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2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE “I love public broadcasting…Channel 13. You bring the arts, history, life REPORT TO THE COMMUNITY and joy into my life and living room every day.” - Donna C. New Paltz, New York

Our Mission: Media with Impact!

LOCAL 2013 KEY LOCAL VALUE SERVICES IMPACT

WNET, the New York tri- For the second year, WNET programming state area’s flagship public WNET dedicated 7 hours reached 122 million media enterprise, provides of programming to a viewers monthly on-air public television, dedicated drop-out and on-line. Thirteen educational services and reduction initiative, reached 5.1 million community engagement “American Graduate Day.” cumulative viewers each through its stations The program highlighted month and WLIW21 and THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and 35 local and national NJTV reached 2.3 million NJTV. partners and reached each, monthly. nearly 1 million viewers. In 2013, WNET used a full 49,000 New York State range of television, on-line WNET aired special teachers are using and mobile tools to programming about the curriculum-ready VITAL provide access to an shootings in Newton, CT online resources to unmatched range of arts, and follow-up coverage of enhance their teaching. science, public affairs, Hurricane Sandy to further 1.4 million educators children’s and educational serve our local and use vital nationwide. content for local and national communities. national audiences.

2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT National Programming

In addition to airing a range of PBS and other public media programming, WNET stations, including THIRTEEN, WLIW21 and NJTV, produce such national series as , and NATURE. Following are highlights of 2013’s national programming:

American Masters • American Masters acquired Shane Salerno’s film Salinger in 2013, which was featured as the 200th episode of the series in January 2014. • Other well-received episodes of American Masters highlighted comedian Mel Brooks, composer Marvin Hamlisch, musician Sister Rosetta Tharpe, writer Philip Roth, musician Jimi Hendrix and athlete/activist Billie Jean King.

Great Performances • Great Performances celebrated its 40th anniversary with a gala celebration. The series also highlighted the work of Barbara Streisand, the Paul Taylor Dance Company, Andrea Bocelli, ’s Company and the Jacob’s Pillow Dance festival in episodes throughout the year. • Great Performances at the Met highlighted operas including Aida, Rigoletto, Otello and La Clemenza di Tito. Nature • Nature’s programming covered a wide range of species and ecosystems throughout the seasons, including Otters in Monterey, CA, the migration of Eels in the North Sea, White Stallions from Vienna and Deer from North America. • Nature’s Legendary White Stallions, which premiered on May 1, gained the highest ratings of the season. • Primatologist Jane Goodall wrote a letter publicly endorsing and urging viewers to watch Nature: Parrot Confidential. • Nature’s page now has nearly a quarter million fans. • A special presentation of Nature Earthflight took viewers to the air to experience the globe from a true bird’s-eye perspective. • WNET hosted a national OVEE interactive screening of Nature’s City of Bears episode. Viewers were joined by bear expert Chris Morgan, who provided behind-the-scenes commentary and answers to fan questions in real-time.

News & Public Affairs – National • Following the Newtown tragedy, the Need to Know team coordinated a primetime PBS Special, collaborating with the PBS NewsHour, Frontline, Week and NOVA. of the NewsHour anchored the broadcast. Need to Know also produced a special broadcast on February 22, as part of a coordinated week-long anthology of PBS programs • Hari Sreenivasan, and the PBS NewsHour Weekend team worked to launch the new series, which is taped in the Tisch WNET Studios at and will air on Fridays and Saturdays at 6 pm on THIRTEEN and 6:30 on WLIW21. • Moyers & Company will continue in January 2014 as a weekly half-hour program, airing Sundays at 6:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN and Thursdays at 7 p.m on WLIW21.

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Local Programs & Special Series &

Local Programs • Superstorm Sandy: A Live Town Hall originated atMonmouth University and the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center. NJToday’s Mike Schneider was the anchor. It ran as a live telecast on all three stations as well as on WHYY and NYC Radio. The program featured reports from the tri-state area with panelists comprised of government officials and infrastructure specialists on the Super storm Sandy aftermath and future planning. • Pioneers of THIRTEEN continued to explore THIRTEEN’s history through the ‘70s, 80s & 90s. • Several new Treasures of New York episodes premiered: American Museum of Natural History, hosted by Tom Brokaw, The New York Botanical Garden hosted by Sigourney Weaver, Four Freedoms Park and — just in time for the holidays — The New York Botanical Garden’s Holiday Train Show. • The Long Island Business Report is airing 16 shows between January and March. • NYC-Arts recently profiled the New-York Historical Society’s latest exhibition Audubon’s Aviary: Part I of the Complete Flock, with an interview with the New-York Historical Society president. • Metrofocus, the tri-state-area news magazine, began airing weekly in May. • The Real Mad Men and Women of Madison Avenue aired in June and took an up-close look at the creative giants who revolutionized American advertising in the 1960s. It was the most played WNET video for all of August. • The MMG Arts Initiative launched its second season in September. Five new member stations joined in Season Two, bringing the total number of stations to 33 to date. • MMG is exploring a new TECH content stream and has received funding to a pilot. The pilots will be shared with the Board in March, and if the program receives the green light, the new initiative will air next September.

