%
Hi, I'm
David
Hoffert, a% volunteer
here at
PBS% Wisconsin here
with you to
kick off PBS Wisconsin's
December membership drive.
You are probably
aware that 2025 has
been a challenging year for public media
. Withthe elimination of federal
funding. You're alsoprobably aware
that Wisconsin
invented public broadcasting
over 100 yearsago.
Services like PBSWisconsin have
been aroundbefore there was
federalfunding. While there was
federal funding and will ntinue
even into this newera
of public broadcasting.But what
I want to talk toyou about tonight
is theidea of a pair ofcommitments
. Here's ourcommitment to you. We aregoing
to continue to bringyou the
quality programingyou have come to
rely on,no matter what the
financial landscape is , andwe're going
to do that in partnership with you. When
you make a commitment to usto
be part of the financingfor public
media, give us acall right
now. 1-800-236-3636.
>> Hi, I'm Regina
Belotti,a volunteer here at
PBSWisconsin. And when you
make your gift now , you arehelping
to help keep the
coverage that you lovegoing in the
year to come. So when you become
a memberat $10 a month
, we willgift you with this
fantastic PBS Wisconsin er
hat. So it's thatPBS blue
that we all knowand love
, especiallyperfect for a cozy evening
like tonight where it'svery snowy outside. At
$12a month, we will
gift youwith a book with writings
about the US Constitution,
different ways it's interpreted, which at
thispoint in time is such an
important thing to have . At
$15 a month, we'll gift youwith
a PBS Wisconsin Insulated mug, and
at $20 a month will gift
you withthe hat , the Constitutionbook
, and the mug . So giveus a
call at (800)2 363636.
>> Hi, I'm MichaelBridgeman.
I'm a volunteerhere as well.
I'm pleasedto be with you
this eveningand to say thank you
to allof you who watch and
support PBS Wisconsin.
ButI especially want to draw
your attention to ourSustainers
Sustainers are people who make a
monthlycommitment to PBS Wisconsin,
with a regular
donationgiven every month
fromtheir checking account ortheir charge
card. Whatever.You set up the method
youprefer, and it's one way
of making sure that
there'ssome stability andcontinuity to
funding not only on your
side as interms of
your own finances, but also on the
side ofpublic television . Andstability and
continuityare really important
ideas in these uncertain
timesfor public broadcasting,
but it's something you
cando. I'm a sustainer because
it makes my life simpler,
quite frankly, and I get tochoose
how much to give . Ican choose to
raise it,lower it , stop it if I
wantto, I won't , but you canbecome
a sustaining memberas well. You can do
that bycalling the number on you rscreen
. You could alsoincrease your amount by
calling (800) 236-3636.
>> You know, there's a
verylong list of programs onPBS
Wisconsin that that
represent the value that
this service provides to you. But certainly
PBSNewsHour is on that
listbecause it is a source
of trusted,
independent journalism.
Right? It is going to tell you
the truth,whether it's the truth thatyou
want to hear or not.And I
say something likethis e
very time I'm on herewith you
for PBS NewsHour.But it doesn't. It feel
more and more true everysingle time. Now
we have AIthat is so seductively easy
to ask questions of , andyet you realize
that it'sbasically telling you whatyou
want to hear. We needservices
like PBS NewsHour
that that give us that
broader perspective, enableus
to have conversations with people who
feeldifferently than we dobased on
facts. That's whatyou are
supporting when you call
1-800-236-3636. >> And
you know the quality of PBS Wisconsin support is
built on members like you
and gifts that you makeevery day
. So when you become a member
at $10 a month, we will
give youthis fantastic
winter hat. It's that great
PBS blue, the little puff
on top. Andremember that
that giftmakes such an impact in
thecoverage that we're able tocontinue
to provide. At $12a month
, we will gift youwith the US
Constitutionbook and writings of
it.It's a leather bound,beautiful book
, somethingthat will allow you
as youconverse with others,
toreally engage in those
materials. At $15 a month,
we will gift you with alittle ray
of sunshine with this yellow insulated
PBSWisconsin mug. And
at $20 a month,
you will receive thehat, the Constitution
book,and that insulated
PBSWisconsin mug . So now is
the time. If you're not amember, do
it today at (800) 236-3636.
>> And when you are
amember of PBS Wisconsin
atany of our suggested levels,
that comes with certainbenefits. Of course
, thekey benefit is the greatprograms
that we bring toyou day after
day, weekafter week , year after year.But
there are additionalbenefits as well,
includingPBS Wisconsin , which is a
very useful guide to theschedule
each month on PBSWisconsin,
as well as What's New,
some behind thescenes things
as well. It's a very useful and
interesting publication. Imake sure
I look at it every month before the
month starts, so that I'mready
for the month ahead .Another real
benefit is PBSPassport.
That's an online service that you
would haveaccess to that
has allkinds of programs, some ofwhich
you're familiar with from PBS Wisconsin
, some ofwhich you may not be
. Theseare programs from countriesall around
the world. And it's an interesting and
fascinating place for additional viewing of
quality television programs.You
can do the Passport.
You'll get airways when youcall
us at (800) 236-3636.
>> So we've been talkingabout
the value that PBSNewsHour provides in
termsof being based in fact. Sohere's
a fact for you .There are tens of
thousandsof Wisconsin families that
support PBS Wisconsin .
Wisconsin. Now a question.Are you
one of them? Thisis a critical
moment. Youknow the stakes. And we're
asking you to join thiscommunity
in making thiskind of
programing possible.It all starts with you
. Itstarts with each of us. The
number to call is
1-800-236-3636. You canalso go online
to pbswisconsin.org.
Pleasemake a pledge of supportright now
.
