News about Illinois Public Media, and WILL-TV, Radio, and Online. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/themes/site_themes/images/IPM_i.png http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/rss/ http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/illinois-public-media-gm-leaving-for-post-at-net Mark Leonard, Illinois Public Media’s general manager, will be leaving the organization by August 1, 2013, to become the general manager and CEO for Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), a statewide network of Nebraska’s PBS and NPR stations.  Leonard’s move to NET’s headquarters in Lincoln marks his first position at the helm of a statewide organization. NET has a satellite studio in Omaha. “It is with mixed feelings that I leave Illinois Public Media, but the opportunity to lead NET offers exciting next steps for me,” Leonard said. “I take this position knowing that Illinois Public Media is well positioned to continue its success, including future opportunities to partner with the College of Media and with other units on campus as part of Chancellor Wise’s Visioning Excellence initiatives. In addition, I believe there are exciting possibilities for building deeper partnerships with WILL’s peer public radio and television stations throughout Illinois.” Leonard arrived at Illinois Public Media in June 2007 from KCTS in Seattle. Prior to that, he held senior management positions in Seattle and Yakima, Wash., and at WXXI in Rochester, N.Y., where he was vice president for television. Earlier this year, he received the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) 2013 National Advocacy Award for his exceptional efforts in furthering public television’s legislative goals. Leonard currently serves as president of the Illinois Public Broadcast Council, the association of all public television and radio stations in Illinois, as well as serving on the executive committee of the national University Licensees’ Association as well as a board member of the Public Media Business Association. “With his unique vision, Mark has recreated public broadcasting while at Illinois Public Media, keeping it innovative as well as relevant,” College of Media interim dean Jan Slater said. “He is well respected among his colleagues across the country, so I am not surprised that he was sought out for the position at NET. It has been a great pleasure for me as both a department head and as interim dean to work with him, and I appreciate that he has always acted in the best interests of the College and the University.” Slater said that discussions are already underway to determine the next steps in finding a new leader for IPM. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/illinois-public-media-gm-leaving-for-post-at-net Fri, 03 May 2013 14:28:41 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-am-to-air-here-now-with-c-u-native-hobson On July 1, WILL-AM 580 will begin airing a midday news program, Here & Now, co-hosted by Champaign-Urbana native Jeremy Hobson, as it becomes NPR’s replacement for Talk of the Nation, which is ending production. Hobson, who grew up in Urbana and worked at WILL-AM early in his career, is currently host of Marketplace Morning Report, heard on many NPR stations, including WILL-AM. Here & Now, produced at Boston-based public radio station WBUR, will expand to two hours and add Hobson as a co-host as NPR redirects resources to support news coverage, rather than call-in talk programming, through the middle of the day. Airing on WILL-AM from 12 to 2 p.m. Monday-Thursday and 12 to 1 p.m. on Friday, the program will offer numerous opportunities for WILL to add segments of locally produced news and feature content to be incorporated in the mix of stories, said Kimberlie Kranich, director of community content and engagement at Illinois Public Media. WILL-AM’s The Afternoon Magazine will be absorbed into the new program. The type of local content previously included in that show, including agricultural and local news updates, will air in segments of Here & Now, she said. Hobson will be a guest on WILL-AM’s Focus at 10 a.m. Wednesday, April 24, to talk about his new role, in which he’ll be working with longtime Here & Now host Robin Young. Hobson will also be working with his former WILL-AM colleague Alex Ashlock, who is the producer of Here & Now. Hobson was an intern at NPR’s All Things Considered when he was 17, and since then has gained deep experience as a public radio producer, reporter and host. Here & Now has been produced by WBUR since 1997, and became a national program in 2001. The show airs on more than 180 stations, including eight top-25 market news stations. The expanded edition of the program, produced in collaboration with NPR, will have a dedicated producer at NPR headquarters to help get NPR bloggers, reporters, and editors onto the program. WILL-AM will continue to air Focus from 10-11 a.m., Fresh Air from 11 am-noon, and the Closing Market Report at 2 p.m. Science Friday with Ira Flatow will continue to air at 1 p.m. on Fridays. