WCNY: Connected to you. Take a moment and connect with Bob Daino, President & CEO of WCNY.

“We want our programs and services to ensure that Central New York is increasingly unified, civically responsible, culturally aware, more informed, and better educated … and will continue to reach out with open arms to private corporations, governmental agencies,and other non-profits organizations to create strategic partnerships.”

Take a moment and connect with Bob Daino, President & CEO of WCNY. 

Daino has been the driving force behind some transformational changes at our station over the past two years.  A Board Member for several years, Daino became President & CEO in 2005. Although he still heads a multi-million dollar corporation, Promergent, an East Syracuse-based software company, Daino expertly divides his time “as if running multiple divisions of a corporation”.

Daino says he has learned a lot since taking the helm of the 40-year-young PBS-affiliate station. “One thing I know for certain is that we need to get better at educating the public about our core mission – education. We need to use technology to deliver our mission to the community in a much more effective and efficient manner.”  From the root of this observation sprung a lot of firsts, along with a concept of branding WCNY as WCNY: Connected. “It was an obvious choice because we are so connected to the community in so many ways,” says Daino. “You will be seeing a lot about ‘connecting’ on the air, online, and in print.”

WCNY is proud of our history in Central New York , and the vital part the station continues to play in nurturing the life of this community.  As the public voice for Central New York , the mission at WCNY is ‘connecting’ with and giving back to the community that supports us.

“We provide content-rich programming that inspires, educates, and entertains.  And, we play an essential role by encouraging a deep appreciation for diversity and our shared humanity,” says Daino. “We are continually working to find innovative ways to do that better.”

On the air, WCNY shines the spotlight on the people and issues that come right from our community. But, the connecting we do off-the-air is just as critical. At any time, you may find WCNY in print, broadcasting over the web from an office cubicle, in the classroom, tapping local talent, consulting with local expertise in academia and government, taking-in the lively cultural scene, sponsoring special events and supporting local celebrations.

“Our vision at WCNY is to be the ‘hub’ connecting Central New York to education, the arts, and public affairs. We want to be an innovator in local and national programming, and will continue to seek out and utilize regional partnerships and opportunities for advancing technologies to be an indispensable community resource,” says Daino.

Statewide, WCNY connects to education with BOCES, the State Education Department, and the New York State Science Initiative. Regionally, we connect with 65 school districts, including Syracuse City Schools. Nationally, we connect with NASA and the Public Broadcasting System. “And, locally we hold dear relationships with groundbreaking cultural, educational and governmental institutions,” says Daino proudly. “We want our programs and services to ensure that Central New York is increasingly unified, civically responsible, culturally aware, more informed, and better educated … and will continue to reach out with open arms to private corporations, governmental agencies, and other non-profits organizations to create strategic partnerships.”

In addition to building a strong portfolio of work in television, radio, and interactive media, WCNY is advancing beyond traditional broadcasting to emerging digital platforms like state-wide fiber optic networking. In 2006, WCNY took the lead in designing, developing, and coordinating PBS Interconnect that allows all nine New York State PBS stations to share resources, programming, services, and technologies. “We have made tremendous strides working with these stations to produce and air relevant, informative, interesting, and inspiring specials and documentaries.”.

“And, we are also finding ways to become a profit center by marketing what we do so well every day to others … just another avenue for connecting,” says Daino. WCNY AXXESS Productions is an award-wining full-service video production facility available to the public for producing commercials, training videos, corporate overviews, historical documentaries and broadcast network segments. An emerging web services business is also available to the public. Collaboration with other public broadcasting stations, such as WMHT in Albany , has helped to expand our market for these services geographically. WiCkNeY Kids Birthday Parties with Clifford™, that include educational programming, are another popular venue and source of income for the station. DVD sales are brisk. “It’s just a smarter way for non-profits to do business,” says Daino.

In 2005, as a direct response to member wishes, WCNY announced its intention to eliminate the televised pledge drive within two years. “We will be the first public broadcasting station in the country to try this.”  Pledge-Free on September 23 has become somewhat of a rallying cry at WCNY. “But, the need for member support certainly has not gone away,” says Daino, “We are devising and implementing less intrusive and more value-added opportunities for viewers and staff to become members. Corporate and non-profit membership level are being developed.”

New programming is also on the way. The ThinkBright series of educational programming is coming in October …I Live NY, with First Lady Silda Wall Spitzer and Dan Gunderson, starts in September … a documentary, Dream Destinations: New York’s Contemporary Canals, is in production … Economic Development Statewide airs in November … a regional educational show, 21st Century Classrooms – Wired to the World premieres in October and November … State of Upstate by Governor Spitzer is slated for release in December … The War, Ken Burn’s historical epic about World War II airs in September. And, as a special tribute to Central New York veterans who served in that war, the Onondaga Historical Association has partnered with WCNY to give insight into significant local events during the time. Religion Matters will air in September after The War to explore post-traumatic stress and its affects on our beliefs.

“And we are very proud to announce that The Nielson Book, May 2007, shows the weekly average viewership for WCNY has increased 20 percent from the same period in 2006,” says Daino. The largest increases are the Friday-night public affairs line-up, the addition of a block of programming for children on Saturday and Sunday mornings, and Saturday Classic Movie Night.

The final episode of Double Down in May was a huge success, increasing from 1,000 to 6,000 viewers in one month. “This academic game show for high school students not only meets our educational mission but is obviously very popular with teens and teachers. Schools are already signing up for next year,” says Daino. Facing HIV/AIDS in Central New York brought home a Telly Award in 2007. The highly recognized Silver Award is only awarded to 7 to 13 percent of competitors nationwide. “This is an amazing coup for WCNY when you consider there are more than 50,000 entries,” says Daino proudly. Because of this recognition, WCNY will be judging future Telly Awards.

The Performers: Taking Center Stage in New York State Agriculture, aired in February to 5,000 viewers. It is our first high-definition production to be aired statewide. We also cannot forget Food for Thought hosted by George Kilpatrick. This popular talk and entertainment show features a host of area celebrities who cook up delicious family cuisine as the entrée and dish about news about the community for dessert.

Mind Your Own Business has become the intellectual choice for reality television. Financial Fitness, The Ivory Tower Half-Hour, and Central Issues are other programs viewers consider prime choices.

“So, a lot has happened around here … good changes,” says Daino proudly. “Let me introduce you to some of my leadership team. These are the visionaries of WCNY who are helping me to create ways to reach out to you as well as build connections with the community through a myriad of innovative programs and services.”

Enjoy, and watch for more exciting changes ahead!

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