For immediate release
Chicago, IL - September 22, 2014
The groundbreaking series, Central Standard: On Education®, which originally premiered on YouTube and is currently airing on WTTW11 at 7:30 pm on Fridays, has been picked up by the national WORLD channel, premiering today -- Monday, September 22, to air several times daily, in five parts. WTTW audiences can watch it over the air on channel 11-3, on Comcast cable channel 369 and on RCN channel 38. WTTW WORLD airs from 7:00 pm to 7:00 am in this market.
Central Standard: On Education focuses on education in Chicago and the surrounding region as seen through the eyes of five 8th grade students – Robert, Gina, Natalia, Kyle, and Emma – attending five very different publicly-funded schools as they strive to make it into one of the region’s top public high schools. The series is designed to provide a close-up view of issues important to local communities within Chicago and across the country. Because we often only hear what policymakers have to say in the media, a goal of the program is to give voice to real people in the system – to provide insight into the causes of educational disparities and an on-the-ground perspective.
Along the way, we watch them deal with factors that may affect their educational experience, such as participation in extracurricular activities, challenging financial situations, testing, social pressures, and more. The series will also include the perspectives of their parents, their teachers, and other individuals involved in the education sphere, in order to provide a window to the on-the-ground reality of education across our region.
The series is also available for viewing at wttw.com/centralstandard, and on the PBS Digital Studios YouTube Channel.
Central Standard: On Education is made possible, in part, by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Northern Illinois University, PBS Digital Studios, and by WTTW members, viewers, and with the help of Indiegogo funders and other friends of the production.
About WTTW
The Midwest’s premier public media organization, WTTW is committed to creating and presenting unique television and digital media content. WTTW is dedicated to bringing Chicago and the world together to explore the arts, sciences, humanities, and public affairs across four distinct television channels – WTTW11, WTTW Prime, the Spanish-language channel WTTW V-me, and WTTW Create/WTTW WORLD, and on wttw.com, where visitors can connect with others in the community and access a full library of local and national video content for kids and adults, interactive features, event and membership opportunities, and robust microsites and blogs dedicated to WTTW series and specials. Each week, WTTW reaches an audience of 1.8 million over a four-state area, making it one of the most-watched public television stations in America.
About Scrappers Film Group
Scrappers Film Group and its award-winning documentary filmmakers Ben Kolak and Brian Ashby provide film production work aimed at educational, business, and socially motivated clientele. The company uses cinéma vérité and naturalistic techniques to best portray our customers’ visions. Its services include documentaries, promotional pieces for institutions, video installation, shooting, editing, sound recording, interviews, and original scores.
About PBS Digital Studios
PBS Digital Studios produces and distributes original web-based content. Working with creators from across the web, its network of short-form video series showcases the best of the Internet while also celebrating the best parts of public television. Its YouTube channel has almost 53,000 subscribers.