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-am-to-air-here-now-with-c-u-native-hobson Fri, 19 Apr 2013 16:56:27 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/wills-molly-delaney-honored-as-woman-of-distinction Illinois Public Media's educational outreach director, Molly Delaney, will be honored by the Girl Scouts of Central Illinois (GSCI), along with four other women, as "Women of Distinction." Molly will be recognized in the STEM education category.  The awards will be presented at an annual celebration April 11 at the Hilton Garden Inn in Champaign. The event recognizes community women for their outstanding commitment to their profession, to the community and to inspire and mentor young girls. “We teach girls every day that they have what it takes to become leaders in any field they choose,” GSCI CEO Pam Kovacevich said. “The women we are honoring with these awards are not only successful in their fields, they are role models to girls and provide inspiration and motivation that has a tremendous impact on young women in their communities. These awards are just a small way of thanking them for their efforts.” Nominees came from Champaign, Vermillion, Ford and Iroquois Counties. Molly has concentrated much of her work at Illinois Public Media in STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Mathmatics) education. She created a hands-on STEM education program for preschoolers and was instrumental in launching new PBS digital media tools for PreK-12 educators. She worked with colleagues at Parkland College’s William M. Staerkel Planetarium on a project that was awarded a $90,000 Grow Up Great grant from PNC Foundation. The grant has helped to serve hundreds of children in Champaign County with a highly impactful STEM initiative. The Girl Scouts noted that Molly has been leader in the field of education for more than 25 years. She began and completed her master’s degree while working full-time and raising three children. Other 2013 Women of Distinction Honorees include: Business or Professional: Laura Weis (Savoy), president and CEO of the Champaign County Chamber of Commerce; Public Service: Dr. Annette Lansford (Champaign), a pediatrician and founder of the Carle Child Disability Clinic; Education: Cynthia Feeney (Champaign), a kindergarten teacher at St. Matthew School in Champaign; Creative Arts and Entertainment: Christina McClelland (Urbana), an interdisciplinary artist and public arts coordinator for the City of Urbana. Ranija Turner (Champaign), a junior at Central High School, will be honored as a Young Woman of Distinction Tickets for the event will be $50 or $25 for children under 12. For more information, contact Samantha Greenburg at 309-336-0221. Proceeds from the event help fund leadership development programs for girls. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/wills-molly-delaney-honored-as-woman-of-distinction Thu, 21 Mar 2013 15:38:57 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-wins-4-ap-awards WILL reporters and contributors won four awards in the downstate radio division of the 2012 Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association Journalism Excellence Contest, including best sports report and best hard news feature. Students at Urbana's Urbana University High School won 2nd place in the Best Series or Documentary category for their WILL-AM reports on the counter-culture era in Champaign-Urbana. WILL awards include: BEST SPORTS REPORT:  “Labor Strife in Professional Sports,” a Focus program hosted by Craig Cohen with Michael LeRoy, professor, School of Labor and Employment Relations and College of Law, University of Illinois. Travis Stansel was the producer. BEST HARD NEWS FEATURE: “SCOTUS health care,”a story by Craig Cohen, Sean Powers, Jim Meadows about the impact in Illinois of the U.S. Supreme Court's health care ruling. BEST NEWSWRITER:  2nd Place: Sean Powers for a group of news stories on a variety of topics. BEST SERIES OR DOCUMENTARY:  2nd Place:  “Beyond the Tie-Dye: Counterculture in Champaign/Urbana 1965-1975.” WILL's Dave Dickey, producer; University High School teacher Janet Morford, producer; and student producers Aishwarya Gautam, Shruti Vaidya and Sarah Joy Yockey. Students interviewed 16 Champaign-Urbana residents about their experiences during the period. WILL has worked with University High students to produce radio documentaries since 1995. The awards will be presented Saturday, April 20, at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association spring convention in Urbana.   