PASADENA: PBS has revealed a slew of new programs and initiatives launching this year, including PBS Election 2016, focused on the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.<\/p>\n
PBS Election 2016 offers\u00a0news, public affairs, documentary and corresponding digital programming. The comprehensive multiplatform initiative includes a partnership with NPR that will allow for both organizations to share news content. PBS Election 2016 features a combination of new and returning series, and specials that will follow the election trail from the primary debates to election night and more. Coverage will spotlight all major political events, including primaries, conventions and election night returns.<\/p>\n
\u201cIn this election year, PBS promises viewers extensive, in-depth and thoughtful coverage across all platforms,\u201d said Beth Hoppe, the chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming for PBS. \u201cOur roster of signature programs, specials and online offerings will deliver fully integrated news and analysis from multiple perspectives.\u201d<\/p>\n
Michael Oreskes, NPR’s senior VP of news and editorial director, added: \u201cWe have an anxious country seeking to pick a new president. There are few tasks more important this election year than giving the country the news coverage, information and conversation to help make sound choices. NPR and PBS share that mission of producing trusted, thoughtful public service journalism to inform the American public. Partnering with PBS and working with our member stations, we will provide a forum for a national conversation about politics that goes from the local grassroots perspective our on-the-ground reporters provide, to analysis and context.\u201d<\/p>\n
16 for \u201916<\/em> is a tentatively titled new docuseries from OZY Media that highlights past U.S. presidential and vice presidential candidates who had memorable campaigns, including Sarah Palin and Gary Hart. The 16×30-minute show will air weekly in the months leading up to the U.S. presidential election in November.<\/p>\n \u201cEvery four years, we are introduced to a group of individuals with their own aspirations to leave a mark on the history of our country,\u201d said Hoppe. \u201c16 for \u201916<\/em> (w.t.) revisits the most compelling stories from previous elections to demonstrate how every U.S. presidential election is a reflection, and an inflection, of those that came before it.\u201d<\/p>\n Carlos Watson, the host of the series and founder of OZY.com, noted: \u201cAs a lifelong political junkie, I\u2019m thrilled to have the opportunity to study these fascinating men and women who dare to say they have what it takes to be the leader of the free world. We hope people will walk away from this series feeling invigorated and engaged as we gear up for the 2016 election.\u201d<\/p>\n PBS has teamed up with Time Inc. on A Year in Space<\/em>, a two-part series featuring astronauts Scott and Mark Kelly. The production, adapted from Time’s original digital video series about Scott and his 12-month stay on the International Space Station (ISS), will air its first installment on March 2 at 8 p.m. The second half is slated for broadcast in 2017.<\/p>\n Hoppe noted: \u201cA Year in Space<\/em> is an incredible opportunity to immerse audiences into an exciting current event, nearly in real-time. However, it is also a compelling human drama exploring the potential tragedies or triumphs of exploration. It is as close to a feature film as any documentary can get.\u201d<\/p>\n Ian Orefice, the senior executive producer of Time Inc. Video, stated: \u201cThe series represents one of Time Inc.’s most ambitious projects to date. It’s an example of the high-quality programming that we are producing across our brands that audiences can access on any platform. We are thrilled to be working with PBS on this monumental program and look forward to a collaborative partnership.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cThe production process on this project is truly exceptional, and the collaboration among partners to bring this story to life and to the airwaves within a day of Scott Kelly\u2019s return is unparalleled,\u201d added [producer Jonathan] Halperin. \u201cThis series offers one scenario for the potential future of human existence and begins to pose difficult questions about what that future might look like, such as will we be able to establish the human race on other worlds, will we want to, and what will we do with this world?\u201d<\/p>\n PBS has also lined up Hamilton’s America<\/em>, a feature-length documentary about\u00a0Lin-Manuel Miranda’s Broadway musical Hamilton<\/em>, which is based on the life of U.S. founding father Alexander Hamilton. The RadicalMedia-produced doc is due to debut on Great Performances<\/em> in the fall as part of PBS’s Arts programming.