Stories of Impact : Engagement
Goal: Broaden and deepen community involvement and interaction to grow audience engagement and support.
Move To Include
WXXI launched its national Move to Include initiative in July 2020 to coincide with the 30th anniversary of President George H. W. Bush’s signing into law the Americans with Disabilities Act on July 26, 1990.
Founded by WXXI and the Golisano Foundation, the initiative expanded to five other communities thanks to a grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The three-year initiative, led by WXXI, used the power of public media to break the stereotypes of individuals with disabilities. The PBS partner stations in this initiative are: WFYI (Indianapolis), OPB (Oregon), WGCU (Southwest Florida), WCNY (Syracuse), and Iowa PBS. All six stations worked to spotlight disability issues and people with differing abilities in their communities through television, radio, news, events, and social media.
PRISM Holiday Concert
WXXI Classical presented the Greater Rochester Choral Consortium (GRCC) Virtual Holiday Prism Concert, which featured ensembles from the GRCC. GRCC, a group of 28 member ensembles, regularly presents PRISM-style concerts, in which a number of ensembles perform in uninterrupted succession from different locations around a concert hall.
This virtual prism concert includes beloved carols and holiday. A Virtual Holiday Listening Party on Facebook accompanied the concert. The concert and party were hosted by WXXI Classical’s Brenda Tremblay along with Dan McInerney, treasurer of the GRCC Board, and journalist Norma Holland who shared their thoughts about the music and the holiday season with Facebook participants whose audience ranged from 75-100 guests. The archived video post has reached 2,000+ viewers.
Leadership Circle
Leadership Circle members provide a strong and steady source of income for WXXI’s essential programs and services. Among the many member benefits come invitations to special events. Virtual events have included:
• The 2020 Virtual Leadership Circle event featured a discussion with Judy
Woodruff, anchor and managing editor of PBS NewsHour
• The Virtual Voices speaker series events featured conversations with:
WXXI Classical host Brenda Tremblay with opera singer Gregory Kunde,
Connections producer, Megan Mack and host, Evan Dawson, PBS NewsHour
Correspondent, Lisa Desjardins; and This Old House host, Kevin O’Connor
Live Forums
When the pandemic hit, WXXI News was there to keep our community well informed on the latest official information. There were so many unknowns, so many questions, and to address them, WXXI launched a series of live forums. From medical researchers sharing COVID-19 updates to pressing questions on schools and the economy, these forums empowered our community with the knowledge they needed to weather the storm.
WXXI LIVE FORUM: COVID-19
Vaccines on the Horizon
With multiple COVID-19 vaccines on the way, WXXI and the University of Rochester Medical Center presented a live forum to discuss what you need to know. The program also addressed distribution plans, how to ensure the vaccines reach underserved populations, new COVID-19 treatments, and more.
WXXI LIVE FORUM: Racial Disparities in Rochester
WXXI hosted its fifth live, televised forum – this edition examined racial disparities in Rochester. The discussion was hosted by longtime Rochester broadcaster Norma Holland. The death of Daniel Prude after city police restrained him has brought a national spotlight on racial disparities in local policing and healthcare. Panelists discussed the root causes of those issues, and actions that should be taken to create systemic change.
Additional Live forums:
- WXXI LIVE FORUM: The Impact of COVID-19 on People with Disabilities
- WXXI LIVE FORUM: Reopening Schools
- WXXI LIVE FORUM: Restarting the Economy