Special Series • Shakespeare Uncovered premiered on January 25, to unanimously enthusiastic reviews. • Orchestra of Exiles premiered in April and generated highly enthusiastic and poignant viewer comments both on our website and on filmmaker Josh Aaronson's website. • George Clooney recorded the narration for JFK: One PM Central Standard Time, a special episode of , which chronicles minute-by-minute the assassination of President Kennedy and the unfolding events in the CBS newsroom. • The Documentaries & Development team filmed a trailer for a new proposed series, Irons on a Bike, hosted by actor . It will view 20th century U.S. social history through the prism of motorcycle history. • Production of a second season of Shakespeare Uncovered has begun and features , Laurence Fishburne, Kim Cattrall and Christopher Plummer. • Bob Cringely is developing three documentary projects with THIRTEEN. The first picks up where Triumph of the Nerds left off – presenting an irreverent and surprising journey through “Big Data.” • The next Henry Louis Gates series, the 10-part 2, has begun production for a Fall 2014 broadcast. • In mid-December, playwright Richard Nelson’s four-play Apple Family cycle was be taped at The Public Theater for inclusion in THIRTEEN’s new local theater initiative, NYC-ARTS Presents: Theater Close-Up.

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Community Engagement

• The THIRTEEN/WLIW Community Advisory Board (CAB), with new Chairman John Banta, is refocusing its efforts to reach into the community to increase engagement. • The CAB collaborated with the YWCA Bergen County and National Coalition of 100 Black Women Bergen/Passaic Chapter to host an event and panel discussion centered on the public television film Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. The event was taped and streamed online. • WNET was a participant in ’s Immigrant Heritage Week, and received special acknowledgement from Mayor Bloomberg at the week’s launch event. • In honor of National Volunteer Week, WNET saluted the value of volunteers at THIRTEEN and partner organizations. On-air spots featured an intro from Neal Shapiro and the CEOs/Executive Directors from: NYC Service, NYCares, Habitat for Humanity, ASPCA, New York Public Library, Literacy Partners, United Way, and City Harvest. • WNET partnered with The Girl Scouts and Girls Inc. to highlight the acclaimed public television program MAKERS: Women Who Make America. Marlo Thomas introduced film highlights at an event on May 9th and then joined a panel discussion with other distinguished women moderated by Juju Chang, ABC News correspondent. • WNET partnered with several key institutions throughout New York and New Jersey to generate participation in and promotion of the broadcast of Latino Americans of NY & NJ, a local production created to complement the national public television broadcast of The Latino Americans. Initiatives included widespread email blasts, a strong social media presence, a partnership event with New York Law School featuring Herman Badillo, and accolades from Mayor Bloomberg at NYC’s Hispanic Heritage Month celebration at Gracie Mansion. • Again this year, WNET was a media sponsor of Winter’s Eve at Lincoln Square, the city’s largest holiday festival. WNET welcomed nearly 900 guests to the open house in the Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln Center. Highlights included appearances by Curious George and Daniel Tiger along with tours of the studio, promotion of NewsHour Weekend, membership opportunities, and special musical performances by students from the Kaufman Center. • WNET again partnered with PBS and WGBH to host the premiere of Downton Abbey Season 4. Major donors and Facebook fans alike attended the event. • WNET launched the TV Gone Wrong campaign in June and July to raise awareness and differentiate WNET’s programming from the rest of . It received acclaim from , Forbes.com, Entertainment Weekly.com and was featured on the Today Show, CNN’s The Situation Room and CNN Headline News. The campaign was posted on YouTube and to date has received over two million views. The creative was developed through a pro bono arrangement with CHI & Partners. • WNET was a lead media sponsor of River To River for the second consecutive year. WNET expanded its participation in the event by including a private THIRTEEN Member reception with festival curator Laurie Anderson following her opening night performance and launching WNET’s landmark initiative, Latino Americans of NY & NJ, at the Pedrito Martinez concert.

