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In late March, the U. S. House of
Representatives and Senate passed an
omnibus FY 18 spending bill that was
signed by the President, which includes
full funding of $445 million for the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),
the entity through which federal funds
flow to public broadcasting. While this is
welcome news, the Federal FY 19 budget
development process is already underway,
so work continues.
Federal support of public media — primarily
PBS and NPR and their respective member
stations — represents a wonderful public-
private partnership. Most of the funding
CPB receives from Congress is distributed
directly to local public television and radio
stations, where it provides critical seed
money and is leveraged six-to-seven
times over.
The implications of the loss of this funding
are many. Independent studies confirm
there is no replacement for Federal
funding. If Federal funding for public
media is eliminated, local stations could be
forced to cut valued programs and services
to their communities. As a result, some
stations might not survive, particularly
smaller stations and those in rural areas
where public broadcasting is usually
the only source of local media. Finally,
low income families with preschool-age
kids could lose their children’s best, and
perhaps only, source of educational media.
We at PBS, along with citizens from
communities across the United States
representing their local public media
outlets, continue to educate members of
Congress about the impact that PBS and
its local stations are making in their states
and districts, emphasizing the value the
public places upon them, and to otherwise
“make the case” for the continuation of
Federal funding.
To learn what you can do, please visit
ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. To share why
you value PBS and to learn why others do,
visit PBS.org/Value.
As always, you can feel free to reach out to
us with questions or comments.
Please know that your friendship and
support are most appreciated. Thank you.
Brian Reddington
Executive DirectorPBS Foundation
PRAISE FOR PBS PROGRAMSCongratulations are in order for the PBS winners of the 77th Annual Peabody Awards for the best in electronic media. PBS programs received 6 awards including AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Oklahoma City” and POV “Last Men in Aleppo.” In addition, ten of the 60 programs nominated by the Peabody board of jurors were PBS presentations. The 2017 Peabody Awards were presented on May 19, 2018, in New York City, at a ceremony hosted by Hasan Minhaj.
In other news, PBS is proud to announce the final ratings for Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s The Vietnam War, the epic documentary that premiered in September 2017 on PBS stations nationwide. The 10-episode series was seen by a total of 39 million viewers, and was streamed 10 million times between September and December — the most ever for a Burns/Novick film. Notably, 2 million of those streams were viewed in the country of Vietnam.
Additionally, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has listed the nominees for its 45th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards. PBS has received 23 nominations, including multiple nominations for Odd Squad (eight) and A Chef’s Life (three).
PBS congratulates all of our nominated and award-winning programs and producers!
A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR
CONTRIBUTORSpring 2018 • Volume 8 • Issue 1
Photo Credits: GREAT PERFORMANCES: SHE LOVES ME!, Courtesy of Joan Marcus, 2016; TEACHER AND STUDENTS, courtesy of PBS; DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD © 2018 The Fred Rogers Company.
Courtesy of Providence Pictures
It’s time to brush up on your P’s and Q’s…
to say nothing of the 24 other letters out of
which all English-language words are made.
Why? Because The Great American Read is
about to begin!
Hosted by Meredith Vieira, The Great
American Read premiered with a special
program on Tuesday, May 22 at 8/7c on
PBS stations around the country. The
eight-part television and online series
has been designed to spark a national
conversation about reading and the books
that have inspired, moved, and shaped us.
The Great American Read will be built
around a list of 100 fictional titles treating
a variety of themes such as love, heroes,
villains, and other worlds. The list, released
on April 20, includes a number of widely
recognized classics — among them Pride
and Prejudice, Their Eyes Were Watching
God, and Don Quixote — as well as a diverse
array of recent works — such as The
Hunger Games series, The Brief Wondrous
Life of Oscar Wao, and Beloved — that
look at some of these themes from a
contemporary vantage.
Audiences will be encouraged to read
books from the list over the summer, vote
on their favorites, and share their personal
connections to the titles. Voting will remain
open through the fall, when seven new
episodes of the series will air as the quest
to find America’s most beloved book
gets into high gear. The fall episodes will
feature appearances by noted celebrities,
entertainers and athletes, authors, and
a sampling of everyday Americans — all
of whom will be advocating for their
favorite book.
The goal of The Great American Read is
to bring people together — individuals,
families, communities, the whole nation —
around the idea that reading is more than
just a pastime… that the situations and
people we encounter in books can open our
hearts and minds to others, expose us to
new ideas and new ways of thinking, and
leave us with a new awareness of the world
around us. In short, The Great American
Read will celebrate the transformative
power of great writing.
The Great American Read is made possible
by the Anne Ray Foundation and public
television viewers.
THE GREAT AMERICAN READ
THE PBS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS
The PBS Foundation was established in 2004 to secure extraordinary gifts to support the work of PBS at the national level and to benefit and enhance the system as a whole. The Foundation is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors committed to ensuring the stability and vitality of public media.
Donald A. Baer Washington, D.C.
Fred Berens — Vice ChairMiami, FL
Afsaneh BeschlossWashington, D.C.
