Letter from the President
Dear Friends of TVW:
Welcome to spring! While the cherry blossoms and tulips bloom, TVW is hard at work producing interim programming and building our capacity to serve you even better. Be sure to check out this TVW Update for everything going on…
2022 Q1 Programming. Yes, we covered the Legislative Session, and so much more! Take a look at that, along with an inside view of what’s coming up.
The Chief Justice Gerry Alexander Endowment for TVW. In May 2021, TVW seed funded an endowment to secure our long-term sustainability. Most people don’t know that our contract with the state of Washington only accounts from roughly 15 percent of our annual budget. As we plan for our future, the establishment of an endowment is a key component in ensuring TVW is around to serve as your lens into Washington state government for many, many years to come. Take a look to find out how you can be a part of this important work.
The FOREth Annual TVW Open. Quickly becoming the social event of the fall, learn how you can participate through a sponsorship or as a player while supporting the important work of TVW.
WSU Murrow College of Communication 46th Annual Symposium. TVW was pleased to partner with the Murrow College to sponsor and present at the state’s premier communications event. This is the second year we have been a part of this program and I foresee the partnership continuing.
Sunshine Week. Happening in mid-March, Sunshine Week is always a great opportunity to showcase the work of TVW in opening the world of state government to you! Check out this year’s activity right in this newsletter.
Thanks for reading and watching,
The Changing Seasons of TVW Programming
By Mike Bay, Vice President for Programming
We’re all familiar with the change of seasons: summer to fall, winter to spring.
When it comes to coverage, TVW has just two seasons: legislative season, and the interim season. We cover many of the same topics, but in other ways these two seasons are quite different. One is characterized by an intense focus on the State Capitol, and covering everything that happens in and around that big domed building; the other, by covering state government on the ground around Washington state, away from the Capitol.
During the interim season, like during the legislative season, we cover state boards and commissions dealing with issues from parks, to transportation planning, to policing and sentencing policy, to foster care, to public school issues, to fish and wildlife management, to mental health policy, to campaign finance oversight, to building codes, to child care, to college and workforce development, to cannabis policy, to state financial investments, to the judiciary and the courts, and much more.
The big differences? During the interim season, unlike the legislative season, we have the available air time to put these meetings on TV! And during the interim season, we tend to cover more meetings hosted by non-governmental organizations, but that still deal with public policy topics. Two examples: We recently took our cameras to Seattle to cover a conversation about Taiwan, also a “Future of Carbon Forum” featuring state legislators, state elected officials and congressional reps.
During the interim season, we also get back out on the road to produce programs that we temporarily put on the shelf during the legislative season:
Last year we covered the threat of a coast-inundating title wave with Tsunami Escape. This year’s topic? To be determined.
So check out TVW’s programming during this interim season – you might find something that you may not see during our prime-time legislative season. You can find out what we’re covering via TVW’s website, https://beta.tvw.org/. You can always see what’s on TVW right now by checking out the online version of our 24/7 air signal at https://beta.tvw.org/tvchannels/air.
Another Illuminating Sunshine Week
This year the nation celebrated the Freedom of Information Act and open government during Sunshine
Week, March 13 through 19, and TVW participated in this annual initiative by
providing unfiltered access to state government on television and online. Sunshine Week Resources.
“TVW consistently delivers nonpartisan, gavel-to-gavel coverage of state government activities for the
public to view and judge for themselves,” said Renee Radcliff-Sinclair, President and CEO of TVW.
It’s also a perfect time for TVW to partner with other media sources around Washington and share our
mission promoting open and equitable access. During Sunshine Week this year, Sinclair was invited to
participate in radio interviews, write Op-Ed articles for several newspapers and inspired other news
departments to write their own editorials and “shine a light” on this foundational aspect of our
Democracy.
TVW will continue our important work of covering all three branches of state government and
promoting transparency in government and the media and look forward to sharing Sunshine Week with
all of you again next March.
TVW launches new website in January
The new site features a consistent and intuitive design for easy navigation and finding relevant information fast. Viewers can watch live events, easily search archives, enjoy quick access to award winning programming and much more! This website is dedicated to the memory of Ron Main and is supported by our corporate and individual sponsors who want to make sure TVW remains your lens on state government.
Tuesday, September 20, 2022 The Golf Club at Hawks Prairie
The day includes: a round of golf, contests, team awards, and lots of socializing on and off the course.
We have reserved the entire course for the TVW Open. Learn more: https://beta.tvw.org/tvw-open/
