 | |
| Type | |
|---|---|
| Branding | PBS |
| Country | United States |
| Availability | Nationwide U.S. |
| Founded | June 5, 2002 by Samantha Chillingsson |
| Slogan | Be More. |
| Headquarters | Billings, Montana U.S. |
| Owner | PBS's member public television stations |
| Key people | |
| Launch date | December 25, 2003 |
| Affiliates | List of member stations |
| Official website | www.pbs.org |
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS, also called New PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Torrington. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programming to public television stations in the United States; it is considered a successor to the original PBS. The new PBS was formed in 2002.
History[]
Original PBS[]
The original Public Broadcasting System was established on November 3, 1969, replacing NET as the public broadcasting network of the United States. Though never as popular as its commercial broadcasting counterparts, it still managed to carve its own niche, particularly during the Watergate scandal. During Doomsday, PBS stations broadcast reports on the incident, and many of them were destroyed when the bombs hit, effectively destroying the original PBS.
Post-Doomsday[]
Several former PBS member states in what would become the new United States would survive Doomsday, but most of them would drop all ties to the former network, as there was little chance of any real networking during the chaos, and many of them were forced to shut down their signals outright. When the initial chaos started to calm down, many of these stations reestablished their broadcasting signals, and began to serve as unofficial national broadcasters for their nations. During the Lakotah war, these stations would serve as news broadcasters for the war effort.
The New PBS[]
With the return of electricity to the Provisional United States, there was a decision to reestablish the Public Broadcasting System. Thus, on June 5, 2002, Samantha Chilingsson would serve as the first CEO of a restored PBS board of directors. PBS would began its first national broadcasts on Christmas of that year, with a special announcing that the network had been reborn. Many former PBS stations, and a few new public stations, joined up with the new PBS. As states joined the new United States, new member stations signed up.
Programming[]
The evening and primetime schedule on PBS features a diverse array of programming including fine arts (Theater Features, Great Performances); drama (Fort Collins, The Rebirth); comedy (Live from Laramie, Doomsday Blues); science (Nova, Lifeforce); history (Western Civilization with Steve Thulin, Birth of America, After Doomsday); music (Vinyl and Tape; Soundwaves); news and public affairs (PBS Report); films and documentaries (Family Classics, Discovery); home improvement (That New House); educational programming (Master Chefs, Agriculture 101, Fisherman's Journey) and interviews (The Robert Farrell Show). PBS broadcasts children's programming as part of the service's morning and afternoon schedule.
PBS member stations were, prior to Doomsday, known for rebroadcasting British television costume dramas, comedies and science fiction programs (acquired from the BBC and other sources). After Doomsday, most imported programs come from other North American nations, primarily Vermont, Superior, Kentucky, Virginia and Texas.
Governance and Operations[]
PBS is run by a board of directors consisting of 27 members: 14 station managers, elected by member stations, 12 outside directors elected by the board, and the president. PBS member stations pay fees to air networked programming; member stations are generally given greater latitude in local scheduling than their commercial broadcasting counterparts. PBS does not have a central production arm or news division; all programming comes from either the individual stations or third parties.
Competitors[]
American Broadcasting Company: A commercial broadcasting network formed in 2011. It is named after the original ABC, with many former affiliates signing on with the new network. It is much smaller in affiliates and programming than its predecessor, though it has been gradually expanding its programming slate.
CBS: Formerly the regional Montana Television Network. They offer a variety of films from the 40s, 50s, 60s, and 70s. They televise news reports from the North American Union, sports, dramas, children's programs, and game shows.
Member stations[]
For brevity's sake, translators of larger stations aren't counted.
| Callsign | Channel | City | Joined |
|---|---|---|---|
| District of Kennedy | |||
| KTDK | 13 | Torrington | Founder |
| Wyoming | |||
| KCWC-TV | 8 | Landing | Founder |
| KNWC | Cody/Powell | 2011 | |
| KUWY | Laramie | ||
| KPTW | Casper | 2013 | |
| Montana | |||
| KUSM | 9 | Bozeman | Founder |
| KBGS | 16 | Billings | 2005 |
| Kootenai | |||
| KUFK | 11 | Missoula | Founder |
| KUKL | 46 | Kalispell | 2007 |
| Oregon | |||
| KOAB | 3 | Bend | Founder |
| KEPB | 28 | Eugene | |
| KOAC | 7 | Corvallis | |
| Lincoln | |||
| KUID | 12 | Moscow | Founder |
| Kansas | |||
| KDCK | 21 | Dodge City | Founder |
| KOOD | 9 | Hays | |
| Nebraska | |||
| KPNE | 9 | North Platte | Founder |
| KTNE | 13 | Alliance | |
| Dakota | |||
| KBME | 13 | Bismarck | Founder |
| KDSD | 16 | Aberdeen | |
| KCSD | 23 | Sioux Falls | |
See also[]
| ||||||||||||||||||||||
| This article uses material from the Wikipedia article PBS, which is released under the Creative Commons Attribution-ShareAlike 3.0 Unported License (view authors). | 
|