BEHIND THE LIST WITH KATHLEEN PAVELKO

Central Penn Business Journal, Sep 19, 2008 by Dagan, David

Chief executive officer of WITF Inc.

Q: What's the biggest challenge you face running a public media company today?

A: The pace of change and how consumers use media is breathtaking. We must adjust our business models to the changes in the broader media world at the same time that we must adjust to changes in corporate sponsorships (shifts from traditional advertising to online) and changes in philanthropy (fewer donors but donors giving more) .

Q: How does the proliferation of new media sources affect public media?

A: I would say that the impact on newspapers is greatest, and then the second-biggest impact is on commercial radio. Unlike every commercial-media news organization that I can think of, (National Public Radio) is the only one that has grown. It's added 30 international bureaus and about 75 or more reporters (and editors) . That's at the national level. At the local level you're seeing either stable or slightly increasing headcounts in public-radio newsrooms across the country. The impact for publicradio music stations is very modest, and the reason is that we are focused in niches and genres which are virtually unavailable on the commercialradio band.

Q: What role does WITF's forprofit subsidiary play in the company?

A: Our for-profit subsidiary is a commercial radio and promotion network. It's called Radio PA. So we serve advertising clients and broadcast affiliates in Central Pennsylvania and beyond. The financial purpose of the for-profit subsidiary is to diversify our revenues. . It (also) keeps the staff in the not-forprofit arena connected to the changes and the challenges in the marketplace. Our metaphorical location is at the corner of 'Mission-' and 'Marketplace Avenue.' We are a not-for-profit media organization in one of the most ferociously commercialized industries in the United States - media. So it makes perfect sense that we would need to be comfortable in and conversant with the for-profit media environment.

Q: How do you differentiate yourself as a local news organization?

A: What commercial-news organizations, television and radio, specialize in ... is the 'what' of the news. Our news approach is to go beyond the 'what' to the 'why' We don't attempt to convey every accident, arrest, development in local politics. We do focus on the 'why' of both global events, national events and local events.

Q: How has your recent capital campaign changed WITF?

A: I think it's fair to say that the campaign and its achievements were transformative for WITF, both small and profound. On the profound side, we've quintupled our total assets from $400,000 in 2001 to more than $15 million today. We've moved from a 1958 elementary school, 35,000 square feet, to an all-digital facility, 75,000 square feet. The public media center ... has also allowed us to open our doors to the community in a way that we could not. And on the small but significant side, our receptionists do not now have to spend half their time on the phone giving directions. People can find us now. That's a really big deal for us.

For the first time in WITF's organizational life, we have an endowment that generates some operating revenue. We're not Harvard by any stretch, but for the first time that's possible. The second thing is that it gives you a sense of longterm financial security ... We know that news in the sense of a one-way delivery of information to people has expanded and devolved to be an interactive experience.

- David Dagan

ABOUT KATHLEEN PAVELKO

Kathleen Pavelko has been president and chief executive officer of WITF Inc. since October 1999. WITF includes two public-television channels, two public-radio services, two Web sites, a regional magazine and other services. Pavelko led WITF as it raised $20 million in capital-campaign contributions and issued $19 million in tax-exempt bonds.

Pavelko previously led Prairie Public Broadcasting, based in Fargo, N. D. She also worked for Penn State Public Broadcasting and West Virginia Public Broadcasting and was a freelance journalist in Athens and London.

Pavelko earned a bachelor's degree in ancient history and a master's degree in journalism from Penn State. She lives in Cumberland County with her husband, Eugene N. Borza, emeritus professor of ancient history at Penn State.

FILE PHOTO/AMY SPANGLER

Kathleen Pavelko is president and CEO of WITF Inc., a public-radio and -television broadcaster and publisher of Central PA magazine. WITF moved into this new building in Dauphin County in November 2006.