http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-wins-4-ap-awards Mon, 11 Mar 2013 15:06:28 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/ipms-mark-leonard-receives-advocacy-award Illinois Public Media General Manager Mark Leonard was recognized Feb. 25 for his exceptional efforts in furthering public television’s legislative goals, but he credited WILL listeners and viewers with most of the hard work. The Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) presented Leonard with the 2013 National Advocacy Award for his exceptional efforts in furthering public television’s legislative goals. The National Advocacy Award recognizes an individual who exemplifies effective advocacy on behalf of public television. “Mark Leonard is a tireless advocate for public broadcasting, and he was particularly committed in 2012 to mobilizing grassroots supporters through the 170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting campaign, as well as engaging grasstop level supporters through the APTS Leadership Council,” said Patrick Butler, president and CEO of APTS. “Mark has been an articulate, consistent and effective advocate for Illinois Public Media and the entire public broadcasting system.” Leonard said it wasn't hard advocating for a service that he believes in in so deeply. “We worked very hard to get out the message regarding threats to public media funding, but the real work was done by the users of our service who came so strongly to our defense,” Leonard said. Under Leonard’s leadership, Illinois Public Media has been the recipient of numerous industry awards, including being named the outstanding development program among all PBS member stations for 2009. In a 32-year public broadcast career, Leonard has worked at six public broadcasting stations. He was chief operating office for KCTS Seattle, general manager for KYVE Yakima, and vice president for television at WXXI Rochester. He has served as producer and executive producer on many local, regional and national television productions, winning numerous industry awards including three EMMYs, a Cine Golden Eagle and five New York State Broadcasters’ awards. Leonard currently serves as the president of the Illinois Public Broadcast Council, the association of all public television and radio stations in Illinois, as well as serving as a board member of the national University Licensees’ Association. Butler concluded: “We are honored to give Mark the National Advocacy Award this year. He is richly deserving of this recognition for his hard work and dedication to public broadcasting.” The National Advocacy Award was presented to Leonard during The APTS Public Media Summit on Monday, February 25. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/ipms-mark-leonard-receives-advocacy-award Mon, 25 Feb 2013 17:42:14 -0600 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/craig-cohen-leaving-will-for-houston Craig Cohen, Illinois Public Media’s director of news and public affairs, will be leaving the station Feb. 22 to take a job as host of a new talk show at Houston Public Media. Also the interim host of WILL-AM’s morning talk show Focus, Cohen said he could not pass up the “extraordinary” opportunity to host a talk show in the nation's fifth largest broadcast market. “I never imagined I would get such an opportunity,” Cohen said. “But I take the job knowing that Illinois Public Media’s news and public affairs department is in excellent shape. In the last year, we transitioned our coverage from one dominated by spot news to more in-depth, investigative coverage. We developed tag team reporting efforts to cover big breaking stories, we revamped our election coverage, and we refreshed Focus.” Host of Morning Edition on WILL-AM from 1995-2002, Cohen returned to WILL as news and public affairs director in March 2012. When longtime Focus host David Inge retired June 30, Cohen stepped in to host the talk program until the budget allowed the hiring of another host. Illinois Public Media senior news reporter Jim Meadows will become interim Focus host after Cohen leaves. He’ll work with Lindsey Moon, who recently joined the staff as Focus producer. “Lindsey and Jim will make a terrific team,” Cohen said.  “Lindsey has already raised our game producing recent shows, and Jim has demonstrated a commitment to thoughtful exploration of issues throughout his career.” Cohen said he has “every confidence that news and public affairs efforts at Illinois Public Media will continue to provide a strong, vibrant public service for the two-state region.” Illinois Public Media General Manager Mark Leonard said he was very sorry to see Cohen leave, but delighted he will remain in the public media family.  “Houston is a tremendous radio market, and Houston Public Media has made a significant investment to expand their local news and information programming on a newly acquired second FM station,” Leonard said. “I’m sure that Craig will be a key component for helping to build and grow that service. We will always think of Craig as part of the Illinois Public Media family.” http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/craig-cohen-leaving-will-for-houston Mon, 04 Feb 2013 17:28:14 -0600 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/new-radio-host-and-focus-producer-join-will-am-staff Illinois Public Media welcomed two new staffers in January: Chris Berube, on-air host for Morning Edition and The Afternoon Magazine, and Lindsey Moon, producer for the morning talk show, Focus. Berube, who has worked most recently for the NPR show Radiolab and the American Public Media program Marketplace, is a May 2012 graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism. The Toronto native has also produced radio content for Public Radio International’s Bullseye and Canadian Broadcasting Corporation’s The Current, written stories for The Globe and Mail in Toronto, and been a guest host on CBC Radio 3. “I’m very excited to join the team at WILL. It’s an ambitious station that is doing a lot of great work for the community and the region,” Berube said.  “With the afternoon show, I feel like there’s a great opportunity to explore complicated topics in an intelligent and thorough way.” Moon has worked as a talk show producer and reporter at Iowa Public Radio, where she won first-place awards for both general and investigative reporting from the Northwest Broadcast News Association and Public Radio News Directors Incorporated, and most recently as a general assignment reporter at Wisconsin Public Radio. Her work has been featured by NPR’s Talk of the Nation, The Iowa Center for Public Affairs Journalism and The Daily Iowan. “I am looking forward to building on Focus’ legacy while working to keep the show relevant in an era that is largely defined by new media,” she said. “I am also really excited to dig into the culture and community that WILL serves. I hope to try and capture that in Focus programs that I produce. I really would like to work closely with IPM’s community engagement team to try and produce some remote broadcasts in the Champaign-Urbana community.” Kimberlie Kranich, Illinois Public Media director of community content and engagement, said Berube and Moon are rising stars in the fields of journalism, multi-media production and community engagement. “We are looking forward to their skill, passion and enthusiasm as they join an award-winning team that seeks to create impact journalism in the communities served by WILL,” she said. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/new-radio-host-and-focus-producer-join-will-am-staff Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:20:05 -0600 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/danda-beard-named-development-director Danda Beard, who has worked in development at WILL for the past 23 years, has been named as the new director of development at Illinois Public Media. Beard joined the staff as corporate support director, became director of the major gifts program in 2000 and has been interim development director since June 2012. Beard said she has a good feeling about the future of the WILL stations because she has gotten to know so many Friends of WILL, members of the organization, who have been donating every year since she began working at the stations 23 years ago. “We know they’re with us,” she said. “They continue to feel the stations are part of their lives and they continue to support us.” Beard said the stations have a great start on raising funds this fiscal year. “It’s remarkable that the Friends of WILL made contributions that totaled more than $1 million by Dec. 31,” she said. “It bodes well for the second half of the fiscal year. We have a goal of at least $2.1 million to help us pay for programming for next year.” http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/danda-beard-named-development-director Tue, 29 Jan 2013 15:09:49 -0600 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/steinbacher-becomes-membership-director-at-illinois-public-media John Steinbacher has joined the staff of Illinois Public Media as membership director. Steinbacher came to Illinois Public Media from the Champaign-based International Society of Arboriculture, a professional organization with 21,000 members worldwide where he was the membership and component relations manager. His experience also includes positions as membership manager and policy specialist for Canadian Doctors for Medicare, and membership specialist for the Association of Credit and Collection Professionals International, a nonprofit trade association based in Minneapolis. He is also a producer/co-host for Smile Politely Radio, a weekly show on WEFT that focuses on local people and organizations and is an offshoot of the online cultural magazine, Smile Politely. Steinbacher said public media