A Note from President and CEO Michael Isip: Dear John,
2024 marked the 70th anniversary of KQED’s first television broadcast. The station’s founders, journalists Jim Day and Jonathan Rice, were trailblazers. They set out to prove that public media could be a force for the common good in a time similar to the one we live in now — one of significant change and upheaval politically, socially, economically and culturally.
KQED’s 2024 Local Content and Service Report to the Community is our letter of accountability and inspiration to the people who make up our incredible community. We’re proud to highlight stories that show the heart, nuance and impact of what we can achieve when we come together — in the Bay Area and beyond. This report shows how we are continually innovating the ways we deliver news, information and programming while staying true to our founders’ original vision of putting media into action for the public good.
Looking toward this year and beyond, we feel the headwinds of massive technology changes, shifting audience habits, efforts to delegitimize media and a politically polarized climate. The path forward is a challenging one, but the trust, faith, belief and support from you — our community and members — will form the tailwinds as we move forward.
In 2024 we produced hundreds of hours of stories, both with and for you: - We revolutionized election coverage with multiplatform resources, and a voter guide that included information on every election in the nine-county Bay Area.
- We uplifted the local restaurant industry with programs such as Beyond the Menu, a new digital food series that celebrates the Bay Area’s rich culinary heritage by uncovering the origins of popular dishes.
- We produced an award-winning podcast, On Our Watch, exposing corruption and demanding transparency inside California’s most violent prison.
- We elevated youth voices by partnering with PBS LearningMedia and the National Writing Project around the 2024 election.
Michael J. Isip
President & Chief Executive Officer
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