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Public Media for Central Pennsylvania

WPSU Activities and Projects Surrounding COVID19 Pandemic as of May 20, 2020

All WPSU activities and projects for COVID19_May 20

Radio

• 90 COVID-19 related news stories between February 18 and May 18

• Provided USB mics to radio staff for remote recording

• Health Minute – four episodes o Handwashing

o Staying Connected

o Social Distancing

o Mental Health

• Take Note o Penn State Prof. Erika Saunders On Mental Health Effects of the COVID-19 Pandemic

o Dr. Matthew Ferrari, Penn State associate professor of Biology, Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences

o Dr. Nirmal Joshi chief medical officer, Mount Nittany Health

o Dr. Bernice Hausman, Professor, Public Health Sciences, Penn State College of Medicine

• Democracy Works Podcast o A Roadmap to A More Equitable Democracy

o COVID-19 Exposes Democracy’s Tensions

o Will COVID-19 Create a One Issue Campaign?

o Give Me Liberty or Give Me COVID-19?

o Polling in a Polarized World

o COVID-19: Human Movement & Behavior

o COVID-19: Spillover

• NPR and National Programming o Daily stories from NPR

o COVID-19: Hard Questions, Real Answers

o Coronavirus–A Weekly Report from NPR News

o The National Conversation with All Things Considered weeknights (ending May 29)

o PA Department of Health PSA on the spread of COVID-19 on WPSU-TV and FM

Television

Instructional Television o WPSU programming changes for grades PreK-12, noon–5:00 p.m.

o The WORLD programming changes for grades 6–12, noon–5:00 p.m.

o New Learning from Home spot starts May 6

o New “Robot Doctor” (8) – shared PA PTV stations STEM program, Thursdays at 5:00 p.m.

o New Meet the Helpers series

o Daniel Tigers’ Germs, Germs, Go Away interstitial

o Science-U@Home promos airing on 3.1 and 3.4 channels

Remote Productions o Conversations Live: Speaking Grief – May 21

o Conversations Live: Get your Garden On – April 30

o The Investment 2020 will be produced remotely for online video and broadcast

o Weather World – produced from home. WPSU helped to build infrastructure to move to remote delivery from staff’s homes.

PBS Programming o NOVA: Decoding COVID-19 May 20

o American Portrait: COVID-19 Special

o Frontline: Inside Italy’s COVID War

o Global Agenda: World Lockdown – Battling the Pandemic

o Speaking Grief premiere on May 5 (website, radio)

Digital Initiative COVID-19 stories

Metronome from Home (4) – May 11 first stream on Facebook Live

• “Show us your mugs” social distancing and connecting

• “Teddy Bears and Rainbows” neighborhood scavenger hunt

Community Engagement and Education Outreach

Serving 105 school districts in 24 counties

“Summer of Adventure” backpack fundraising and free community outreach program

Op-Eds from 8 board members published in regional newspapers

New education website launched May 11

PA Department of Education/PA Public Television Stations collaboration “Learning at Home” launched new daytime instructional television. o TV schedule is coordinated with online learning activities/lesson plans. Schedule and activities change every Saturday. (through June 30)

o Two new programs: Robot Doctor (6-12 grades) and Into the Outdoors.

o Weekly “Learning Families” email to 1,050 subscribers. Contains TV programs and features lessons for the week

o Handouts distributed by Altoona School District (1,200 families)

o Handouts distributed by YMCA of Clearfield and Centre (10K meals/week)

o Eight-week schedule of outdoor and STEM-themed learning at home activities (links to PDFs and videos)

o Planning weekly Facebook Live explore the outdoor do-together activities

o Meetings with STEM educators in IUs and PDE and stations – ideas around social and emotional learning discussed.

o Possible Interstitial with teachers – Relationship with PSEA

o Coordinating awareness communication through PSEA

Membership

June TV and FM pledge 7-day pledge and social distancing changes

“143 Day” Fred Rogers campaign May 1–18 goodwill and light fundraising $3,983 from 65 donors

COVID-19 donor stewardship spots for TV and FM

Gift acknowledgement emails and letters

Challenge donors: Make their gift they would have made during radio drive

Membership testimonial project: Keystone Society and select donors to tell us “Why I love WPSU”

Development

• Business support for Metronome Facebook Live concert

• Morgan Stanley Business Support

• Bi-weekly emails to business supporters

• Business Support spots–support local businesses who support TV and FM

Marketing

• High school senior congratulations TV promo

• “Learning at Home” initiative –newspaper ads in 6 papers continue next week.

• #HowWeEndure social media engagement

Metronome from Home Facebook concert series

American Portrait COVID-19 special

Meet the Helpers social media

Creative Services– University Collaborations

Administration o Penn State virtual spring commencement – over 100,000 people from 100 countries

o Penn State President Barron studio recording/Penn State Health

o Penn State Town Hall – March 2020 and May 2020

o Penn State Board of Trustees audio call/web stream

o Penn State New Student Orientation web welcome & orientation events

o Class of 2024-Virtual Welcome to Penn State Family

Colleges and Centers o Penn State Global Programs Town Hall

o Penn State Graduate School Town Hall

o Penn State Arts and Architecture Musical Theatre virtual performances

o Penn State World Campus three web streams: Chella Man, Reema Zaman, Eileen Collins, Saquon Barkley (in partnership with SPA)

o Shavers Creek web stream (May 2020)

o Penn State Law virtual commencement 2020

o Penn State Schreyer Honors College – Medals Ceremony

Online Course Design o Penn State Huck Institutes of the Life Sciences 3-part COVID-19 MOOC

o Penn State Justice and Safety Institute classroom to online course

o Penn State Schuylkill online courses

o Penn State Center for Science and the Schools COVID course