David McGowan: WJCT part of new campaign celebrating impact of public media

David McGowan

April 30, 2023 at 5:01 AM·3 min read

1970: Filming in the WJCT studio of "Feedback," a live newsmagazine show covering local issues that allowed viewers to phone in questions to public officials.

Congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967 with overwhelming bipartisan support, accelerating the development of what we now call “public media.” On May 1-2, WJCT Public Media will join the inaugural celebration of “Public Media Giving Days” across the country — shining a light on the remarkable durability, vitality and value of our public media institutions, including here in Jacksonville.

Describing and defining public media can be tough, because it is so many things, serving so many people. First and foremost, public media is a set of organizations devoted to education, from the early audience breakthroughs of “Sesame Street” and “Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” to the lifelong learning spurred by Ken Burns’ documentaries and so many others. A tapestry of hundreds of independent local organizations producing, broadcasting and distributing television, radio and digital media — these organizations are united by a devotion to the public interest, but each serving their communities as they alone see fit.

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Public media is a catch-all for various national membership organizations like PBS and National Public Radio, which are among the most trusted brands in America. It is a lifeline of local news and information for communities increasingly abandoned by the corporate owners of local newspapers that served them for decades. Public media may also be the most successful and enduring public-private partnership ever created, with more than $6 of private contributions raised for every $1 of federal funding received — which today amounts to roughly $1.40 per American annually.

Public media thrives today because it enriches all who experience it and that’s a lot of people. An estimated 86% of Americans watch public television programming in any given year, and more than 60 million people experience public radio each week through broadcasting or on a digital platform. Our services are generally offered free of charge, supported by a community-sustained business model in which those who can afford to support programming and services help make them available for those who can’t.

It seems like a crazy idea, but it has worked for more than 50 years — and it still works today.

WJCT Public Media is located at 100 Festival Park Ave., near TIAA Bank Field. For most of its early existence, the station was previously headquartered in a former car dealership on Main Street.

At WJCT Public Media, we feel fortunate to be part of this national heritage and success as we also celebrate the uniqueness of our community through programs and projects that bring people together. Across our airwaves, digital platforms and events, we convene ideas and individuals; seek and discover common ground; learn and share new things; and connect the trends and events shaping our region to the greater world.

Heywood Dowling founded WJCT in 1958, well before the passage of the Public Broadcasting Act, so we are pioneers in our own right. We offer local, digital-first services like “Jacksonville Today,” compelling podcasts produced with local partners and comprehensive coverage of our regional music scene through the Jacksonville Music Experience. These innovative projects thrive alongside standard-bearers Jax PBS and WJCT News 89.9.

When you listen live, play a podcast, watch a program, attend an event or share an article, you are reinforcing the purpose that drives public media forward — a purpose that President Lyndon Johnson stated, as he signed the Public Broadcasting Act into law back more than 50 years ago: “to enrich man’s spirit.” We invite you to discover all that public media offers right here in Northeast Florida, and to share what public media means to you by visiting wjct.org/publicmediadays.

David McGowan, CEO and president, WJCT Public Media

This guest column is the opinion of the author and does not necessarily represent the views of the Times-Union. We welcome a diversity of opinions.

This article originally appeared on Florida Times-Union: Residents can show support this week for WJCT and public media

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