One of the perks of my job is getting paid to watch TV…specifically KPTS. The TV is on in my office all the time. I admit I’m not usually “watching” but merely monitoring the shows to make sure we’re on the air. Quite often, however, I get drawn into the children’s programs in the morning.

I’m always impressed with the quality of the production and the education value as well as the various teaching tactics. I’m particularly impressed with Dinosaur Train. What a wonderful concept. Many kids are fascinated by dinosaurs. Yet this series brings to life aspects from the world of science and animals in ways that keep children interested.

Sid the Science Kid is another of my favorites. Sid seems to be nerdy and cool all at the same time. His natural curiosity opens the door for learning about bugs, plants, dirt, germs and many other things adults take for granted. Kids are naturally curious and this show capitalizes on simple questions common to all children.

You’ve probably heard us talk about the “quality, educational programming” we provide, but I’d like to challenge you to take a few minutes and watch part of a PBS kids program. Better yet, watch it with your child, grandchild or neighbors kid, then let me know what you think. I’m sure you’ll agree that there really is something special about the children’s programs on KPTS.

Every week thousands of families tune into KPTS. Some families start the day with youngsters watching our fun and educational children’s programming.  Other families depend on a daily dose of news and information from programs like PBS NewsHour and Nightly Business Report. Still other families have a weekly appointment to watch Antiques Roadshow, Nova, Independent Lens, Masterpiece, Nature, or one of the other signature shows from PBS.  Many families tell us they enjoy the local community news and interviews on our new weekly Impact series. They appreciate having access to lawmakers each week on Ask Your Legislator.  Sunflower Journeys, Wichita Sessions and our documentaries like Black & Gold, Dockum, and Piatt Street are also popular.

Sadly, all of these programs are in jeopardy. At the federal level, there are several pieces of legislation that would cease all funding for public broadcasting. In our state Capital, the Governor’s proposed budget calls for an immediate end to funding for public radio and TV.

Federal and state budgets are tight. Simple math reveals that there either needs to be more revenue (taxes) or fewer expenses (eliminate or reduce funding). Those decisions need to be made carefully. There are reams of research that demonstrating how valuable PBS children’s programming is to our nation’s preschoolers.  Children who watch programs like Sesame Street, WordWorld, Word Girl, and others perform better in school.  These programs deliver quality, tested educational material without annoying commercial distractions or catering to the demands of sponsors.

For the past several years, a Roper Poll has found that Americans trust PBS for unbiased news and information, more than from any other source. They see PBS as an excellent investment of government dollars, and they value the programming PBS provides.

If you agree, now is the time to speak up.  Call your legislators. Email your senators and representatives. Let them know that PBS and KPTS are important to you, your family and your community. We are busy seeking additional sources of funding to offset these cuts, but the cold reality is that these state and federal cuts will significantly reduce the programming available to you and the children in our community.

Rep. Mike Pompeo           (316) 262-8992
Sen. Pat Roberts              (316) 263-0416
Sen. Jerry Moran              (785) 628-6401

Please call your lawmakers in Washington. The numbers are provided in this newsletter. Contact your state representatives and senators. Your voice and your vote are crucial and your support has never been more important.

Thank you for your support,
Jesse Huxman

To learn more about funding for KPTS and how to make your voice heard, visit our website. The link also includes contact for information for additional Kansas lawmakers.

It’s nearly time to say farewell to 2010. It was a year of economic uncertainty.  A year of advances in technology and the proliferation of social media.  It’s also the year that signaled significant political changes in our state and across the nation.

For us, however, 2010 will be remembered as our 40^th Anniversary year. Our goal was to celebrate this milestone all year long. We started with a skating party and continued with listening tour stops, community cinema, parading through the River Festival, singing with the 4Troops and being inspired by Jim Lehrer. In fact, the list is too long to list here.

This anniversary year was also our year of engagement. We wanted to take advantage of every opportunity to get out into the community, to meet as many of you as possible and to better connect with you and learn how we can serve you better.

We learned that KPTS is important to you and that you trust us and depend on us for quality, educational and entertaining programs.  We learned that you like the local documentaries and the emphasis on quality local programming. But most importantly, we learned how important you are to the success of KPTS.  Your thoughtful words of encouragement, pats on the back, financial support and volunteer time is what really makes KPTS so special.

We are YOUR public television station. We are here to serve you. In other words, you are our bosses. And we promise to work hard every day in 2011 to make you proud of KPTS.

