Did you know that there are over 1,300 public radio and television stations across the United States? Collectively, local public radio and television stations reach more than 98% of the U.S. population. Each week, more than 170 million Americans tune into public media to enjoy free noncommercial programming that informs public life, educates our children and enriches our culture.
With so many stations and the fast paced media environment, it is nearly impossible to keep up with all of the fascinating content coming from public television and radio stations across the country.
So we have scoured public television and radio programming from last week to bring you the best in entertainment, news and culture. Here were some of our favorite stories in public media that you may have missed:
- Happy 40th Anniversary to A Prairie Home Companion! After four decades, Garrison Keillor and company continue to bring us the weekly radio drama from the fictional town of Lake Woebegon where “their women are strong, all the men are good looking and all the children are above average.” Public radio listeners and public officials in Minnesota celebrated the program’s monumental achievement by sharing photos of their own Lake Woebegons.
- Hats off to PBS for racking up 34 Emmy nominations! We found out that The Television Academy are ALSO fans of American Masters, Pioneers of Television, The American Experience, Antiques Roadshow, Downton Abbey and Sherlock.
- Have you ever wanted to be on air like your favorite radio hosts? Register for KCRW’s Radio Race and put your storytelling skills to the test. The 24-hour contest gives participants from all experience levels one day to write, edit and record a non-fiction radio story centered on a specific theme. Each year the results are amazing. Just a piece of advice – before you enter you may want to use the NPR name generator to join the ranks.
- Public radio favorite WHYY’s Terry Gross interviewed Chaz Ebert, the widow of the famed movie critic Roger Ebert and the filmmaker of the recently released documentary that chronicles his Life Itself.
- Your favorite duo from the Car Talk blog breaks down the greatest classic car radio songs. These picks are sure to get you through your next road trip or vacation.
- NOVA never fails to integrate science and the arts in a new, interesting way as seen in this video, where the program commissioned art reconstructivists to copy a painting by Vincent Van Gogh and challenged university computer teams to spot the fake.
- The PBS Online Film Festival continues through July 31st featuring 25 independent shorts from filmmakers around the country. This year’s selections feature several locally produced shorts from PBS member stations.
- Marketplace host Kai Ryssdal takes you into the studio and behind the mic to understand how he prepares for an interview with the President.
Did we miss anything? We would love to hear from you. Be sure to engage with us on Facebook, Twitter or submit a testimonial to tell us what you enjoyed about public media programming this week! For more information about the future of your favorite public media programs be sure to sign up for email updates from Protect My Public Media.
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