Inside PBS Blog

Last week PBS put itself in the hot seat here on Engage: I asked you for your questions, and sent five of them all around the building and beyond to get the answers; take a look below, and let us know what you think.

What are some ways the public can create content for Public Broadcasting? What Social Media avenues (are) PBS exploring to further engage their audience? Marissa

Marissa, I’m glad you asked. At PBS Engage, our mission is to facilitate more two-way conversation between PBS and the audience using social media tools. On the Engage Web site, you can join one of our live chats or participate on our blog.

To engage with PBS producers or your local station, visit our showcase of social media experiments. You’ll find examples new and exciting ways to participate with PBS, including creating content. One example is the WGBH Lab. The Lab regularly hosts open calls for shorts from the public around important issues.

And we’re not just on PBS.org. Join us on Twitter, YouTube and Facebook to find more places to talk about PBS content.

--Jayme Swain, Director (PBS Engage)

Can you help local affiliate stations become more energy efficient (install solar, etc) to be able to conserve finances for more world changing programming? Perhaps we could have a website detailing local station's efforts! Nick

Hi Nick,

Several PBS stations across the U.S. are becoming more and more green.  Many stations have recycling programs and some are replacing older equipment with more energy efficient options.  PBS headquarters even has a “Green Team” to help spread the word here at our offices in Virginia about recycling, using more earth-friendly products, and how to make more environmentally conscience decisions.

WGVU in Grand Rapids, MI, has several initiatives working with the local community including Green Growers, Greenhouse on Weston, and a Green Programs guide.

Kristen Weiss, the Senior Manager for Program Management and Business Affairs here at PBS, tells us that KLVX (VegasPBS) in Nevada recently built a new green facility. According to the station’s web site, “The Educational Technology Campus" will be submitted for LEED Gold Certification and will be one of the most energy efficient, sustainability designed and environmentally friendly complexes in the state of Nevada.”

--Amy Baroch, Sr. Project Manager (PBS Engage)

How do you pitch a show idea to PBS? Marissa

In order to pitch a proposal or completed program to PBS, a producer should start by visiting the “Producing For PBS” website at www.pbs.org/producers.  There a producer will find information about our mission, content priorities, and submission guidelines.  On the “Proposal Process” page specifically, several steps are enumerated to guide the producer as he/she assembles the submission package and prepares to mail the materials to our office. 

We do require certain elements for consideration, such as a submission summary, release form, and treatment, but we also ask that the submitter send as much applicable information as possible, such as a budget, production schedule, funding plan, curriculum, web plan, etc., so that our review team can make a well-informed decision about each submission. 

PBS welcomes the submission of proposals and completed programs that tell captivating stories from all across the globe.  However, we receive over 1,500-3,000 unsolicited submissions each year, so it is vital that submitters familiarize themselves with our content priorities and understand that our schedule is very competitive before submitting.

--Sumner Menchero, Senior Program Associate (Program Development & Independent Film)

I was wondering why my parents in the SF Bay Area (CA) get Signing Time, but us here on the Central Coast (CA) do not. How do I go about getting it on DirecTV for the Santa Barbara feed? There are many of us that would LOVE to have that show!!! Thank you! D Ryan

That's a great question. In reality, PBS is not a broadcast network like ABC, NBC and CBS, where we feed one schedule to our affiliates across the country which they then pass through to local audiences with carve-outs for local news, etc. All PBS stations are independently owned and operated and create their own TV schedules made up mostly of programming provided to them by PBS, a handful of other national services and the rest their own local or regional programming. If you would like to see a particular program, the best thing to do is contact your local PBS station's programming team. Thanks for watching!

--Thomas Crockett, Vice President (Member Affairs)

The following questions from Elayne Baskin were for the This Old House team so we sent them right along. Roger Cook, Landscape Contractor for “This Old House” and “Ask This Old House” offered his responses:

How can I use a rain barrel to capture rain from downspouts and use it to water a garden that is uphill from the rain barrel?

You can’t fight gravity, but you can overcome it.  So because we cannot drain uphill, we pump uphill instead.  Set up your barrels at ground level – you can group together more than one if you would like.  Then get an electric pump and drop it into the barrel to move water pretty much anywhere you want.  (Make sure that when you go to the store to buy the pump you let a sales associate know how far away you are pumping and how much higher in elevation the garden is relative to your rain barrel.)  You can check for a solar powered pump, but make sure it is powerful enough to pump uphill.  Having a pump will help your soaker hoses work better.  While soaker hoses will work when they are gravity fed, they need to be placed closer together because the water seeps out slowly.  Under pressure the hose puts out water further.

Is using a soaker hose to leach water sufficient to water a garden or does water also need to be sprinkled from above?

Soaker hoses work perfectly for watering a garden.  They put the water right where you need it – at the roots.  There is no reason to water the foliage.  In fact, too much water on the foliage can cause disease.  After watering with the soaker hose, dig a small hole and see how far the water has gone down into the soil.  Ideally, you want to keep the top 4-6” moist. 

How does one look for a good rain barrel?

Rain barrels have come a long way.  They are still available in wood, but are also available in plastic now.  I like a rain barrel to have solid hose connections made of brass, an overflow system, and a screen for keeping debris from getting into the barrel.  If you don’t like seeing the rain barrel, put a potted hanging plant on top of it to help “disguise” it.

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