%
Hi, I'm David
Hoffert, avolunteer
here at PBSWisconsin . I grew
up watching Mister Rogers,
andI can almost guarantee yousomeone in your
life did aswell . And that's why
we'rehere, taking a brief breakfrom
this incredibly moving program to ask
you to makea pledge of financial
support to allow PBSWisconsin to
continue bringing programs
like Mister Rogers, which
arestill on the air more than
20 years after he passedaway. But
on on weekendsand many other educational
programs as well to
children across Wisconsin,the
numbers are on your screen.
1-800-236-3636 and you know a
very appropriatepoint to to break in here
.Right after we saw MisterRogers
singing a song with Jeff Erlanger,
who was from Madison, Wisconsin.
Andwhat an interestingconnection
that is. And ,and what a,
what an impact that relationship has had
on the Wisconsin community
over the years as well.
It's all about communityand the
way public media works. That community
includes you. When you call
1-800-236-3636. >> Hi.
I'm Regina Belotti,a
volunteer with PBSWisconsin,
and it's sowonderful to be with youhere this evening
. You know, families across the
country have been tuning
in since 1968 to Mister
Rogers. And his
lessons continue to resonate with people
eventoday. So
if you aren't asustainer,
I hope you'll become one tonight so
wecan continue to bring thesehigh quality
programs toevery household acrossWisconsin.
When you becomea sustainer at $10
a month, we'll gift you with
thefour disc DVD set,
TheKindness Collection withMister
Rogers, whichfeatures 30 incredible
episodes that you canrevisit with
a child inyour life.
At $15 a month.We
have a fantastic bookthis beautiful
day with 365
reflections, with
insightsfrom Mister Rogers,
andalso a fantastic sweater
changing mug. And then at
$20 a month, you'll getthat four
DVD set the book,
the mug, and the DVD of the
show that we are watchingnow. So give
us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> Fred
Rogers introduced a whole lot of
ideas andconcepts that had not
beenseen in on television for
the most part, andcertainly not in
children'stelevision. And he did itfor
a remarkable 33 years,
and he never lost his touch.He was
a unique person, aunique personality, and
aunique presence on public
broadcasting for more thanthree decades
. Herepresents the kind of
wonderful stuff that youcan
still find on PBSWisconsin in many
differentways, and it's a goodreason
to remember when you make your call of
supportto PBS Wisconsin and
becomea financial supporter of
the kinds of programs likethis
and the programs wecontinue to
do and will continue to do
in thefuture , you can help
support all of that withyour pledge
of support andyour financial contributionto
PBS Wisconsin at
(800) 236-3636. >> It's kind
of amazing tothink about how
talentedFred Rogers was, right?
Obviously, he was the hostof that
s how. He was also
the producer of that show,the writer
. He was the voice of most of
thosepuppets. I mean,
everyaspect of that show was
,was this was this man'svision.
But the mostimportant
thing that Fred Rogers gave
to society wasa
program that was aboutchildren,
not from the
perspective of adults , nothow
adults see children ,how
children feel
children. And that
is so unique .That's that's what
that'swhat makes it somethingthat
was only ever going tobe on
PBS. And so when youcall
, you are supportingthat
kind of idea.
That isthat is only possible when
it is funded by
you. Giveus a call
1-800-236-3636. >> And you
know those lessons that Mister
Rogersbrought into households and
talked with kids at their
level? Those lessons just
continue to
resonate withkids even
today. So you canhelp his
legacy continue when you make
a gift now. So when you
become asustainer at $10 a
month,again, we'll send you that
Fantastic Kindness DVD set.
Withthat, all those
lessonsthat he talks about,
whether it comes winningand losing
and how tohandle that, or how
toexpress yourself with music.
There's so many wonderfulthings and
little tidbitsthat you can share with
thechild in your life,especially here during the
holidays. So
at that $15 amonth level
, we'll send you this fantastic book,
thisbeautiful day with dailywisdom
from Mister Rogers ,as well
as that sweater color changing
mug. Andthen at $20 a month
, we'llsend you the DVD set, the
book, the mug , and again,
the episode that you'rewatching here tonight
. Sogive us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> Regina
mentioned severalof the benefits that
youget with your membership in
PBS Wisconsin. Another oneis
PBS Passport. If youjoin at
any of these levels ,you will have
access tostreaming programs on PBSPassport.
And it's full ofall kinds of
wonderfulstuff. There are programsyou
may be familiar with .For example,
Miss Scarlett is one of the
offerings on PBS Passport, and
maybeyou've seen it . Maybe you'dlike to
see it again. Or maybe you missed an
episode.It's there on PBS Passport,but there's
a lot of things that haven't made it
to theair and aren't likely tomake
it to the air . So alot of
programs fromcountries around the worldand so
on. It's really a wonderful mix of
additional content, additional
television viewing, all ofwhich
is excellent that youcan
access with PBSPassport.
And you can do that when you call
and showyour support at thesesuggested levels
at (800)2
363636. >> What really
stands outto me watching the
clips inthis show tonight is, ishow
unique of a programMister
Rogers Neighborhoodwas . I? I have
a son who as of yesterday is
eight yearsold. Happy birthday Buddy
.Although I hope you're inbed by now
. And he has recently discovered
that onour smart TV, there
areapps other than PBS kids
.Specifically, he hasstarted watching
reruns ofPower Rangers, which I
willadmit has a bit of
nostalgia for me. But but u
know, I'm so I'mwatching these episodes
with him, and I comparethat to what
I'm seeingtonight. And and Mister
Rogers is unlike any
otherchildren's programing interms of
the educationalcontent , the emotional
content, the moral
content. Right. And that
is made possible by
support fromour
community. Power Rangers had commercial
sponsorships. Fred
Rogersdidn't. Fred Rogers wasresponding
to the needs ofhis
community in a veryparticular way
, and you canbe part
of that when you call
1-800-236-3636. >> And, you
know, I, like David, have two
little boysat home who love watching
PBS Wisconsin. And I hadthat
same thought as I wassitting watching
thisepisode of what
wonderfulmessages Mister Rogers hadto share
and how to tackledifficult
conversations. So if this is
something thatyou relate to, I
hopeyou'll consider giving us acall
and becoming a sustainer tonight at
the$10 a month level,
we'llsend you that four DVD
set,that Kindness Collection,where
Mister Rogers tackles all sorts of
important topics.
