PBS to Premiere Three New Pilots for Science Series

ARLINGTON, December 18: In January, PBS will broadcast three
pilots, both online and on air, and will ask viewers to weigh in on their
favorites. One of the pilots will become a 10-week science series that will
launch in the fall.

The three pilots will premiere on January 1 on pbs.org, and
television broadcasts will begin January 3 at 8 p.m. on PBS member stations,
airing on three consecutive Wednesdays. This is the first time PBS has
introduced full specials online in advance of the television broadcast.

The pilots are Wired Science, a production of KCET Los Angeles in association with Wired magazine; Science Investigators, from WGBH Boston and Lion TV; and 22nd
Century, produced by Tower Productions in
collaboration with Boston Science Communications and Twin Cities Public
Television. On-air promos will invite audiences to submit reviews of the shows
online at each of the program sites accessible through pbs.org/science. Viewer
feedback, as well as additional audience-based research, will help inform PBS'
decision to greenlight one pilot.

In announcing the initiative, John Boland, the chief content
officer at PBS, noted, "Technology is not only allowing PBS member
stations more opportunities to provide viewers even greater access to the best
content available, but also new ways to interact with our audiences, delivering
a level of value and engagement that only a public service media environment
can.”