Phoenix, Ariz. (December 6, 2021) – Arizona PBS is among 75 public media stations selected to participate in the Digital Transformation Program, a virtual program developed by the Poynter Institute to educate, assist, and coach public media senior leaders and their staff on the best strategies and tactics to transform their organization’s digital operations and culture. The training is funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB).
“Arizona PBS is honored to participate in this innovative program that will advance our digital initiatives,” said Arizona PBS General Manager Adrienne Fairwell. “This partnership with the Poynter Institute and Corporation for Public Broadcasting will allow Arizona PBS to engage our audience further and improve our connection with the community.”
The program will provide Fairwell and Arizona PBS staff members with strategic training to accelerate digital transformation efforts.
“CPB’s commitment to advancing innovation and diversity continues to be reflected through our strategic investments helping system leaders advance a digital-first, audience-centric approach,” said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO. “The program will provide coaching and resources to help stations become more agile and leverage digital content, platforms, and data to grow and engage new and existing public media audiences.”
“Arizona PBS is committed to growth, expanding our presence across the state and reaching a wider audience, and the Digital Transformation Program allows us to accomplish all of these goals,” said Battinto L. Batts Jr., dean of the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication at Arizona State University, which houses Arizona PBS.
“The selected participants are some of the nation’s most trusted sources citizens turn to for local news and information,” said Poynter President Neil Brown. “Our partnership with CPB will help public media outlets build digital-first strategies that inspire an even greater — and more sustainable — connection to grow with their communities.”
Acceptance to the Digital Media Program aligns with the Arizona PBS 2021-2024 Strategic Plan, which encourages innovation to stay ahead of technological advancements.
The stations selected, from Alaska to Florida, Southern California to Maine, include 40 public radio stations, 16 public television stations and 19 joint licensees. They will join the five National Multicultural Alliance Organizations – Black Public Media, the Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting, Pacific Islanders in Communications, and Vision Maker Media – to form four cohorts of 20 public media leaders, who will participate in the nine-month program. The first cohort will begin training in January.
About Arizona PBS
Arizona PBS is one of the nation’s leading public media organizations, with four broadcast channels and a growing array of digital platforms. A trusted community resource for nearly 60 years, our station fosters lifelong learning through quality programming, in-depth news coverage and critical educational outreach services. Arizona PBS reaches 80 percent of homes in Arizona, delivering news, science, arts and children’s programming to 1.9 million households each week. Arizona PBS is a member-supported community service of Arizona State University, based at the Walter Cronkite School of Journalism and Mass Communication in the heart of downtown Phoenix. For more information, visit azpbs.org.
About CPB
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government’s investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,500 locally managed and operated public television and radio stations nationwide. CPB is also the largest single source of funding for research, technology and program development for public radio, television, and related online services. For more information, visit cpb.org, follow us on Twitter @CPBmedia, Facebook and LinkedIn and subscribe for email updates.
About The Poynter Institute
The Poynter Institute for Media Studies is a global leader in journalism education and a strategy center that stands for uncompromising excellence in journalism, media, and 21st-century public discourse. Poynter faculty teach seminars and workshops at the Institute in St. Petersburg, Florida, and at newsrooms, conferences, and organizations around the world. Its e-learning division, News University, offers the world’s largest online journalism curriculum, with hundreds of interactive courses and tens of thousands of registered international users. The Institute’s website produces 24-hour coverage about media, ethics, technology, and the business of news. Poynter is the home of the Craig Newmark Center for Ethics and Leadership, the Pulitzer Prize-winning PolitiFact, the International Fact-Checking Network and MediaWise, a digital information literacy project for young people, first-time voters, and senior citizens. The world’s top journalists and media innovators rely on Poynter to learn and teach new generations of reporters, storytellers, media inventors, designers, visual journalists, documentarians, and broadcasters. This work builds public awareness about journalism, media, the First Amendment, and discourse that serves democracy and the public good. Learn more at poynter.org.