And then at the $15a
month level, you will get
those 365
reflections withMister Rogers , as well as
that sweater color changing
mug, one that requiresgreat care
. So make surethat you don't put it
inthe dishwasher. And then at$20
a month, we'll send youthat
four DVD set, the book,the
mug, and tonight's episode that you're
enjoying with us now . Sogive us
a call (800) 236-3636 or
pbswisconsin.org. >> All right.
We're goingto go back to the program
now and show you more ofMister Rogers
. Let me just end briefly on a
sober note.You are probably aware that
federal funding for publicmedia was
eliminated thisyear, and that is a wholenew challenge
for PBSWisconsin that we
arerising to the occasion with your help. But
if there'sone thing that Fred Rogerstaught
us, it was that astrong community
can do anything. So
this is thetime for us to come
together and make sure thatPBS Wisconsin
stays strongand call that number
1-800-236-3636. .
%
Hi, I'm
David Hoffert, a
volunteer here at PBS Wisconsin.
Here tonight celebrating withyou the
impact and the legacy
of Fred Rogers,
a teacher, anadvocate,
an author, atelevision icon
, and mostimportantly,
a friend and
a friend that came
to millions of
children across the country .Thousands,
maybe even millions of children in
Wisconsin, including me,
for decades, and
only on PBS only
because of the support of
viewers like you.And we
want to kick up thatcelebration
a notch during thisbreak. Oh
, hold on one second,because
we're going to do achallenge
break. Yes. Caught it
. Now, a challenge
break means that when you call
one 800 236, this is really awkward
. Now only having one shoe on. Whenyou
call that number on yourscreen, any
donation you make will be doubled
by friends ofpublic
media during this break.So
give us a call . We're goingfor
30 calls during this break.
1-800-236-3636. >> And you
know, if you grew up
with Mister Rogers like I did
, it's hard not to get a little
bit emotional when you see all
of these examples of
compassion and warmth. They just
really resonate. And you can
help continue to bring these to
children for generations
to come. So at the
$10 a monthlevel
will gift you with thatfor
DVD set, with the
Kindness Collection. And there's been a
little bit of excitement in inhere
tonight because we havetried out
the mug that you getat
the $15 a month level
, and he does indeed change
color. Sohis
jacket is blue when it's
cold and it
turns yellow, you can see as it
g ets warmed up
. So again, not dishwasher
safe. Take good care. But that iswhat
you we will thank you withat
the $15 a month level. And
then at the $20 a month level
, you will get that four DVD
set, the book, the mug
and the DVD of tonight's
program. So if youhaven't called
us yet tonight, please give us a
call at (800) 236-3636.
>> And remember, this is
a challenge break, which meansthe value
of your contribution to PBS
Wisconsin is doubled thanks to a
challenge fund that we have set up with
existing members of PBS
Wisconsin. We've had four calls on our
way to 30 calls. I'm sure we
can make it, and we'll make it. When
you call the number that's on yourscreen
and show your support for PBS Wisconsin
, you know, Fred Rogers is
an icon of ofpublic television
. And he influenced a whole
lot of people for the better
in the 33 years that his
program was on the air.
And you can influencepeople
for the better in yourown way, too
, by supporting public television,
because it'sthe kind
of organization andsystem,
and the programs wehave help us
understand each other locally and
around the world. So
if that's the kind ofthing you like
on TV, then youshould call support
it at (800) 236-3636.
>> So we are up to
five callsgoing for 30
. I'm very happy tohear that we're
starting off hot, because that means that
you care about the legacy ofFred
Rogers on PBS . And I can
certainly understand why . Youknow, now
that I'm a parent ,you know,
obviously, I, Ivalued Mister
Rogers as a child,but but
I also now appreciate how much he did
to to teach adults how to
talk to children .You know,
there are some there are some scary things
in the world. There are some, some,some
bad things that happen that can be hard
even for adults to comprehend. Even Fred
Rogers struggled, you know , hedied in
2003. And I rememberreading in those
last couple of years about how much he
struggled with understandingthe September
11th terrorist attacks, but he
left us with so much
wisdom that that is applicable to this day
. For example, he said, look for
the helpers and you know what we'redoing
in the studio right now.We are listening
for the helpers because we can hearthose
phones ring. And that means that you care
. Have got six calls. We need 24 more
. Give us a call 1-800-236-3636.
>> That line. Look for the
helpers. I know I
think about it all the time when
I'm talking to my little boys. And
what a way. It just helps carry
his legacy on. And we've talkedso
much about that this evening.And our thank you gifts
tonight really allow you
to embody those messages and
those important topics that Fred
Rogers shared and carry them
into the next generations. Sowhen
you make a gift at $10 a
month, we'll send you thatkindness collection
, that four DVD set that
covers all kindsof
important topics winning andlosing
, ups and downs offriendship,
different arts withmusic
and Qur'an making, allkinds
of great things .
