Christina Kuzmych

There are so many picturesque routes that lead to Cheyenne!

Dear Listeners—

As the year draws to an end, we think of all of you who help make Wyoming Public Media a true state treasure.  Thanks for being loyal listeners! 

We wish you a wonderful Holiday Season, and all the best for 2013!  

Christina Kuzmych

General Manager, Wyoming Public Media

We continue our virtual tour of Wyoming in Laramie, home of the University of Wyoming, the Cowboys, the Snowy Range, and of course, the location of Wyoming Public Media.

Pete and Lynne Simpson help draw the winning entry for the iPad drawing.   Lana Perrotti from Casper was the happy winner.

There were 3,497 entries during the Fall Membership Drive.

Wyoming Public Media welcomed Bert DeVroey, from Belgian Public Radio VRT, who was traveling in the US to cover the presidential elections.  He dropped in to WPM to see first-hand how a state network operates and how it deals with funding issues and to visit with General Manager Christina Kuzmych.

Wyoming Public Media isn’t just about broadcasting!  We also like to educate kids about radio, production, announcing, and everything that goes into making public radio unique.   Recently the students from Albin Elementary School paid us a visit, and got some tips from one of the nation’s top news directors, Bob Beck.  They were in Laramie visiting the University of Wyoming, and Bob spoke to them about the importance of communications in life and about radio as a career.  The trip was organized by one of Bob’s former students and a national award winner, David Roberts, who teaches at Albin

View the article in the New York Times.

Dear WPM Members and Listeners--

Thank you for your dedication and support for Wyoming Public Media!  You often hear us say that YOU, the individual, are our most stable source of revenue.  I can't stress this point enough.  While state and federal funding reacts to the economy, your individual support remains true.  It supports our tower infrastructure, and keeps programs like Morning Edition, Open Spaces, and Car Talk on the air.

I first visited Rock Springs last summer and got a wonderful history of the city from out hosts, Mike and Lynne Chadey.  They touted the history of Rock Springs, and pointed out some of the landmarks that helped shape the area’s culture.  I was struck by the diversity found in Rock Springs, and enjoyed hearing about the abundance of ethnic influences.  My stay in Rock Springs included a visit to Western Wyoming Community College and a tour of the majestic facilities built for the enhancement of education for students in the area.    Granted, this was a short stay in Rock Springs, but it lef

Summertime in Jackson! Off to the nation’s ski capital and favorite wilderness destination, Teton County. Wyoming Public Media enjoyed co-hosting a planned giving workshop and taping a “lunch concert” in Jackson over spring break, where we met many wonderful people in your community. This summer, Wyoming Public Media will collaborate with The Grand Teton Music Festival, rebroadcasting the Weekend Orchestra Performances on Wyoming Public Radio and on the HD Classical Wyoming station. This month we welcome listeners in Jackson to send in ideas for our Jackson “Best of Wyoming” page.

I’m delighted to welcome Cody to the “Best of Wyoming” roster of cities.  We often imagine the history of Buffalo Bill when we think of Cody, and there certainly is a wonderful historical center commemorating his life located in the city.  But there’s so much more in Cody that waits to be explored, like the Yellowstone Jazz Festival and the Cody Country Art League.  “Best of Wyoming” is dedicated to just this kind of exploration that highlights the people and history of a city.  We hope that our focus on

“Best of Wyoming” welcomes Sheridan to our roster of cities.

This month, ‘Best of Wyoming’ looks at Gillette and the area up in northeast Wyoming.  All through April our curator, Diana Denison, will feature organizations and events that make Gillette one of the fastest-growing and exciting communities in Wyoming.  We also plan to visit Gillette for a meet-and-greet event in a local establishment – date and location still in the planning.  For me and for our WPM Director of Engineering, meeting our listeners and hearing their compliments, complaints, questions, and suggestions is a true highlight of working for public radio.  Sometimes, it’s just bein

September 24, 2012

In addition to activity in reconciling the House and Senate funding for 2015, public broadcasting (and all other agencies) are subject to sequestration.  Should these spending cuts be implemented January 2, WPM stands to lose 8.2% of its federal appropriation.   A full report on how the Administration plans to implement the sequestration can be found below. 

March 19 and 20, 2012 are Casper Days!  Groundbreaking for the Student Union and UW/CC Center takes place on Monday March 19, at 2:30, and I hope to be there to cheer the progress.

President Obama submitted his Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget to Congress.  He requested full funding – $445 million – for CPB’s FY 2015 advance.

CPB’s two-year advance appropriation, in place since 1976, serves as a “firewall” designed to protect public media’s independence.   CPB’s appropriation provides essential funding to local and national content and approximately 70 percent goes directly to stations across the country to support service to communities. 

It’s difficult to predict the future of federal funding for public broadcasting.  If the last few years are an indicator, the future will be very bumpy.  Congress is in deficit-cutting mode, and cutting or elimination of federal funding to public broadcasting makes for an easy and high-profiled target for politicians.

Any cut in Wyoming Public Media’s federal funding is a blow.  We currently receive a yearly $280,000 grant from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which comprises approximately 12% of our operating budget and provides funding for key positions and services.

General Manager Christina Kuzmych joined Wyoming Public Media in June, 2011, bringing 27 years of public broadcasting experience to Wyoming.

Kuzmych serves as President of PRIMA (Public Radio in Mid America), a position she has held since 2009.  She is an active leader and member of several  professional organizations including Western States Public Radio, and serves on committees dealing with public broadcasting legislative issues as well as initiatives in new technology.  

·         Wyoming Public Media held a successful fund drive, meeting and surpassing the goal.  The next drive is coming up in April.  We’re deeply grateful to all listeners who contribute during the fund drives making it possible for WPM to support the annual operating budget.

·         Several new revenue “points of opportunity” will be coming up, including a “Day of Dedication” on Valentine’s Day and possibly Memorial and Veterans’ Days.  These are one-day opportunities for listeners to purchase short dedications to air on Wyoming Public Radio.

Gary Knell on KPBS: On 1/11, Gary visited KPBS and was interviewed on Midday Edition. He also made a television appearance on KPBS’s Evening Edition (19 min in.).

Gary E. Knell, the longtime President and CEO of Sesame Workshop, will become President and CEO of NPR, Board of Directors Chairman Dave Edwards announced today.

“Gary is an extraordinary leader with extensive experience in public media, programming and education,” Edwards said.  “As CEO of Sesame Workshop for more than a decade, he has led a large, complex organization through a tumultuous media environment, helping it grow by providing innovative, engaging content in new and creative ways.”

Wyoming Public Media includes Wyoming Public Radio, Classical Wyoming, and Jazz Wyoming.  And now, it includes online content on our redesigned website Wyomingpublicmedia.org.  Here you can read news and arts stories, participate in discussions on Topic of the Week, make a gift of support, or read updates about the public broadcasting industry on General Manager Updates.