Innovative fund-raising ideas and creative advertising helped KUAT Channel 6 earn local and national awards this fall.

The Public Broadcasting Service awarded KUAT an "Innovation Award" at its national conference in September.

The station received the award because of its "innovative efforts in donor development," said Jon Abbott, senior vice president for PBS development. He said there were about 50 submissions and four awards given away at the conference this year.

KUAT locally produces a series called "The Desert Speaks," which focuses on "soft-science" issues such as plants, animals, geology and people, said Michael Serres, creative services manager at KUAT.

The program airs locally and is also carried by about 100 other PBS stations, he said.

The production crew of "The Desert Speaks" needed $28,000 in order to charter a 91-foot fishing boat to produce a program on the grey whales and the desert islands off the Pacific Baja Coast.

To fund the eight-day expedition and two-part documentary, the show invited guests, Serres said.

Paul Kelly, manager of major gifts and corporate support, said KUAT worked with the University of Arizona Alumni Association to invite station donors on the expedition. He said 16 people paid $2,350 to participate in the expedition, which included three d ays in the San Ignacio Lagoon and the touring of four different islands.

In the lagoon, participants were able to touch the grey whales that came up to the boat, Kelly said.

"The expedition was an educational vacation," Serres said. "Guests were able to vacation, learn about marine life and ecology and see the making of a TV series. It's a win, win, win situation."

Because private contributions make up 40 percent of KUAT's funding, Kelly said it was important for the donors to see where their money goes.

"Donors actually saw their money put to good use and they got a lot out of the trip," he said. "Some people write the check, send it away and never see where their money goes."

Yar Petryszyn, assistant curator of the mammal collection in the department of Ecology and Evo-lutionary Biology, was the expedition leader on the Baja trip.

Although Petryszyn's first Baja expedition was over 14 years ago, he said he always jumps at the chance of another expedition.

"The interaction between humans and the gray whales is phenomenal," he said.

Petryszyn led the guests and viewers on island shore walks and educated them about gray whales.

"The Desert Speaks" Baja expedition program aired in late April and early May of this year.

KUAT also received a local bronze "Addy" award from the Tucson Advertising Club for a commercial advertising the broadcast of a local documentary.

"When the Dust Settles, Rodeo Photographer Louise Serpa" profiled the life and career of the rodeo photographer, Serres said.

The documentary was produced independently and aired on May 5. The commercial could be seen two to four weeks before then, he said.

Arlethea Goden, the club's account manager, said the club had about 500 entries from different Tucson businesses.

She said judges from different states flew in to view the entries and narrow down the winners, which were announced on Oct. 12.

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