What’s your favorite holiday tradition? In our house we have several.  I know it’s time for the holidays when I get that first distinctive aroma of Mom’s little peppernut cookies. They’re special because her recipe is so unique. Crunching them always takes me back to my childhood, sitting around the kitchen table, eating peppernuts and telling stories of the good old days.

When our first daughter was born in 1987 we bought a “Baby’s First Christmas” ornament. Each year our children get an ornament that symbolizes something significant for them that year.  Today we have three children and our oldest is 21. You can walk around our tree and learn the story of our family just from the ornaments. It certainly gives our tree a very unique look.

Christmas morning, after the stockings are open, the children from the extended families entertain us with a reenactment of the Christmas story and most years its even recognizable. Regardless of their singing and acting abilities it’s a time to celebrate children and the hope of the future.

Researchers tell us that traditions are important. They gave a family an identity, provide continuity from generation to generation, bring us together as a family, and provide a sense of stability. When I bite into that first peppernut, Christmas memories flood my mind and I know that all is right with the world, at least for a little while.

I hope you’re able to enjoy your holiday traditions with family and friends. Savor that feeling of unity and stability. Relive those memories of Christmas past and share them with next generation.

All of us at KPTS are so grateful for the many ways you support our efforts. Our wish for each of you this holiday season is a sense of peace and joy and the gift of sharing it with those you love.

Many of you have seen the KPTS documentary Black & Gold: Remembering the WSU Plane Crash. Last year at this time, we were on the mountain shooting interviews with survivors of the 1970 WSU plane crash. Randy Jackson, Dave Lewis, and Rick Stephens became very special to us. They were willing to expose themselves emotionally as they shared the deep wound and burden they carried with them after the crash. This week, Randy Jackson passed away after a battle with pancreatic cancer. Randy was special. He touched the lives of students at Robinson Middle School and inspired so many youngsters in our community. He was a quiet man who chose to lead by example. Randy was willing to share his story with us. Randy cared deeply for others and did everything possible to make us better. Thank you Randy for a life well lived and an example worthy of following. We will never forget. All of us at KPTS extend our sympathy to Randy’s wife Gayle and the Jackson family.

It happened to me, again. It was another PBS program I was sure wasn’t in my area of interest. The title, Blessed is the Match, didn’t really connect with me and I had never heard of Hannah Senesh, but I watched the first few minutes and before I knew it, I had enjoyed the hour-long documentary about a World War II-era poet and resistance fighter who was eventually captured and executed by the Nazis.

It happens a lot. I get drawn in and end up being grateful that I was captivated and enlightened by another PBS show. Often it’s a documentary, but occasionally a science show or public affairs program or a music performance by a group I’ve never heard.

To me, that’s the charm of PBS and KPTS. There’s always something to attract my natural curiosity… something for me to learn… something to help me feel more deeply connected with the world.  I guess that old saying about not teaching old dogs new tricks is just that – a saying, especially if you watch KPTS.

As a kid I had a vivid imagination. A saw horse was my pony. A backyard swing set could be a ship at sea, a space ship, even a rodeo arena. Rather than play football, I would re-enact the highlights… in slow motion and dramatic play-by-play announcing. I even had an imaginary friend, Jeff, who would sometimes join us for dinner (Mom, bless her heart, would set a plate at the table for our invisible guest).

How creative and imaginative is your child? Do they enjoy making up stories? We’re kicking off our KPTS Young Authors Contest for children in grades K-2. The deadline for entries is April 16. Our Young Author entries should be original stories accompanied by original art work. Prizes for our winners include a behind-the-scenes tour of the Sedgwick County Zoo, art classes, gift cards and more. We will also showcase some of the stories on-air and online. Official rules, entry forms and information are available on our website.

Encourage the children in your life to “Be More with Words” and enter the KPTS Young Authors Contest today!

According to an old saying, the most effective advertising is word of mouth. If we’re talking about KPTS, those words will be more effective coming from your mouth rather than mine. So… what do you tell your friends about KPTS? Has one of our shows really caused you to think differently about a topic? Maybe you’ve learned something about nature or science? Maybe our children’s programming influenced you years ago or is helping to shape your child today? Do you tell your friends why you donate money to the station? Or why you volunteer to answer phones during membership drives or assist with other events? Maybe you’ve had a negative experience or you have an idea or suggestion? Click here to see what other viewers are saying about KPTS.

