The Weekly SPI Debrief - July 29, 2011

by Mike Smith, Station Products & Innovation

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

At PBS, we're making tools that you can use -- no programming required -- to make your job easier. Check out the link below for a blog post, written by Data Producer Michelle Minkoff, all about the latest DataTool from PBS Interactive.

If you haven’t yet had a chance to take the SPI Communication survey, we would still love to hear our feedback! PBS Station Products & Innovation continually strives to keep open, direct lines of communication with you and provide valuable information and resources for your station through various platforms. Your responses will help inform our exchanges with you and promote innovation across the system. Participation may even get you a swag bag full of PBS goodies.

This week, PBS Interactive launched a sneak preview of PBS Food. The content channel will serve as a centralized web experience for food and cooking content from across the PBS system, with the goal of driving traffic to national and local content. Check out the link below for more information on the 'Fresh Tastes' blog.

We also took a deeper look into Google+ and found a few simple tools that can help migrate your contacts, photos, and videos from Facebook to Google+.

Just a reminder, the PBS Media Infusion module is being retired at this time. In light of the recent launch of PBS LearningMedia (http://www.pbslearningmedia.org/), PBS Education is shifting its focus on how to address blogging and social media. At this time we ask that you remove the PBS Media Infusion module from your sites and stay tuned for future plans.

Follow the links below to continue reading... Have a wonderful weekend!

• Interactive Data Journalism for Stations: PBS Launches First DataTool
• SPI Communication Survey
• PBS Launches Sneak Preview of PBS Food with ‘Fresh Tastes’ Blog
• FYI Corner: Making the Move to Google+

As always, the SPI team appreciates all of your valuable comments and participation on our site this week and every week.

FYI Corner: Making the Move to Google+

by Mike Smith, Station Products & Innovation

While Facebook "fans" across the planet will be crying foul at Google for it's newest social media venture, Google+, it's just too dang hard to ignore something that has gathered a whopping 20+ million users within a month. For those of you doing the math, that's roughly 670,000 new users every day.

With as substantial a growth rate as this, it's easy to see how valuable Google+ will be for personal and professional development in the very near future.

For many people, the idea of starting all over with a new social media seems somewhat equivalent to changing houses, in that the biggest obstacle is deciding what to do with all your stuff. Only instead of furniture, knick-knacks, and electronic equipment, you have to decide how to transfer pictures, videos, and contacts. (Some unfortunate souls may even find themselves in a digital "hoarders" situation.)

Have no fear! The switch to (or addition of) Google+ is not nearly as complicated as it seems. Taking just a few minutes and using a few simple tools, you can easily move all of your valuable Facebook information to Google+ for a headache-free transition.

Making Interactive Data Journalism Easier for Stations: PBS Launches First DataTool

Written by Michelle Minkoff, Data Producer, PBS

The power of the Internet means we have more ways than ever to tell stories online. But when we create interactive graphics, many of the things we want to do require programming skills, time and technical knowledge. It's harder than it needs to be.

At PBS, we're making tools that you can use -- no programming required -- to make some of these tasks easier. Since most of these tasks deal with organizing information, or data, we're calling them DataTools. Go to this page, where you will find an index of all the tools we've made.

We're just getting started, so there's a grand total of one completed tool. We call it ColorTheStates.

Recently, the SPI blog covered how more and more stations are using Google Maps to help tell stories. But one of the problems with Google maps is the map just goes on and on -- there's no way to denote where your information ends. So, if you're just focusing on the state of Virginia, it would be nice to be able to create a background color for that state to give it some definition.

From FronterasDesk.org

Google offers the MyMaps tool to help users build Google Maps without programming knowledge – but that tool doesn't understand what shape Virginia is.

That’s where the ColorTheStates tool comes in. For example, this is a map using Census data from the FronterasDesk.org Local Journalism Center on immigration. I created a file for them that "colors in" the five-state region the project covers.  ColorMyStates is essentially that type of file – but in the form of a tool that  any PBS station, or anyone creating Google Maps, can use to get this done.

