PBS Wisconsin and WPR publish first joint impact report

PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio have released their first combined Annual Impact Report, showing statewide reach, local journalism, education programming and record member support in fiscal year 2025. The report also lands as federal funding ends in fiscal 2026, putting more pressure on community support.

Why it matters: - PBS Wisconsin and WPR say the joint report shows how public media now reaches Wisconsinites across radio, TV, digital platforms and live events. - The report highlights the services’ role in trusted journalism, education, local storytelling and cultural programming across the state. - Record membership support in fiscal year 2025 becomes more important as federal funding through the Corporation for Public Broadcasting ends in fiscal year 2026.

What happened: - PBS Wisconsin and Wisconsin Public Radio released their first combined Annual Impact Report on July 7, 2026. - The report covers fiscal year 2025 and is titled Keeping Public Media Strong Together in Wisconsin. - Wisconsin Public Media Executive Director Jordan Siegler said the combined report reflects how people experience the services today.

The details: - PBS Wisconsin and WPR reach every part of Wisconsin through four PBS Wisconsin channels on six television stations, 39 WPR radio stations, eight regional bureaus and digital platforms. - The report cites expanded rural reporting in counties facing growing news deserts. - Joint coverage included in-depth reporting on the 2025 spring elections. - The Wisconsin Life series entered its 12th season and has more than 150 stories about Wisconsin people, places and communities. - WPR also led the Upper Midwest Newsroom regional collaboration. - PBS Wisconsin Education resources generated more than 919,000 online engagements. - Education content added new chapters to Wisconsin Biographies and The Look Back. - The America@250 initiative drew more than 325 attendees to its kickoff event and seeded 25 Community Conversation mini-grants statewide. - Journalists and producers earned 45 industry awards in 2025. - PBS Wisconsin and WPR combined to serve more than 583,000 weekly television viewers, 347,000 weekly radio listeners and 235,000 weekly users at wpr.org. - WPR.org is one of public media’s top 10 websites. - The services aired more than 3,300 local newscasts. - They published more than 3,600 news articles. - They delivered more than 4,000 hours of locally produced news and talk programming. - They hosted more than 200 community events in 65 Wisconsin communities. - Those events drew more than 44,000 attendees. - PBS Wisconsin Education supported nearly 5,000 educators with free, classroom-ready resources. - Audiences gave PBS Wisconsin-produced programs a 94% overall quality rating. - In surveys, 93% of viewers said they trust the news coverage on Here & Now. - PBS Wisconsin and WPR had nearly 130,000 members in fiscal year 2025, an all-time high. - The services are also supported by community partners, foundations and state funding. - The full report is available at PBS Wisconsin's annual report and WPR's annual report.

Between the lines: - The combined report signals that Wisconsin public media is treating cross-platform service as a single audience experience, not separate radio and TV operations. - The record member total suggests the audience is being asked to play a larger role in sustaining local public media as federal support disappears. - The strong trust and quality ratings give the services a clear selling point as they compete for attention in a fragmented media market.

What's next: - PBS Wisconsin and WPR will rely more heavily on community support, foundations and state backing in fiscal year 2026 and beyond. - The America@250 initiative and local conversation grants suggest more statewide public engagement programming ahead. - Expanded reporting, education resources and live events are likely to remain central to the services’ shared strategy.