Along with that, at the $15 a
month level, you'll get the
sweater color changing mug as
well as the book, and I wanted
to share one of the daily reflections
, which is, I think the most
important part about communicating is the
listening we do
beforehand, when we cantruly respect
what someone brings to
what we're offering ,it makes the
communication all the more meaningful
. So give usa call
and then don't forget atthat $20 a
month level, you'llget that four
DVD set, the book,the mug
, and the DVD oftonight's program
. Give us a call 802
363636. >> As a
viewer of public television, you are undoubtedly
aware that federal funding
for public media no longer
exists. It's been taken away,
and stations and organizations
are responding in different ways.
It's a challenging time for public television and
public radio as well. But
you know, the extent of the
impact on PBS Wisconsin is
going to depend ona number of
things, but most importantly, it's going todepend
on you as a member.
Members have always been thelargest
support for
financial support for PBS
Wisconsin, and that will
continue to be the case. In fact
, it's likely to become even more
important that individuals, families,
and organizations support
PBS Wisconsin directly. And
this is one of those opportunities whenyou can
do so by calling one of
the volunteers who's in thestudio tonight
who really would like to talk to you
. We've had seven calls on our goal
way to a goal of 30 calls during
this break. So please call now.
(800) 236-3636. >> Now
there's a really important nuance to
what Michael just told you. It istrue
that members make up thelargest share
of funding for PBS Wisconsin, but
it's not one big donation.
It's individual small
donations spread across
tens of thousands of people in
the state of Wisconsin andbeyond
the borders, for thatmatter, that
make that possible. And and that really
is the community idea
that Fred Rogers was
all about. It doesn'tmatter
if you can give $100 amonth
. That's wonderful, and Ihope you
will. If you canafford to give
$5 a month , thatis
equally wonderful, and Ihope
that you will. And whenyou do
it during this break ,that money will
be doubled. So what I'm going to say
to you is, won't you please,
please won't you please, please, won't
you have your money doubled whenyou
call 1800 363 636.
Didn't work very well,
did it? >> Are
PBS Wisconsin really was
wonderful? PBS Wisconsin
really relies on viewers like you
, so we can continue to
come into your living room and sing you
beautiful songs like this . And
Mister Rogers, these topics are
so important and his legacy
continues. And so when you make
a gift at $10 a month, we
will gift you with that four
DVD set. That kindness collection
now isa great time
of year. You can gift it to a
friend or family member at
$15 a month. We'llsend you
this beautiful day again. Makes a beautiful
gift. These reflections I've
been reading and flipping throughhere.
There's just some reallywonderful
messages to share .And at $20 a
month, we'll send you the DVD set
, the book, themug, and
the DVD of tonight'sprogram. So
if you are a fan ofMister Rogers
, I hope you'll give us a call
at (800) 236-3636.
>> And one of the real
benefits of becoming a supporter,
a member of PBS Wisconsin is
receiving airwaves every month
throughout the year, throughoutthe term of
your membership, however long that may be
, it's a very useful guide.Fundamentally
, it's a schedule of the programs,
which gives you an advance look at
what's coming to the air
every, everymonth.
And that's true of allthree broadcast
channels. Butit also gives
you some behind the scenes information,
highlights what's new, some of
the projects and programs thatare coming
your way. So thisparticular issue
is about the new documentary, Bucky
. And there's a little Q&A with
somebody who was Bucky
for three years recently. Andthat's
just another little added benefit,
a touch, alittle
something extra
when you call and show your
support of PBS Wisconsin
Airwaves magazine, a real benefit
and a real reason to call
(800) 236-3636. >> You know
, there was a time
not so long ago that thatcomedians
had fun making fun ofMister
Rogers with, well , thesweater
and the colorful sneakers and
just the the slowness
of his presentationstyle. You know,
I think they were making fun of the
fact that he kind of was out of
step from a from a fast moving world
. But but gosh, don't we lookback on
that now and say , Ithink Mister Rogers
was the one who was right about that
? How how many of us are desperatelylooking
for ways in our dayjust to take
a moment to slowdown, and all we had
to do was go back and watch the
wisdom of Fred Rogers to
understand whatmatters
in life slowing down,
but also family and children
and values. It was there
in front of us all along, and it
was there in front of us on PBS
. And so we are asking youtonight
to make programs like
that continue to be
possible, whether it's the children'sprograming or
the adult programing that you appreciate.
On PBS Wisconsin , we're up to
13 calls. Make make yours the
next one. 1-800-236-3636.
>> And really, it's
been so wonderful being able
to share this evening and paying tribute
to the legacy of Fred
Rogers. And you can continue to
keep that legacy going and
build your own community, share
these resources and these wonderful
stories with your own family
and children. And
did you know there were nearly
900 episodes of Mister
Rogers? So when yougive at
that $10 a month level,
we'll send you that four disc
DVD set, The Kindness
Collection, again, sharing allthose wonderful
, important messages that Mister Rogers
has to share with us. At $15
a month, you will get that
fantastic sweater colorchanging mug
, which might go home with me this
evening, anda book with
these wonderful reflections. Again, they makesuch
a wonderful gift. There'ssomething different every
day that we can all think about.
For $20 a month , we'll send you
that DVD set, the mug, the book
, and the DVD of
tonight's program. So visit us
online at PBS Wisconsin. Org or
give us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> PBS
Wisconsin has beenserving
Wisconsin for more than70 years
. And interestingly,
Mister Rogers Neighborhood wason for 33
years, almost half ofthat time, which
was a remarkable run. And
o ver thoseseven years
, we've changed. We've grown, we've shifted
, we've we've become something, I
think, even richer and betterthan
we have been in the past.We
are part of the fabric ofwhat makes
Wisconsin. And that's largely because
of the programs we do about Wisconsin
, whether they're the regular
programs like Wisconsin Foodieand Here
and Now, or thespecial programs that
we do, like
Wisconsin Scenic Treasures or
the Bucky program that'scoming up
, or the Valve Phillips program, whatever
. There's a lot of
information programs about
Wisconsin. You can feel proud to be from
Wisconsin when you watch andyou are
a supporter of PBS
Wisconsin, you can do that nowby
calling (800) 236-3636.Thank
you very much .
