Public Broadcasting Cooperative of Illinois (PBCI) Revitalized by New Director Al Finley

Public Broadcasting Cooperative of Illinois (PBCI) Revitalized by New Director Al Finley

CHICAGO, Dec. 5 /PRNewswire/ -- Veteran film and public relations services executive Al Finley has been appointed as director of statewide underwriting for the Public Broadcasting Cooperative of Illinois (PBCI).

PBCI leverages the collective marketing prowess of public radio and TV stations in Illinois to the benefit of potential underwriters.

During the past seven years, Finley was a Chicago-based senior executive with Video Monitoring Services. Prior to VMS, Finley spent a decade as a film distributor for Films Incorporated/Sea Movies. The early part of Finley's career was with Ogilvy & Mather Advertising.

"Al's unique blend of experience will help in PBCI's mission to increase the visibility of businesses that partner with public broadcasting in order to help them reach their economic and public relations goals," said Jerold Gruebel, PBCI president and president/CEO of Network Knowledge, Springfield, Ill., a PBCI member station.

Finley's addition to PBCI marks a change in the organization's business model, with a centralized sales office, supported by member stations throughout the state.

Twenty-eight radio and television stations are members of PBCI. Prior to the existence of PBCI, businesses or other organizations wishing to reach a statewide public broadcasting audience would have dealt individually with stations across the state. Now, PBCI offers "one stop shopping," allowing potential sponsors to reach 98 percent of the state's population with a single transaction.

Finley is based at the Navy Pier offices of Chicago Public Radio. He can be reached at (312) 893-2906 or afinley@pbcionline.org. For more information about PBCI, please visit http://www.pbcionline.org/ .

PBCI Member Stations

TELEVISION: WSIU, Carbondale; WEIU, Charleston; WYCC, Chicago; WSEC, Jacksonville- Springfield; WMEC, Macomb; WQPT, Moline; WUSI, Olney; WTVP, Peoria; WQEC, Quincy; WILL, Urbana. RADIO: WBEW-FM, Chesterton, Ind.; WBEZ FM, Chicago; WNIJ FM, DeKalb-Rockford; WSIE FM, Edwardsville; WNIE-FM, Freeport; WDCB FM, Glen Ellyn; WNIW-FM, LaSalle; WIUM, Macomb; WBEQ-FM, Morris; WGLT FM, Normal; WCBU FM, Peoria; WIPA FM, Pittsfield; WNIU FM, Rockford-DeKalb; WUIS, Springfield; WNIQ-FM, Sterling; WILL AM, Urbana; WILL FM, Urbana; WIUW FM, Warsaw.

Source: Public Broadcasting Cooperative of Illinois

CONTACT: Louis G. Pukelis of Pukelis & Lehrer Communications, Inc.,
+1-312-208-0560, or louis.pukelis@message-engineers.com

Web site: http://www.pbcionline.org/

NOTE TO EDITORS: PHOTOS of Al Finley, in low or high resolution, can be downloaded here: http://www.pbcionline.org/news-finley.htm

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