PBS Launches Sneak Preview of PBS Food with Fresh Tastes Blog

Written by Ashley Carufel, PBS Interactive Contractor Producer

Today PBS Interactive launched a sneak preview of PBS Food. We initially discussed the developing Food content channel in a post on the SPI blog in early May, and we provided an update on the development process at the end of June. The PBS Food content channel will serve as a centralized web experience for food and cooking content from across the PBS system. The goal of the content channel is to better aggregate and promote such content in order to drive traffic to national and local content.

The launch today is considered “Phase 1” with a complete launch in Phase 2 expected by the end of summer. Phase 1 predominantly focuses on the “Fresh Tastes” blog authored by two well-known food bloggers: Jenna Weber and Marc Matsumoto.

The Weekly SPI Debrief - July 22, 2011

by Mike Smith, Station Products & Innovation

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

Want to help us connect with you better and have a chance at some cool PBS swag at the same time? Then take our brief (5-10mins) SPI Communication Survey! Your responses will help inform our exchanges with you and promote innovation across the system. We strive to keep open, direct lines of communication and provide you and your station with valuable information and resources, and your input is greatly appreciated!

This week, we take a look at how Tumblr is beating out competitors such as Wordpress for domination in the micro-blogging arena. If you're looking to dive into the Tumblr world, check out our blog for three tips to help you get acquainted and decide if Tumblr is right for your station.

We also received part two of a story from PBS KIDS GO! guru Tricia George. In this edition, Tricia talked about user-generated content and tools like the User Submission Management Interface (USMI) that PBS KIDS Interactive has to help stations manage this content.

Also this week, Junior Field Agent Rachel Lim met with Lauren Saks of PBS Arts Online to see what life is like in her shoes. Check out her blog post to see how Lauren explains PBS Arts in "Twitter-style, 140 characters or less." If you know someone whose profile you’d like to see, let us know and we might feature them in a future post.

Don't Get Left Behind: Project Merlin is now humming with more than 90 stations promoting local content and initiatives to their audience on pbs.org. Are you one of them? Send an email to pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org and let us know if you want in.

Reminder: the Localized Traffic Report for June is available. This monthly localization report provides metrics for PBS.org traffic associated with your individual station. Visit the SRC to view traffic statistics.

Follow the links below to continue reading... Have a wonderful weekend!

• SPI Communication Survey
• FYI Corner: Tumblr De-Mystified
• PBS KIDS GO! guru Tricia George talks User-Generated Content
• The SPI Files: Lauren Saks of PBS Arts Online
• Localized Traffic Report
• Merlin Resource Center

As always, the SPI team appreciates all of your valuable comments and participation on our site this week and every week.

FYI Corner: Tumblr De-Mystified

by Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

Those of you interested in social media have probably been hearing a lot about a microblogging site called Tumblr. In June, Tumblr surpassed the ubiquitous blogging platform Wordpress with nearly 8 billion total posts and 2.4 million total blogs. Boasting clean, attractive layouts and an effortless sharing system that encourages instantaneous blogging, Tumblr combines features of both Twitter and traditional blogging platforms for a hybrid user experience. A member's Dashboard features a news stream from followed blogs, much like a Twitter stream or feed might appear. Users can also choose to "reblog" posts they like, contributing to the viral effect of the most popular Tumblr posts. However, like any other social media platform, Tumblr has its own personality, community and vibe.

For those looking to dive into the Tumblr world, consider these three tips to help you get acquainted and decide if Tumblr is right for your station:

Tip #1: Visuals rule!
Unlike Twitter, Tumblr posts are not restricted to 140 characters, and they can include video, images and GIFs. In comparison to Twitter, Tumblr is not about brevity, puns, and turns of phrase. It's about visuals: eye-catching images, infographics, maps and GIFs thrive in the Tumblosphere.

PBS KIDS Resources for PBS Member Station Web sites, pt. 2 The User Submission Management Interface

Written by Tricia George, Production Associate, PBS KIDS GO!

Last week PBS KIDS Interactive shared the awesome possibilities surrounding the PBS KIDS Station Video Players. Both the customizable and national players offer promotional tie-ins to broadcast and a range of options for engaging your local KIDS & Families audience. This week, we’re going to get personal with user-generated content and a login.

