Audience & Subscriber Personalization

Building Detroit PBS's first enterprise audience personalization strategy by integrating first-party audience data, CRM insights, and marketing automation to drive membership growth, strengthen retention, and build long-term audience loyalty.

As audience expectations continue to evolve, public media organizations must move beyond one-size-fits-all communications and create experiences that are personalized, relevant, and data informed.

Detroit PBS is implementing a long-term Audience & Subscriber Personalization strategy that connects first-party audience data, CRM insights, and marketing automation into a unified audience engagement ecosystem. Rather than communicating with every audience member the same way, the strategy uses audience behavior and engagement to deliver content that is tailored to individual interests.

The first implementation focuses on transforming the station's flagship What to Watch newsletter into a personalized audience experience. By integrating VPPA-compliant PBS App and Passport viewing behavior, Detroit PBS's CRM, and the Iterable marketing platform, subscribers will receive programming recommendations aligned with the content they actually watch and enjoy.

As Vice President of Multiplatform Marketing, I am leading the strategy, organizational alignment, and implementation of this initiative. Scheduled to launch during the first quarter of FY27, it establishes the foundation for a scalable personalization framework that will expand across Detroit PBS's digital ecosystem over time.

The Opportunity

Detroit PBS reaches millions of people each month through broadcast television, streaming, mobile apps, websites, newsletters, podcasts, social media, and live events.

These audience interactions generate valuable first-party data, but historically those systems have operated independently, limiting the organization's ability to deliver personalized experiences.

The opportunity is to connect those systems into a unified audience engagement strategy that:

• Uses VPPA-compliant PBS App and Passport viewing behavior to better understand audience interests.

• Connects audience behavior with Detroit PBS's CRM and Iterable marketing platform.

• Delivers personalized programming recommendations rather than generic newsletter content.

• Creates stronger audience relationships before and after membership.

• Improves member retention through ongoing value and engagement.

• Supports sustainable membership growth through more relevant communications.

• Establishes the first implementation of Detroit PBS's broader Subscriber Model.

Executive Leadership

I am leading the strategic development and implementation of Detroit PBS's audience personalization initiative by:

• Developing the organization's enterprise Audience & Subscriber Personalization strategy.

• Creating the vision for integrating VPPA-compliant PBS App and Passport viewing data, CRM insights, and the Iterable marketing platform into a unified audience engagement ecosystem.

• Leading the redesign of the What to Watch newsletter as Detroit PBS's first implementation of behavior-based personalization.

• Establishing audience segmentation based on viewing behavior, engagement history, membership status, and content interests.

• Designing editorial workflows that support dynamic programming recommendations.

• Collaborating across marketing, membership, development, content, digital platforms, and technology teams to align organizational priorities.

• Establishing a framework for A/B testing, measurement, and continuous optimization.

• Defining key performance indicators that connect audience engagement with membership growth, retention, and loyalty.

• Helping build an audience-first culture grounded in data-informed decision-making.

Personalization Ecosystem

The initiative connects audience data, marketing technology, and editorial strategy into a single engagement framework

Audience Data	Audience Intelligence	Personalization Engine	Business Outcomes
PBS App/Passport Viewing Detroit PBS CRM Email Engagement Membership History	VPPA-Compliant Viewing Insights Audience Interests Engagement Behavior Membership Status Content Preferences	Iterable marketing automation Dynamic newsletter content Personalized programming recommendations Automated audience journeys Editorial optimization	Higher audience engagement Membership growth Stronger retention Increased audience loyalty

Current Status

The strategic, organizational, and technical foundation has been completed in preparation for launch.

Major accomplishments include:

• Enterprise personalization strategy.

• Cross-functional organizational alignment.

• CRM integration planning.

• Iterable workflow development.

• VPPA-compliant audience data strategy.

• PBS App and Passport data mapping.

• Audience segmentation framework.

• Subscriber interest taxonomy.

• Editorial workflow design.

• KPI and reporting framework.

• Testing and optimization strategy.

• Governance and implementation planning.

The first personalized edition of What to Watch is scheduled to launch during the first quarter of FY27 (September 2026) and will serve as Detroit PBS's first large-scale implementation of audience personalization.

Expected Impact

The initiative is designed to:

• Deliver more relevant programming recommendations using first-party audience behavior.

• Increase newsletter engagement through personalized content.

• Strengthen audience relationships through individualized communications.

• Improve member retention by delivering greater value between giving cycles.

• Support membership growth through deeper audience engagement.

• Build long-term audience loyalty through personalized experiences.

• Create a scalable personalization framework that can extend across additional digital platforms, products, and audience touchpoints.

Leadership Perspective

Audience personalization represents a fundamental shift in how public media organizations engage the communities they serve.

By integrating VPPA-compliant viewing data, CRM insights, and marketing automation, Detroit PBS is creating a connected audience engagement strategy that moves beyond mass communication toward individualized experiences.

Beginning with What to Watch, this initiative establishes the strategic and technical foundation for a scalable personalization framework that will strengthen audience relationships, improve member retention, build long-term loyalty, and support sustainable membership growth for years to come.