WSBE "Learn" More

The digital conversion earlier this year was rocky for some, and no sweat for others. But how ever you weathered the revolution, all of your local television stations emerged with new channel choices for your enjoyment. WSBE Rhode Island PBS, for example, broadcasts on two over-the-air channels: its main schedule on 36.1 (formerly known as analog "36"), and WSBE Learn on 36.2. Of course, those channel numbers are only meaningful to you if you watch TV over-the-air, but it's a pure, basic starting point. Cable and satellite TV services have WSBE all over the place channel number-wise. More on that - and a clear Finder's Guide - in an upcoming blog!

The prime time programming on WSBE Learn has evolved nicely since we first started broadcasting almost two years ago. (That's right, two years! But most of that was in obscurity until Cox finally picked up the channel in February.) As for the schedule itself, it's different from WSBE Rhode Island PBS - both in broadcast dates/times as well as content. Learn airs some series that are not broadcast on WSBE Rhode Island PBS: Austin City Limits, NewsHour, plus Tracks Ahead, Africa Trek, and From the Top at Carnegie Hall. Some main channel favorites are featured, of course, but on different days and at different times: American Experience, Scientific American Frontiers, P.O.V, Independent Lens, Great Performances, and a variety of How-To series from This Old House, to Everyday Edisons, to America's Test Kitchen, and more.

Visit www.ripbs.org and click TV SCHEDULE (your second option from the left on the menu under the welcome banner) for the schedules for both channels!

As always, your comments and questions are always welcome - post it here, or send an email to public @ the station Web site.

- LMR
Public Information Manager

Calling All Inventors!

Ever have a great idea for an invention, but didn't quite know how to make it happen?

Well, then, Saturday, May 17 just might be your lucky day.

Everyday Edisons, a nationally televised PBS reality series chronicling modern inventors and the development of their inventions, will host an open casting call for Season Three in Providence, R.I., at the Rhode Island Convention Center (Ballroom level), One Sabin Street.

Everyday Edisons invites all inventors and innovators with new product concepts to attend the casting call. Inventors can register from 7 AM until 1 PM. The day ends when all registered ideas have been reviewed. (Think of it as an Antiques Roadshow event for inventors.)

The Everyday Edisons panel of judges, including product development and patent law experts, provides a forum for participants to present and demonstrate original ideas. Everyday Edisons considers all categories of invention, ranging from sketched ideas and simple concepts to detailed, patented designs and factory prototypes or manufactured samples.

The casting call features a full day of complimentary seminars open to the public, including an opportunity to meet with experts from the United States Patent & Trademark Office (USPTO), the editor-in-chief of Inventors Digest magazine and experts within the product development field.

In addition to screening for inventions to feature on the show, representatives from major national retailers, including The Home Depot, Bed Bath and Beyond, QVC, Staples, The Sharper Image, Dick’s Sporting Goods and buybuyBABY will be on site reviewing more advanced prototypes and finished products.

“Having a great idea and making money from that idea are two distinct accomplishments in American innovation,” said Louis Foreman, executive producer and lead judge. “If you can dream it, we can help make it come true.”

The Everyday Edisons judges will select 10 to 12 inventors to be featured in Season Three, which chronicles the inventors as their concept is refined, produced, marketed, and sold. The series invests more than $300,000 into the comprehensive development of each chosen invention at no cost to the inventors. Selected “Everyday Edisons” will have their inventions commercialized and receive a 20-year annuity on all product sales.

Everyday Edisons is produced with the cooperation of the USPTO. Everyday Edisons is currently in production of Season Two, which premieres on Rhode Island PBS in July 2008.

Everyday Edisons casting calls are free and open to the public. Inventors seeking local assistance will have the opportunity to meet with representatives from local inventor groups. Registration forms, directions, maps, FAQ’s and day-of details are available online at www.EverydayEdisons.com. Participants must complete and provide all registration forms in order to audition. Doors open to the public at 7 a.m. and registration closes at 1 p.m. The event will continue throughout the day until all registered ideas have been reviewed.

Spring (Auction) Fever

If it's Spring, it's time for the Rhode Island PBS SPRING AUCTION!

Sure enough, today is the first day of online bidding for Spotlight items!

Spotlight items (formerly called Majors and Specials) are our most sought after, unique, and exciting donations. When you click on an item, you'll find all the details you need to make an informed bid, including images, a link to the donor's website, and the sell-off time. Spotlight items will be auctioned online only on Saturday, April 26.

Hundreds of other great items will be available for live auction each night during our televised auction April 21 - April 26, starting at 7 PM Monday-Friday, and at 5PM on Saturday.

Don't Miss That Great Buy Again!

