WPBS President Speaks to Oswego Rotarians

OSWEGO – The guest speaker at the July 28 Oswego Rotary Club meeting was Mark Preshun. Mark is the President and General Manager of WPBS in Watertown. WPBS is a public broadcasting affiliate founded in 1958 and serving northern New York State and  eastern Ontario, Canada.

WPBS is member-supported with approximately 9200 members. It operates 4 stations which include WPBS, Create, which features how-to, cooking and travel, PBS World featuring documentaries, and PBS Kids 24/7. WPBS is available locally on Spectrum, Dish, Direct TV and over-the-air.

WPBS has continuing priories. These include creating more content to support education, supporting small local businesses in New York and Ontario, growing their presence at community events and raising awareness on social issues. A new yet vital concern is adopting a business model that allows these priorities and core services to continue without federal funding.

Mark shared that WPBS is currently updating their website “GPS for Success” and adding virtual reality. They are also adding new local production. WPBS is proud of their support for public safety. Their infrastructure is used for emergency response, law enforcement and mobile communications. This year WPBS is adding to this commitment a $200,000 investment in their new St. Lawrence County transmitter.

The Oswego Rotary Club meets weekly and is always interested in learning more about the businesses and organizations in the Oswego community.  You can reach the club by emailing [email protected] or check us out on facebook.com/oswegorotary.