Each year, around this time, we share our Report to the Community – a look back at the previous fiscal year and the education initiatives, locally-produced programs, projects and community engagement we delivered to you and for all Arkansans.
Arkansas PBS has served as a daily and essential resource for Arkansans for nearly 60 years. We empower learners of all ages and educate, inform, entertain and inspire our community by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around Arkansas stories. Keep reading to see all the ways we carried out this commitment to you during our last fiscal year.
We focus on six core services as Arkansas’s only statewide network:
- Broadcast Television
- On-Demand Programs
- Outreach and Engagement
- ArkansasIDEAS
- AR-CAN
- Arkansas Live
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Broadcast Television
Did you know Arkansas PBS currently broadcasts four television channels?
Arkansas PBS is our primary TV channel with the broadest reach, available over the air and via cable and satellite services. We also broadcast three digital subchannels: Arkansas PBS KIDS,
WORLD Channel and Create TV.
We are Arkansas’s storytellers, documenting the rich history of our state for today and future generations. Locally produced programming shines a spotlight on the people, places and events that define the state’s cultural landscape.
“Arkansas Treasures” showcases the extraordinary and unexpected collectibles and antiques to be found throughout Arkansas.
Our live-action, 18-episode series “Mystery League” teaches kids in kindergarten through 2nd grades about friendship and community. This series features three fifth-grade detectives – Millie, Mike and Marta – as they solve the never-ending mysteries of the fictional small Arkansas town of Mulberry Springs. “Mystery League” has been picked up for national distribution and will premiere on PBS KIDS March 21.
"Unveiled: Daisy Bates and Johnny Cash" celebrates the enduring legacies of two of Arkansas's most iconic figures. Daisy Bates, who courageously led the fight for civil rights, and Johnny Cash, whose music captured the soul of America, are immortalized in bronze in the U.S. Capitol’s National Statuary Hall. Explore the profound impact of their lives on history, from their humble beginnings to their lasting influence.
On-Demand Programs
Did you know you can stream live TV, or binge entire seasons of your favorite PBS programs, by visiting myarkansaspbs.org or downloading the PBS App?
You can stream more than 4,000 PBS and local shows, including Arkansas PBS-produced programs such as “Passage” and “Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions,” anywhere at any time.
“Passage” follows Arkansan Adam Riley and Canadian Matty Clarke as they attempt to cross the Northwest Passage, a 2,200-mile sea route over the top of Canada, aboard handmade rowboats.
Join host and professional DJ Mario Luna as he scours the state for the most interesting, time-tested Arkansas celebrations in “Celebrating Arkansas: Holiday Traditions.”
You can also watch iconic series from “MASTERPIECE,” “NOVA,” “NATURE,” “PBS News Hour,” “FRONTLINE,” Ken Burns, professor Henry Louis Gates Jr. and more, all from your favorite device.
Outreach & Engagement
Did you know Arkansas PBS empowers learners of all ages by creating, sharing, celebrating and driving conversation around local stories and national content?
We love engaging with our community! From libraries and schools to museums and innovation hubs, Arkansas PBS is a valuable partner to communities throughout the state.
Arkansas PBS Family Days in Conway and Springdale are free annual events that feature PBS KIDS costume characters, free snacks for children, live entertainment, hands-on kids’ activities and games, and giveaways and prizes.
"Gospel," the latest history series from Henry Louis Gates Jr., digs deep into the origin story of Black spirituality through sermon and song.
Our main event in February 2024 with Mosaic Templars Cultural Center drew a standing-room only crowd. Attendees were treated to live music featuring HBCU choirs, praise bands, a panel discussion with four local pastors, hand-held fans reminiscent of churches long-ago and a bountiful grazing table.
Our Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood Sweater Drive helps our neighbors stay warm during the winter months. The statewide effort serves all of Arkansas, largely rural communities, with donation points at public libraries and community agencies.
Education Resources and Support
Our educational outreach offers face-to-face events throughout the state, including Read to Succeed, which reaches underserved communities with literacy resources, and Ready to Learn, promoting early learning and school readiness for children ages 2-8.
Read to Succeed events distribute literacy resources and encourage family engagement through educational activities. Attendees receive a literacy resource bag, including a book, family engagement activities and snack bag to take home.
Our Ready to Learn community events use guided play to introduce kids and grown-ups to exciting digital and tangible tools designed to support the development of Ready to Learn priorities: computational thinking, world of work knowledge and skills, everyday literacy and intergenerational learning. Each event includes a meal, educational activities and a resource bag to continue learning at home.
ArkansasIDEAS
Did you know ArkansasIDEAS is the most used online teacher professional development resource for K-12 educators in Arkansas?
ArkansasIDEAS partners with the Arkansas Department of Education to provide professional development to teachers, school support staff and administrators. ArkansasIDEAS is funded by ADE's Division of Elementary and Secondary Education and serves over 92,000 educators.
Built by Arkansas educators for Arkansas educators, ArkansasIDEAS courses are tailored to the needs of our state and provide K-12 educators with access to high-quality, innovative professional development opportunities 24/7/365 via an online learning management system (LMS).
Emergency Alert System
As Arkansas’s only statewide broadcaster, our 10 broadcast towers across the state bring our free over-the-air television signal to 96% of all Arkansans.
Through our network of towers, Arkansas PBS serves as the essential nerve center for Arkansas’s Emergency Alert System, providing statewide infrastructure for first responder and homeland security services and helping protect citizens from tornadoes, floods and other severe weather events with life-saving alerts and messaging.
With the PBS WARN (Warning, Alert and Response Network) system, Arkansans have even more protection as cell carriers are required to utilize public media’s highly reliable and low-cost distribution channel for delivering Wireless Enabled Alerts such as emergency messages from FEMA.
AR-CAN
Did you know Arkansas PBS livestreams Arkansas state government-related events and meetings?
AR-CAN – the Arkansas Citizens Access Network – provides unprecedented access to Arkansas state government via livestreaming and archived on-demand viewing of legislative proceedings, board and commission meetings, press briefings from the governor and more.
Arkansas Live
Did you know Arkansas PBS provides free, front-row access to some of the state’s most educational and entertaining events via vivid, multi-camera livestream productions? Arkansas Live is an initiative from Arkansas PBS that makes the mission of public media tangible. Last year, Arkansas PBS livestreamed 14 events.
Arkansas PBS is proud to offer upcoming events on demand through Arkansas Live:
- Crystal Bridges – Nicholas Ma, Yo-Yo Ma and Admiral Vivek H. Murthy on Wednesday, Feb. 26, at 5 p.m.
- 2025 Governor’s Arts Awards on Friday, March 7, at noon
- Crystal Bridges – Lecture: “American Sunrise with Joy Harjo."
LEARN MORE:
Read our Report to the Community in full for all the ways we serve Arkansans.