Winter Enjoy, Susan and Eliza Viewers Like You Team

Transcription

1 Winter 2017 Happy 2017! We hope everyone had a pleasant and restful holiday season. We enjoyed some time off but have been back in the swing of things since we returned in the new year. As is usually the case, PBS has a lot of great new content premiering right now. We hope many of you have had the chance to see PBS s newest drama Victoria, which premiered Sunday, January 15, and continues on Sunday nights at 9 pm through March 5. Mercy Street, PBS s Civil War medical drama, is back for its second stint on the PBS schedule. New storylines, new venues, and new characters make for a very compelling season. Catch Mercy Street on Sundays at 8 pm through March 5. We'll be inviting some of you to answer some questions about these two shows in the next few weeks, and whether you've watched or not, we're interested in what you think. In this newsletter, we will review results from recent surveys, update you on the happenings around PBS, and preview upcoming PBS programming. Enjoy, Susan and Eliza Viewers Like You Team

2 Viewers Like You Portal Update! In December we alerted you that the Viewers Like You Portal had a makeover! We ve updated the login page but also changed up the look and feel of the portal itself. If you haven t visited the portal in a while, login to view all of your active surveys awaiting response, current quick polls, current and past newsletters, PBS social media accounts, and our newest portal feature - the member spotlight - where you can learn more about one of your fellow Viewers Like You members! Quick Poll Results Thanks to all of you who visited the Viewers Like You Portal and participated in our fall quick poll that asked Which, if any, of the PBS Fall Arts Festival programs do you plan to watch? Here are the results! No surprise that Hamilton s America came in at #1, and it s also nice to see interest in so many other fall shows. Over 3.5 million television viewers tuned in to Hamilton s America on PBS stations within the first three days of its premiere. Be sure to login to the Viewers Like You Portal to take our newest quick poll on New Year s resolutions.

3 Survey Results PBS Quick Takes Last fall, we decided to start a short, monthly survey where we ask you a series of seemingly random questions about a variety of topics (there are reasons we are asking these questions, so it s not as random as it seems). These surveys help us gather information about different questions or topics that people at PBS headquarters may have, but that do not require an in-depth survey. But before we could field our first survey, we needed a name! So of course we turned to you for suggestions. We received many excellent options and after consulting members of the community, we decided to call the monthly surveys PBS Quick Takes. This name encompasses exactly what we are trying to achieve a short survey, mainly to take your pulse on a few topics. Thanks to everyone for the many submissions, it was hard to choose a final name! We fielded our first two surveys in November and December. We asked a few questions about the recent PBS broadcast of Soundbreaking, an eight-part series that explored the art of music recording, and offered a behind-the-scenes look at the birth of brand new sounds. Those of you who watched the series rated it excellent overall, which we was music to our ears (pun intended). We also wanted to know about your viewership of non-pbs TV series. From a list, the three series that you say you watch most are Game of Thrones, The Crown, and any NCIS. Next we asked about your social media use (see, sort of random questions). We wanted to know your main priorities when it comes to using social media. You told us that you primarily use social media to stay in touch with family and friends, to share your thoughts and views with family and friends, keep up with current events, and to network with people who have shared interests. The main reason you share a post on social media is because you think your family and friends will appreciate it. You re also a philanthropic group with several of you indicating you planned to donate to your local PBS station this past holiday season. Thank you for your support! Finally, for all of you parents out there, we wanted to know what your children s favorite apps are. Top responses include: ABC Mouse, Angry Birds, Daniel Tiger s Neighborhood, Disney Jr., Minecraft (also a big hit with our own sons), Netflix, PBS KIDS, Pokémon Go, Stack the States, Toca, and YouTube/YouTube Kids. Thanks for all of your great feedback and be on the lookout for the next PBS Quick Takes soon!

4 Mercy Street Season 2 TV Spots Last October, we sent some of you a survey asking you to help us decide which of three possible TV spots we should use to promote the second season of Mercy Street. Of the videos that we tested, you described all three as dramatic and intriguing. Other adjectives include exciting, bold, and appealing. While you rated all three very similarly, and said they were likely to motivate you to watch the second season equally, PBS eventually decided to go with Emancipation as the official season 2 trailer. Political Coverage We wrapped up our work about the presidential campaigns with a survey specifically about election night coverage. We learned that many of you kept up with the election process overall and followed election returns on November 8 on television and via news websites. Generally, many viewers also say they talked with friends and family and used social media next most often, though TV and online predominate for election night itself. The top three television networks you watched for election night coverage are: PBS, CNN and NBC. In terms of social network use, Facebook was by far most-used among those who followed returns on social media, with Twitter a far-off second. Thanks for turning to PBS throughout the campaign season for news and analysis.

