Inside WSKG: November 2010

It's November!

And what a great month to start, fresh off of the incredible success of our WSKG Public Radio Fall Fundraiser! Thanks to the support of Habitat for Humanity of Tompkins and Cortland Counties, their partners, our volunteers and our truly unprecedented contributors, we exceeded our goal of $100,000 by 32%! We could not ask for a better show of support for the mission and values of WSKG and Habitat for Humanity or a more excellent commitment to building our community together. Quite simply, thank you!

And now that it's November, how about starting your holiday shopping early with WSKG's On-line Holiday Auction! It's the place to get gifts for everyone on your list, from restaurant certificates and over-night getaways to winery gift cards, sports memorabilia and much, much more. The auction begins November 10th and runs through December 6th. The holidays will be here before you know it, so make sure to sign up for your secure bidder account and get ready to bid!

WSKG Public Radio will begin the month with this year's elections. On November 2nd, Bill Jaker and Crystal Sarakas will anchor coverage of key races within our 21 county coverage area and several peripheral counties. Follow the elections with us starting at 9:00pm, with regional results from WSKG and national run-downs from NPR. We'll also track the polls live on Twitter and Facebook, and you can watch a livestream of PBS NewsHour's national coverage on-line and on WSKG Public Television.

WSKG Public Radio will also present the Binghamton Philharmonic Orchestra's performance of Elgar's Enigma Variations and Robert Schumann's Piano Concerto (featuring soloist Fabio Bidini and conducted by Jose-Luis Novo) on November 8th (recorded live on October 30th). Listen in later in the month for Thanksgiving day specials including Giving Thanks from American Public Media and a new program, Maya Angelou's Welcome Table.

The month looks busy for our Education Team as well! They'll spend a day at the Kopernik Observatory in Vestal, NY on November 6th from 12:00pm to 3:00pm. Come meet Sid the Science Kid and enjoy fun activities related to his hit PBS Kids television show! Meet and greet with Sid is free with admission to the Observatory's event. In other exciting education news, WSKG's Education & Outreach Coordinator Nancy Coddington has been selected to present a workshop at the Science Teachers Association of New York State (STANYS) Conference held in Rochester, NY on November 8th. She will co-host the workshop with education staff from WXXI in Rochester, the workshop will focus on PBS Resources available for classrooms, and the conference will bring in K-12 STEM teachers from across the state. Nancy will also be in Rochester on November 18th with Mary McFadden of the Broome County Health Department and our Working on Wellness (WOW) partner to attend the Obesity Summit (scheduled to broadcast in December on WSKG TV).

WSKG Public Television will finish out the month with the start of our winter fundraiser. We'll kick off with a special edition of Great Performances: Sondheim! The Birthday Concert on Wednesday, November 24th @ 9:00. We will also excitedly air the newest from Celtic Thunder, Celtic Thunder Christmas, on November 27th at 8:00pm and on November 28th at 3:30pm. You can still get your tickets for Celtic Thunder's show in Binghamton, NY this December, but only until November 28th!