PBS, Local Stations Launch iTunes U Content

PBS, Local Stations Launch iTunes U Content

Newly Available on iTunes U: K-12 Educational Resources, Video Lectures and More

ARLINGTON, Va., Jan. 30 /PRNewswire-USNewswire/ -- Teachers, students and lifelong learners now have a new source for free, educational multimedia, as PBS and local PBS stations KQED (San Francisco), WETA (Washington, D.C.), WGBH (Boston) and WNET (New York) begin offering high-quality video clips and other educational resources on iTunes U, a dedicated area of the iTunes Store showcasing educational content.

Available in the Beyond Campus section of iTunes U, the initial online offerings from these local PBS stations include a wealth of educational video clips, lectures, interviews, teacher's guides and a variety of other materials.

PBS' new area on iTunes U links to extensive and wide-ranging PBS station content, from an underwater journey through a coral reef to documentary examinations of Europe, Africa and Asia, from video clips of a solar eclipse to in-depth interviews with leading authors, from an overview of digital storytelling techniques to lesson plans for Ken Burns's documentary THE WAR.

"PBS and our leading stations are at the forefront of the digital education movement," said Rob Lippincott, PBS' Senior VP, Education. "A wonderful demonstration of this commitment is the breadth of state-of-the-art educational content available on iTunes U."

"iTunes U presents a tremendous opportunity for WGBH to expand the reach of our educational TV, radio and Web content to a global audience," said Jon Abbott, President, WGBH. "We look forward to making even more of our programming available in the future by regularly adding new video clips and lectures to our presence on iTunes U."

"KQED has long been committed to providing powerful tools for learning, whether it be teacher training, online maps or rich media. Our presence on iTunes U has enabled us to reach audiences beyond our normal geographic boundaries," said Tim Olson, KQED's Executive Director, Interactive. "We've already discovered how offering extensive free video, audio and lesson plans has empowered teachers and students to develop the skills necessary to thrive in the 21st Century and to bring skills which can be applied to their own communities. iTunes U is a natural environment for public broadcasting companies in this effort."

"We are delighted to offer landmark WETA productions and educational resources on iTunes U," said Joseph B. Bruns, WETA Executive Vice President and Chief Operating Officer. "iTunes U allows us to extend the reach of WETA to a new community of engaged and thoughtful viewers."

"Thirteen/WNET is pleased to be collaborating with PBS stations across the country and Apple to utilize the latest technology to make some of our high- quality educational content more easily accessible to educators," said Ron Thorpe, Thirteen/WNET's Vice President & Director, Education.

About PBS

PBS is a media enterprise that serves 355 public noncommercial television stations and reaches nearly 73 million people each week through on-air and online content. 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 a leading provider of digital learning content for pre-K-12 educators and offers a broad array of other educational services. PBS' premier kids' TV programming and Web site, PBS KIDS Online (www.pbskids.org), continue to be parents' and teachers' most trusted learning environments for children. More information about PBS is available at (www.pbs.org) one of the leading dot-org Web sites on the Internet.

First Call Analyst:
FCMN Contact:

Source: PBS

CONTACT: Kevin Dando of PBS, +1-703-739-5073, kdando@pbs.org

Web site:

http://www.pbs.org/
http://www.pbskids.org/

-------
Profile: intent