PBS KIDS(R) Kicks Off Production for Season Two of Its Popular Preschool Destination to Air This Fall

PBS KIDS(R) Kicks Off Production for Season Two of Its Popular Preschool Destination to Air This Fall

PBS KIDS Preschool Destination Off to a Strong Start Topping Ratings Charts in Season One Launch Month

Out of the Blue Enterprises, Award-Winning Kids Educational Producers, To Produce Season Two Featuring More Interactivity, New Themes and Original Music

ARLINGTON, Va., Feb. 13 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- PBS KIDS has greenlighted season two of the popular preschool multi-platform destination featuring Miss Lori and Hooper. PBS KIDS will work with Out of the Blue Enterprises, one of the most innovative and cutting-edge creators, producers and brand development visionaries in interactive children's entertainment today, to produce and direct a new season of the on-air block to debut this fall. Filming began on February 12 at Screen Gems Studios in New York City.

"We look forward to continuing to offer families a unique and highly valued learning experience," said Lesli Rotenberg, SVP PBS KIDS Next Generation Media. "Parents, children and childcare providers are embracing our new multi-platform destination and communicating via research that our content is engaging, valuable and age-appropriate."

"We are excited to leverage our expertise and breakthroughs in children's television to offer even more value-added, imagination-stimulating content to kids and families nationwide," said Angela C. Santomero, Out of the Blue Co- Founder and Executive Producer and a Creator of the perennially successful preschool entertainment franchise, Blue's Clues. "Our unique work in this field combined with the long-standing reputation of PBS KIDS as a trusted resource for entertaining and educating children is a winning formula for further success."

In its debut month, September 2006, the on-air block catapulted PBS KIDS series to the top of the kids charts. CURIOUS GEORGE - which premiered within the block - ranked #1 nationally according to Nielsen Media Research with kids 2-5 and ranked #3 among kids 2-11. DRAGON TALES and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG also ranked in the top 10 with kids 2-5. Among moms, PBS KIDS took six of the top 10 spots with CURIOUS GEORGE again leading at #1 followed by preschool block-mates DRAGON TALES (#2) and CLIFFORD THE BIG RED DOG (#3). IT'S A BIG BIG WORLD also made it into the top 10 with moms.*

Within the first month of the destination's launch, pbskids.org saw an 11% increase in unique visitors, according to Visual Sciences data from September - October 2006. PBS Parents (pbsparents.org), which features information for caregivers and activities with Miss Lori and Hooper, also saw increased traffic from the debut marking a 127% increase in visits from October 2005 to October 2006.**

In quantitative and qualitative research, parents cited a strong trust in PBS as a provider of quality educational programming and said they appreciated the age-appropriateness of the preschool block and the lessons presented by Miss Lori and Hooper. Parents feel the block does an excellent job of providing positive role models. When compared to commercial preschool content, parents reported that PBS KIDS preschool destination presented a more appealing learning environment and coherent educational themes.

The second season of PBS KIDS preschool destination will feature even more interactivity and engagement as well as greater opportunities for parents and kids to connect the lessons learned through PBS KIDS content back to their daily lives. PBS has partnered with award-winning children's educational media company, Out of the Blue, to further enhance these elements.

"Out of the Blue understands our mission and goals in providing educational content to families," said Rotenberg. "It is their pioneering work with interactive television as well as their unique perspective and academic credentials that really drew us to them."

Santomero of Out of the Blue will oversee production for season two of the preschool destination alongside Creative Directors from PBS KIDS, John Ruppenthal and Matthew Kennedy, and Producer Marisa Nalevanko.

Miss Lori and Hooper will deliver engaging new preschool lessons in the second season, focusing on literacy, science, math and art through age- appropriate topics such as instruments, animals, numbers and shapes each weekday morning. Additionally, famed kids music composers Sandblast Music (Sesame Street) and Murmur Music (Blue's Clues) will lend their talents to create original music to be featured within the block.

Based on parent feedback, the on-air block will feature new messages targeted towards parents to communicate the learning objectives for each show in the block. Additionally, to encourage more involvement, interactivity and creativity, new on-air spots will invite kids to submit their own content for TV and the Web on pbskids.org.

At pbskids.org, families will find tools to create and draw a story in the form of a slideshow and submit their original work to PBS KIDS. A complete gallery of work will be posted on the site and PBS KIDS' "Dot" will showcase some of the drawings on-air.

PBS KIDS preschool destination launched as part of PBS KIDS Next Generation Media, an initiative to define the unique contribution public television can make in the changing digital children's media landscape. PBS KIDS Next Generation Media continues to engage in research with children, parents, teachers and caregivers and consultation with its advisory board of experts to aid in the development of the highest quality and most innovative educational and entertaining media experiences.

PBS KIDS, for preschoolers, and PBS KIDS GO!, for early elementary school kids, are committed to providing the highest quality non-commercial content and learning environment for children across the country. Providing age- appropriate, diverse programming for kids, PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! programs consistently earn more prestigious awards than any other broadcast or cable network. Only PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! have earned the unanimous endorsement of parents, children, industry leaders and teachers. With additional PBS resources to complement its programming, including PBS KIDS online (www.pbskids.org), PBS KIDS GO! online (www.pbskidsgo.org), PBS Parents (www.pbsparents.org), PBS TeacherSource (www.pbsteachersource.org), PBS Ready To Learn services and literacy events across the country, PBS is providing the tools necessary for positive child development. PBS is a nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 354 public television stations, serving nearly 90 million people each week and reaching 99% of American homes.

Out of the Blue is dedicated to developing a groundbreaking portfolio of individually-targeted children's entertainment properties under the direction of a proven management team led by Co-Founders Angela C. Santomero, a Creator of the preschool entertainment phenomenon, Blue's Clues, and Samantha Freeman, a children's entertainment industry and marketing veteran. The company creates breakthrough, interactive and curriculum-based entertainment concepts that span a variety of viable platforms, including television, video, publishing and consumer products. In doing so, Out of the Blue stimulates the minds of kids and families, involves them in fresh and original ways and elevates their educational entertainment experiences to a whole new level.

* Source: For PBS, NTI Pocketpieces for September 2006. For broadcast,
cable, and syndication, Nielsen Galaxy Explorer, September 1-30, 2006.
The rankings include all regularly scheduled children's programs during
Monday-Friday and the weekend (6a-8p) among broadcast, cable, and
syndication. Programs had to air in the day part for at least two-thirds
of the month to be included in this report.

** PBS Visual Sciences, October 2005-October 2006

CONTACTS:
Jill Corderman, 703.739.5788 / jcorderman@pbs.org
Alan Winnikoff, 212.679.2982 / alan@sayleswinnikoff.com
Carina Sayles, 609.397.6200 / carina@sayleswinnikoff.com

Grand Communications (for Out of the Blue):
Alison Grand, 212.584.1133/alison@grandcommunications.com
Gabrielle Torello, 201.678.2824/gabtpr@yahoo.com

Source: PBS

CONTACT: Jill Corderman of PBS, +1-703-739-5788, or jcorderman@pbs.org;
or Alan Winnikoff, +1-212-679-2982, or alan@sayleswinnikoff.com, or Carina
Sayles, +1-609-397-6200, or carina@sayleswinnikoff.com, both for PBS; or
Alison Grand, +1-212-584-1133, or alison@grandcommunications.com, or Gabrielle
Torello, +1-201-678-2824, or gabtpr@yahoo.com, both of Grand Communications
(for Out of the Blue)

Web site: http://www.pbs.org/
http://www.pbsparents.org/
http://www.pbskidsgo.org/
http://www.pbsteachersource.org/

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