%
What an incredibly
movingdocumentary.
Thank you for joining us for it
. Hi. I'm David Hoffert, a
volunteerhere at PBS Wisconsin, andI
want to debrief with youa little bit
about aboutwhat we just saw.
And askyou to
support public television,
PBS Wisconsin in
in continuing to bringyou
programs like this. You
know, think back for a . Or if you weren't
alive yet, think about fora moment
. When the Mister Rogers program started
was 1968. Think about
theenvironment of that time
war, political
assassinations, general
societal upheaval, you know
,parallel in a lot of waysto
the times we're living through right now.
And andwhat a time to be a
child.What a what a what a scary
time to be a child. Andthen you
had Fred Rogers providing that
calm, that that presence,
thatstability, that
comfort.What an important gift
that was and continues
to be tothis day. And you
can keepthat alive with a gift of
your own by calling
1-800-236-3636. >> And
Mister Rogers did
bring that calm and comfortinto
living rooms acrossthe country
for decades, and still
continues to do so. And you
can help us continue to bring
programslike this into
homes allacross Wisconsin. So
whenyou make a gift and you
become a sustainer at $10
amonth, we'll gift you thatkindness
collection, that four DVD set
that talks about all of
thoseimportant lessons and allthe
things that we cancarry into
generations tocome . At
$15 a month, wewill
send you thiswonderful Daily
Reflectionsbook with some really
greatinsights from Fred
Rogersalong with this great mug
.It's so fun and special
,and anytime you have it athand
, not only are y
oureminded of his wisdom,
butalso it might bring a smileto
your face. And then at$20
a month, we'll gift youthat DVD set
, the book, that sweet mug
, and the DVD of tonight's program
so youcan always visit us
onlineat pbswisconsin.org, orgive
us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> Fred
Rogers helped children understand
that difficult
things. He often understand difficult things
by talking about them
andtreating them like people.
And, you know , it'sinteresting when
Reginatalks about this
beautifulday, that book, and youflip
through it, you realize you really
wasn'tjust talking to children.He was talking
to people ofany age. He's got a
lot ofreally wonderful things andideas that
he shared in a very direct
way. And that's really was the magic
, Ithink, of Fred Rogers and
the program he did for all
those many years. One way support the
program isby becoming a member of
PBSWisconsin, and
one way ofbecoming a member isbecoming
a sustainingmember. That means that
yougive a monthly
contribution.You decide how much youwant to
give per month, howyou want it
to be deliveredto the station through your
checking account or charge card, whatever, and how
long you want it to go on.You
control you're in the driver's seat when you
become a sustaining member ,but it's really
a wonderfuloption not only for
me, I'ma sustaining member
becauseit's kind of an automaticpilot.
I'm aware of it , butI don't have
to worry aboutit . And remember, have I
done this? It's done. It'sgood
. And it's a great thing to do.
What you cando now by calling
(800) 236-3636. >> So I
mentioned thatthere were some parallelsbetween
the days we're living through now
and thedays when Fred Rogers
started his program. Thereis also one
reallyimportant difference. Fred
Rogers was one of thepeople who went
to Congressand made the case for
public funding for public
media. And of course, asyou
know, as of this year,we no
longer have thatfunding. But th e mission
has not changed and thevalue
proposition has not changed. It
just means that we need even
more support from viewers like
you who,who , who receive
that value, who know what
this is about to call
in and make surethat that mission
can continue fully going
intothe future . Give us a
call 1-800-236-3636.
>> Viewers like you are the
heart of PBS Wisconsin and
what allow us to continueto
bring such wonderfulprograms into your living
room every day? And I'm notsure
if you know this , butas we enter
this season ofgiving and gratitude, you
have the ability to gift a
PBS membership to a l
ovedone. Or you could
potentially gift one ofthese
thank you gifts as well. So if
you're not a sustainer or if you'd
liketo gift a membership, youcan do
so. Starting at that$10 a
month level will gift you the Kindness Collection
,a wonderful four
disc DVD series
that covers allkinds of
different topics, like winning and losing
andHow to be a good friend
.And the $15
a month level will gift
you thiswonderful book of
365. Reflections is
again, justkind of
going through hereand learning all sorts of
new things. You can get the
color changing mug, which Ithink makes a perfect gift.
And then at that
$20 amonth level , you will gift
you the four disc DVD set,
the book, the mug, and the
DVD of tonight's program.
So visit us at
pbswisconsin.org or give us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> The
last Mister Rogers
Neighborhood program aired in 2001.
But the legacy that
Mister Rogers Fred Rogers created
continues tobe felt in the
quality programs in some,
if youwill. I won't call themspinoffs
, but subsequentprograms that have carried
his legacy on into moderntimes
and legacies are
important, and you may befamiliar
with the conceptof legacy giving or
estateplanning. And PBS Wisconsin
has people who be more than
happy to talk to you aboutwhat the
options are. It'sone way you may not
be ableto give a great gift right
now, but perhaps in thefuture you can and you
caninclude PBS Wisconsin
inyour estate plan. And
it'sa wonderful thing to do.I've
done it. I'm a memberof the Heritage
Societybecause I want to
be surethat my impact is
stillfelt when I'm no longer
here. You can do that, oryou
can call and become amember right this
moment.Or both. You can do it
allby calling (800) 236-3636.