<\/p>\n \u201cPBS is thrilled to give viewers an exclusive behind-the-scenes look at this sensational\u2014and sold out\u2014Broadway musical,\u201d said Hoppe. \u201cWith this level of access to Lin-Manuel Miranda and his team, PBS continues to live up to our mission of giving viewers a backstage pass and a front row seat to the arts.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cSince we presented In the Heights: Chasing Broadway Dreams<\/em> in 2009, we\u2019ve been taken by Lin-Manuel\u2019s unique talents and we\u2019re honored to collaborate with him again on Hamilton\u2019s America<\/em>,\u201d noted David Horn, executive producer of Great Performances<\/em>. \u201cThe film will offer audiences a fascinating point of view as we witness first-hand Lin\u2019s inspiration and creative process, as well as the lasting impact of Alexander Hamilton on our society today.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cOn behalf of the entire Hamilton<\/em> cast and creative team, many of whom are In the Heights<\/em> alumni, we are overjoyed to be returning to PBS in partnership with RadicalMedia with this project,\u201d added Miranda, the doc’s creator, writer and star. \u201cWe invited filmmaker Alex Horwitz into \u2018the room where it happened\u2019 a few years ago, and he\u2019s captured parts of this journey no one has seen. We can\u2019t wait to share it, thanks to PBS.\u201d<\/p>\n PBS and National Geographic Channels International have commissioned the six-part science series Genius by Stephen Hawking<\/em>, produced by Bigger Bang and presented and narrated by the titular theoretical physicist. The program will air on PBS in the U.S. this year and internationally on Nat Geo.<\/p>\n \u201cDo you need to be a genius to answer the big questions?\u201d said Hawking. \u201cI\u2019m very pleased to be back on the air for PBS and National Geographic International with Genius<\/em>\u2014a project that furthers my lifelong aim to bring science to the public. It\u2019s a fun show that tries to find out if ordinary people are smart enough to think like the greatest minds who ever lived. Being an optimist, I think they will.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cWith its premise of proving that \u2018ordinary\u2019 people can grasp how history\u2019s greatest scientific discoveries came about, Genius<\/em> is directly aligned with what we hope to achieve through all of our programming\u2014inspiring audiences to explore the world around them,\u201d stated Hoppe.<\/p>\n \u201cThe series puts complex scientific concepts into easily digestible layman\u2019s terms,\u201d remarked Hamish Mykura, the executive VP of programming and development for National Geographic Channel. \u201cThe experiments are spectacular and illustrate some of the most important ideas from some of the greatest minds in history in highly engaging ways. My hope is that Stephen Hawking and this series encourage more minds around the globe to engage with the scientific challenges of tomorrow.\u201d<\/p>\n \u201cGood television is about great storytelling,\u201d added Iain Riddick and Ben Bowie, founders of Bigger Bang, \u201cand science is a source for some of the most awe-inspiring, imaginative stories ever conceived. We\u2019re delighted to work with Prof. Hawking again, and also to have such strong and authentic partners on board with PBS and National Geographic Channels International. Genius<\/em> will be uniquely thought-provoking entertainment, revisiting some of history\u2019s notable scientific breakthroughs through the eyes of everyday people, and we are thrilled to bring the series to television audiences around the world in 2016.\u201d<\/p>\n In addition, PBS will be highlighting the African-American experience through a wide variety of content on PBS member stations, online through the PBS Black Culture Connection and via a series of community conversations about African-American history and culture.<\/p>\n \u201cPBS is focused on expanding upon topics related to race, class and the African-American experience,\u201d said Hoppe. \u201cIn December, Ken Burns and Professor Gates launched a national conversation series on race, called American Fault Line: Race and the American Ideal. Ken Burns and Professor Gates will take the conversation to SXSW in Austin on March 12th, Washington, D.C. on March 14th and the Brooklyn Academy of Music on March 16th. We will add to these conversations through education and engagement, as well as civil discourse and discussion in collaboration with PBS member stations.\u201d<\/p>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":" PASADENA: PBS has revealed a slew of new programs and initiatives launching this year, including PBS Election 2016, focused on the upcoming U.S. presidential elections.<\/p>\n","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"open","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"pmpro_default_level":0,"footnotes":""},"categories":[69],"tags":[146,147],"class_list":["post-8140","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","","category-top-stories","tag-pbs","tag-television-critics-association","pmpro-has-access"],"yoast_head":"\n