Public Broadcasting Service chief executive officer Paula Kerger said the hope of nonprofit organizations is to make the world a slightly better place everyday. With educational content spanning multiple platforms, PBS is attempting to change the way their diverse audience can access content.
“For every media organization, there are layers of challenges,” Kerger said. For PBS, these challenges include moving video programming online for Web streaming, creating social
networking and discussion tools on the Internet’s top broadcaster site, PBS.org. PBS tries to seek out viewers for their site through online tags and search optimization tools.Kerger said the corporation has historically been a pioneer, being the first to utilize closed captioning and a national satellite. Today, the corporation does multicasting, and distributes much of their content in high definition. In addition, PBS allows some users to publish their own content with the corporation, Kerger said.
PBS also looks for their programming to help parents in their day-to-day lives with their children. Short video segments for mobile phone distribution can help mothers keep children busy in the grocery store, and television programming for children who use English as a second language can help improve literary skills.
Content is also geared for a more senior chunk of PBS viewership as well. PBS uses mediums like Xbox and Hulu to distribute programming, Kerger said. All you have to do is look down to see people getting media from iPhones and laptops, she said, to know that mobile media will probably be the next frontier.
Finding success, Kerger said, involves tinkering with the traditional formula of media until something that works sticks. The digital world has evolved as an on demand offering and as needing user generated content, she said.
“You have to experiment or otherwise you’ll never move forward,” Kerger said.
-Derek Casanovas and Jasmine Linabary
Want to hear more from Kerger? Check out the video below:
I have a great appreciation for people like Paula Kerger who ultimately put their viewers before themselves. Her humble but professional nature made our meeting so much more enjoyable and allowed us to be free in asking the good questions and also provided us with some great information that we wouldn’t have known otherwise.
ReplyDeleteOne of the great things about PBS is that because they are a top organization they move fast and have the ability to adapt to change faster than most. Until yesterday I did not know that PBS actually created things such as HD and closed captioning.
PBS also recognizes the need for some younger staff. We are the future and we have a great shot at being the new face of media.
Non-profit can be a hard business to work in but if you have the right passion for your work, it could be the ultimate reward in your career. I respect PBS and all the credibility they’ve built up to become the organization that they are.
-Erica Schrader