“Because in a world that appears increasingly more chaotic and unstable, THIRTEEN provides a reassurance that there are possibilities for a better future…” — Pablo N, Brooklyn, NY 4 2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT

Children’s Media & Education

• Mission US is a series of free online role-playing games designed to immerse middle school students in U.S. history. A new Mission US game, Mission US: A Cheyenne Odyssey, launched on October 16 and received a 5-star rating (out of 5 stars) from Common Sense Media. The series was awarded the prestigious Japan prize for Educational Media. There are over 600,000 registered users, including over 30,000 teachers. The series has had over 1.3 million unique visitors and 14 million pageviews since launch. A follow-on national research study has shown measurable gains in students’ history and knowledge skills. • The Education Department has conducted professional development workshops that are focused on Mission US: A Cheyenne Odyssey. • Thomas and Friends has been added to the PBS National Production Schedule, making it part of the national PBS Children’s lineup nationwide. It was previously offered as a PBS Plus program, which reached a more limited audience. • The ninth season of Cyberchase, focusing on math and the environment, premiered on November 4. • The Cyberchase 3D Builder game was released on Android tablets, Kindle and NOOK. • Cyberchase Shape Quest, developed by WNET in 2013, launched in January 2014. A new augmented reality app for i-Pad, it focuses on geometry, spatial reasoning and problem solving for kids ages 6-9. It had over 200,000 downloads in 2 weeks and was the #1 Free iPad Kids App on iTunes for first week of launch. • Oh Noah! is a breakthrough language-learning video and gaming series aimed to motivate children to learn Spanish in context. There have been 15.6 million broadcast viewers (annual gross impressions) and more than 100 million mobile video streams, 19 million pageviews, and 1.2 million unique visitors since launch. • In advance of Thomas & Friends’ fall broadcast launch on the PBS National Program Service, a new Thomas & Friends PBS Parents website and a Thomas & Friends PBS Learning Media collection of lesson plans and activities for educators were launched.

Education

• The user base and content library of VITAL (Video in Teaching and Learning) continues to grow, with over 75,000 users registered in NYS (20,000 in NYC via THIRTEEN; 10,000 on Long Island via WLIW21), 5,000 in NJ via NJTV, and over 850,000 nationally through PBS LearningMedia. • VITAL’s $1.2 million NASA-funded project, Inspiring STEM Educators: The NASA Physics and Engineering Collection, culminated this summer with a summative evaluation report prepared by EDC Center for Children and Technology. • WNET’s Education Department produced the 2nd annual American Graduate Day in September 2013. The scope has been expanded to enhance national content, promotional support to stations, and community engagement. The program reached nearly 1 million viewers on over 100 stations across the country and featuring over 35 community partner organizations working to provide services and resources to help students graduate from high school.

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Education

• TED Talks Education, the first TED program for television, was filmed on April 4th and featured speakers such as Geoffrey Canada, Gill Bates, Rita Pierson, and John Legend. It aired on May 7th amid excellent local publicity. • A live audience of 800+ engaged educators representing diverse community interests attended the taping of TED Talks Education. WNET also implemented a pass-through grant to stations across the U.S. to fund activities ranging from community screenings and engagement events to youth media projects. • On June 30 Annie: It’s The Hard-Knock Life, From Script to Stage debuted nationally on PBS. The film reached 500,000 viewers in its initial broadcast, with over 30,000 additional plays on the PBS online video player. There have been more the 45,000 visitors to the educational companion website developed for the film. • The Education Department provided professional development to educators focused on the educational resources developed by WNET in support of It’s The Hard-Knock Life: From Script to Stage. Between 300-400 underserved New York City public school students were able to attend the musical this spring. • In support of Shakespeare Uncovered, WNET developed fifteen thematic professional development video collections addressing such topics as “Gender Roles in Shakespeare” and “Shakespeare and the Supernatural.” A CD-ROM was distributed to educators across the country. The department also partnered with 10 PBS stations to develop companion productions and interstitials to raise the profile of Shakespeare festivals across the country. • The groundbreaking Critical Conversations on School Leadership, a collection of online professional development videos aimed at school leaders, was added to VITAL and has been funded by the Wallace Foundation. • To better serve our New Jersey audience, VITAL is taking steps to include resources based on NJTV’s Classroom Close-up and State of the Arts. • In October, WNET provided professional development workshops in support of The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross for 1,500+ educators in 15 cities across the country. The team also created and distributed 25,000 posters to educators nationwide promoting the series and providing African American history resources. WNET also developed six standards-based lesson plans for the PBS website using segments from the program. • To extend public awareness, debate and community action around the issues showcased in TED Talks Education, WNET partnered with five PBS stations to create local “TED-type” events profiling innovative local educational programs and approaches. Each participating station also created a local TED Talks Education companion production. • WNET partnered with five PBS stations to create community events and accompanying promotional activities for The Hollow Crown. • In November, WNET partnered with the Brooklyn Children’s Museum to host a Thomas & Friends family night including hands-on activities and crafts for 750 people—record attendance.