Mary G.F. Bitterman — ChairSan Francisco, CA
John S. DomaschkoCovington, KY
Bill Imada Los Angeles, CA
Susan JacobsonPhiladelphia, PA
Paula A. KergerArlington, VA
Susan MarcusAustin, TX
Jonathan S. RaclinSea Island, GA
Lisa ShumateHouston, TX
Laurie SilversBoca Raton, FL
David WeaverBoston, MA
We encourage those who share our passion to join in our work by supporting or continuing to support PBS through the PBS Foundation. Your tax-deductible contribution will help PBS to continue creating content that educates, informs and inspires all Americans now and for generations to come. To learn more about the ways you can help PBS, including gifts of stock, bequests, trusts, and other forms of giving, please contact Brian Reddington, Executive Director at:
PBS Foundation
2100 Crystal Drive
Arlington, VA 22202
Phone: 703.739.5051
Federal Tax ID #: 20-1476451
Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) #: 47620
Email: [email protected]
Website: pbs.org/foundation
MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY SUPPORTING PBS
You are receiving this newsletter because you have been identified as a friend of PBS and the PBS Foundation. If you do not wish to receive future mailings, email [email protected], and we will remove your name from our list. Thank you.
WE INVITE YOU TO STAY IN TOUCHWhether you prefer to tweet, like, or follow, we hope you will stay in touch via your favorite social media outlets:
facebook.com/pbs youtube.com/pbs twitter.com/pbs instagram.com/pbs
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Courtesy of Stephanie Berger
A GRAND TRADITION: NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY AND A CAPITOL FOURTH CONCERTS
Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 8/7c marks the
29th annual broadcast of the National
Memorial Day Concert, bringing us
together as one family of Americans to
honor the service and sacrifice of our men
and women in uniform, military families,
and all those who have given their lives for
this country.
This year’s Memorial Day concert will
feature acclaimed hosts Joe Mantegna
and Gary Sinise and an all-star lineup of
entertainers and musicians, along with
top pops conductor Jack Everly and the
National Symphony Orchestra. The tribute
airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S.
Capitol before an audience of hundreds of
thousands, reaching a broadcast audience
of millions on PBS and being carried to our
troops around the world via the American
Forces Network.
Then, on Independence Day, A Capitol
Fourth will once again honor our country’s
birthday with a splendid all-star salute, this
one hosted by John Stamos. Broadcast
live on PBS from the West Lawn of the
U.S. Capitol, the top-rated extravaganza
promises to be loaded with talent and to
end with a bang — as coverage from 20
cameras positioned around Washington,
D.C., ensures viewers a front-and-center
vantage point for the greatest display of
fireworks in the nation.
Helping all of us come together as one
family of Americans to celebrate our
freedom and independence, the concert
will feature a special tribute to our troops,
their families, and all those who have made
the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our
freedom. The 38th annual A Capitol Fourth
airs Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at 8/7c.
AMERICAN MASTERS PRESENTS BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY
Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr was known as the world’s most beautiful woman — Snow White and Cat Woman were both based on her iconic look. However, her arresting appearance and glamorous life stood for years in the way of her being given the credit she deserved as an insightful inventor whose pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communications.
In an effort to help defeat the Axis powers during World War II, Lamarr, an Austrian Jewish emigrant, teamed with the American composer George Antheil to devise a jam-proof radio control system for air-launched torpedoes. Although the idea was sound, Lamarr was told to sell kisses for war bonds instead. It was only toward the end of her life that tech pioneers realized that it was her “frequency-hopping” concept, patented under her name, which is now the basis for secure WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth technologies.
Produced by Reframed Pictures in association with American Masters, the new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story explores how Lamarr’s true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. To watch, check your local listings, stream on PBS.org/americanmasters, or find it on your favorite PBS apps.
Courtesy of Capital Concerts
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Courtesy of Everett Collection
Ongoing research into Native American oral histories has led to a bold new perspective on North and South America — that ancient people across these two continents may have been part of a single interconnected world. This fall on PBS, a new four-part series, Native America, promises to draw history and science together with living indigenous traditions, forever changing how we understand the original culture of our hemisphere.
Made with the active participation of Native American communities and filmed in some of the land’s most spectacular locations, Native America reveals an ancient and still thriving culture whose
splendor and ingenuity is only now beginning to be fully understood and appreciated.
Narrated by Robbie Robertson (Mohawk and member of the famed rock group The Band), each hour of Native America will explore one of the Great Nations and reveal cities, sacred stories, and history long hidden in plain sight.
Funding for Native America is provided by the Anne Ray Foundation and PBS.
NATIVE AMERICA CONNECTS ANCIENT CULTURE TO LIVING TRADITION
As spring blooms into summer, we hope you enjoyed the
premieres of Little Women and Civilizations, that you
got to know Dolores, and that you’re now on the journey
to discover America’s favorite book through The Great
American Read. Whatever you watch on PBS please know
that we gratefully acknowledge your support and your
continued loyalty to our signature primetime series.
That loyalty has inspired many members of our PBS
viewing family to include the PBS Foundation in their
estate plans. Such thoughtfulness ensures that PBS
will be able to continue bringing arts, drama, news,
documentaries, and educational programs to viewers
across America.
And now, supporting PBS may also provide you with an
income stream, if you invest in a Charitable Gift Annuity
or Charitable Remainder Trust funded with stocks, cash,
or real estate. We invite you to discuss your options with
your financial advisor, as you watch the programs you help
make possible!
INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF PBS
Courtesy of Providence Pictures
2100 Crystal DriveArlington, VA 22202www.pbs.org/foundation