On the passing of longtime SESAME STREET puppeteer Caroll Spinney, PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger offered the following statement:

PBS today announced that Maximilian Duke has been promoted to the newly created role of Vice President of Station Strategy and Development. In this role, he will create and execute strategies for building station capacity, supporting leadership development and enhancing critical skills for station staff members.

PBS today announced that Jill Patrone has been promoted to the position of Vice President, Deputy General Counsel, reporting to Chief Legal Officer Katherine Lauderdale. In this role, Patrone will develop strategies to maximize the efficiency and effectiveness of legal services provided by the Office of the Chief Legal Officer.

PBS packs its winter schedule with new series, seasons and specials, including the premieres of bingeworthy MASTERPIECE drama series SANDITON and HOWARDS END, new adventure series EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL, and programs recognizing International Holocaust Remembrance Day and Black History Month.

PBS’s new 10-episode series EXPEDITION WITH STEVE BACKSHALL reveals there are still parts of our planet yet to be discovered. Explorer and naturalist Steve Backshall pursues incredible journeys and world firsts — unclimbed peaks, unexplored cave systems and uncharted landscapes — setting foot where no human has been before.

Today, PBS announced the launch of Ken Burns Classroom on PBS LearningMedia – a one-stop online destination for free teaching and learning resources inspired by Ken Burns’s renowned documentaries.

PBS announced today an update to its iconic brand, including a refreshed logo, bold color palette, custom typeface and illustration style. The new identity will roll out throughout 2020 as PBS celebrates its 50th anniversary.

Today, PBS KIDS named 10 educators as the 2019 PBS KIDS Early Learning Champions. Established in 2018, this awards program recognizes committed educators who work with young children, from infants to second graders, and offers a variety of community building, leadership and professional learning opportunities provided by PBS KIDS and member stations.

PBS is decorating its holiday schedule with traditional fare CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR and CHRISTMAS AT BELMONT, yearly fan favorite CALL THE MIDWIFE HOLIDAY SPECIAL, and an entire month of GREAT PERFORMANCES dedicated to “Broadway’s Best.”

In recognition of Veterans Day and Native American Heritage Month, PBS programming airing later this fall will honor and celebrate the many contributions made to our country by both Native Americans and veterans, and explore issues impacting the lives of these communities.

PBS and The National Association for Media Literacy Education (NAMLE) announce a joint effort to promote the importance of media literacy education.

Beginning Monday, November 11, young adventurers will get to go back in time to meet some of the world’s most inspiring historical figures – when they were kids – and learn about the character skills that helped shape their vision and lead to their success.

PBS KIDS announced a new animated series, HERO ELEMENTARY, set to premiere in the summer of 2020. HERO ELEMENTARY is a school for budding superheroes, where kids learn to master their powers, like flying and teleportation, while exploring science. HERO ELEMENTARY aims to give kids tools to solve problems by thinking and acting like scientists and igniting their natural curiosity and empathy.

PBS welcomed newly elected and returning board members following its first board meeting of fiscal year 2020.