Do you remember where you were on September 23, 2007?

Chances are you are one of the millions of Americans who settled in front of their living room TV sets that Sunday evening to watch the debut of The War, PBS’s acclaimed documentary miniseries about life on the homefront during World War II. The 15-hour series aired in seven installments during the next 10 days, drawing an average 38 million viewers, PBS’s largest audience in more than a decade. But The War was much more than a television event.

Thousands of Internet users visited the program’s Web site to stream video clips from the film. Others watched clips on YouTube or logged onto the online iTunes store to download free podcasts of the series, including interviews with filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick. And in every state, PBS’s member stations produced local documentaries and organized oral history projects with the World War II veterans in their community, many of whom talked publicly about their experiences for the first time.

The War is a wonderful reminder of the power of public television and its ability to open minds, touch hearts, and change lives. It also underscores the strength of the national/local model that makes public television so vital and forms the basis for my vision for PBS in the 21st century.

A Commitment to Localism
As PBS’s president and chief executive officer, my top priority is ensuring our member stations have the tools they need to survive—and thrive—during these turbulent times.

As I often remind audiences when I speak, PBS is not a television network—it is a membership organization comprised of 355 independent, locally owned public television stations. A commitment to localism provides public television with its greatest distinction in this era of corporate-owned, profit-driven media. The big names in new media—Google, Microsoft, Apple—don’t have a local presence in 355 communities in this nation. We do.

The commercial broadcast networks have local affiliates, but the only thing “local” they have left to offer is news, and let’s be honest: That’s not localism. Hidden camera “investigations” into dirty nail salons and feature reports on waterskiing squirrels don’t do much to enrich people’s lives.

Our member stations are deeply connected to the communities they serve. Not only do PBS stations produce local documentaries, series, and other programs, they also have the power to choose what national PBS programming they offer. In addition, the stations do extensive work in their communities, conducting literacy campaigns, holding workshops for parents and caregivers, offering professional development for local schoolteachers, and partnering on projects with schools, libraries, colleges, and civic groups. To help public television keep alive this proud tradition of localism, PBS is focused on supporting its member stations in three key areas: content, community outreach, and technology.

Strengthening Content
PBS remains committed to providing its member stations with the best content on-air and online. Our television programming remains exceptional. During the past year, PBS has been honored with 15 Daytime Emmys, including the most awards for children’s programming for the 10th consecutive year; ten News and Documentary Emmys, twice as many awards as the nearest competitor; nine Primetime Emmys; and eight George Foster Peabody Awards, to name just a few.

Viewership has also risen for many programs. In prime time, ratings are up at series such as Antiques Roadshow and Masterpiece, while Curious George remains the nation’s most-watched program among preschoolers. My goal is to continue building on this success, especially in three key genres: public affairs, the arts, and children.

Public affairs. Record numbers of Americans are engaged in the 2008 elections, but they’re not just casting ballots: They’re also volunteering on campaigns, going door to door on behalf of their favorite candidates, and spending countless hours staffing phone banks. Volunteer levels are also up. More than 61 million Americans spent 8.1 billion hours volunteering in 2006, according to published reports. Twenty-seven percent of all Americans volunteered that year, a near-record high and a level not seen in decades. Meanwhile, published reports also show the number of incoming freshmen who are starting college with volunteer experience has surged, and applications to Volunteers in Service to America and the Peace Corps are soaring.

Americans are taking citizenship seriously again, and that’s very good news for public television.

As the proud home of series like The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer, Frontline, and Washington Week with Gwen Ifill and National Journal, we provide Americans with serious news and information, as well as critical context and analysis. We look forward to continuing to provide our member stations with the kind of public affairs content that allows them to serve as an independent voice in the national media chorus.

The arts. When President Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act in 1967, he spoke eloquently about his hope that public television would become a modern Greek marketplace, where democracy took place in view of all citizens. It’s worth remembering that the Greek marketplace was home not just to politicians, but also to poets and painters, sculptors and singers, artists and artisans of all kinds. The performing arts have always been integral to civic life, helping us to understand the world around us. As Hans Christian Andersen said, “Where words fail, music speaks.”

The arts are another reason why public television is vital. Without PBS and its member stations, millions of Americans would never have an opportunity to see an opera, hear a symphony, or watch a ballet dancer soar across a stage. I speak from experience. When I was growing up in Baltimore in the ’60s, public broadcasting helped open the world of the arts to me. The first opera I heard was on public radio, and the first ballet I saw was on public television.

Before they became part of my job, shows like Great Performances and Live from Lincoln Center were part of my life, kindling my lifelong love of the performing arts. Since I became PBS’s president, two new series have been added to our arts lineup: From the Top, a weekly showcase of extraordinary young musicians; and Great Performances at the Met, a series of specials that give viewers a virtual front-row seat at the Metropolitan Opera in New York City. My goal is to add even more in the years to come.

Children. Sesame Street revolutionized the face of children’s television when it debuted in 1969. Almost 40 years later, public television hasn’t lost that pioneering spirit. PBS still helps broaden children’s horizons. Curious George helps introduce preschoolers to science concepts, while Super Why!, WordGirl, and WordWorld introduce children to the joys of reading.

Our commitment to research-based programming that educates while it entertains will be on display again in the 2008-09 television season, when we introduce three new children’s series: Martha Speaks, which will promote early childhood literacy; Sid the Science Kid, a science series from the Jim Henson Company and The New Electric Company, a revival of the ’70s era PBS classic.