In late March, the U. S. House of

Representatives and Senate passed an

omnibus FY 18 spending bill that was

signed by the President, which includes

full funding of $445 million for the

Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB),

the entity through which federal funds

flow to public broadcasting. While this is

welcome news, the Federal FY 19 budget

development process is already underway,

so work continues.

Federal support of public media — primarily

PBS and NPR and their respective member

stations — represents a wonderful public-

private partnership. Most of the funding

CPB receives from Congress is distributed

directly to local public television and radio

stations, where it provides critical seed

money and is leveraged six-to-seven

times over.

The implications of the loss of this funding

are many. Independent studies confirm

there is no replacement for Federal

funding. If Federal funding for public

media is eliminated, local stations could be

forced to cut valued programs and services

to their communities. As a result, some

stations might not survive, particularly

smaller stations and those in rural areas

where public broadcasting is usually

the only source of local media. Finally,

low income families with preschool-age

kids could lose their children’s best, and

perhaps only, source of educational media.

We at PBS, along with citizens from

communities across the United States

representing their local public media

outlets, continue to educate members of

Congress about the impact that PBS and

its local stations are making in their states

and districts, emphasizing the value the

public places upon them, and to otherwise

“make the case” for the continuation of

Federal funding.

To learn what you can do, please visit

ProtectMyPublicMedia.org. To share why

you value PBS and to learn why others do,

visit PBS.org/Value.

As always, you can feel free to reach out to

us with questions or comments.

Please know that your friendship and

support are most appreciated. Thank you.

Brian Reddington

Executive DirectorPBS Foundation

PRAISE FOR PBS PROGRAMSCongratulations are in order for the PBS winners of the 77th Annual Peabody Awards for the best in electronic media. PBS programs received 6 awards including AMERICAN EXPERIENCE “Oklahoma City” and POV “Last Men in Aleppo.” In addition, ten of the 60 programs nominated by the Peabody board of jurors were PBS presentations. The 2017 Peabody Awards were presented on May 19, 2018, in New York City, at a ceremony hosted by Hasan Minhaj.

In other news, PBS is proud to announce the final ratings for Ken Burns and Lynn Novick’s The Vietnam War, the epic documentary that premiered in September 2017 on PBS stations nationwide. The 10-episode series was seen by a total of 39 million viewers, and was streamed 10 million times between September and December — the most ever for a Burns/Novick film. Notably, 2 million of those streams were viewed in the country of Vietnam.

Additionally, the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences has listed the nominees for its 45th Annual Daytime Emmy® Awards. PBS has received 23 nominations, including multiple nominations for Odd Squad (eight) and A Chef’s Life (three).

PBS congratulates all of our nominated and award-winning programs and producers!

A MESSAGE FROM THE EXECUTIVE DIRECTOR

CONTRIBUTORSpring 2018 • Volume 8 • Issue 1

Photo Credits: GREAT PERFORMANCES: SHE LOVES ME!, Courtesy of Joan Marcus, 2016; TEACHER AND STUDENTS, courtesy of PBS; DANIEL TIGER’S NEIGHBORHOOD © 2018 The Fred Rogers Company.

Courtesy of Providence Pictures

It’s time to brush up on your P’s and Q’s…

to say nothing of the 24 other letters out of

which all English-language words are made.

Why? Because The Great American Read is

about to begin!

Hosted by Meredith Vieira, The Great

American Read premiered with a special

program on Tuesday, May 22 at 8/7c on

PBS stations around the country. The

eight-part television and online series

has been designed to spark a national

conversation about reading and the books

that have inspired, moved, and shaped us.

The Great American Read will be built

around a list of 100 fictional titles treating

a variety of themes such as love, heroes,

villains, and other worlds. The list, released

on April 20, includes a number of widely

recognized classics — among them Pride

and Prejudice, Their Eyes Were Watching

God, and Don Quixote — as well as a diverse

array of recent works — such as The

Hunger Games series, The Brief Wondrous

Life of Oscar Wao, and Beloved — that

look at some of these themes from a

contemporary vantage.

Audiences will be encouraged to read

books from the list over the summer, vote

on their favorites, and share their personal

connections to the titles. Voting will remain

open through the fall, when seven new

episodes of the series will air as the quest

to find America’s most beloved book

gets into high gear. The fall episodes will

feature appearances by noted celebrities,

entertainers and athletes, authors, and

a sampling of everyday Americans — all

of whom will be advocating for their

favorite book.

The goal of The Great American Read is

to bring people together — individuals,

families, communities, the whole nation —

around the idea that reading is more than

just a pastime… that the situations and

people we encounter in books can open our

hearts and minds to others, expose us to

new ideas and new ways of thinking, and

leave us with a new awareness of the world

around us. In short, The Great American

Read will celebrate the transformative

power of great writing.

The Great American Read is made possible

by the Anne Ray Foundation and public

television viewers.

THE GREAT AMERICAN READ

THE PBS FOUNDATION BOARD OF DIRECTORS

The PBS Foundation was established in 2004 to secure extraordinary gifts to support the work of PBS at the national level and to benefit and enhance the system as a whole. The Foundation is guided by a dedicated Board of Directors committed to ensuring the stability and vitality of public media.

Donald A. Baer Washington, D.C.

Fred Berens — Vice ChairMiami, FL

Afsaneh BeschlossWashington, D.C.

