A Friend Returns to PBS Hawaii

a Friend Returns to PBS Hawaii JANUARY 2009 Leslie Wilcox,that can President change lives. & CEO of the underserved, in addition as a storyteller, a teacher, a Aloha Kakou to those in power. travel guide, an explorer. We’re a theater, a library, a museum, Yes, the New Year brings many a town hall. PBS Hawaii is making good By mid-year, we’ll expand our challenges to us as a non- onHau’oli our #1 Makahiki New Year’s Hou! website,New Year’s www.pbshawaii.org, Resolution #2? to profit organization--including resolution. Happy New Year! reach farther and deeper. We the economic downturn, this want to make more content month’s digital transition, the We’re adding to, not subtract- available to you online. And we ongoing struggle to attract ToPBS assure Hawaii’s you #3 that New your Year’s gift ing from, education. Thanks in want to make it easier for you viewers/users who now have toresolution? PBS Hawaii is a gift to the large part to viewer contribu- to interact with us, helping to hundreds of channels and un- entire community and to thank tions, we’re strengthening our shape our content and direct limited websites to select from. you for making things hap- learning-based programming our path. Our website screen pen as part of the PBS Hawaii at a time when Hawaii’s school will be as important as our tele- I pick my battles. And I feel ‘ohana . institutions are experiencing vision screen. great about choosing this funding cuts. We’re champion- battle. Best wishes to you and yours ing lifelong learning, music and The “public” in PBS Hawaii in 2009! the arts. stands for people, not govern- 2009 offers more opportu- ment funding. We’re proud to nities to do what only PBS Because of you, we’re deliv- operate in the fresh air of inde- Hawaii can do. We’re the only ering right into more than pendence, a rare locally owned public television station in Ha- 420,000 island homes the media presence. And we’re waii. With a very lean staff, this kind of rich, creative content pleased to present the voices nonprofit organization serves Mahalo, [email protected] WeWhat’s Invite YouYour to ShareFavorite Favorites PBS with Hawaii the PBS Program? Hawaii Community “I have always loved “ the story of a life, especially when it “My favorite automatic response to his arrival would involves great tal- PBS program is be to get up and change the channel ent. Where does Frontline (“The to PBS, now PBS Hawaii. Together we greatness come Jesus Factor” listened closely to every guest, and from and how does a b s o l u t e l y from time to time, we would comment it affect us all? In rocked my to each other about the issues raised American Masters, world when I in that night’s program. Sometimes I some of those questions are asked and an- first saw it, and dozed off. He never did. As The NewsHour swered. Whether it’s Ahmet Ertegun’s amaz- not in a good progressed we would notice the smells ing ability to find and nurture musical talent, way), but in truth my fondest television emanating from the kitchen as my sis- Andy Warhol’s unlikely rise from obscurity memories revolve around The NewsHour, ter prepared dinner. After McNeil or to become a giant of the art world, or even which, when I first started watching it Lehrer delivered the news recap, we Marvin Gaye’s sad demise, American Masters thirty years ago, was called The Mc- would both get up and join the rest of has to be my favorite PBS Hawaii show.” Neil/Lehrer NewsHour. Nobody, and I the family at the table, where the is- mean nobody was a more devout view- sues raised in the last hour would be Paul Hosch er of The McNeil/Lehrer NewsHour than discussed again. My father passed away my father, Dr. Fred Reppun. I doubt he in the mid 90s, but The NewsHour with ever missed a program. Every night at Jim Lehrer is still my world from 6:30 to 6:25pm sharp, he would emerge from 7:30pm.” Artist his den and gently lower himself into that old and comfy chair sitting in the Josh Reppun corner of our TV room. If I was watch- Teacher, ing local TV before he came in the La Pietra, Hawaii School for Girls Sesame Street The Electric Company PBS KIDS GO! Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit educational organization behind , announced plans to ‘turn on the power’ to itsThe classic Electric children’s Company series, , with production underway for the new show on the streets of New York City and a Newark, New Jersey soundstage. Targeting kids ages six to nine, and with funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and the Department of Education, today’s carries the same goal of the original series, combating the literacy crisis facing America’s second graders, but is re-energized to recognize the media-driven generation of today. Returns to PBS Hawaii “Hey The Electric Company you guys!!!!” will return to PBS Hawaii with a special 2-hour premiere on Monday, Jan. 19 at 3pm. S Then tune in every Monday afternoon at 4:30pm ure to spark a current 2009 on PBS KIDS GO!, the beginningThe Electric CompanyJan. 