When protecting an audience is your primary goal, collecting information for a personalized experience can be daunting. PBS KIDS Interactive has just the tools:

The User Submission Management Interface :: BETA
(above link requires Station Remote Control login)

PBS KIDS Interactive recognized the unique ability of interactive applications to allow conversations between producers and their audiences, and so developed the User Submission Management Interface (USMI) for stations. USMI is a simple way to manage user-generated content in bulk. Collecting, moderating and publishing UGC from your audience has never been so easy! With an Amazon-hosted, PBS-maintained USMI application your local website can become a dynamic hub of user-contributed ideas, information, creations and needs.

The SPI Files: Lauren Saks, PBS Arts Online

By Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

There are so many great projects happening at PBS and around the system that we want to share. Starting today, we’ll be launching a new blog series, The SPI Files, featuring some of the people who make it all happen. This week, I caught up with Lauren Saks, Senior Manager of PBS Arts Online.

How long have you been at PBS?
3 years in August. I started on the Engage team, where I helped PBS build its powerful Twitter following, blogged about Josh Groban and people that keep chickens as pets, and hosted a slew of live chats. I also helped stations with their social media strategy.

Before PBS, what did you do?
Grad school for new media. I researched war photographs and the different types of imagery that appears in the mainstream online media vs. military blogs or citizen journalist-run news sites.

If you didn't work in public media, what would you be doing?
I’d own a pie shop.

Explain PBS Arts in Twitter-style, 140 characters or less.
Classic and cutting edge arts, from PBS national, local and web-original.

How can stations collaborate with the PBS Arts project?
PBS Arts online hosts a monthly exhibit or collection of station content. A station gets to curate the collection to highlight the arts in their area. We have seen public works of art in New York, visited arts institutions in Cincinnati, questioned the 'literature-ness' of Gone with the Wind with GPB from Georgia and more. I am always looking for more stations to highlight in the monthly spotlight.

The Weekly SPI Debrief - July 15, 2011

by Mike Smith, SPI Intern

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

This just in: the Localized Traffic Report for June is now available! This monthly localization report provides metrics for PBS.org traffic associated with your individual station. Localization is the surfacing of local branding and TV schedules on the PBS.org website, as well as links back to local schedule and support pages.

This week, we looked into how Google upped the ante with Google+, their social networking platform that looks to compete directly with Facebook. Boasting familiar features such as the Stream (aka newsfeed), red pop-up notifications and the ability to share pictures, comments and status updates, Google+ transforms the classic search engine into a social network.

We also heard from Tricia George, Production Associate for PBS KIDS GO!, who told us all about why PBS KIDS content is great for stations. She also explains how to fully engage local kids and families online using Customizable Station Video Players and the National PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! Video Modules.

Make sure to check out the Professional Development Calendar (PDC) for information on upcoming events such as seminars, conferences, & webinars. There is always something interesting happening on the PDC, so be sure to look often and stay informed and on top of the digital world!

Think that Online Giving and Social Media don't belong in the same sentence? Think again. On Wednesday, SPI Intern Rachel Lim took an in-depth look into how internet savvy marketers are learning to brand and publicize online giving efforts, slowly but surely edging out the check-and-envelope model of monetization.

In the second installment of the Intern Files, SPI Intern Rachel Lim takes you with her as she goes about her week becoming more-and-more a part of the PBS team. Join her and get an insider's look into all things Station Products & Innovation!

As of this week, Project Merlin is humming with more than 90 stations promoting local content and initiatives to their audience on pbs.org. Are you one of them? Send an email to pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org and let us know if you want in. We’ll send directions on signing up for an account and set up a call to give you the basic training you need to get started. More information on Project Merlin is available in the Merlin Resource Center on SRC.

Follow the links below to continue reading... Have a wonderful weekend!

• Visit SRC to view June Traffic Stats

• In Case You Missed It: Google+
• PBS KIDS Resources for PBS Member Station Web sites, pt. 1
• News from the PDC (Professional Development Calendar)
• Social Media and Online Giving
• Tales of a PBS Intern, Part 2
• Merlin Resource Center

As always, the SPI team appreciates all of your valuable comments and participation on our site this week and every week.

PBS KIDS Resources for PBS Member Station Web sites, pt. 1

Written by Tricia George, Production Associate, PBS KIDS GO!