5 Kids Screen Time We reached out to the parents within the Community to find out more about your children s media habits, specifically what you consider screen time. We learned, amongst other non-technology activities, that your kids engage with screen time the following ways on a weekly basis: Watch TV Use tablet apps Use streaming services Use mobile phone apps Use a desktop/laptop Most mobile users access games specifically for kids, followed by character apps, and the channels or streaming services you use most frequently are PBS KIDS, Netflix, and Amazon Prime Video. For kids who use a desktop or laptop computer, they most frequently use it for homework or educational activities, followed by online games. A majority of parents set daily screen time limits for your children, with many of you saying you play it by ear depending on the day, while some of you have a standing daily limit. We appreciate these insights into your daily lives. The Vietnam War This September, Ken Burns is back on PBS with his documentary on Vietnam. The Vietnam War, an immersive ten-part, eighteen-hour documentary film series directed by Burns and Lynn Novick, tells the epic story of one of the most divisive, consequential, and misunderstood events in American history as it has never before been told on film. We sent many of you a survey asking about interest in the topic of historical documentaries, Vietnam, and your likelihood to watch this series. Most of you indicated that you are likely to watch at least some of The Vietnam War, especially those of you who are history buffs, Vietnam War Veterans, and families of Veterans. It was also interesting to learn that many of you will primarily record the series on your DVR, as well as stream it via Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire, etc. Most of you who plan to DVR or stream the series say you will watch the series over a period of time, as opposed to binge watching it.

6 News from PBS Big news from PBS KIDS. On Monday, January 16 we launched the first-ever national 24/7 PBS KIDS channel, provided by member stations across the country on TV and via a live stream on digital platforms. The free service, which will feature 24/7 educational programming, ensures that PBS KIDS high-quality content is available to all children and caregivers on a platform and at a time that works for them, including primetime, weekends and other out-of-school times when they are most likely to tune in. The full press release is available here. Coming to PBS This Winter/Spring Hopefully many of you are currently enjoying our new Sunday night drama Victoria and season two of Mercy Street. Both series conclude on Sunday, March 5. Here is a sampling of other shows to look forward to in the coming months. For a complete winter/spring lineup, please visit the PBS website. February Nature offers up a five-part miniseries called Spy in the Wild. In this innovative series, more than 30 animatronic spy cameras disguised as animals are planted in the wild to secretly record animal behavior. These spy cameras reveal that animals have emotions and behavior similar to humans including a capacity to love, grieve, deceive, cooperate, and invent. Tune in Wednesdays, February 1- March 1 at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT. American Experience presents Oklahoma City on Tuesday, February 7 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. This episode chronicles the rise of extremist militia movements that led to this deadly attack on The Alfred P. Murrah Federal Building in downtown Oklahoma City in Tune in to Smokey Robinson: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize for Popular Song for an all-star tribute to singer/songwriter Smokey Robinson. Hosted by Samuel L. Jackson, the award airs on Monday, February 10 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. American Masters presents Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise on Tuesday, February 21 at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT. This is the first documentary feature about Dr. Maya Angelou, best known for her autobiography I Know Why the Caged Bird Sings.

7 March Once the March pledge period wraps up, Independent Lens tells us the story of The Bad Kids, a profile of life in a remote Mojave Desert high school where educators work with at-risk students to help them mold their own futures. Tune in Monday, March 20 at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT. Also in March, Great Performances presents Dudamel Conducts Tangos Under the Stars with the LA Phil. Renowned music and artistic director Gustavo Dudamel returns to the Hollywood Bowl with the LA Phil for an evening of Latin music. Check out the concert on Friday, March 31 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. April Call the Midwife is back! It s now 1962 and times are changing both in England and at Nonnatus House. Season 6 sees our favorite midwives and medical staff laugh, cry and unite to support each other as never before. Tune in Sundays April 2-May 21 at 8 pm ET/7 pm CT. The final season of Home Fires also follows Call the Midwife on Sundays April 2-May 21 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. Great Britain stands alone against German forces and for some of the women in the community of Great Paxford, the war throws off peacetime limitations, allowing them to flourish in unexpected ways. Independent Lens presents Newtown. This documentary explores the aftermath and resilience of the Connecticut community devastated by the 2012 shooting at Sandy Hook Elementary School. The documentary premieres on Monday, April 3 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. American Experience presents The Great War Monday, April 10-Wednesday, April 12 at 9 pm ET/8 pm CT. We learn about many who helped make the world safe for democracy. Chronicling how WWI transformed America, American Experience presents stories of African-American and Latino soldiers, feminist activists, Native American code talkers, and others. Finally, NOVA offers up Death Dive to Saturn as the Cassini space probe s mission nears its end. Attempting one last daring maneuver, diving between the innermost ring and top of Saturn s atmosphere, the episode exposes the many wonders of Saturn s system that Cassini has revealed over the years. Check it out Wednesday, April 26 at 10 pm ET/9 pm CT. Please remember that PBS s programming is always available to you via your local PBS television station, or by streaming on PBS.org, a Roku device, Amazon Prime Video, and Apple TV. DVDs are available through ShopPBS.org. A Final Note Thank you again for your continued interest in the Viewers Like You Advisors Community and in PBS programming. Please remember that you can login to our Viewers Like You Portal to access new surveys, newsletters, participate in quick polls and view new and exciting PBS content.