HR0389 97TH GENERAL ASSEMBLY

HR0389 LRB097 12071 KXB 55888 r

HOUSE RESOLUTION

WHEREAS, WSIU Public Television, Carbondale, the Public Broadcasting Service member station licensed to the Southern Illinois University Board of Trustees, will celebrate 50 years of educational and public service television broadcasting on November 6, 2011; and

WHEREAS, WSIU-TV has broadcast high-quality Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) programs for viewers of all ages to more than 1.2 million television households in Illinois, Indiana, Missouri, Kentucky, and Tennessee; WSIU-TV devotes over 80 hours per week to PBS Kids programs and extends the educational experience by hosting workshops for teachers, childcare providers, families, and other caregivers, distributing books, and coordinating events focusing on literacy, science, and health; and

WHEREAS, The people of Illinois have been well served by the station's long history of producing and broadcasting award-winning local programming created by students, staff, and faculty at SIU Carbondale that reflect the State's unique historical, cultural, and artistic heritage; and

WHEREAS, The station's historic commitment to providing hands-on learning opportunities to generations of Radio-Television students has prepared thousands of SIU Carbondale graduates for careers in television production, news, public affairs, and station operations and administration, earning SIU Carbondale a reputation as a national leader in broadcast education; and

WHEREAS, The talents of broadcasters, producers, and journalists at WSIU-TV have been brought together by WSIU-TV to inform the people of Illinois about the State's legislative process and political system through programs like the Illinois Lawmakers series, regularly scheduled interviews with members of the General Assembly, Illinois executive officers, and members of the Illinois congressional delegation, and election-year forums, debates, and candidate interviews; and

WHEREAS, WSIU-TV is a nationally-recognized educational institution that has been honored by Congress and the White House for its creativity in implementing Ready to Learn, as well as other school readiness and enhancement programs, like PBS Kids Raising Readers and PBS TeacherLine; WSIU-TV also inspires positive change through community engagement by addressing local issues with programs, panel discussions, and local specials; therefore, be it

RESOLVED, BY THE HOUSE OF REPRESENTATIVES OF THE NINETY-SEVENTH GENERAL ASSEMBLY OF THE STATE OF ILLINOIS, that we honor the employees of WSIU Public Television for their efforts to enrich the lives of Illinois residents by combining the power of public media with the power of people to strengthen our communities over the past five decades; and be it further

RESOLVED, That the special efforts of the thousands of students, faculty, and staff who have worked at WSIU Public Television since its inception be recognized in this anniversary season; and be it further

RESOLVED, That a suitable copy of this resolution be presented to WSIU Public Broadcasting Executive Director Greg Petrowich as an expression of our esteem.