WTCI PBS

WTCI enriches lives through quality programs and services that educate, engage, and inspire a lifetime of learning and exploration. WTCI public broadcasting is a center of exploration for all ages. Through unique programs, services and emerging technologies, we will be a leading community resource, empowering people to discover their world, broaden their horizons and become active participants in shaping the future. Through these efforts, WTCI builds communities and strengthens families in Chattanooga, North Georgia and the Tennessee Valley.

WTCI public broadcasting is a center of exploration for all ages. Through unique programs, services

Goal One: To continue to provide viewers of every age and interest with a classroom, a passport, and a stage for the arts, all of which opens up new worlds and informs and expands minds.

Goal Two: To be the community hub for trustworthy education information and resources and to amplify community voice by providing safe outlets for public discourse.

Goal Three: To increase board capacity particularly in relation to our commitment to diversity, equity, and inclusion.

Each department has a modest budget for professional advancement and every staff member is encouraged to enroll in professional groups, and sign up for seminars, courses, and conferences that will assist them in their career aspirations.

During the pandemic, WTCI knew that our role was to be the hub for critical and trustworthy information that would help our community to navigate the path forward and make informed decisions. We got to work right away, focusing on educational support and access, by collaborating with school leaders and early childhood experts to identify the educational priorities and academic standards that critically needed reinforcement during at-home learning. We responded by curating thousands of videos, printable resources, web interactives, and activities for PreK-12th in English and Spanish to support virtual classroom instruction and easy independent navigation for families while at home. The pandemic highlighted the need for innovative solutions to digital and educational inequities in our region. Acknowledging that many students and families lack access to digital technology or free educational resources, particularly in areas of concentrated poverty and rural communities, we worked to design a project that could support education equity efforts. Knowing that a free broadcast could better reach families struggling with access, we crafted a plan to broadcast 24/7 standards-aligned learning content that was both locally created or curated by national PBS partners to strengthen and enrich Pre-K through 12th-grade learning. Thanks to Cares Act funding, we launched our 4th channel, WTCI Educate, at the beginning of January 2021. Our goal is to provide reinforcement and enrichment lessons following clear academic benchmarks and curriculum models. Since Educate’s inception, more than 100 hours of learning content has been created by 20 organizations and 80 community leaders, teachers, and students. The station applied for and received all available state and federal loan funds. We adapted our special events to virtual platforms, adapted our fundraising to a digital rather than an in-person platform, and significantly increased our digital communications platforms.