Station Spotlight: Linda Taggart of Maryland Public Television shares why she “wouldn’t have any other job than public media”  

We are fortunate to work with stations all over the country to help streamline their operations and enhance the impact they can make in their communities, including one of our MSB partners, Linda Taggart, Vice President of Development at Maryland Public Television (MPT). As many of us know, once we find ourselves working in public media, we can’t imagine doing anything else. For Linda, this happened early on, as she knew public media was her calling from day one in the job force. We recently sat down to dig into her calling to this work, why she believes public media is so important, and the role that CDP plays in MPT’s success. 

Please introduce yourself and tell us a little bit about your background. You’ve been working in public media for over 40 years (wow!), how did you get started?  

While I was in school studying communications at Syracuse University, I crossed paths with Dr. Rick Breitenfeld, who was the executive director of Maryland Public Television at the time. He spoke fervently about their vision and the mission to serve; I knew from that moment on that’s what I wanted to do and where I wanted to do it (though it took a few years for me to find my way to MPT specifically). 

When I graduated, I first started in news and public affairs before transitioning to development and donor relations. I always kept my eye on job listings at Maryland Public Television, and when they had an opening for their director of On-Air Fundraising, I jumped at the chance. While I didn’t have any experience in this space, I knew how to produce compelling television programs, and was able to leverage this experience to enhance fundraising efforts through creative initiatives like themed pledge drives.  

I remember one of my favorites early on:  the station said we needed to raise additional funding to keep Dr. Who programming on the air – we brought the volunteer group Star Fleet Command in to answer phones decked out in their Star Trek attire, transformed the studio with spaceships and stars to set the scene, and quickly raised enough to cover the cost of the programming. Those moments have really made my career worth it.  

Why is public media so important, and what are you most excited about with CDP’s technology? How are we collaborating for the common good? 

Public media plays a crucial role in fostering diversity of storytelling and addressing local community issues. Because we’re able to have a variety of fundraising sources, we tackle issues that impact our local community without any political bias.  MPT has tackled topics like policing in Maryland, racism, problem gambling and the opioid epidemic. But we’ve also covered more positive stories like local documentaries to tell the stories of Maryland’s historical and iconic figures like Harriet Tubman and Frederick Douglass.  

Collaborating with CDP has enabled us to leverage innovative technologies for direct engagement with our audience and donors to help bring us into the 21st century. Additionally, our partnership with CDP helps my resources go further. Instead of spending hours researching the right ways to bolster our programs, I can talk directly to my project manager about what we’re trying to accomplish, and they always have a solution. Being a part of the CDP co-op and having a group of stations to bounce things off of has helped my Development team to revise and refine our member benefits and venture into the world of canvassing. 

How has CDP's emphasis on technology and innovation benefited your station? 

CDP's focus on technology and innovation has empowered our station to stay relevant in a changing media landscape. By adopting new communication channels and workflows facilitated by CDP, such as email, paid social media searches, texting for donations, personalized video messages, and data analytics tools like Tableau and RevCRM, we've enhanced donor engagement and fundraising efforts. The support provided by CDP project managers has been invaluable in keeping our team on track and enabling us to pursue larger initiatives. 

I swear by my Tableau reports each month, and love that I have real-time visibility into our performance to instantly see statistics like our donor retention, member and sustainer counts, fundraising levels, but also what shows my donors are viewing on MPT Passport and what’s getting people engaged. We couldn’t have done all of this on our own, and working with CDP helped change how we think about member engagement. It freed us up so we’re no longer in the trenches handling direct mail or email sends, but instead can think bigger about how to be innovative.  

How can public TV/radio stations adapt to changes in listening and viewing habits to thrive? 

In today’s world, public TV/radio stations must embrace new technologies and engage with audiences across various platforms. For us, this includes promoting the PBS App and Passport for on-demand/streaming, leveraging social media and paid Google searches for audience engagement, and organizing unique events tied to programming themes to attract diverse audiences. Additionally, forming partnerships with other organizations and offering innovative membership benefits, such as family memberships and educational programs, can help broaden community engagement and support. 

Being part of CDP’s Member Services Bureau also means I can learn from 40 other stations on how they’re staying ahead. I’m not only receiving the backing and support from CDP, but also have a community of my peers to learn from. In the end, this all helps us identify what is going to work best to communicate and engage our donors and viewers.  

What initiatives are you focused on for 2024 to engage the greater Maryland community? 

In 2024, we're focusing on initiatives to engage the greater Maryland community and help educate them based on the world we live in today. This includes regular educational programing where we work directly with teachers, students, and parents, and we’re also working to launch the Maryland Center for Media Literacy and Education to address media literacy issues among young people and seniors.  

We’re looking forward to growing our membership with canvassing.  We're also enhancing our membership benefits to appeal to families and partnering with arts and cultural organizations for community events and programming. Additionally, we're collaborating with the Maryland Center for History and Culture and the Maryland Genealogical Society for dedicated virtual workshops, screenings and specials, further connecting our members with their heritage and our community's history. We’re activating our programming in new ways, so if we’re running a special on lighthouses across Maryland, we’ve also organized a day long bus trips for our community to go and visit those highlights. These programs have been incredibly popular, so we’re excited to expand on these “experiences” this year.  

Thank you, Linda, for sharing your work with us, and some of the ways Maryland Public Television is staying ahead of the changes in public media. To learn more about our member services bureau, please visit www.cdpcommunity.org/msb.  

Note: Our hearts go out to our friends at Maryland Public Television and the Baltimore community who have been impacted by the devastating Key Bridge collapse. We are truly inspired by their dedication and determination as they strive to recover, and we extend our deepest sympathies to all who have been affected by this tragic event.