WILL Press Room
Local Actors Star in Fundraiser for Book Mentor Project
Wednesday, August 19, 2009
Words in the Wind
7:30 pm Saturday, Sept. 12
A fundraising event for Illinois Public Media’s Book Mentor Project, featuring actors from The Station Theatre, Parkland College Theatre and the University of Illinois Department of Theatre, bringing to life various children’s books in a concert-style performance.
Words in the Wind will take place at Faith United Methodist Church, 1719 S. Prospect Ave., Champaign. Tickets, available at the door, are $10 each.
The first-time event is the brainchild of Tom Mitchell, associate head of the U of I Theatre department, and includes books recommended by The Center for Children’s Books within the Graduate School of Library and Information Science. Local musicians will provide vocal, piano or guitar accompaniment for several selections.
“It’s fun way to promote books and learning in a way that we usually don’t get to do,” Mitchell said. “Plus, it offers a unique opportunity to showcase the great acting talent we have in Champaign-Urbana.”
Confirmed performers include longtime Station Theatre regulars Gary Ambler, Joi Hoffsommer and Kay Holley; Parkland College Theatre veteran Dallas Street; U of I Department of Theatre faculty Henson Keys, J.W. Morrissette and Brant Pope, as well as numerous other area stage professionals. Actors will present 22 pieces, ranging from classics such as Peter Pan, The Three Little Pigs and The Wind in the Willows to contemporary works such as Knuffle Bunny, Moo Who and the alphabetic poetry of Alpha Beta Chowder.
“This event is a perfect fit with our goal of generating excitement about books and connecting that enthusiasm to the classroom,” said Molly Delaney, educational outreach director for Illinois Public Media, which includes the WILL television and radio stations.
The Book Mentor Project, in cooperation with Champaign County Head Start, the Champaign Early Childhood Center and local service organizations, provides books to families who otherwise might not have access to books at home. As part of the program, Delaney trains parents, teachers and volunteers on how to interact with children through books, how to use television as a teaching tool and how to use books and related activities to enhance learning.
At its start in 2003, the WILL-TV project assisted 54 families. It currently serves 578 families in Champaign County, trains 60 teachers and 50 volunteers each year, works with 42 classrooms in eight locations and distributes more than 3,500 books to low-income families.
For more information, call 217-333-7300.
Top Award for China Documentary
Monday, June 16, 2008
A U of I student radio documentary on China that aired on WILL-AM last summer was the national winner for radio in-depth reporting in the Society of Professional Journalists (SPJ)‘s 2007 contest.
Ten students, most undergraduates, in professor Nancy Benson’s international reporting course went to China last year to produce the two-hour radio documentary, “China: Beyond the Great Wall.”
WILL-AM news director Tom Rogers accompanied the students, as did WILL’s John Paul, a U of I graduate student, whose reports are included in the documentary.
This year’s SPJ contest attracted more than 3,400 entries in 39 categories from collegiate journalists.
In announcing the awards, Neil Ralston, SPJ’s Vice President for Campus Chapter Affairs, said, “I encourage media executives who are looking for the next wave of high-quality journalists to pay attention to the winners of SPJ’s Mark of Excellence Awards. These young men and women represent some of the best that journalism programs have to offer, and we’re proud to be able to honor them at the national level.”
Links:
Reading Rainbow Winners
Tuesday, June 10, 2008
WILL-TV has announced local winners of the 2008 Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest.
Winners are:
Kindergarten: Paige Olson, Springfield.
1st Grade: T.J. Ross, St. Joseph.
2nd Grade: Ruth Zielke, Champaign.
3rd Grade: Gabriel Berti, Urbana.
Honorable mention winners are:
Kindergarten: Erin Boyle, Bloomington; Calista Clark, Lovington; Nick Phalen, Springfield.
1st Grade: Lacey Edwards, Mt. Pulaski; Alyanna Marie Posadas, Mahomet; Annie Taber, Mahomet.