We are YOUR public television station. We really do want to know what you like and dislike. Just click here to send me an email with your comments or call the station, 316-838-3090. As we celebrate our 40^th Anniversary, you can help us make the station even better. I’ll be waiting to hear from YOU!

We’ve all been touched by the tragedy in Haiti. The images and stories are heartbreaking. Yet, in the middle of this despair, there are stories of hope. Yesterday a young boy was found trapped in the rubble of his home…alive! The images of orphaned children arriving in the U.S. to begin a new life is uplifting, and the outpouring of relief and donations is inspiring.

PBS and KPTS want to do our part as well. Friday night from 7:00 to 9:00 p.m., we will broadcast “Hope for Haiti.” This nationwide telethon will feature Wyclef Jean, Bruce Springsteen, Jennifer Hudson, Mary J. Blige, Shakira, and Sting in New York City; Alicia Keys, Christina Aguilera, Dave Matthews, John Legend, Justin Timberlake, Stevie Wonder, Taylor Swift and more. All donations will go to the “Hope for Haiti Now” charities, including Oxfam America, Partners in Health, the Red Cross, UNICEF, and Yéle Haiti Foundation. (Our regular Friday night schedule will move to KPTS Explore 8.2).

We’ve created a web page full of resources related to the tragedy in Haiti. This page provides links to various relief organizations, tips for talking with your children about the tragedy, news coverage from PBS NewsHour and more. Just click here to visit the page.

We value our donors and friends and thank you for your generosity. During this time of tragedy, I hope you’ll also do what you can to provide assistance to the victims of the earthquake.

The recent Christmas day underwear bomber has once again unleashed a torrent of nail biting and finger pointing (bitten nails and all) about . . . gasp . . . safety in air travel.  Now, don’t misunderstand me–I’m getting on a plane on Thursday and I’d like to feel that I’ll arrive intact and un-bombed.  But I realize there’s a (very slight) chance I may not.  I also realize that, underwear bomber or not, I run a much greater risk statistically every time I drive across town to play tennis.  And yet–to hear some people’s reaction, you’d think there was a terrorist Bogy Man at every airport terminal in the country just waiting to sit across the aisle from little old you and me.   When did we become a nation of hysterical ‘fraidy cats?

Don’t brand me as a naive Pollyanna.  Far from it.  I realize there are people out there who wish to do us harm.  There always have been.  There have always been terrorists too, we were just never as personally affected by them as we have become in the last decade.  But I think our best–and yes, the most patriotic response–is to suck it up and go on with our lives.  Without the cowering and whining.  Without blowing the odds of your likelihood of being injured way out of proportion.  Consider it paying your dues for (through sheer luck of the draw and probably no effort on your part) being lucky enough to live here.  I’m guessing most of the civilian population of Afghanistan or Rwanda would happily trade places with you any time.

This fear fetish extends beyond the airport.  It seems to me that the people who have the least probability of experiencing violent crime are those who are the most obsessed about protecting themselves.  Most people who live in gated communities are more likely to suffer assault (or worse) at the hands of a family member or friend than at the hands of a stranger.  So maybe you better run those background checks on Uncle Stan and leave him off the key-code list.  Note to suburbia:  You’re not in the drive-by-shooting target zone.  Get over it.

My son’s school district is notoriously fear-focused.  Despite the fact that the vast majority of children assaulted on school grounds in recent memory were attacked by fellow students, I have to run a gauntlet of electronic locked doors in order to enter.  When my older son chose to attend an inner-city school instead of the one in our area, the common reaction from his suburban classmates was that he would be mugged within the first week.  Somehow he made it all four years with life and limb intact.  Oh, and the doors there aren’t locked, either.  Go figure.

You may think me imprudent.  I see myself as quite realistic.  If you’re really concerned about safety and longevity, get rid of your car and use only public transportation.  That would increase your odds quite significantly.  Impractical you say?  I say it’s impractical to spend millions (soon to be millions more) on “airport security” that clearly cannot work if someone is determined to blow him or herself up.  It’s unconscionable to make our children think that they are at risk for simply walking into their schools.  And it’s just a waste of mental energy and emotional health to constantly see yourself as a potential victim of some type of crime, particularly for those of us who are quite unlikely ever to be one.

If you read about my plane going down on Thursday, I suppose you can say “I told you so”.  If it’s a choice between that and looking over my shoulder for the rest of my life, in my book that’s a good trade.