If you were lucky enough to attend PBS Annual Meeting, you may have heard the PBS KIDS Interactive VP Sara DeWitt talk about why PBS KIDS content is great for your station:

• Traffic and ratings are mutually supportive
• Interactive content helps drive educational impact and attract funders
• Interactive platforms help fill curriculum gaps and innovate

You may have even heard Abby Jenkins and a team of stations talk about how to engage local kids and families online:

• Meet kids and families on mobile devices wherever they’re spending time together
• Partner with local organizations to become a part of every day life
• Fully utilize skills of people in the system by collaborating with other PBS stations

But have you heard about the suite of tools available from PBS KIDS Interactive to make local engagement of kids and families a reality?

From backend content moderation tools and copy/paste video players to promotional graphics and locally produced games, our dynamic offerings are always evolving to meet your needs. Over the next several blog posts, we’ll be talking up what tools are available, where they can be found and when they’re appropriate for your site. For today, learn how to:

• Build a custom video player with no previous knowledge of video specs or coding

Interested in learning more? Register for “Resources for Relevance”, a broad look at the PBS KIDS Interactive resources available on remotecontrol.pbs.org.

PBS KIDS Customizable Station Video Player

The Customizable Station Video Player provides a unique video experience for your website and local community. Tailor the video player to show your community’s favorite PBS KIDS and PBS KIDS GO! series by featuring clips, full episodes and in-video games. Brand the player with your station colors, for a fully local experience!

News from the PDC (Professional Development Calendar)

by Mike Smith, PBS Station Products & Innovation

We here on the SPI team are always trying to find new ways to provide the best possible resources for public media stations. Enter the SPI Blog Professional Development Calendar (PDC). The PDC is a useful tool that allows us to immediately connect you to valuable and educational events that are being held either in the real world, as in conferences and seminars, or in the virtual world, as in online webinars. You can find the calendar on the right rail of our blog - just scroll down a little and there it is!

Feel free to send us opportunities you want to share with the rest of the system or access the calendar to attend some of the posted events.

Here are just a few highlights for the upcoming weeks:

July 19 @ 1PM:

WEBINAR: How Nonprofits Can Successfully Use YouTube and Flickr
$40 fee - Presented by DIOSA Communications
http://www.diosacommunications.com/webinars/webinars/youtube/july19.html

July 26 @ 1PM

WEBINAR: Resources for Relevance Overview
Free! Presented by PBS KIDS
https://www2.gotomeeting.com/register/571581754

There is always something interesting happening on our calendar, so be sure to check back often and stay informed and on top of the digital world! And let us know what you think of our calendar in the comments below.

Social Media and Online Giving

By Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

By now, you've probably been thoroughly convinced by the webinars, newsletters and conferences: social media is important. You have dutifully created a Twitter and Facebook account, experimented with a few other platforms, and followed the rise and fall of the latest "it" place to play (hello, Google+). For many, the investment of these resources have paid off through increased member interaction and the development of multimedia interfaces. However, social media seems to fall flat in one arena: monetization.

Facebook "donate" widgets, for example, have barely stirred the dust. And the fact that even giants like Twitter scramble to find a profitable revenue model raises questions about the fiscal efficacy of social media.

However, new data from the Blackbaud Index of Online Giving and the Quarterly Online Giving Index seem to suggest that this is soon going to change. There are lots of useful insights to be gleaned from these indices, but I'll highlight just a couple. First, online giving increased across all channels in 2010 as individuals continued to migrate toward online giving (Paypal: In. Checks and Snail Mail: Out.). Second, online giving models can be more cost effective than phone drives or other fundraising tried-and-trues, leveling the playing field between non-profit giants and smaller organizations.

Tales of a PBS Intern, Part 2

by Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation


This is the snapshot look inside the life of an SPI intern. Follow my day-to-day activities as I jump headfirst into the world of public media.


Monday


10:11am -- I'm updating the Station Social Media Directory to include stations' Blogger, Wordpress, LinkedIn and Tumblr sites. If your station has experimented with any of these social media sites, let me know! We'd love to hear about the process.

Grilled Mahi Tacos!

12:15pm -- My cousins are in town visiting, and I'm meeting them for lunch at Union Station in Washington D.C. Mmmm, grilled mahi tacos! Taste bud heaven.

