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Formerly | Eastern Educational Network (1960–1980) Interregional Program Service (1980–1992) American Program Service (1992–2000) |
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Company type | Non-profit |
Industry | Public television Television syndication |
Founded | February 9, 1960 |
Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
Area served | Worldwide |
Website | aptonline |
American Public Television (APT) is an American nonprofit organization and syndicator of programming for public television stations in the United States. It distributes public television programs nationwide for PBS member stations and independent educational stations, as well as the Create and World television networks.
APT began in 1960 [1] when it was incorporated as the Eastern Educational Network (EEN). At first, EEN was a regional cooperative that began to exchange programs between a few of its member stations. [2] EEN was one of the first distributors of shows such as The French Chef (with Julia Child) in 1962, [2] Mister Rogers' Neighborhood , [1] and Washington Week in Review on a national basis.
Another first from EEN was the distribution of Newsfront, America's first live and non-commercial daily news program, starting in 1970. [2] EEN introduced Wall Street Week in November 1970 before PBS began distributing it nationwide in January 1972.[ citation needed ] EEN also began importing UK's BBC and Canadian CBC productions to America in 1974, with Monty Python's Flying Circus as one of them. In 1978, the EEN started the Free Library. [2]
In 1980, Eastern Educational Network started the Syndication Service and was renamed Interregional Program Service (IPS). IPS started the Premium Service in 1989. The first program out of this arm was the series U.S. Chronicle, a collaboration of public television stations in cooperation with The Maryland Center for Public Broadcasting, hosted by Jim Lehrer. [3] The company gained national attention when EEN's IPS subsidiary begin distributing The Nightly Business Report when it went nationwide in 1981. [4] The organization became American Program Service (APS) in 1992. [2]
American Program Service was renamed American Public Television (APT) on January 1, 2000. Also, with many fax requests from international outlets, an international division called APT Worldwide was started. [2]
With the digital roll-out, APT became the distributor of a couple of multicast networks. In January 2006, APT started distributing Create. [5] They later began distributing World on July 1, 2009. [6]
APT also distributes two digital broadcast television networks with WGBH, WNET, and NETA: [2]
APT distributes more than 300 new program titles per year, [1] including documentaries, talk shows, music performance content, dramatic and comedic series, how-to programs, children's series, and classic films. Shows currently or previously distributed by APT include, but are unlimited to, The Open Mind , Rick Steves' Europe , Live From the Artists Den, Jacques Pepin: Heart & Soul, America's Test Kitchen and its spinoff series Cook's Country , Yan Can Cook , Barbecue University with Steven Raichlen , The Big Comfy Couch , Net Cafe , Pati's Mexican Table , Samantha Brown's Places to Love , Doc Martin , Rudy Maxa's World , Sara's Weeknight Meals , and Scully: The World Show . APT distributes weeknight international news series Asia Insight and NHK Newsline from Japan's NHK, as well as the business news program Nightly Business Report .
APT has also distributed special pledge shows to public television, including programs such as Frank Sinatra: Voice of Our Time, Anne of Green Gables , Carreras Domingo Pavarotti, Celine Dion: A New Day, Mike Douglas – Moments & Memories, Leonard Cohen: Tower of Song, and Tony Bennett Duets: The Making of an American Classic.
In 2000, APT was the first company to bring a high-definition series to public television with the premiere of Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa .
On January 1, 2018, the PBS Kids 24/7 channel started airing Peep and the Big Wide World and Pocoyo until December 26, 2021.
WTTW is a PBS member television station in Chicago, Illinois, United States. Owned by not-for-profit broadcaster Window to the World Communications, Inc., it is sister to commercial classical music radio station WFMT. The two stations share studios in the Renée Crown Public Media Center, located at 5400 North Saint Louis Avenue in the city's North Park neighborhood; its transmitter facility is atop the Willis Tower on South Wacker Drive in the Chicago Loop. WTTW also owns and operates The Chicago Production Center, a video production and editing facility that is operated alongside the two stations.
Broadcast syndication is the practice of content owners leasing the right to broadcast television shows or radio programs to multiple television stations or radio stations, without having an official broadcast network to air on. It is common in the United States where broadcast programming is scheduled by television networks with local independent affiliates. Syndication is less widespread in the rest of the world, as most countries have centralized networks or television stations without local affiliates. Shows can be syndicated internationally, although this is less common.
