American Public Television facts for kids
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Formerly
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Eastern Educational Network (1960–1980) Interregional Program Service (1980–1992) American Program Service (1992–2000) |
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| Non-profit | |
| Industry | Public television Television syndication |
| Founded | February 9, 1960 |
| Headquarters | Boston, Massachusetts, U.S. |
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Area served
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Worldwide |
American Public Television (APT) is a special organization in the United States. It's a non-profit group that shares TV shows with public television stations. APT helps send public TV shows all over the country. This includes shows for PBS stations, other educational stations, and even special TV channels like Create and World.
Contents
History of American Public Television
Early Days: Eastern Educational Network
APT started way back in 1960. It was first known as the Eastern Educational Network (EEN). At the beginning, EEN was a group of TV stations in one area. They worked together to share programs with each other.
EEN was one of the first groups to share famous shows across the country. These included The French Chef with Julia Child (starting in 1962), Mister Rogers' Neighborhood, and Washington Week in Review.
EEN also did something new in 1970. They started Newsfront, which was America's first live daily news show that didn't have commercials. In November 1970, EEN introduced Wall Street Week. Later, PBS started showing it across the country in 1972. EEN also began bringing popular shows from the UK's BBC and Canada's CBC to America in 1974. One of these was the funny show Monty Python's Flying Circus. In 1978, EEN created something called the Free Library.
In 1980, the Eastern Educational Network changed its name. It became the Interregional Program Service (IPS). IPS started another service called Premium Service in 1989. One of the first shows from this service was U.S. Chronicle. This show was made by public TV stations working with Maryland Public Television. The company became well-known when IPS started sharing The Nightly Business Report across the country in 1981. In 1992, the organization changed its name again to American Program Service (APS).
Becoming American Public Television
On January 1, 2000, American Program Service officially became American Public Television (APT). Because many people from other countries wanted their shows, APT also started a part of the company called APT Worldwide. This part handles international sales.
When TV stations started using digital signals, APT began sharing more channels. In January 2006, APT started sharing the Create channel. Later, on July 1, 2009, they also began sharing the World channel.
APT has different ways it shares TV shows with stations:
- APT Exchange (which used to be called the Free Library) started in 1978. This service helps stations get programs for free if the shows have already been paid for. Popular shows like Rick Steves' Europe (since 2000), Nightly Business Report, and America's Test Kitchen are offered this way.
- APT Worldwide is the part of the company that sells shows to other countries. They even sell some shows from A&E and Discovery channels. They work with TV networks like Discovery, National Geographic, Japan's NHK, and the UK's ITV.
- Premium Service provides special programs for stations. These are often performance shows or self-help shows. Stations use them during fundraising drives to encourage viewers to donate or buy DVDs. One of the first very popular shows from this service was the first Three Tenors concert.
- Syndication is a service where APT buys completed TV shows. Muhammad Ali: Through the Eyes of the World, bought in 2002, was a big hit through this service. The BBC's Battlefield Britain series was also very popular.
TV Channels Distributed by APT
APT also helps share two digital TV channels with other groups like WGBH and WNET:
- Create offers shows about lifestyle topics. This includes cooking, travel, home and garden, arts and crafts, and fitness. Most of these shows come from APT's own collection. Create started in January 2006. Local public TV stations can show Create, and it's also available on cable TV through agreements with these local stations. Some shows you might see on Create are Lidia's Kitchen, P. Allen Smith's Garden Home, Bob Ross: The Joy of Painting, Chris Kimball's Milk Street Television, Simply Ming, and America's Test Kitchen from Cook's Illustrated.
- World Channel is a 24-hour digital channel. It shows public television programs that are non-fiction. This includes science, nature, news, public affairs, and documentaries.
Popular Shows from APT
APT shares more than 300 new TV shows every year. These include documentaries, talk shows, music performances, drama and comedy series, how-to programs, children's shows, and classic movies.
Some shows that APT currently or used to share are:
- The Open Mind
- Rick Steves' Europe
- Live From the Artists Den
- Jacques Pepin: Heart & Soul
- America's Test Kitchen and its related show Cook's Country
- Yan Can Cook
- Barbecue University with Steven Raichlen
- The Big Comfy Couch
- Net Cafe
- Pati's Mexican Table
- Samantha Brown's Places to Love
- Doc Martin
- Rudy Maxa's World
- Sara's Weeknight Meals
- Scully: The World Show
APT also shares international news shows during the week. These include Asia Insight and NHK Newsline from Japan's NHK. They also share the business news program Nightly Business Report.
APT has also shared special fundraising shows for public television. These include programs like Frank Sinatra: Voice of Our Time, Anne of Green Gables, Carreras Domingo Pavarotti, Celine Dion: A New Day, Mike Douglas – Moments & Memories, Leonard Cohen: Tower of Song, and Tony Bennett Duets: The Making of an American Classic.
In 2000, APT was the first company to bring a high-definition (HD) TV series to public television. This was with the show Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa.
From January 1, 2018, to December 26, 2021, the PBS Kids 24/7 channel showed Peep and the Big Wide World and Pocoyo, which were distributed by APT.
See also
In Spanish: American Public Television para niños