3:15pm -- I'm heading over to a conference room (aptly named Antiques Roadshow) for a monthly Stations Advisory Council meeting. Last month's meeting was so informative in providing a hands-on stations perspective, which really complements the national point of view I receive here in Crystal City.

In Case You Missed It: Google+

Courtesy Google

By Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

Google upped the ante with Google+, their social networking platform that looks to compete directly with Facebook. Boasting familiar features such as the Stream (aka newsfeed), red pop-up notifications and the ability to share pictures, comments and status updates, Google+ transforms the classic search engine into a social network, with "plus one" features for search results and heavy rebranding of many other Google products, including Picasa, which will be renamed "Google Photos," and Blogger, which will become "Google Blogs." That isn't to say that Plus doesn't include some cool features: our favorites include Hangouts, which allows video chatting with up to ten people, and an embedded image-editing service.

In effect, Google+ will be the integration of its various products and services, tied together neatly across one social platform. Google+ is currently accessible only via invite, which means that currently, Plus is ghost town with very little interaction in comparison to the bustling Facebook. (If you're dying for a peek inside, you can check out the demo here.) And the reaction across the blogosphere has been mixed. Some love it; others see it as a Facebook knock-off. Still others predict that Plus will follow in the footsteps of the failed Google Wave, last year's real-time communication platform that was rolled out and quickly disbanded by the search engine giant.

The Weekly SPI Debrief - July 8, 2011

by Mike Smith, SPI Intern

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

As of this week, more than 80 stations are now promoting local content to their audience on pbs.org. If you’re interested in being part of Merlin send an email to pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org and let us know you want in. We’ll send directions on signing up for an account and set up a call to give you the basic training you need to get started.

On Tuesday, we took an in-depth look into the the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers' (ICANN) historic decision to introduce new top-level domain names, such as .movies, .music, or .world, to supplement already existing domains like .com, .net and .org. Though these .custom domain names carry a hefty .price-tag, they could ultimately reshape the way we think about the .net.

Also this week, we spoke with Michael Keefe-Feldman, Online Managing Editor for WMHT, and asked him to weigh in on the topic of social media as a news 'destination.' What we got was an extremely valuable account of how his station boosted COVE video traffic. Check out the link below for a detailed timeline describing how his station tripled the amount of views on a single video using COVE and timely news correlation.

We also looked into largely untapped resources in social media such as social news aggregates, where user-submitted sites, links, images or videos are compiled and ranked. A few examples around the web include Reddit, Digg or StumbleUpon. Each site offers a community-based model in which users can vote for, “digg” or “like” user-submitted content, and many sites group the submissions under relevant topics for easy access.

Follow the links below to continue reading... Have a wonderful weekend!

• Join the 80+ Stations Promoting Local Content on PBS.org
• In Case You Missed It: New Top Level Domains
• Presented by Incubation Lab: Boosting Local COVE Video Traffic Around Timely News and the Social Media ‘Destination’ Question
• Social News Media, Part 1

As always, the SPI team appreciates all of your valuable comments and participation on our site this week and every week.

Social News Media, Part 1

by Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

Riding the waves of the constantly changing social media sea can be a wild ride. New capabilities, tools, applications and networks are announced every day, which means that today’s hottest hub might not be tomorrow’s. Despite this difficulty, effectively channeling social media can be beneficial for public media, and many stations have already tapped into these possibilities, utilizing popular spaces such as Facebook or Twitter to connect to existing members or expand their viewer base.

Facebook and Twitter are effective, useful tools, especially in increasing the SEO of your website. But alongside these two titans of social media are other social media hubs that could service station needs to harness the visibility and interaction the internet offers.

