Hummel Spotlight on Rhode Island PBS

In a new partnership with The Hummel Report, Rhode Island PBS will air Hummel Spotlight stories, long-form video profiles that focus on people and organizations making a difference in the community. The first Hummel Spotlight debuts May 14 at 9:22 p.m.

"There’s a natural affinity between Hummel Spotlight and Rhode Island PBS," said David W. Piccerelli, president of WSBE Rhode Island PBS."These are local stories about meaningful work that doesn't often get noticed. That’s what we do - give voice to those who might not otherwise be heard. Jim brings depth and insight to Hummel Spotlight profiles, and Rhode Island PBS is the right place for that kind of storytelling."

In addition to the content, which is key in our decision to air it, another reason it's such a nice fit is our public television format itself. Without commercials to break up and stretch a program to a full 30 or 60 minutes, we often have a block of several minutes at the end of a show. Short films and long-form profiles such as Hummel Spotlight make ideal transitions.

The debut Hummel Spotlight is a 7 1/2-minute profile filmed last fall at Sophia Academy in Providence. Sophia Academy is a non-profit all-girls middle school with 60 students, grades 5-8, whose families are living near the poverty-level, many in single-parent households. The story will premiere at 9:22 p.m. on May 14, and rebroadcast on Saturday, May 18 at 7 p.m. (before Rhode Island Stories), with additional repeats at various times during the rest of the week.

Although you won't see one every week, new Hummel Spotlights will air on Saturdays at 7 as they come in. Follow our Facebook page for those announcements. For more information about Hummel Spotlight and to find out how you can get involved, visit www.hummelspotlight.org.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS transmits standard-definition (SD) and high-definition (HD) programming over the air on digital 36.1; on Rhode Island cable services: Cox 08 / 1008HD, Verizon FiOS 08 / 508HD, Full Channel 08; on Massachusetts cable services: Comcast 819HD, Verizon 18 / 518HD; on satellite: DirecTV 36 / 3128HD, Dish Network 7776. WSBE Learn transmits over the air on digital 36.2; on cable: Cox 808, Verizon 478, Full Channel 89, Comcast 294 or 312.

Here's a link to the story in today's Journal.