, on platforms like Twitter where people created names based on Downtown characters. My favorite was "Lady Mary's Eyebrows." And I used to talk about it. Whenever I was traveling during Downton Abbey, I'd mention it, and then someone would put it up on social media, and I'd hear from her or him. I still don't know whether "Lady Mary's Eyebrows" was a man or a woman but I'm assuming a woman. 

People also thanked me 'cause it was a program that families could watch together, and different generations. I just think it was just a great gift. We loved having it. 

And Julian—

So the question you didn't ask is: “Couldn't you have done something to keep it going?” He knew the story he wanted to tell. I think you probably all know he wrote every line of every piece of dialogue for every character. That is not how television is done. Usually you have teams of people writing. He wrote it all himself. He knew the story he wanted to tell, and when he was done, he was done. 

Originally, it was supposed to be three seasons. We got two more, so we should feel lucky we had five, not three. And he knew the story he wanted to tell. 

Now it's changed a little bit 'cause he had two actors that wanted out early, which explains the unfortunate demise. My final argument around not airing it at the same time as the UK, they aired it at the fall, and they always had the final episode on Christmas. And so, if you remember the end of season three, Christmas, I'm vindicated. 
Merry Christmas to you all. 
[laughter]
Goodbye, Matthew. 
[laughter]

But anyway, it was so much fun to have it. I think there is another project like that around the corner. I think it was just delightful to have it.

- Kathy Bissen: I would like to take this opportunity to thank Paula for coming tonight one more time. 
[applause]

You've had a long day. Thank you so much for everything. 
[applause]

And thank every single one of you for your support for public broadcasting in Wisconsin, not just for the past 100 years but as we move into the next 100 years. Thank you so much. 
[applause]