One potentially untapped arena in social media are social news aggregates, where user-submitted sites, links, images or videos are compiled and ranked. A few famous examples around the web include Reddit, Digg or StumbleUpon. Each site offers a community-based model in which users can vote for, “digg” or “like” user-submitted content, and many sites group the submissions under relevant topics for easy access. And if you have yet to explore these social news sites, but are looking for ways to diversify your web audience or increase your site’s presence, finding an online community to explore might be a good place to start. For those of you who already use social news sites, please share your experiences with us in the comments section. And for the novitiates to the wide world of social news, here are a few of the best sites to browse:

Presented by Incubation Lab: Boosting Local COVE Video Traffic Around Timely News and the Social Media ‘Destination’ Question

The Presented by Incubation Lab series shines the spotlight on timely news and the social media ‘Destination’ question. Michael Keefe-Feldman, Online Managing Editor for WMHT, weighs in:

As you’ve probably heard, New York recently became the sixth state to legally recognize same-sex marriage. Realizing that the events leading up to this would attract significant public interest, we decided to make a concerted effort to push traffic to our in-depth coverage of this issue from the State Capitol, specifically focusing on a video in our local COVE player from our flagship public affairs program, ‘New York NOW.’ The result was that, for the week of June 20-26, we tripled the level of traffic we typically see for this kind of a video in our player. Here’s a timeline of what we did:

Thursday, June 16

We laid the groundwork by posting an eight-minute video featuring highlights from the same-sex marriage bill debate on the New York Assembly floor to WMHT’s YouTube channel. This was content that we felt people would be interested in, but that we could present in abridged form only on the broadcast program. Immediately after posting to YouTube, we embedded this video on wmht.org/nynow and promoted the embedded version of the video on both the ‘New York NOW’ Facebook page and WMHT’s main station Facebook page, while also distributing to others, including our ‘New York NOW’ media partners, the Times Union newspaper, for publication on their ‘Capitol Confidential’ blog. In the first 24 hours, the YouTube video received more than 2,500 views (as I write this, it has surpassed 3,800 views). The biggest traffic-driver for this video was the gay blog Towleroad.com, which posted it on this same day under the header ‘Excellent Clip Reel of Yesterday’s NY Assembly Debate on Marriage Equality: Video.’

In Case You Missed It: New Top Level Domains

by Rachel Lim, PBS Station Products & Innovation

Move aside, dot-com, and make room for .movies, .internet and .music. In a historic decision, the Internet Corporation for Assigned Names and Numbers (ICANN) voted to introduce new top-level domain names to supplement already existing ones such as .com, .net and .org. (There are 22 generic top-level domains and around 250 domains for specific countries.) This decision has opened the floodgates to allow everyone from large corporations to city governments to apply for their own domain name: some of the entities that are reportedly applying for a top-level domain name include cities like .paris and .nyc and brands such as .canon and .pepsi.

ICANN also announced that domain names can now be registered in alphabets beyond the traditional ASCII characters we see in English. This move seems to be a nod to the globalized nature of the internet, and it will be interesting to see the implications of Chinese or Arabic alphabet url names on a World Wide Web that has traditionally been dominated by the English alphabet.

The Weekly SPI Debrief - June 30, 2011

by Marla Krueger, SPI Associate 

Welcome to the Weekly PBS Interactive Station Products & Innovation Debrief, designed to give PBS stations a rundown of product updates and opportunities announced this week on our blog.

As of this week, 80 stations are now promoting local content to their audience on pbs.org. If you’re interested in being part of Merlin send an email to pbsi_stationservices@pbs.org and let us know you want in. We’ll send directions on signing up for an account and set up a call to give you the basic training you need to get started.

Tuesday we hosted a system-wide Web Safety webinar. Due to the number of registrants and quality of in-depth questions surrounding this timely topic we will continue this webinar series through July. Be on the look-out for webinar dates and times here and in the SPI Weekly Update. 

A few weeks ago PBS Interactive announced a new PBS Food Content channel that will serve as a centralized web location to aggregate and promote cooking content from both national producers and local stations. This week we have some updates for you as well as some promotional social media text to help promote the July 4th micro-site.

Also this week, another opportunity for stations to showcase content comes from The PBS Newshour. PBS NewsHour viewers will now be able to watch the broadcast live on UStream from 6pm to 7pm EST, but rather than pull viewers away from their local stations, The NewsHour wants to use this livestream as an opportunity to drive that audience to station websites through a special link off the NewsHour’s homepage.  Follow the links below to continue reading and have a safe holiday weekend!

Merlin Resource Center 

Updated: PBS Says Bon Appetite! with New Food Site
From On Air to Online: The PBS NewsHour Offers Livestream to Stations

As always, the SPI team appreciates all of your valuable comments and participation on our site this week and every week.