Mary G.F. Bitterman — ChairSan Francisco, CA

John S. DomaschkoCovington, KY

Bill Imada Los Angeles, CA

Susan JacobsonPhiladelphia, PA

Paula A. KergerArlington, VA

Susan MarcusAustin, TX

Jonathan S. RaclinSea Island, GA

Lisa ShumateHouston, TX

Laurie SilversBoca Raton, FL

David WeaverBoston, MA

We encourage those who share our passion to join in our work by supporting or continuing to support PBS through the PBS Foundation. Your tax-deductible contribution will help PBS to continue creating content that educates, informs and inspires all Americans now and for generations to come. To learn more about the ways you can help PBS, including gifts of stock, bequests, trusts, and other forms of giving, please contact Brian Reddington, Executive Director at:

PBS Foundation

2100 Crystal Drive

Arlington, VA 22202

Phone: 703.739.5051

Federal Tax ID #: 20-1476451

Combined Federal Campaign (CFC) #: 47620

Email: pbsfoundation@pbs.org

Website: pbs.org/foundation

MAKE A DIFFERENCE BY SUPPORTING PBS

You are receiving this newsletter because you have been identified as a friend of PBS and the PBS Foundation. If you do not wish to receive future mailings, email pbsfoundation@pbs.org, and we will remove your name from our list. Thank you.

WE INVITE YOU TO STAY IN TOUCHWhether you prefer to tweet, like, or follow, we hope you will stay in touch via your favorite social media outlets:

facebook.com/pbs youtube.com/pbs twitter.com/pbs instagram.com/pbs

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Courtesy of Stephanie Berger

A GRAND TRADITION: NATIONAL MEMORIAL DAY AND A CAPITOL FOURTH CONCERTS

Sunday, May 27, 2018 at 8/7c marks the

29th annual broadcast of the National

Memorial Day Concert, bringing us

together as one family of Americans to

honor the service and sacrifice of our men

and women in uniform, military families,

and all those who have given their lives for

this country.

This year’s Memorial Day concert will

feature acclaimed hosts Joe Mantegna

and Gary Sinise and an all-star lineup of

entertainers and musicians, along with

top pops conductor Jack Everly and the

National Symphony Orchestra. The tribute

airs live from the West Lawn of the U.S.

Capitol before an audience of hundreds of

thousands, reaching a broadcast audience

of millions on PBS and being carried to our

troops around the world via the American

Forces Network.

Then, on Independence Day, A Capitol

Fourth will once again honor our country’s

birthday with a splendid all-star salute, this

one hosted by John Stamos. Broadcast

live on PBS from the West Lawn of the

U.S. Capitol, the top-rated extravaganza

promises to be loaded with talent and to

end with a bang — as coverage from 20

cameras positioned around Washington,

D.C., ensures viewers a front-and-center

vantage point for the greatest display of

fireworks in the nation.

Helping all of us come together as one

family of Americans to celebrate our

freedom and independence, the concert

will feature a special tribute to our troops,

their families, and all those who have made

the ultimate sacrifice fighting for our

freedom. The 38th annual A Capitol Fourth

airs Wednesday, July 4, 2018 at 8/7c.

AMERICAN MASTERS PRESENTS BOMBSHELL: THE HEDY LAMARR STORY

Hollywood star Hedy Lamarr was known as the world’s most beautiful woman — Snow White and Cat Woman were both based on her iconic look. However, her arresting appearance and glamorous life stood for years in the way of her being given the credit she deserved as an insightful inventor whose pioneering work helped revolutionize modern communications.

In an effort to help defeat the Axis powers during World War II, Lamarr, an Austrian Jewish emigrant, teamed with the American composer George Antheil to devise a jam-proof radio control system for air-launched torpedoes. Although the idea was sound, Lamarr was told to sell kisses for war bonds instead. It was only toward the end of her life that tech pioneers realized that it was her “frequency-hopping” concept, patented under her name, which is now the basis for secure WiFi, GPS, and Bluetooth technologies.

Produced by Reframed Pictures in association with American Masters, the new documentary Bombshell: The Hedy Lamarr Story explores how Lamarr’s true legacy is that of a technological trailblazer. To watch, check your local listings, stream on PBS.org/americanmasters, or find it on your favorite PBS apps.

Courtesy of Capital Concerts

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Courtesy of Everett Collection

Ongoing research into Native American oral histories has led to a bold new perspective on North and South America — that ancient people across these two continents may have been part of a single interconnected world. This fall on PBS, a new four-part series, Native America, promises to draw history and science together with living indigenous traditions, forever changing how we understand the original culture of our hemisphere.

Made with the active participation of Native American communities and filmed in some of the land’s most spectacular locations, Native America reveals an ancient and still thriving culture whose

splendor and ingenuity is only now beginning to be fully understood and appreciated.

Narrated by Robbie Robertson (Mohawk and member of the famed rock group The Band), each hour of Native America will explore one of the Great Nations and reveal cities, sacred stories, and history long hidden in plain sight.

Funding for Native America is provided by the Anne Ray Foundation and PBS.

NATIVE AMERICA CONNECTS ANCIENT CULTURE TO LIVING TRADITION

As spring blooms into summer, we hope you enjoyed the

premieres of Little Women and Civilizations, that you

got to know Dolores, and that you’re now on the journey

to discover America’s favorite book through The Great

American Read. Whatever you watch on PBS please know

that we gratefully acknowledge your support and your

continued loyalty to our signature primetime series.

That loyalty has inspired many members of our PBS

viewing family to include the PBS Foundation in their

estate plans. Such thoughtfulness ensures that PBS

will be able to continue bringing arts, drama, news,

documentaries, and educational programs to viewers

across America.

And now, supporting PBS may also provide you with an

income stream, if you invest in a Charitable Gift Annuity

or Charitable Remainder Trust funded with stocks, cash,

or real estate. We invite you to discuss your options with

your financial advisor, as you watch the programs you help

make possible!

INVEST IN THE FUTURE OF PBS

Courtesy of Providence Pictures

2100 Crystal DriveArlington, VA 22202www.pbs.org/foundation