has kept him informed and helped shape his worldview since he began listening to WILL while an undergrad at the University of Illinois. Now that he’s back in Champaign-Urbana, his entire family has made WILL part of their daily lives with Sesame Street, Sid the Science Kid, Morning Edition, Focus, Frontline and other programs. “With such a strong and dedicated membership base, I believe that WILL is well-positioned to continue to provide quality programming to east central Illinois,” he said. “I look forward to doing my part to help WILL grow with the community and remain an essential local resource for generations to come.” Danda Beard, Illinois Public Media’s interim development director, said Steinbacher’s experience serving the members of the International Society of Aboriculture will easily transfer to members of the Friends of WILL. “He is dedicated to central Illinois and to public media,” she said. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/steinbacher-becomes-membership-director-at-illinois-public-media Mon, 05 Nov 2012 16:02:17 -0600 will staff WILL http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-hosts-13th-congressional-district-debate Republican Rodney Davis of Taylorville, Democrat David Gill of Bloomington, and Independent John Hartman of Edwardsville, candidates for Congress in the new 13th District, will meet in the WILL-TV studio for a debate hosted by Illinois Public Media in collaboration with the League of Women Voters of Illinois and WCIA-TV 3/WCIX-TV 49. WILL-TV, WILL-AM 580 and WCIX-TV will broadcast the hour-long debate live, with live video streaming on will.illinois.edu. Illinois Public Media’s Jim Meadows will moderate the debate before a live studio audience, with additional questions  from Dave Benton, WCIA-TV 3 news anchor; Tom Kacich, Champaign New-Gazette columnist; Robert Lowe, University of Illinois broadcast journalism student; and Amanda Vinicky, Statehouse Bureau chief, Illinois Public Radio/WUIS-FM. The 13th Congressional District stretches from Champaign-Urbana west to the Mississippi River and to the Illinois suburbs of St. Louis. Also broadcasting the debate live will be TV stations WSEC-TV, WEIU-TV and Nine Network World Channel (St. Louis). Other radio stations carrying the debate live are WUIS-FM (Springfield), and WGLT-FM News & Ideas Channel (Bloomington-Normal). WCIA-TV will air the debate at 10:30 p.m. Saturday, Nov. 3. WILL-TV will re-air the debate at 9 p.m. Monday, Nov. 5. All three candidates appeared on WILL-AM’s Focus before the election. Archived interviews can be heard here: Gill interview, Davis interview, Hartman interview. Audio clips of the candidates talking about specific issues in the election are available on Illinois Public Media's election website. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-hosts-13th-congressional-district-debate Thu, 25 Oct 2012 16:13:49 -0500 election 2012, 13th illinois congressional district, debate WILL http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-hunger-programs-win-awards Illinois Public Media’s programming about community hunger has won two Silver Awards of Distinction in the international 2012 Communicator Awards. It also was named a Bronze Winner in the 2012 Telly Awards. A day of programming about hunger on WILL-TV, WILL-AM and the Web in November won the in the Communicator Awards “Integrated Campaign-Social Responsibility” category. Illinois Public Media’s Celeste Quinn, David Inge, Harriet Williamson, Sean Powers, Henry Radcliffe, Tracy Cain, Crystal Kang, Mary Barrineau, Rita Schulte, Mike Thomas, Kimberlie Kranich, Jack Brighton and Dan Davis worked on the hunger project. Illinois Public Media’s video about the Wesley Evening Food Pantry in Urbana won in the “Program/News-Social Responsibility” category. Kimberlie Kranich produced the video as part of the hunger project, and Henry Radcliffe was the videographer and editor. In the Telly Awards, Illinois Public Media’s video story about the Central Illinois Foodbank’s mobile food pantry won in the “TV Programs, Segments-Social Responsibility” category. Kimberlie was producer and Henry the videographer/editor for the video. The Communicator Awards is the leading international awards program in communications and marketing, recognizing the best in print, Web, video and mobile.  More than 6,000 entries were judged by the International Academy of Visual Arts. The Telly Awards honor outstanding local, regional, and cable TV commercials and programs, the finest video and film productions, and online commercials, video and films. