Dear Friends,
I delayed writing this for a few weeks because I needed to sit with the news for a bit. To be honest, I’m still digesting it. But I’m writing today to share the sad news that To the Best of Our Knowledge is coming to an end. Our last broadcast will be on September 27.
This was not our decision. Our parent organization, Wisconsin Public Radio, is making staff and programming cuts and the TTBOOK staff is among those being let go. Here’s the public statement from WPR:
“Ending production of TTBOOK is among the decisions WPR made to address multiple challenges – increased expenses, flat revenues, potential funding cuts, and the urgent need to adapt our service to meet audiences’ habits and needs. To continue to meet our public service mission, it must align our resources toward serving Wisconsin.”
I’m so sorry. I know TTBOOK is a part of your life like it is of mine. For 35 years, it’s been a gathering place for people and ideas and we hate seeing it come to an end. I don’t want to speak for WPR, but if you have further questions or comments, you can email listen@ttbook.org, and we will forward them to WPR leadership.
I’m grateful we’ve had so many weekends together and there are more left before the end of September, so don’t stop listening yet. We have two more Island of Knowledge episodes in production – including this week’s “What Is Life?” We’ll have news to share about the TTBOOK archives and a project to preserve them for easy search and access. We’ll have a goodbye show to plan – see below for how you can help.
And as for us personally? Well, we’re creative people and each of us now has a new future to build. A new direction to find in audio production, journalism, interviewing or writing. We’ll keep you posted on where you can find us and what we decide to do next.
We’d love to hear your voice, too. Leave us a voice message about how TTBOOK has been part of your life, thoughts about an interview or story that had an impact on you, or any other memories you’d like to share. We might use them as we say goodbye on the air.
In gratitude and appreciation,
– Anne