close this window
PBS Chief to Put Arts Front and Center
Big Bird meets big bands: PBS President Paula Kerger is renewing the network’s commitment to arts programming and arts education.
Over the decades, the Public Broadcasting Service has distinguished itself as American television’s showcase of the arts. Culture-centric cable channels have come and gone, but PBS has “kept the flame alive,” in the words of Paula Kerger, the network’s president and chief executive officer.
But that flame has dimmed noticeably in recent years, as PBS’s cultural programming — which is expensive to produce and doesn’t necessarily draw the largest viewership — has gradually become marginalized. Arts programs can still be found on public television, but they aren’t as numerous as they once were, and — again to quote Kerger — they tend to be “strewn about” on station schedules.
That situation is set to change in a big way.
Speaking before Town Hall Los Angeles on Tuesday, Kerger recommitted PBS to arts programming, both on television and online. She described an ambitious arts initiative with three components:
• An online arts portal will be inaugurated on PBS.org in April.
• Plans are underway to shift the television schedule so one night of prime time programming per week will be devoted exclusively to the arts. Depending on the success of fundraising efforts, this will likely occur either this fall or next winter.
• New material is being developed for the PBS Teachers website to help instructors — especially those working in school districts where arts educators have been laid off — to incorporate the arts into the curriculum.
“We plan to significantly expand the presence of the arts in our prime time lineup,” Kerger told an audience of civic leaders and students. “This is critically important. Television remains the most popular form of mass media, even in the age of the Internet.
“To be candid, over the last years, we haven’t done as good a job (with cultural programming) as we could,” she said. “I think we can do more. We’re looking to increase the investment we’re making in the arts. The budget (for such programs) has been flat or slightly down. I want to ramp it up.”
Utilizing broadband video, the new online arts portal “will function as a 24-hour virtual performing arts venue,” she said.
“You’ll be able to drop in whenever you like and experience art of all kinds, including ballet, opera, theater and more.
“It’ll also be interactive, allowing you to interact with both established and emerging artists, as well as other arts enthusiasts around the world. You’ll be able to come to the showcase and create your own art, be it documentaries, virtual theater projects or something else.
“I want more arts programs, put in places where people can find them and archived online,” Kerger concluded. “If we can put those pieces together, it’ll have more impact and, hopefully, create an audience for more.”
Kerger, who became PBS’s sixth president and CEO in 2006, said she considers arts programming fundamental to the network’s central goal, “to help citizens of all ages to be more informed, more creative, more curious.”
“As federal and state support for the arts declines, I think it is up to PBS and its member stations to keep Americans connected to the arts,” she said. Referring to the Los Angeles Philharmonic’s charismatic new music director, she added: “If young Americans don’t learn about Debussy, Degas and Dudamel in the classroom, let’s make it possible for them to come to PBS and experience their work.”
Sign up for our free e-newsletter.
Are you on Facebook? Become our fan.
Follow us on Twitter.
word on the street
- Anonymous User
- Anonymous User
more in this section
Learning to Read When a School System Falters
Better Super Bowl Makes for Better Ads
Five Orcas, Five Slaves or Five Persons?
Overseas Troops Finally Get Fair Shot at Voting
Quake Rescues Reserve, Shakes Baja Fishing Town
Neglected Tropical Diseases Neglected No More?
Pirate Party Docks at Berlin’s Parliament
Children’s Books Increasingly Ignore Natural World
Conservation’s Earnest Message Could Use Levity
Traffic Solution: Make Drivers Less Lonely
also by this author
Tom JacobsStaff writer Tom Jacobs is a veteran journalist with more than 20 years experience at daily newspapers. He has served as a staff writer for The Lo...
Women Eye Dance Moves to Find Thrill SeekersHow to spot thrill-seeking men on the dance floor, “sweet” personalities in public, and bidding fever on eBay.
Morning People May Be More Creative in the AfternoonNew research finds problems that require a flash of illumination to solve are best approached during the time of day when you’re not at your peak.
Does Black History Need More Than a Month?The documentary “More Than a Month” asks: Does Black History Month still inspire reflection, or just Nike sales?
We’re Sorry: Not All Apologies Are ApologiesPoliticians take note: Research shows the fine line between claiming regret and taking responsibility.
Can a Bad Economy Save Your Marriage?Spouses who blame the economy for their woes, rather than pointing the finger at their partner, are more likely to be satisfied with their marriages.
Receive 1 year (6 issues) of our print magazine for just $14.95. Miller-McCune features polished, in-depth reports on research and solutions across the policy spectrum — from health care, education and energy to international affairs, poverty and the global economy. It's a must read for well-informed and solutions-driven individuals.
follow us on:
join our newsletter:
from the source
Various ways of assigning numbers to events, people, and actions is an ancient parlor game, but let’s not take it beyond that.
Researchers looking at how we fixate on threats uncover more evidence of a biological component to the red-blue divide.
Texas Republicans won Friday as the Supreme Court rejected a judicially drawn redistricting map, but not for the reasons you might think.
A report from The Sentencing Project argues that a primary driver for privatizing corrections isn’t really paying off.
The Research Works Act would prevent publicly funded research from automatically being available to the public for free. Private publishers back the bill, while open-access partisans are appalled.