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-hunger-programs-win-awards Thu, 10 May 2012 13:40:35 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-wins-6-ap-awards WILL's reporters and contributors won six awards in the downstate radio division of the 2011 Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association Journalism Excellence Contest, including best investigative series, best documentary series and best sports story. WILL awards include: BEST INVESTIGATIVE SERIES: WILL-AM, Champaign, "Cherry Orchard Landlords to Stand Trial for Code Violations," Sean Powers, Pam G. Dempsey of CU-CitizenAccess. BEST SPORTS: WILL-AM, Champaign, "Racing Tradition Kept Alive in Farmer City," Sean Powers. BEST SPOT NEWS: 2nd Place: WILL-AM, Champaign, "Video of Champaign Arrest Leaked Online," Sean Powers. BEST SERIES/DOCUMENTARY: WILL-AM, Champaign, "Life on Route 150," Jeff Bossert, Sean Powers, Tom Rogers, Dave Dickey, Jim Meadows. BEST LIGHT FEATURE: 2nd Place: WILL-AM, Champaign, "DIY Smokerpalooza," Lisa Bralts, Dave Dickey. BEST HARD NEWS FEATURE: 2nd Place: WILL-AM, Champaign, "Audio Recording in Public Places Can Be Serious Crime in Illinois," Sean Powers. The awards will be presented on Saturday, April 28, at the Illinois News Broadcasters Association convention in Macomb, Ill. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/will-wins-6-ap-awards Wed, 02 May 2012 13:54:46 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/wills-talk-show-staff-members-to-retire David Inge, longtime host of WILL-AM’s morning talk show Focus, has announced his plans to retire from the University of Illinois and WILL Radio before July 1, as have the station’s Afternoon Magazine host Celeste Quinn and Focus producer Harriet Williamson. The loss of three key public affairs staff members in a short time period, partly because of upcoming changes to the U of I retirement system, will be a challenge, said Illinois Public Media general manager Mark Leonard. However, WILL remains committed to interactive local talk radio programming as a way to engage listeners around issues and ideas, he said. “David’s insatiable curiosity, patience and grace will be impossible to replace,” Leonard said.  “His daily program is a safe haven for complex ideas and discussion, moderated with the deft touch that is David’s signature. “We are planning to carry on the strong tradition that he, Celeste and Harriet have established over the last 30 years,” Leonard said. “We’ll be hiring people for several positions to help us do that.” Inge, who will retire June 30, estimates he has conducted more than 12,000 Focus interviews in his 29 ½ years as the program’s host. He started working at WILL Radio as a classical music announcer, then became a reporter, and became one of the rotating hosts when Focus first went on the air. He also hosted WILL-TV’s public affairs program Talking Point from 1992 until it ended in 2001, and numerous WILL-TV specials, including recent programs on community hunger and housing. Inge said that after 35 years in radio, he’s ready to explore using his skills in other ways. “I’ve had this great opportunity to do a program and make it mine,” he said. “I hope I’ve made a contribution to life in the community. I’d like to find other ways to contribute.” Quinn, who is married to Inge, began working at WILL in 1980. She was a prize-winning reporter covering police, courts and the city councils before hosting The Afternoon Magazine beginning in 1993. She also hosts Focus when regular guests on dog training, computers and nutrition appear, and for the past year, has been editor of WILLConnect, Illinois Public Media’s community engagement website. She will retire April 30. “Celeste’s passion about individuals, their lives and their experiences has translated into great stories and interviews on The Afternoon Magazine and our listeners will miss her, as will we,” said Kimberlie Kranich, director of community content and engagement for Illinois Public Media. Quinn said WILL will always be part of her life, but from now on she’ll be a member of the radio, TV, online audience.  “WILL is like a home to me―my co-workers are like family,” she said. “It was here that I met the love of my life, David Inge.” The couple will celebrate 24 years of marriage this year. After starting as a volunteer, Williamson joined the staff of WILL in 1996 after careers as a medical librarian and nurse. She researches and develops topics, and schedules guests for the program. “She’s been an integral part of the Focus program,” said Inge. “People don’t realize how important the producer is for shaping the show.” With 40 slots a month to fill, it is a big job, he said. Williamson has increased the number of high-profile writers on the show and has strengthened contacts on the University of Illinois campus, said Inge, who has worked with seven different producers during the time he has been Focus host. Williamson said she’s been a huge radio fan since she was a kid staying up late to listen to music and talk programs. “The opportunity to work at WILL was spectacular for someone who has been passionate about radio all her life,” Williamson said. “Working with David Inge and Celeste Quinn has been a joy.” Quinn said the decision to retire was difficult for all three of them. “Especially in this time of transition for the talk programming, we hope people will continue to enthusiastically support Illinois Public Media,” she said. http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/wills-talk-show-staff-members-to-retire Mon, 02 Apr 2012 14:03:04 -0500 -- http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/ill.