WQED Forward
We aspire to enrich communities through education and storytelling. You’ve told us you want a vocal champion of the people, organizations and regional assets that make us proud to live and work in southwestern Pennsylvania.
WQED’s mission is to champion the communities we serve by telling stories & creating experiences that educate, entertain & inspire our neighbors.
We willreimagine the content and services WQED offers people in Pittsburgh and across Southwestern Pennsylvania.We will strive to become more relevant—even essential—to more people across the many communities we serve.
WQED-TV began broadcasting in 1954, becoming America’s first community-sponsored television station – a forerunner to the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Seventy years later,we’re called to build on the legacy of our founders’ pioneering educational experiment and redefine how public media serves our communities.
WQED will become known as more than a broadcaster.
Expect to see WQED “show up” in ways that don’t look like a traditional broadcaster. We’re fortunate to have the ability to ADD new initiatives—such as community events, digital series, teen filmmaking classes, screenings in retirement homes, and much more—while continuing to provide the high-quality television and radio programs you count on.
WQED Education is already serving as community connector, bringing together public schools, libraries and community organizations to provide a true learning ecosystem that supports educators, students, and families.
“As we experiment with new content, services and funding models,WQED will stay true to our roots and play to our strengths.Platforms and story formats will change, but we remain committed to creating compelling content and experiences that drive engagement, elevate public discourse, and stimulate big ideas. We can’t do it alone.We’re eager to tell these stories with you!”
— Jason Jedlinski, President & CEO
We’ve identified four strategic priorities:
We will:
- Ensure that all audiences see themselves reflected in our content
- Improve the diversity of WQED’s staff, boards, programs, hosts, etc.
- Amplify efforts helping marginalized people
- Focus on serving communities struggling with economic mobility
We will:
- Expand partnerships and engagement with local educational, cultural and health-focused organizations
- Ensure our programs support key community needs, without duplicating efforts
- Proactively connect with Pittsburgh expats and boomerangs, suburban families, and other growth cohorts
- Identify ways to work with social influencers and other digital audience drivers
We will:
- Reorient our teams to move faster and focus on community outcomes
- Experiment with new ways WQED can “show up” beyond one-way broadcasts
- Test new funding models while growing corporate/foundation support
- Recruit diverse hosts/personalities as part of successful planning
We will:
- Develop new funding streams to focus on expanding original local programming, offerings and services that enrich our connection with the community and create meaningful experiences for our members.
- Change our mindset from creating contentfor audiences to creatingwith our communities
As Fred Rogers said, celebrating WQED’s 25th anniversary in 1979,
“Public television has a responsibility to reveal how we are different and what we have in common: to celebrate our diversity and our cooperation. It must continue to try to clarify the world not only by showing us what is, but also by creating a context for understanding.”