PBS and Member Stations to Launch PBS LearningMedia

PBS Annual Meeting, Orlando, Fla, May 17, 2011 – New Digital Education Service to Help Increase Student Achievement

As America’s largest classroom, PBS and WGBH along with other PBS member stations announced plans today to launch PBS LearningMedia, a new public media education platform available to every teacher and student across the country in time for the 2011-2012 school year. Bringing together the best available high-quality media from 1500 public media producers and more than 350 local PBS stations, PBS LearningMedia is a next-generation digital media platform for PreK-16 classrooms to help re-imagine classroom learning, transform teaching, and more creatively engage students.

PBS stations are the number one source of educational media for students and teachers, at home and in schools, from coast to coast. Distributed by PBS member stations in every school district, the new digital media platform will deliver classroom-ready, high-quality content tied to curriculum standards, professional development courses, a robust content delivery system, and a flexible infrastructure designed for customization and seamless integration into existing services.

 “It takes commitment from the entire nation to help build the classroom of tomorrow, and our member stations stand at the ready to partner in every community,” said Paula Kerger, PBS president and CEO. “Digital media content – so pervasive in the lives of children – has the potential to dramatically change the way students learn and participate in a global society.”

Over 60% of K-12 teachers frequently use digital media in the classroom and are increasing their reliance on free resources due to school budget cuts.[1] “Public television stations are assisting teachers with free access to carefully produced high-quality content,” added Jon Abbott, president and CEO of WGBH, Boston. “We are maximizing the capacity of broadband technology to deliver a cost-effective education service for school districts and states that will increase student achievement.”

PBS LearningMedia will be available in two tiers from local PBS member stations: a free version available to every teacher and a premium service developed and distributed in partnership with state education departments or local school districts. Premium service options will include additional features such as bulk registrations, detailed analytics, integration with assessments, and credit-bearing professional development courses that will enhance the free content.

Including content from over fifty-five member stations, independent producers and public institution partners, the first phase of development for the new education platform will combine existing infrastructure models from the PBS Digital Learning Library with local services from WGBH’s Teachers’ Domain and its partners, WNET/New York and Kentucky Educational Television (KET).

ABOUT PBS

PBS, with its nearly 360 member stations, offers all Americans — from every walk of life — the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and online content. Each month, PBS reaches 124 million people through television and 20 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS’ broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry’s most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. PBS’ premier children’s TV programming and its website, pbskids.org, are parents’ and teachers’ most trusted partners in inspiring and nurturing curiosity and love of learning in children. More information about PBS is available at pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the Internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBSPressroom on Twitter.

About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBH 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local WGBH TV productions that focus on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and María Hinojosa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR® Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at www.wgbh.org.

Contacts: 
Stephanie Aaronson
PBS
703-739-5074
saaronson@pbs.org 

Jeanne Hopkins
WGBH
617-300-4363
Jeanne_hopkins@wgbh.org