-public-broadcasting-stations-launch-service-for-educators Public television and public radio stations in Illinois have entered into an unprecedented partnership to create and launch Illinois PBS LearningMedia, a free, on-demand media resource designed to help PreK-12 educators integrate technology to teach core subjects in the classroom. “We are excited to help introduce 21st century tools to classrooms statewide,” said Mark Leonard, president of the Illinois Public Broadcasting Council (IPBC) and general manager of Illinois Public Media-WILL in Urbana. “In conjunction with PBS LearningMedia, teachers around the state can now access the rich libraries of public television and radio content, and integrate these resources into their lesson plans at no cost to the local schools. Our school-aged children deserve access to the most trustworthy, engaging, educational resources available, which is at the heart of what public broadcasters do.” Illinois PBS LearningMedia allows educators in Illinois access to 22,000 local and national, classroom-ready digital resources from PBS and other public media stations. Resources are aligned with state and national Common Core education standards. These resources include videos, interactive images, audio files, mobile apps, and lesson plans, which teachers can access and sort by grade level and topic to build their own personal libraries. “Public media has been delivering educational content for years, so it's a natural fit to create this resource benefiting both teachers and students,” said Greg Petrowich, chair of IPBC's Education Committee and executive director of WSIU Public Broadcasting in Carbondale. “Giving teachers direct access to the highest quality content public broadcasting has to offer is certain to spark even greater innovation in our education system.” Last fall, Illinois public media stations commissioned a pilot study of the service with 74 teachers representing 43 public and private schools across the state. The study, created by Dr. Evangeline S. Pianfetti of the University of Illinois College of Education and other researchers, confirmed that digital resources help local teachers strengthen connections with students. Results of the pilot study are available online. “We are very pleased to hear teachers finding the value that PBS LearningMedia is providing Illinois students and educators, and talking about it!” said Rob Lippincott, PBS Senior Vice President, PBS Education. “As America's largest classroom, PBS, in partnership with all Illinois member stations, is committed to offering innovative digital tools and resources for every teacher in Illinois and in classrooms nationwide.” According to the pilot study, participating teachers unanimously recommend Illinois PBS LearningMedia for its ease of use, variety and diversity of resources, high-quality content, connection to curriculum, ability to engage students, and free access. “It's awesome to have thousands of video clips at my fingertips at any given time,” said Michael Carton, who teaches first and second grade at the Center for Math and Science in Rock Island. Marybeth McCormick, a second grade teacher at Sparta Primary Center in Sparta, Ill., agrees. “I enjoy being able to find many resources in one place, especially resources that are educationally based,” she said. Heather Beck, a vocal music instructor at Our Lady of Grace Academy in East Moline, found the service easy to use and well-organized. “I was able to navigate (the site) easily and locate all the resources I wanted to use with minimal difficulty.” KiLee Lidwell-McFerren, who teaches high school art at Gibson City High School in Gibson City, appreciates the variety of resources available to educators. “I liked that the new assets were added as the weeks went by. Knowing that there might be new ones added made me look more frequently, and I will continue to use it to look for new supports/ideas.” New content continues to be added to the online service, which includes resources from PBS, public media stations around the state and country, the National Archives, the Library of Congress, National Geographic, NASA, the National Science Foundation, NPR, and the U.S. Department of Education.   http://will.illinois.edu/pressroom/story/ill.-public-broadcasting-stations-launch-service-for-educators Mon, 05 Mar 2012 14:06:36 -0600 --