“I love all the Annie stuff you have on your website!...My mom got mad because I wasted all the ink printing it.” — Chatting Cat on

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Interactive

• February marked the launch of the groundbreaking THIRTEEN Explore iPad App, offering the best of THIRTEEN’s library for streaming on the iPad. The app can be downloaded free from the iTunes App Store or at thirteen.org/mobile. It has been downloaded by 100,000 people. • The newly redesigned NJTVOnline.org launched on February 27 with a fresh look and feel, highlighting the wealth of video assets available online • WNET signed on as Beta partner on ITVS’ new social screening platform OVEE. Screenings already hosted include Downton Abbey (multiple), Nature and Frontline. • WNET launched a distribution partnership between Huffington Post and NYC-ARTS at that should significantly raise the profile of NYC-ARTS offerings. IEG launched new sites for national programs Shakespeare Uncovered and Pioneers of Television. • As part of a partnership with ITVS, WNET hosted interactive social screenings on the new OVEE platform for Market Warriors (Bob Richter—218 attendees) and NATURE (one with Mystery of the Eels’ filmmaker—128 attendees--and another with Hummingbirds: Magic in The Air’s filmmaker and an Audubon scientist—369 attendees, the most popular to date). • WNET launched a groundbreaking partnership with Tumblr, one of the most popular social networks. As part of Tumblr Month on REEL 13, Tumblr has promoted the REEL 13 Shorts contest leading up to and through May. • WNET launched new sites for the national programs TED Talks: Education and Orchestra of Exiles. The Orchestra of Exiles site offers additional historical information and an interactive timeline for the 90-minute documentary. IEG also launched a new site for Sacred, a crowd-sourced global documentary event. • WNET won a grant from PBS Digital to produce online, original content for the PBS project DIORAMA, a digital video and new media partnership between WNET and the American Museum of Natural History (AMNH) in New York, breaking down big ideas about science and natural history in • WNET undertook a complete technology and visual redesign of the PBS NewsHour website, which will also include content from and inspired by the new PBS NewsHour Weekend program. • In an effort to promote our Nature series, WNET launched a groundbreaking partnership with Buzzfeed, one of the most popular sites on the Web that combines a technology platform for detecting viral content with an editorial selection process to provide a snapshot of "the viral web in real-time." • WNET launched a major online initiative for Latino Americans of NY and NJ, a local companion documentary to the PBS series Latino Americans. The site provides a place where users can upload their personal stories in text, pictures and video, and it features a collection of these user-contributed pieces. • The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross online presence was launched in October with a particular emphasis on social media. The official hashtag for The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross was used in over 30,000 individual tweets — including tweets from the likes of Oprah and Martha Stewart — and even "trended" nationally during the Oct. 22 premiere. • The Brooklyn Best website was launched in support of the upcoming documentary. Several visitors have already submitted a number stories, videos and photos about their love for the borough of Kings for potential use in the program.

