For eight hit seasons, Antiques Roadshow fans have been left wondering: What happens to those memorable objects after the Roadshow cameras stop rolling? How can you get a jump on tomorrow's hot collectibles? Now, PBS's most popular prime-time series has all the answers in a companion spin-off series, Antiques Roadshow FYI. "FYI gives viewers information to enrich their own treasure hunts," says WGBH's Marsha Bemko, executive producer for both programs, "from updates on noteworthy Roadshow finds, to tips on tracking lost masterpieces."
Like its namesake, the fast-paced FYI, with field correspondent Clay Reynolds (on right), uses personal stories as a touchstone for teaching and learning about art, antiques, and history.
The idea of filming a home renovation was considered risky business when WGBH introduced This Old House a quarter century ago. Twenty-five years and 45 projects later, This Old House continues to build on the foundation of the rock-solid concept that sparked millions of viewers' passion for home improvement and an entire new genre of television.
How to explain This Old House's enduring appeal? "We're all about craftsmanship," says House master carpenter (and New Yankee Workshop host) Norm Abram. "We provide our audience with the information, and inspiration, they need to successfully navigate their own projects." This Old House signaled its silver-anniversary season with a cross-country Meet This Old House tour, a Carlisle, Mass. farmstead renovation, and the creation of a national scholarship fund for the building trades.
When two dozen hardy souls settled in to Colonial House in 2004, they took a vast TV audience back to 1628. And, thanks to the digital revolution, WGBH gave New England families multiple opportunities to travel back in time with this appealing hands-on history series. In 2004, WGBH saw the largest-ever expansion of our television services with the addition of WGBH World, WGBH Create, 'GBH Kids, WGBH On Demand, and WGBH High-Definition on digital cable.
Boston cable subscribers have still another option: Boston Kids & Family TV, our collaboration with the City of Boston. "It's all about giving the public that we serve what they want, when they want it," says WGBH's Ron Bachman, director of programming.
The Question of God: C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud fired the imagination of millions of PBS viewers eager to continue the intellectual journey following the broadcast. For those who wanted to learn more, the WGBH Forum Network was there online at wgbh.org/forum. In partnership with 24 of Boston's leading cultural and academic institutions, the Forum Network provides on-demand Webcasts of free public lectures "celebrating the public voice and encouraging civic engagement," says Forum director Eli Ingraham, who posted Question of God-related lectures on everything from understanding the Bible to why science and religion matter. "This year we took our success at co-producing content with community partners in Boston," Ingraham adds, "and expanded the model to public TV and radio stations in New York, Cleveland, Atlanta, and Portland, Oregon."