>> I mentioned in a
previous break that thatgifts of
any size are welcome and necessary
,right? If you can afford to
give $5 a month , that'sthat's great.
You mighteven say it's your
gift. Ilike just the way
it is.You see what I did
there?Okay, but but I also wantto
take a moment toacknowledge those who
whodo give more , who are able
to give more. And we havesome
, some designations for them, the leadership
circleand the director circle,folks
who can give $100 amonth or
or $250 a month
,and that's important too,right?
What makes PBSWisconsin
work is that
everyone, no matter whattheir means
, are contributing what they
canand saying this matters
tome. And
literally votingwith their dollars
becausebecause what's happeninghere is
important. And and yes, Fred Rogers
is is no longer making new episodes
, but so many
children's programs, so many
adultprograms, even even Daniel
Tiger's Neighborhood, lly
a spin off of Mister Rogers,
is coming to and supporting children
tothis day. So please give us
a call right now .
1-800-236-3636. >> Mister
Rogers Neighborhood was one of
thefirst programs to air
nationwide on publictelevision,
then called Net,or National
EducationalTelevision, which Idistinctly
remember fromwhen I was growing up as
achild. I was a little oldfor
Fred Rogers. By the time he came to
net backthen , but I do
have vague recollections of his
program. I was in highschool at the time. The
important thing is that public television has
been around for a very
long time. It's always depended
onmultiple sources o
f support,but most
critically on the support of individuals
, families, people just
likeyou, people like me who
support the station PBSWisconsin
financially by becoming a
member of PBSWisconsin.
You can do that tonight. You can do
it bygoing online. You can
do itby calling during the show
.If you're so moved to do
so,move to do that. Or you
cancall right now . If you call,the
number is always the same
(800) 236-3636.[MUSIC]
%
Hi, I'm David
Hoffert, a volunteer here at
PBSWisconsin, interrupting this program very
brieflyto ask you to make
a pledgeof financial support to
PBSWisconsin to supportprograms
like this by calling
1-800-236-3636. And I have to say
, if you want to
understand something deeply and
well, there isno
better way than a
KenBurns documentary, right?And
we've seen this time and time again at
thispoint over the years.
So soit may it may surprise you
.It may not surprise you and
yet still surprise you whenI tell
you that it tookliterally ten
years to
makethis documentary. Of course
,you're only seeing clips ofit tonight
, but if you're amember
of PBS Wisconsin, you've access to
PBSPassport. The entire thingis
there for you on demandten years
. Think about the investment required
toproduce a show like this.
And I mean, at this point,it's no
longer a leap of faith. You know, it's
goingto be amazing , but PBS isable
to make investmentslike that precisely because
viewers like you areproviding
the funding to doso. So now
is your chance to support that work
. Giveus a call
1-800-236-3636. >> Ten
years to make this documentary. It is
trulysuch a gift and such
atestament to the incrediblesupporters
of PBS and PBSWisconsin.
We are able tocontinue to
bring you this high quality programing
because of your continued
support. When you become
asustainer, it makes such
animpact on us locally and the
programs that we c
ancontinue to share with you.
So tonight, if you're not asustainer
, give us a call and become one at
$20 amonth. We will give
you thesix disc DVD
set of the American Revolution.
Or you can also
choose the thebook about
the AmericanRevolution . It's an
intimate history created
curated by Ken Burns
andhis team. So if you'rereally diving
into this and enjoying every minute
, thisbook is for you.
At $25 amonth, we'll
give you the DVD set as well
as the book, and then at $100
a month, we'll give
you the Ken Burns DVD
collection. So lots and lots of
greatprograming in there . So ifyou
are a Ken Burns fan,now
is the time to call andcontinue
to support this incredible programing
andand this wonderfulcommunity here
in PBSWisconsin. So visit us
online at pbswisconsin.orgor give
us a call at
(800) 236-3636. >> Hi,
I'm MichaelBridgeman, a volunteer hereat
PBS Wisconsin. Thanks toyour
support, this
documentary series that KenBurns and his
friends have created for us will be
yed in living
rooms and classrooms across
thecountry and acrossWisconsin for
years to come .It's one of those
programsthat has legs , as we might
say, it's high quality.It's well
worth watching.
You can watch it all atonce
. You can watch it inparts. The
point is, it's very much a
compellingprogram about a compelling
time in American history .And if you're
a member of PBS Wisconsin, we
have tothank you for helpinghelping to
make thispossible, especially ifyou're a sustaining
member. That means you
are givingevery month to
PBSWisconsin, and you are
telling PBS Wisconsin,
sure,I'll make a commitment for
as long as I want, but Iwill
make a commitment to give money every
month insupport of the fine service
that PBS Wisconsin delivers.
Things like all the
KenBurns programs we'veenjoyed most
recently andover the decades.
Do thatby calling
(800) 236-3636. >> You
know, there's several interviews out
at this point of K
enBurns and Sarah Botsteintalking
about the process of making this
documentary,and they often point out
how difficult it was to
doa documentary about theAmerican
Revolution forreasons that
we may notreally appreciate. Part of
it is that there's so much
national mythology tied up
in the story. We we allthink
we know about theAmerican Revolution
. Andhow do you how do
youchallenge some of thosepotential
misunderstandings in a way that
that thatpeople will appreciate?There's
also the fact thatthat there wasn't
photography back then, ? I mean, like
when Ithink of a Ken Burnsdocumentary
, I think ofthat kind of slow zoom
on aphotograph. Right. They
weren't able to do thathere. So
, I mean, there areso many
challenges uniqueto this story
that reallykind of had them push
, pushtheir own limits and theirown style
. But it was important. It was
importantto them to tell this
storyfor us to experience this
story. And they werewilling to do
the work. Andthat really is the
ethos ofof public television,
right?Doing the work
supported bythe public who appreciates
it. You can be part of that
public right now when youcall
1-800-236-3636. >> We
are surrounded by such an incredible
community here in Wisconsinthat
supports that supportsthis
station and allows usto be here
with you tonight. So when you give
us a calland make a gift,
you aremaking an impact and you'rehelping
your neighbors all across Wisconsin
here. Soat the $20 a
month level, we will gift
you the six DVD set of
the American Revolution or
thisincredible book , TheAmerican
Revolution An Intimate History.