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Awards & Accolades

• APTS Awarded NJTV with a 2013 EDGE Award for its innovation in broadcast technology and partnerships. APTS CEO Patrick Butler called NJTV a “model for serving the information needs of local citizens with an unrivaled breadth and depth,” continuing that “this EDGE award is richly earned and we congratulate our colleagues at NJTV for a job well done.” • American Masters won a 2012 International Documentary Association Award for “Best Continuing Series.” • Nature: Fortress of the Bears was awarded a CINE Golden Eagle Award in the “Environment and Natural Science Category. • American Masters won the 2013 Producers Guild of America Award for “Outstanding Producer of Non-Fiction Television.” • THIRTEEN received the New York Emmys 2013 Governors’ Award. • For the 10th year in a row, PBS and member stations are ranked as the most trusted institutions in the country, among a consideration set that included courts of law, newspapers, the federal government, and more. PBS and member stations are ranked only second to military defense as an “excellent” use of tax dollars. • A NYC-Arts segment that became Treasures of New York: Art Underground won the New York Emmy for Arts Program/Special. • NJTV’s Best Places to Live won a New York Emmy in the category of Magazine Program. • Get the Math was nominated for a Daytime Emmy for Outstanding New Approaches – Original Daytime program or series. • Need to Know garnered several prestigious awards – the Sigma Delta Chi award and the Scripps Howard prize – for their “Crossing the Line at the Border” reporting and two National Headliner Awards: First Place for The Massachusetts Mandate in the “Best Broadcast or Cable Television Stations Health/Science Reporting” category and Second Place for Paradise Lost? in the “Broadcast or Cable Television Stations Environmental Reporting” category. • The Mission US interactive game “Flight to Freedom” and Oh Noah! won 2013 ON for Learning Awards from Common Sense Media. • Nature received five awards from the 2013 International Wildlife Film Festival. The winners were announced last Friday night at the 36th Annual IWFF awards ceremony. Siberian Tiger Quest, this season’s premiere program, garnered three of the five awards. • Long Island Business Report won a 2013 Folio award for best “Smart Growth Talk Show and/or Commentary” in the radio/television category. • American Masters: Inventing David Geffen was awarded a Silver Hugo at the International Film Festival Television Awards and “Best Arts & Performing Arts Programs” at the Banff World Media Festival in June. • Nature was nominated for six 2012 News & Documentary Emmy Nominations (An Original DUCKumentary, Ocean Giants, Siberian Tiger Quest) – Need to Know received three and Great Performances at the Met received one for Wagner’s Dream. • American Masters received three 2013 Primetime Emmy Nominations including Outstanding Documentary or Nonfiction Series, Outstanding Directing for Nonfiction Programming, and Outstanding Picture Editing for Nonfiction Programming. • Oh Noah!, the interactive web series introducing Spanish to children ages 6-8, has won its second Imagen Award for “Best Web ComedySeries.”

8 2013 LOCAL CONTENT AND SERVICE REPORT Awards & Accolades

• Cyberchase 3D Builder was one of five games nominated for a Webby Award in the Games – Tablet category, and Cyberchase Buzz & Delete Save the Day was named an honoree in the Games – Website category. Buzz & Delete Save the Day also won a Cynopsis Kids Imagination Award for Game Based on a Series. • Mission US was selected as a Webby Award Official Honoree in the Youth category. • MetroFocus and Long Island Business Report win Press Club of Long Island Media Awards in the “Video – Breaking News” and “Video – Business” categories, respectively. • At the New York State Broadcasts Association’s 47th Annual Awards for Excellence in Broadcasting, Metrofocus won an award for “Best Locally Produced TV Show for the team’s work on MetroFocus: Superstorm Sandy. • Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly was awarded two Clarion Awards from The Association for Women in Communications. None of the Above: The Rise of the Religiously Unaffiliated was recognized in the “Television Documentary Series – National” category and Caring for an Aging Parent was honored in the “Television Feature Story/Segment – Comprehensive or Ongoing – National” category. • WNET won four PromaxBDA Local Awards, which celebrate excellence, creativity and innovation in local television promotion, marketing and design. • NJTV’s Classroom Close-Up, Due Process and State of the Arts have been nominated for 2013 Mid-Atlantic . • WNET Won Cinema in Industry (CINDY) Awards for the “ANNIE: The Musical” educational initiative website, American Masters Johnny Carson: King of Late Night and American Masters Inventing David Geffen. • Nature: An Original DUCKumentary won a 2013 News & Documentary Emmy Award for “Outstanding Nature Programming.” PBS was a recipient of nine awards overall. • Mission US: Flight to Freedom was awarded the prestigious Japan Prize for Educational Media, receiving the “Minister of Foreign Affairs Prize for Best Work” in the Youth category. • Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly was awarded two Clarion awards by the Association for Women in Communications. “The Caring for an Aging Parent” segment was recognized in the “National Television Feature” category and mini-series “None of the Above – the Rise of the Religiously Unaffiliated” was recognized in the “National TV Documentary Series” category. • At the Religion Newswriters’ Association annual meeting, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly received six awards, winning all five television magazine religion story awards, as well as “The Enterprise Religion Report of the Year” award for the “None of the Above” mini-series. • At NETA’s annual professional development conference, WNET received three awards: ANNIE Educational Website for “Instructional Media – Online Educational Resource,” American Graduate Day 2012 for “Community Engagement and Impact” and American Graduate Day 2013 was recognized as an American Graduate Champion. • At the 2013 BANFF Mountain Film Festival, Nature – Cold Warriors: Wolves and Buffalo won Best Film in the “Mountain Wildlife” category. • Live from the Artists Den won a Programming Excellence Award from APT. • Michael Aron, NJTV’s Chief Political Correspondent and host of On the Record and Reporters Roundtable was ranked 37 on the PolitickerNJ’s Power 100 List. Among those not ranked but listed as “deserving players” were NJTV News managing editor Mike Schneider and NJTV correspondent David Cruz.

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