26. of learning, the new on-air and online destination version of The Electric designed entirely for early Company is a multi-media literacy elementary school kids. The campaign charged with reducing show will be supplemented the literacy gap between low and with a richly interactive online middle income families and ad- environment at pbskidsgo.org reading is vancing the idea that ‘reading is and community-based out- cool.’ Weekly episodes are slat- reach activities taking place in ed to debut nationally in January 20 cities across the country. cool Through their programming, of Education and Research for think that reading isn’t cool or Sesame Workshop has always Sesame Workshop. “We know isn’t useful, and we hope to do been committed to putting that if struggling readers don’t that by creating compelling and young children on a positive get the literacy help they need high-quality television, web and trajectory for learning. Ac- by the end of second grade, outreach materials.” cording to the National Cen- they are in danger of never ter for Education Statistics, catching up. Children in low- Through the talented produc- literacy still remains a criti- income families are particularly tion, writing and musical staff, cal educational need. First at risk, because they generally The Electric Company is brought graders who cannot read at start school with a significantly to life with a narrative story-line, grade level have only a 1 in 10 lower vocabulary than those in music videos, sketch comedy, chance of becoming proficient middle or high income families. animation and short films. In a readers. And without a strong vocabu- process that started over two lary, it becomes increasingly years ago, Executive Producer “The literacy crisis today is as harder to read school materials Karen Fowler, envisioned a multi- pervasive and alarming as it was and succeed academically. So, media and outreach project and in 1971 when we created the first our goal with The Electric Com- has brought an abundance of version of The Electric Company,” pany is to reach the kids who talent to create an appealing stated Scott Cameron, Director are struggling, and who might fresh program. A Job Well Done J TERRENCEust walking through QUINSAATthe PBS Hawaii offices, you might hear someone ask, “Is Terrence around?” That question would often be answered with: “…..he’s at the library in Wahiawa and then he’s going to……” or “Terrence is on Kauai today at a workshop” or “He’s unpack- ing a shipment of books…..” The PBS Hawaii program Ready-To-Learn was launched six years ago, and for the past 5 years Terrence Quinsaat has been a one-man RTL traveling workshop. While assuming that responsibility, he’s also made a big contri- bution as a member of our award-winnning PBS Hawaii production team. Terrence is one of those people who can multi-task — successfully. Leslie Wilcox, PBS Hawaii President and CEO credits Terrence with taking initiative and responsibility. “He had one foot in statewide community outreach and the other foot in television production — and he walked this challenging path with grace, energy and good humor. He made special efforts to reach small schools in remote locations that were often overlooked by vis- Foriting speakers. the past 5 years, Terrence Quinsaat has been a one-man RTL traveling workshop. Throughout his five years organizing Ready-To- Learn workshops, he worked continuously to update and improve his pre- sentations. He availed himself of conferences that shared the latest findings on how children learn and where to access new resources. He found this work to be inspiring, and he inspired others,” said Wilcox. Since 2003 young children, parents and teachers throughout Hawaii attended 335 workshops, led by Terrence, focused on this comprehensive literacy learning program targeting pre- school to second graders. We asked Terrence in the years to come what he would remember most about his Ready-To- Learn experience. “PBS Hawaii’s Ready-To-Learn service made an impact going beyond the television screen by visiting our communities statewide. The RTL service comforts me knowing that parents/caregivers (attendees) can trust our programs that encourage parents to use TV wisely and use our programs that teach.

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