As we mentioned before,
this bookwas curated
by Ken Burns.It's really
taking amagnifying glass to thisseries
and and allowing youto just
immerse yourself inall of
this fantasticinformation. So i f
you area Ken Burns fan
. This bookis for you. You need to
addit to your library so youcan
get that at that $20 amonth level. At $25 a
month,we'll get you the book and
the six set DVDs . And at
$100 a month, we will
giftyou the Ken Burns DVDcollection
, which includesseries
like the AmericanRevolution,
Civil War, Vietnam War,
and baseball.So if you haven't called
,if you're not a sustainer, help
us continue to bringthese programs.
Let's makePBS Wisconsin strongtogether
and give us a callat
(800) 236-3636. >>
PBS Wisconsin deliversprograms
wherever you are. There is,
of course, broadcast
television, andthat's one of the principalplaces
people still watch the programs of
PBSWisconsin. But if you have
a streaming device , there'san app
you can get , or ifyou
have access to the
webin any way , you can watch
live streams of PBS Wisconsin. You can
also getaccess to
PBS Passport, awhole library
full ofwonderful programs, some ofwhich
may be familiar to you because you've seen
them on PBS Wisconsin , but
many of which will probablynot be
familiar to you.There are a whole world
ofprograms, many of them fromcountries around
the world,that you'll find on PBS
Passport. That's one of thebenefits
of membership when you join at one
of oursuggested levels . The pointis
to show your support forthe
programs that you enjoyall the
time, no matterwhere you
enjoy them on theair,
streaming on an app ,whatever. The point
is tosupport public television,
support PBS Wisconsin
at (800) 236-3636.
>> So I talked a bit
abouthow how hard it was
to tomake this documentary
andthe challenges theyencountered,
but it's also no coincidence that
theydid this project at thistime
. Right? This, thisthis
program premiered inthe lead
up to the 250thanniversary of the
signingof the Declaration ofIndependence
. That's that's not a
coincidence. There is
milestones like that makeus
wonder. They make usreconsider
, right? And someof us maybe
haven't thoughtabout some of these storiessince
we learned them inschool. But
. But you have this yearning to make sure
u know the truth
and you know, sure,
I can Google it or or ask
ChatGPT and get ahalf
correct answer, but
there's no one I trust
moreto tell me the raw
, honest truth than
Ken Burns. And
then PBS Wisconsin , and I
don't have to. I don't haveto
do anything. I just turnon my television
. I look atairwaves , I make sure I
know when it's coming andit's there for
me, and youcan be there for us
whenyou call 1-800-236-3636.
Now back to the program.
%
Hi, I'm David
Hoffert, avolunteer here at PBSWisconsin
, and I hope you enjoyed that. Look
into KenBurns American Revolutionas
much as I did . And ifyou
did, I hope that youwill
call and make a pledgeof financial
support at 1-800-236-3636
to give you a little extra
incentive.This is a challenge
breakwhen you call during
thisbreak, your money
will be doubled by
generous contributions of
folks whowho want to
encourage new folks to step forward
andjoin them in this community
.That makes possible programs
like the Ken Burnsdocumentary that
we wereseeing clips from tonight.
This is a challenging timefor public media
. You areprobably aware that
federalfunding for public media
was removed this year, but
the mission goes on, and
PBS Wisconsin is not goinganywhere.
If anything, our resolve is stronger
and it relies
all the more onsupport from viewers
likeyou. So give us a callright
now. We're going for 15 calls during this
challenge. Drive 1-800-236-3636.
>> And it is
a challengebreak. So 15 calls
. You can help us make
PBS Wisconsin strong. When
you make your gift, you are
supportingprograms like the American
Revolution and other
fantastic shows
aboutWisconsin, like Michael was
saying earlier. So considermaking
a gift and becoming a sustainer. Tonight
at the$20 a month level
, we willgift you with the
American Revolution six
DVD set, orthe book
that really takesan intimate
look at thehistory of the American
Revolution. It's again
taking that magnifying glass and really
going intothe depths and learning
more about the American Revolution. Maybe there
wassomething you saw tonightand you thought
, I reallywould like to know more
about that. This book iswhat you
need at the $25 amonth level
, will gift you both the book and
the DVDset. And when you gift
us$100 a month, when you
become a sustainer at thatlevel, we
will give you the entire
eight series DVD set,which
includes the American Revolution, the Civil
War,baseball, National Parks,and country
music. So giveus
a call at (800) 236-3636.
>> Whether you're a
longtime member of PBSWisconsin
or this may bethe
f irst time you'll be
joining us in support , thisis a good
time to do it .We're here. We
havevolunteers standing by to waiting to
take your call.So it would be a
wonderfultime to show your supportfor
PBS Wisconsin. And oneof the
best ways to do thatis by becoming
a sustainer.I'm a sustaining member
of PBS Wisconsin.
All it meansis I've made a
sustained commitment to PBS Wisconsin
by giving monthly.
Thatallows me to budget mygiving
to PBS Wisconsin . Ido the
same thing for some other organizations, too
,so it benefits me, but it
also benefits PBS Wisconsin.