KCET is a secondary PBS member television station in Los Angeles, California, United States. It is owned by the Public Media Group of Southern California alongside the market's primary PBS member, Huntington Beach–licensed KOCE-TV. The two stations share studios at The Pointe in Burbank; KCET's transmitter is located atop Mount Wilson in the San Gabriel Mountains.
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Alabama Public Television (APT) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Alabama. It is operated by the Alabama Educational Television Commission (AETC), an agency of the Alabama state government which holds the licenses for all of the PBS member stations licensed in the state. The broadcast signals of the nine stations cover almost all of the state, as well as parts of Florida, Georgia, Mississippi and Tennessee. The network produces public affairs, cultural, natural history, and documentary programming; broadcast and online education programs for classroom use and teacher professional development; and electronic field trips serving K-12 students.
WABE-TV is a secondary PBS member television station in Atlanta, Georgia, United States. Owned by Atlanta Public Schools, it is a sister outlet to NPR member station WABE and local educational access cable service APS Cable Channel 22. The three outlets share studios on Bismark Road in the Morningside/Lenox Park section of Atlanta; WABE-TV's transmitter is located on New Street Northeast in the city's Edgewood neighborhood.
The PBS Satellite Service consists of feeds relayed from PBS by satellite to public television stations throughout the United States. The service was launched in September 1978. The service provides a mixed variety of programming selected from PBS's regular network services. In the X/XP years a satellite feed was multicast by some PBS member stations on an over-the-air DTV subchannel along with their regular programming, or during overnight hours on their main channel to provide a second opportunity for viewers to watch or record primetime programming.
WPPT is a PBS member television station in Philadelphia, Pennsylvania, United States. It is owned by Lehigh Valley Public Media alongside Allentown-licensed fellow PBS member WLVT-TV. As WYBE, the station's transmitter was located in the Roxborough section of Philadelphia; in 2018, it entered into a channel sharing agreement with Allentown-based independent station WFMZ-TV and began operating from WFMZ's transmitter on South Mountain near Allentown.
WYES-TV is a PBS member television station in New Orleans, Louisiana, United States, owned by the Greater New Orleans Educational Television Foundation. The station's studios are located on Navarre Avenue in the city's Navarre neighborhood, and its transmitter is located on Magistrate Street in Chalmette.
The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The authority operates as a statutory corporation that holds the licenses for all of the PBS stations operating in the state; it is managed by an independent board of gubernatorial appointees, and university and education officials, which is linked to the executive branch of the Oklahoma state government through the Secretary of Education.
WYIN, branded on-air as Lakeshore PBS, is a secondary PBS member television station licensed to Gary, Indiana, United States, serving the Chicago area. It is owned by Northwest Indiana Public Broadcasting, Inc., as a sister station to NPR member WLPR-FM (89.1). Both stations share studios on Indiana Place in Merrillville, while WYIN's transmitter is located near Lake Dalecarlia. WYIN is one of two PBS member stations in the Chicago television market, alongside Chicago-licensed WTTW.
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World Channel, also branded as World, is an American digital multicast public television network owned and operated by the WGBH Educational Foundation. It is distributed by American Public Television and the National Educational Telecommunications Association and features programming covering topics such as science, nature, news, and public affairs. Programming is supplied by the entities, as well as other partners such as WNET and WGBH. It is primarily carried on the digital subchannels of PBS member stations.
The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Crystal City, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programs to public television stations in the United States, distributing shows such as Frontline, Nova, PBS NewsHour, Masterpiece, Sesame Street, and This Old House.
Moyers & Company was a commentary and interview television show hosted by Bill Moyers, and broadcast via syndication on public television stations in the United States. The weekly show covered current affairs affecting everyday Americans, and featured extended conversations with guests on issues of the day. It premiered on January 13, 2012, and concluded on January 2, 2015.
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The 2021–22 network overnight television schedule for the three major English-language commercial broadcast networks in the United States covers the overnight hours from September 2021 to August 2022. The schedule is followed by a list per network of returning series, new series, and series canceled after the 2020–21 television season.
(sidebar) American Public Television announces launch of national Create channel, January 2006.