WCNY is a community asset. The community owns it and the people at WCNY want the facility to be utilized. It belongs in a neighborhood with foot traffic, providing services and features that a neighborhood of residents and employees of local businesses can enjoy. The Near Westside offers such an opportunity to WCNY. The neighborhood is rich in history, conveniently located downtown, and is on the move to a great new future. WCNY plans to be a big part of this rejuvenation.

The Near Westside Initiative and Syracuse University’s economic research staff estimate the economic impact of WCNY’s Broadcast and Education Center and other Near Westside projects at over $100 million. This includes $48 million in investment for workspace for artists who’ll be recruited to Syracuse; $18.7 million in green technology investments from Syracuse’s Center of Excellence and its partner companies that will locate and conduct research and development projects, and create jobs in the neighborhood; $20 million by WCNY and its supporters; and a $20 million increase in tourism and neighborhood use over two years as a result of WCNY’s destination-oriented activities.

The Ed Center will offer programs for learners of all ages. It will also feature the innovative Enterprise America, aimed at middle-school and high-school students but will also be used in partnership with organizations like ProLiteracy and their adult learners.

No. The NYS master control is a server system that only provides storage and broadcast output along a fiber-optic system. Each station will continue to produce its own local content, which will be produced, digitized, and stored for broadcast on any station within the system, whether it’s the station that originated the program or a combination of all the partners.

Yes! WCNY plans to build on its long history of establishing partnership in order to better serve our constituents. At our new facility, our broadcast studios will be built with flexibility so they may serve as a community meeting and performance space for artists in the neighborhood and other organizations. We are also developing many programs with our future neighbor, ProLiteracy, including online and broadcast media that will offer a new dimension to ProLiteracy’s adult literacy materials We are also partnering with the Onondaga Public Library, offering 24 hour access to space in our café entrance that will house a book borrowing kiosk.

The cost to complete the structure is $20 million. The home page for the campaign show illustrates much we have raised to date.

Of the funds raised to date, $7 million comes from New York State Economic Development, which represents approximately one third of the total project cost. New York State has made an investment in WCNY’s facility because the economic benefits to the local economy are significant. The remaining funds have been and will be obtained from private sources. Every public dollar for this project is leveraging an additional $2 from the private sector. This is the type of investment that New York State Economic Development seeks for our communities.

WCNY’s trend setting has already begun! In 2007, we became the first – and only – PBS station to eliminate pledge breaks on television, resulting in an extra 330 hours of programming each year. We also developed the Interconnect, providing area PBS stations with a more affordable way to share local programs and deliver them at no cost. We have reduced our dependence on public funding from 57% to 29%, and proceed at a nimble pace to deliver more local programs and services. At WCNY, we believe that it is our responsibility to innovate and take bold steps forward to ensure that this community asset continues to appreciate in value.

You can send your tax deductible gift to the Campaign for WCNY, c/o Rosie Taravella Vice President of Corporate Advancement, 506 Old Liverpool road, Liverpool, NY 13088. Checks should be payable to “WCNY.” Or make an online donation. Thank you!