The speaker this week at the SanCap Rotary Club was Corey Lewis, the general manager of WGCU Public Media, a role he has held since May 2021. At WGCU, Corey is focused on growing the region’s NPR and PBS services to keep pace with the rapid expansion and increasing diversity of Southwest Florida. He believes deeply in the power of public media to bring people together by helping communities better understand themselves and the world around them. Under his leadership, WGCU has broadened its storytelling across news, arts and culture, science and technology, health and medicine, history, and drama—always to inform, enrich, and inspiring its audiences.
WGCU is now completing its first strategic five-year plan aimed at significantly expanding locally originated content. That work began with strengthening the local radio newsroom and has since grown across television and digital platforms, establishing reporting beats focused on the environment, investigative and government accountability journalism, arts and culture, health, the economy, social issues, and documentary production. During this same four-year period, WGCU has doubled both its financial resources and its staff, thanks entirely to the extraordinary generosity of this community. At the same time, the station now faces a new reality as it moves forward without government funding—making community support more important than ever.
As WGCU enters its next five-year strategic plan this winter, the station will transform its weekly TV news program, Southwest Florida In Focus, into a daily, multiplatform initiative. Powered by the expanded newsroom, the program will deliver the context, depth, and long-form journalism audiences expect from public media—across radio, television, and digital platforms—advancing WGCU’s mission to serve and reflect the people of Southwest Florida.
If you would like to learn more about Sanibel Captiva Rotary or to become a member, please visit www.sanibelrotary.org.
