Inside PBS Blog

Insights into PBS programming and personalities

Ask Aron Gaudet, Filmmaker of The Way We Get By

Welcome to Bangor, Maine, the primary entry point for U.S. military service men and women returning from duty oversees. In a tiny airport, three senior citizens welcome troops home around the clock with hugs, congratulations and cellular telephones to call loved ones.

P.O.V. presents “The Way We Get By,” the story of Bill Knight, Jerry Mundy and Joan Gaudet, three volunteers who have greeted over 900,000 returning troops over the last 5 years. Despite personal battles with aging, the volunteers welcome the soldiers no matter the time of day or night. The documentary airs on November 11^th at 9pm (check local listings) and will be online in the PBS Video Portal on November 12^th. Watch a preview:more

November 9, 2009 | Read Comments (5) | Add a New Comment

The Hot Sheet: November 8-14

PBS honors its veterans this week in remembrance and tribute of their service to the nation. We celebrate Veterans Day (Wednesday, November 11th)with two new shows highlighting servicemen and women and those that support them. The PBS Video Portal also features several archived shows that honor the United States’ military members.more

November 6, 2009 | Add a New Comment

Botany of Desire Producer Michael Schwarz Answers Your Questions

When "The Botany of Desire" aired last week on PBS you, the viewers, had a lot to say about it. We had a hunch that would happen so we asked producer Michael Schwarz to answer your questions about the film here.

Read his responses below and let us know what you think. You can also watch the entire program again online and learn more about each of the four plants featured in the film.
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November 5, 2009 | Add a New Comment

Introducing the Public Media Economy Widget

It has been a little over a year since the financial meltdown plunged our nation into the current recession. And even though things are beginning to look up a little, there are still signs that the recovery is going to be long and slow.

Public Media has been following this story from the very beginning and remains committed to helping you understand what has happened and when things are going to improve.

To help you access important information about the economy, we are bringing all of the great coverage on PBS to one place with the PBS Economy Feed Widget. The widget is a powerful new tool that allows you to select video from a playlist and watch it right inside the widget’s window. You can watch high-quality streaming video from all your favorite PBS shows including Frontline, The NewsHour, Bill Moyers Journal, NOW on PBS, American Experience, Tavis Smiley, Nightly Business Report and many more.more

November 4, 2009 | Add a New Comment

Ask Art:21

When you go behind the scenes at Art:21, a PBS series that explores contemporary visual art in the United States, you’ll find associate curator Wesley Miller and series producer Eve Moros Ortega supporting Executive Producer and Curator, Susan Sollins at the helm.

Producing each season “feels a lot like creating a work,” says Moros Ortega. She blogged about the experience earlier this year. Art:21 just wrapped its fifth season on PBS, in which 14 internationally recognized artists were filmed creating new art in their own workspaces.more

November 2, 2009 | Read Comments (7) | Add a New Comment

The Hot Sheet: November 1-7

A Roman philosopher named Seneca coined the phrase, “every new beginning comes from some other beginning's end.” His sentiment sets the stage for the coming week on PBS as we join a group of young men who worked to pull this country out of the Great Depression, take a journey back over three million years to discover the beginnings of our earliest human ancestors, and learn important life lessons about the beginning of life from the animal kingdom.more

October 30, 2009 | Read Comments (1) | Add a New Comment

John Fogerty Answers Your Questions

Grammy-award winning singer-songwriter John Fogerty will headline a concert where you create the set list. “Live By Request” airs November 7, but we thought we’d prepare by inviting Fogerty to take your questions here. Below you’ll find his responses on topics like musical influences, new artists, and meaningful places.

I've noticed that you've worked with Dobro master Jerry Douglas over the years. What kind of influence does Bluegrass music have in regards to your songwriting? Jerry more

October 29, 2009 | Read Comments (10) | Add a New Comment

Ask "Botany of Desire" Producer Michael Schwarz

We talk about food a lot around here, but being PBS, we also learn about the science and history behind it. This week PBS will air a film based on Michael Pollan’s “The Botany of Desire” that explores four of the most important plants in human history. The film measures their success by their ability to meet our desires for sweetness, beauty, intoxication, and control.more

October 26, 2009 | Read Comments (27) | Add a New Comment

The Hot Sheet: October 25-31

Sometimes, survival makes for an astonishing story. Living creatures have an incredible way of overcoming obstacles, even when the world around them presents constant challenges. This week on PBS, meet a mysterious Turkish family that makes scientists question the evolutionary timetable. Visit a New York City hair salon busy with customers and workers making ends meet in tough economic times and catch up with an old friend that has grown from tiny foal to powerful leader of his wild band.more

October 22, 2009 | Read Comments (3) | Add a New Comment

Sid the Science Kid Consultant Kimberly Brenneman Answers Your Questions

Last week’s Sid the Science Kid episodes were all about play dates so we invited educational consultant Kimberly Brenneman to help us incorporate science learning into play time. You submitted your questions for Brenneman and this week we have her answers. Don’t forget to check out the additional tips on encouraging young scientists from PBS Parents.

Can you give me some ideas of fun quizzes and games that parents can do during car short car commutes that stimulate kids' interest in science? Deidremore