This year, the rapid response from our hundreds of generous donors combined flawlessly with advanced technology - and a lot of sweat and organization by our two auction staff - to make an important improvement we've been dreaming of for years. For the first time ever, the entire schedule of items - the day and time (within a half hour) that an item will be auctioned - is available online in advance of the televised auction. In fact, the schedule is ready right NOW.

This improvement allows us to show you that we acknowledge and respect your limited viewing time. As exciting and important as the live auction is - it's THE priority for all station staff for that entire week - we know you may not be able to dedicate your week glued to your television for four hours a night, waiting for those items you know we'll be featuring at some point.

Now, if you invest a little time reviewing the schedule first, you can KNOW when we'll auction off all those great buys that peak your interest, and you can plan to watch, bid, and WIN!

Everybody Wins

The Spring Auction is the biggest fund raising event for the station. The money we raise from winning bids goes a long way in keeping the programs you love to watch on Rhode Island PBS.

The auction is a win-win-WIN deal:

1. Local businesses win by making a tax-deductible charitable donation, and receiving on-air television recognition for their generosity.
2. High bidders win by supporting high quality programs and specials on Rhode Island PBS, and get great deals for their generosity.
3. Rhode Island PBS wins by getting the funds we need to deliver the quality programming you just can't find on other channels, without commercial interruption.

Browse online SPOTLIGHT items here

Review the live auction SCHEDULE here

AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later

It doesn't happen often enough, but sometimes government red tape simply evaporates just in time to accomplish some real good.

That's exactly what happened late last week when the Federal Communications Commission (FCC) granted a waiver to Rhode Island PBS to simulcast a charity concert with VH1 to benefit The Station nightclub fire survivors and their families. The one-hour television program, VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later, airs Sunday night, March 23, from 10-11 P.M. It's fitting that the show should air on Easter Sunday - the February 25 concert at the Dunkin Donuts Center was called "Phoenix Rising."

Rhode Island PBS is simulcasting the show so viewers without pay television service can watch it over the air on channel 36. The show will be simulcast on VH1 Classic, on VH1, and on MHD: Music High Definition.

By FCC rules, public television stations are restricted from using their airtime to directly raise funds for organizations other than themselves. Because the concert benefits The Station Family Fund, Rhode Island PBS had to seek special approval by the FCC to air the show.

The "Phoenix Rising" charity concert featured an eclectic mix of classic rock and country music, New England artists and nationally-known acts. Twisted Sister, Winger, and Tesla performed, as did Aaron Lewis of Staind and Eric Martin of Mr. Big. Country artists taking part included John Rich, Gretchen Wilson, and Dierks Bentley.

A one-hour special created from the four-hour concert, VH1 Classic Presents: AFTERMATH: The Station Fire Five Years Later will feature concert highlights from the Phoenix Rising! Musicians United to Benefit the Victims of the Station Nightclub Fire and include interviews with the music fans who survived the horrific fire five years ago.

All proceeds benefit The Station Family Fund, a non-profit 501 (c)(3) charitable organization founded by survivors of The Station Nightclub fire. The Station Family Fund is committed to providing survivor relief, including costs of ongoing treatment and rehabilitation.

It's an honor for Rhode Island PBS to help bring this program to the public.

Bret Michaels introduces the show.

Please feel free to share your thoughts about the live concert if you attended, about the televised version of the show, or about The Station nightclub fire.

The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island

Ahh, the power of motivation!

When I previewed The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island, I was struck by the transformation of the main character (played with perfection by Stephen Thorne) from a bumbling, timid reader of radio copy to a suave, confident - and persuasive - star of the airwaves.

The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island is rich in historical and cultural content. It's also peppered with humorous local Rhode Island references - you can't resist smiling. The double entendres will make you laugh out loud.

The one act play is based on a lost manuscript by Pulitzer Prize winning Rhode Island author Edwin O'Connor (The Last Hurrah). The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island was adapted for stage and screen and directed by Rhode Islander Robert Rose, winner of six Emmy Awards from the New England chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences. Rose discovered the manuscript while researching O'Connor's biography.

The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island looks like a 1950s television comedy – complete with minimal sets, scene transition wipes, and laugh track. The cast is small but talented: Trinity Repertory Company’s Stephen Thorne; Bob Colonna, winner of the prestigious Pell Award for Excellence in the Arts; and Susan Boyce, national touring entertainer. Rhode Island talent at its best!

The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) has accepted the 30-minute program for distribution to public television stations nationwide. As the presenting station, Rhode Island PBS is able to air the show before its national television premiere later this spring. We're proud to bring it to you!

The Greatest Salesman in Rhode Island will air on WSBE Rhode Island PBS on Wednesday, March 26 at 8 PM.

WATCH THE PROMO!!