WSRE, PBS for the Gulf Coast, has launched a new video player online (http://video.wsre.org). The state-of-the-art player offers hundreds of hours of on-demand video free of charge, including full-length local documentaries, episodes from local programs such as Conversations with Jeff Weeks, Connecting the Community, StudioAmped, etc., and national PBS programs like Frontline, NOVA and American Experience. The video player also offers curated “collections” of content culled from PBS’ deep archives, including compilations of historical, political and scientific materials. This innovative approach makes WSRE’s video site a “one-stop” shop for public media, giving visitors instant access to national PBS content integrated with locally produced offerings. “Viewers unable to tune-in for a broadcast can now watch most episodes online. WSRE’s local shows can be accessed on-demand 24/7 days a week to anyone with an internet connection around the world,” says Colin Skelton, WSRE’s manager of online media technology and web content. “The other unique feature of this video player is that our local content can be accessed by other viewers all over the country thus giving WSRE the ability to reach a national audience through the player’s interface with other PBS stations.”
“By expanding our content to a digital platform, we are better able to attract new audiences, an ongoing strategy of WSRE, and ensure that our audience has online access to the remarkable depth and breadth of local/PBS programming in a format that puts them in control,” states Robin McArthur, WSRE manager of marketing and promotions. Research shows that preschool children who participated in a media-rich literary curriculum integrating PBS KIDS Raising Readers video content and educational games were better prepared for kindergarten than students who did not use the curriculum. As part of WSRE’s goal to help close the early literacy gap among area children, the broadcaster launched two broadband video players last year which showcases PBS Kids (http://wsre.org/pbskids) and PBS Kids GO! (http://wsre.org/kidsgo) content for children ages 2-8.
