Library Video Company and SAFARI Video Networks Announce National Digital Distribution Partnership with PBS and WGBH BOSTON

Library Video Company and SAFARI Video Networks Announce National Digital Distribution Partnership with PBS and WGBH BOSTON

Unprecedented Alliance Will Bring PBS & WGBH Digital Content Directly Into School Classrooms and Libraries

WYNNEWOOD, Penn., ALEXANDRIA, Va., and BOSTON, May 19 /PRNewswire/ -- Library Video Company and SAFARI Video Networks, a subsidiary of Library Video Company, announced today a historic distribution partnership with PBS and Boston public broadcasting producer WGBH. The alliance will bring premier educational programs to schools -- in a digital format -- through SAFARI Video Networks.

Library Video Company's new Video-on-Demand server, SAFARI Montage, will provide schools with digital access to their choice of educational video content, including preeminent educational series such as Ken Burns' THE CIVIL WAR, CYBERCHASE and WGBH's ARTHUR, NOVA, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, FRONTLINE and BETWEEN THE LIONS. The SAFARI Montage server will reside in the school media center or computer room, and can be expanded to accommodate more programming and, ultimately, self-created content.

The SAFARI Montage server will come pre-loaded with both segmented and full programs, and will allow teachers to "bookmark" particular segments for classroom use. Additionally, this content will be indexed and correlated to state curriculum standards.

"SAFARI Video Networks is committed to the principle of offering the educator a choice in the digital video content they want to see in their classrooms. We are proud to announce our first official partners as PBS and WGBH, two of the most distinguished educational video publishers in the industry," said Andrew Schlessinger, President and CEO of Library Video Company. "Every school in the U.S. and Canada is going to want to have access to their programs, as well as Schlessinger Media programs," he added.

"Educators are an absolutely essential audience for PBS, and we're looking forward to both teachers and school library media specialists having unprecedented in-school access to our award-winning content," said Pat Mitchell, PBS president and CEO. "A recent Grunwald Associates survey showed that teachers pick PBS as their top classroom choice for TV content, and this agreement will help make it even easier for them to provide PBS resources to the nation's students."

"We are delighted to be working with Library Video Company and SAFARI Video Networks," said David Bernstein, Vice President and General Manager of WGBH Enterprises. "Through this partnership and the technology developed by Library Video and SAFARI, WGBH's award-winning programming and ancillary materials will be more broadly available to, and easily accessed by, the educational community and the students they serve."

"The technology SAFARI has developed is designed to support the classroom educator," said Tim Beekman, President of SAFARI Video Networks. He added, "Our mission, along with Library Video Company, to offer the educator choice, is why educators will want to work with us."

About Library Video Company/SAFARI Video Networks

Founded in 1985 by Andrew Schlessinger, Library Video Company is the leading distributor of educational video to schools and public libraries nationwide. The Company stocks over 18,000 titles covering all subjects for all grades. Each program has been carefully reviewed and selected for content that is appropriate for the classroom and public library setting. In its 20th year, the Company continues to be the forerunner in educational media distribution through its commitment to providing schools and libraries with new titles, new services and new product formats. Library Video Company supports the efforts of educators with the No Child Left Behind Act and LibraryVideo.com has set the standard for efficient media collection management online. SAFARI Video Networks, a newly acquired subsidiary of Library Video Company, is the leading provider of video networking solutions for education. SAFARI Video Networks offers schools a range of video networking products, including the first truly open digital video-on-demand system; video conferencing for distance education and professional development, school news, and security; local video creation uploading and many other products. SAFARI Video Networks will provide schools, districts and states with a choice of the best new video programs digitally from Library Video Company's vast network of the finest educational video publishers and distributors, including the award-winning Schlessinger Media content library. More information is available at http://www.safarimontage.com/.

About PBS

PBS is a private, nonprofit media enterprise that serves the nation's 348 public noncommercial television stations, reaching nearly 90 million people each week. Bringing diverse viewpoints to television and the Internet, PBS provides high-quality documentary and dramatic entertainment, and consistently dominates the most prestigious award competitions. PBS is the leading provider of educational materials for K-12 teachers, and offers a broad array of educational services for adult learners. Video resources for educators are available at http://www.shoppbs.com/teachers. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (http://www.pbskids.org/), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at http://www.pbs.org/, the leading dot-org Web site on the Internet. PBS is headquartered in Alexandria, Virginia.

About WGBH

WGBH Boston is America's preeminent public broadcasting producer, the source of fully one-third of PBS's prime-time lineup, along with some of public television's best-known lifestyle shows and children's programs and many public radio favorites. WGBH is the number one producer of Web sites on pbs.org, the most-visited dot-org on the Internet. WGBH is a pioneer in educational multimedia and in technologies and services that make media accessible to the 36 million Americans who rely on captioning or video descriptions. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards ... even two Oscars. In 2002, WGBH was honored with a special institutional Peabody Award for 50 years of excellence. For more information visit http://www.wgbh.org/.

Source: PBS; Library Video Company; WGBH

CONTACT: Nicole Daddario of Library Video Company, +1-610-645-4000,
ndaddario@libraryvideo.com; Kevin Dando of PBS, +1-703-739-5073,
kdando@pbs.org; or Lucy Sholley of WGBH, +1-617-300-5459,
lucy_sholley@wgbh.org

Web site: http://www.pbs.org/
http://www.wgbh.org/

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