In the wake of a new pandemic, WFIU, WTIU, and all other public media stations across the country have stepped up our efforts to help our local communities face the coronavirus outbreak.

One of the major initiatives WFIU and WTIU has undertaken is to rapidly expand our local and regional news coverage to keep our listeners and viewers informed about COVID-19. Our newsroom is staffed around the clock to respond to breaking news and audience questions. We created a custom coronavirus resource website (indianapublicmedia.org/coronavirus) featuring daily news updates from around the state, along with information from the CDC, NPR, and PBS. We also started a daily coronavirus e-newsletter to keep our listeners and viewers informed with the latest news updates. Every weekday, we are interrupting our regular programming to carry live press conferences with Governor Eric Holcomb on air and online. We are also devoting entire episodes of Noon Edition, WFIU's weekly public affairs show, and Indiana Newsdesk, WTIU's weekly statewide news program, to coronavirus coverage.

As schools have closed across the state, we are drawing upon public television's success in educational programming to assist students, families, teachers, administrators, and school systems during the coronavirus outbreak. Indiana's eight public television stations, including WTIU, have partnered with the Indiana Department of Education to offer at-home learning experiences for students in grades K-12 that align with Indiana curriculum standards. PBS reaches 89% of non-internet homes, which is especially important to children in low-income homes, as well as homes without access to broadband in rural areas. Because PBS is a free over the air service, PBS is America's largest classroom. PBS stations reach more pre-school-aged children and children in low-income homes than any kids TV network.

All public TV members of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations have published PBS Kids programming schedules and corresponding curriculum focusing on math, science, social studies, literacy, and other subjects. Families can find WTIU's television program schedules with information about grade-level appropriateness, subject area focus, and learning objectives online at wtiu.org/athomelearning.

While keeping the public informed and providing educational tools, we are also building local community and service to others. We are spotlighting local organizations that need help in our community and providing information on how people can give back. Through public service announcements and online resources, we are educating people on how to make face masks and donate them to those in need.

We are doing all of this while working remotely and with unbudgeted resources (as donations plummet in the accompanying economic downturn). Despite the challenges facing us, we are committed to fulfilling our mission to serve our communities in this unprecedented time. All of this work-education, public safety, and civic leadership-is what America's public media stations do every day, in addition to broadcasting the national programs people count on.

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 requires us to serve everybody, everywhere, every day for free. And WFIU and WTIU are doing just that. We are honored that this long-standing commitment can be of such benefit in a crisis no one could have predicted.

John Bailey, WFIU Station Operations Director

Brent Molnar, WTIU Station Operations Director