2nd Grade: William Kieffer, Mahomet; Jani Massey, Watseka; Kimberly Dillman, Urbana.
3rd Grade: Katie Jo Simpson, Hoopeston; Emily Gibson, Champaign; Neha Verma, Forsyth.
More than 300 central Illinois children in kindergarten through 3rd grade created original stories and illustrations for the contest. Their entries were judged for originality, creative expression, storytelling, integration of story and drawings and an interesting plot. All of the children who entered were invited to a Reading Rainbow celebration at WILL’s Campbell Hall. The contest and celebration were supported locally by State Farm Insurance. Barnes and Noble held a special story-signing event for the winning authors.
Free Tornado Safety Show
Thursday, March 13, 2008
WILL AM-FM-TV chief meteorologist Ed Kieser will present a free tornado safety seminar at 7 p.m. Thursday, April 10, with tips people can use to protect themselves when tornadoes threaten.
Kieser, now in his 18th year of presenting tornado safety shows, uses spectacular video and graphics to help arm central Illinois residents with information that could save their lives. The seminar takes place at the University of Illinois’ Beckman Institute Auditorium, 405 N. Mathews St., Urbana.
Tornadoes Kill
“Tornadoes have already caused 69 deaths in the United States in 2008,” Kieser said. “The number of fatalities this year is already ahead of the 30-year average for the entire year, and we’re just entering the prime tornado season.”
Free parking for the event is available in the university parking garage at the corner of University Ave. and Mathews. For more information, call 244-5072 or visit the WILL Web site at http://www.will.uiuc.edu.
Managing a Crisis
Rick Atterberry, public information officer for the Champaign County Emergency Management Agency, will also provide information about what to expect from local government in a disaster.
Atterberry will talk about what the Emergency Management Agency does in times of crisis and how people can be prepared during an emergency.
WILL-AM 580 Tornado Safety with Ed Kieser is presented with the cooperation of the UI Beckman Institute for Advanced Science and Technology.
Contact:
Mary Barrineau
Public Information Coordinator
WILL AM-FM-TV
(217) 333-1070
Leonard Named General Manager at WILL AM-FM-TV
Saturday, March 18, 2006
Mark Leonard, general manager for Central Washington of KCTS-TV in Seattle, has been named the new general manager of WILL AM-FM-TV-Online and director of broadcasting for the College of Communications at the University of Illinois, pending approval of the U of I Board of Trustees. He succeeds Donald Mullally, who retired in 2005.
Announcing the appointment, effective June 15, Ron Yates, dean of the College of Communications, said Leonard’s career spans more than 27 years in public broadcasting, including senior management positions in Seattle and Yakima, Wash., and at WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., where he was vice president for television.
“He brings vision, energy and creativity to WILL and the Division of Broadcasting at a time when public broadcasting needs such qualities,” Yates said.
As general manager for Central Washington at KCTS-TV, Leonard manages all station operations of KYVE, KCTS’ Yakima station. He was chief administrative officer at KCTS-TV from 2000-2003.
Leonard said he is looking forward to heading up WILL’s operation, in part because it’s a combined public media service with radio, television and new media. “It’s an opportunity to innovate with new models of service for public media,” he said.
WILL is a station with a long history and great tradition that has already built a solid history of service to its local communities, Leonard said. His experience at other stations has reinforced his understanding that localism is an essential value of public broadcasting, he said. “With the overall consolidation of commercial media, localism is an increasingly rare but important asset. As a result, public broadcasting has a unique opportunity to build and expand upon local strengths,” said Leonard, who worked briefly in television production for WILL-TV in 1982.
Leonard is a past president of the Washington State Public Broadcasters Association, where he successfully reversed declining state support for public television. He is a graduate of the State University of New York at Plattsburgh, and participated in the Executive Development Program at the William E. Simon Graduate School of Business Administration at the University of Rochester.
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Contact:
Mary Barrineau
Public Information Coordinator
WILL AM-FM-TV
217-333-1070