At the annual meeting of WQED Multimedia's board of directors Thursday night, the board passed a $25,000 above break-even budget for its next fiscal year (October 2007-September 2008). Its current fiscal year ended yesterday and the company was projecting a $37,000 surplus. Through Aug. 31, 2007, WQED had a $50,730 surplus for its operating unrestricted activities.

WQED, which was mired in financial turmoil a decade ago, is in a stronger position today. Its long-time debt to PBS for past programming fees is expected to be paid off sometime in 2008, making WQED current with its PBS dues for the first time in many, many years.

Much of the 90-minute meeting was spent on reflecting back on the year that was and ahead to the year to come. In 2007, PBS re-branded itself and launched a new image campaign using the slogan "WQED changes lives." The cost of re-branding, including a new logo, TV and Web spots, new stationery and business cards, was approximately $60,000. Station manager Deborah Acklin said much of the work was done in-house and other parts of the re-design were done at a deep discount or gratis by Pittsburghers or former Pittsburghers friendly to WQED.

Acklin said ratings for WQED are up year-to-year while most other PBS stations have seen ratings declines. Program director Chris Fennimore said he first began to notice rising ratings for WQED-TV early in 2007.

"I can't say that our overall audience is 30 to 40 percent higher than last year but that has certainly been true on many weeks," Fennimore said in a follow-up e-mail. "... But with some weeks in prime time registering as much as a 60 percent increase over the same week in the prior year, it is more than a fluke. Our numbers for 'Antiques Roadshow' have been most notable, ranging from 4.1 to over 6.0. Almost every week, WQED's airing of 'ARS' is one of the Top 10-rated programs on public television nationwide. Our second most popular night is Saturday with a strong showing for 'Lawrence Welk' and the British comedies."

Just last week WQED was the No. 6 PBS station nationwide for ratings of Ken Burns' "The War" on its premiere night. Local veterans have posted their memories of World War II at WQED.org. Those memories will be culled together for a companion book to the PBS series that will be sold in local bookstores beginning in November.

In her remarks, Acklin also noted the work of the station's Education department, which promotes literacy through programs for elementary school children.

Goals for 2008 include recognizing the 40th anniversary of the launch of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" nationally, absorbing a 7 percent PBS dues increase and completing the conversion of Studios B and C and a second control room to high definition, a $1.6 million proposition that WQED already has the funding to complete.

Programs for 2008 include "Tuskegee Airmen" in February and the state-wide show "Cruisin Pa." in the spring. WQED has reached an agreement with PBS's "American Masters" to co-produce a documentary about playwright and Pittsburgh native August Wilson, though it likely won't wait until the 2009-10 TV season. An hour-long documentary on author and environmentalist Peter Matthiessen will likely air in 2008.

The board also welcomed six new members: Lidia Bastianich (owner of Lidia's in the strip and host of PBS's "Lidia's Italy," presented by Philadelphia station WHYY), Ted Bovard (principal, Fort Pitt Capital), Michael A. Bryson (executive vice president, Th Bank of New York Mellon), Debra Caplan (senior vice president, Allegheny General Hospital), Eric K. Mann (president and CEO, YMCA of Greater Pittsburgh) and Lara Washington Thomas (president, Allegheny Housing Rehabilitation Corporation). James E. Abraham remains as chair of the board and Richard L. Stover is vice chair.

After several years absent, a community member who opposes the sale of sister-station WQEX, Channel 16 (currently being rented to Shop NBC), attended the meeting and read a statement to the board. Glenn Walsh of Mt. Lebanon said Channel 16 is a "publicly-chartered and funded charity ... that should not be used indefinitely as a cash cow simply to fund other public assets." He suggested that WQEX should become an educational/commercial hybrid channel. He disputed the notion of WQED president George Miles that Pittsburgh does not need eight public/educational digital channels -- four on WQED, four on WQEX -- saying that he does not believe the conversion from analog to digital television will take place, as scheduled, in February 2009.