A Message From Trina Cutter, PBS 45 & 49's President & General Manager

Dear Educators,

I want to bring you up to date on PBS 45 & 49's current financial challenges and how we're planning to alleviate a potential budget shortfall.

Like that of many PBS stations across the country, PBS 45 & 49's funding has been impacted by difficult economic times and increased costs for doing business. We are responding to this current economic reality by restructuring our work force, economizing current services and realigning the stations' priorities in order to preserve our core responsibility: to provide high-quality programming and educational services to you, our members.

PBS 45 & 49 are facing a potential deficit for the current fiscal year, which ends on June 30, 2003. The deficit mostly reflects unanticipated increases in expenses as well as a decrease in expected revenue from federal and state sources. We also have substantial increases projected in private support -- a $100,000 increase in membership and a 29 percent increase in corporate and foundation support -- and, at this point, it does not seem likely that we will meet those projections.

To meet the budget challenge, we're launching what I call a "Five E" plan. We've immediately put into motion four of those five: employee reduction, employee reorganization, economized service and energized revenue. We don't expect to have to follow through on the fifth component, elimination of services.

Be assured that our Department of Educational Services will continue to bring you the technology training, multimedia curriculum projects and classroom support we've been delivering for almost 30 years. This edition of the TeckKnowledgy Newsletter reflects our commitment; you'll find information on a new project we're launching called TestQuest, the announcement of 20 workshops for the Winter/Spring 2003 semester, our annual participation in the Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest and more. And while we'll be reducing the number of pages in the newsletter beginning next month, you'll find enhanced information on PBS 45 & 49's prime time and children's programming for classroom use on our web site.

We take the stewardship of this highly valued institution and of your support very seriously. In our current economic environment, public television is more important than ever before and so is your support. PBS and You are Stronger Together.