There's less paperwork ed. The flow
of funds is more consistent
, and ata time like this,
consistent money flow is animportant
thing for all public media. So
do thinkabout becoming a sustain ingmember
. If you are alreadya sustainer,
you can talkto your operator about that
.They can look up how muchyou're giving
and you canincrease your gift. Eitherway
, call (800) 236-3636.
>> You know , PBS iscertainly
not the only channel on your
dial whereyou'll see a history
documentary. It is the onlyplace you'll
see one quitelike this. And I have
Ihave a quote here from KenBurns. None of this
happensanywhere else but PBS
.Nobody else is going to
give us ten years to build
a history of the revolution.
No one. The willingness to
dive deep into this , to beable
to excavate stories. Ilove that
excavate storiesto depend and rely
onscholarship. And it's it's
that dedication to quality
and accuracy that
setsapart PBS documentaries,
but also that
is so essential to
us, to thepublic discourse, to our
understanding of the worldand of each
other. And you only get that
on PBSprecisely because
only PBSis funded by
viewers likeyou .
You are the largestsource of funding for
PBSWisconsin, not one of
you,all of you
collectively.And so if you are not
yetpart of that group, or asMichael
was just saying, if you are but you
but youfeel a call to increaseyour
support now during achallenge break when
yourmoney is doubled , is thetime to
do that. So give usa call
1-800-236-3636. >> And
we're so grateful for you spending
yourevening with us andenjoying this
fantastic KenBurns documentary. We
areable to continue to bringyou
programs like thisbecause of viewers like
you,and your support makes
allthe difference . So whetheryou're
giving at that $5 amonth level
, or you'regiving it the $100 a month
level, every gift makes animpact
and allows us tocontinue forward
. So maybe tonight is
the night thatyou decide you're going to
become a sustainer. Whenyou make
a gift as a $20 amonth sustainer
, we'll sendyou that six disc
DVD set of the American
Revolution. Or again,
if that book isreally what's
striking you,we can send you the
bookinstead. At the
$25 a month level, you will
get both.So you can take
that deeperdive. Some of the maps
thatwere designed for thisdocumentary are
included inthat book . So there's so
many intricacies and thingsfor
you to check out as youexplore that
book. It alsomakes a great gift. So
ifthe person you're sittingnext to wants
to enjoy itas well, you can scan
thatQR code and make your giftnow
so you can reach us at
(800) 236-3636. >> And if
you call andsupport
PBS Wisconsin at one of our
suggested levels,one of the additional
benefits you'll receive is "Airwaves" magazine.
Itwill come to you once a
month through the length ofyour membership,
and it'sreally a very useful
guideto what's on PBS Wisconsin.
There's the fundamental schedule
information for PBS Wisconsin,
theWisconsin Channel,
andcreate all three broadcast
services that PBS Wisconsin
offers. But there's also
information about specialprograms
during the month ,some behind the
scenes information, and other
newsabout what's going on at
PBS Wisconsin. It's a nice
benefit of your support, so
consider that, too, whenyou call and
pledge yoursupport to PBS Wisconsin
airwaves. Good thing.
Evenbetter, the great shows
that you enjoy throughoutthe year
here on PBSWisconsin . And there's a
whole environment ofdocumentaries.
I mean, Ken Burns is certainly an
ant part of that.
Hisdocumentaries are legendary,
if you will, in public
television and in television in general.
Butthere's plenty of otherdocumentaries
to nationaland importantly,
localdocumentary programs
thatwe do here at
PBS Wisconsin. All worth your support. All
worth a call now
to (800) 236-3636.
>> And there's also
moreKen Burns documentaries.
Regina was telling youabout that
, the $100 amonth level, I think it
waswhere you get all the theexisting
ones or a large number of them
. But, youknow , you heard Ken
Burnstalk about the next fourprojects
he's working on. You know, a
normal personwould say , well, my nextone
project, he had four,right?
At least what crimeand punishment
in America, emancipation
to Exodus, Henry
David Thoreau, LBJand the
Great Society. I mean, this man
doesn't rest, which is good
because thatit broadens our horizonsthat much
more. And my askof
you is that you getinspired
by Ken Burns's
work ethic and say , youknow what
? I can be a partof that. I
can call andmake a pledge right now
,get it doubled at
1-800-236-3636. >> Thanks
so much to everyone who has
contributed this evening.We're so
grateful to haveyou here with us. Remember
,this is still a challengebreak and we
have fivecalls right now. So help us
cross that finish line and ntinue giving
us a call. Your support just
makessuch an impact. We'll go
through those thank you gifts just one more
time.At $20 a month, we'll
sendyou the American Revolutionsix set
DVD, or we
can sendyou that fantastic book,
The Intimate History of theAmerican Revolution
. At $25a month,
we will send youboth that DVD
set and thebook , and at
100 dollars a month, you will
get theentire Ken Burns DVD
collection that includesthe American
Revolution, Civil War,
Vietnam,baseball, and the
Roosevelts. So visit
us atPBS Wisconsin , or give us
acall at (800) 236-3636.
>> The outpouring of
support for public media
has been a bright
spot inthese otherwise verychallenging
times with theloss of
federal funding,but it's also an
opportunity for you as anindividual
and for thecommunity as a whole,
toshow your support for
PBSWisconsin. If you're not amember
, you can become amember very
easily tonightby calling one of
ourvolunteers or going online
at pbswisconsin.org.
Ifyou're a sustaining member,
you can increase the amountof your
monthly support for PBS Wisconsin.
Do that with a volunteer
operator, oryou can again, can do
thatonline, or you can
thinkabout becoming a leadershipdonor,
whatever. Make it an
important commitment to PBSWisconsin at
(800) 236-3636.[MUSIC]