PBS and NPR are teaming up for programming centering around the 2016 presidential election, dubbed “PBS Election 2016.” The partnership was announced Monday at the Television Critics Association press tour in Pasadena, Calif.
“PBS Election 2016” will include new and returning series, specials, documentaries and digital content with a mix of investigative reports, educational opportunities and local and national stories. With PBS and NPR joining forces, the programming will result in shared digital, video and audio content between the two organizations, covering everything from the primary debates to election night and beyond.
As part of the collaboration, PBS will launch an election-focused digital platform on PBS.org in February that will include content from NPR. Likewise, NPR will integrate PBS content into its politics section on NPR.org with both companies cross-promoting.
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“In this election year, PBS promises viewers extensive, in-depth and thoughtful coverage across all platforms,” said Beth Hoppe, chief programming executive and general manager of general audience programming for PBS. “Our roster of signature programs, specials and online offerings will deliver fully integrated news and analysis from multiple perspectives.”
Michael Oreskes, NPR senior vice president of news and editorial director, added: “We have an anxious country seeking to pick a new president. There are few tasks more important this election year than giving the country the news coverage, information and conversation to help make sound choices. NPR and PBS share that mission of producing trusted, thoughtful public service journalism to inform the American public. Partnering with PBS and working with our member stations, we will provide a forum for a national conversation about politics that goes from the local grassroots perspective our on-the-ground reporters provide, to analysis and context.”
“PBS Election 2016” will include the following slate of programming:
PBS NewsHour Democratic Primary Debate: Moderated by Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff in Milwaukee, Wis., on Feb. 11 from 9 to 11 p.m. “NewsHour’s” election-focused special programming of the early primary season will include primetime coverage of the Iowa caucuses, New Hampshire primary and Super Tuesday, plus full coverage of the Democratic National Convention and Republican National Convention in July 2016.
PBS NewsHour Weekend: Remote broadcasts from Philadelphia and Cleveland on the weekends leading up to the Democratic and Republican conventions will provide regular, in-depth reporting called “Every Vote Counts: Examining the People, Places and Issues the Candidates Overlook” throughout the 2016 campaign.
Frontline’s “The Choice 2016”: Returning in fall is a two-hour film investigating what has shaped the two major-party presidential candidates, where they came from, how they lead and why they want to take on one of the most difficult jobs imaginable. “The Choice 2016,” produced by Michael Kirk, will investigate formative moments in the candidates’ lives, providing in-depth reporting and powerful new insights about the candidates. Additionally, leading up to the 2016 election, “Frontline,” “PBS NewsHour” and APM’s “Marketplace” will team up to investigate the American economy with ten videos broadcast across all websites and social channels.
Washington Week with Gwen Ifill: The “PBS NewsHour” anchor will analyze key election news stories and their effect on the lives of all Americans, alongside Washington’s top journalists. “Washington Week” will originate from key election locations with a series of live road shows along the campaign trail, including from the site of the “PBS NewsHour Democratic Primary Debate” in Milwaukee (Feb. 12); from Cleveland, the host city of the Republican National Convention (July 15); and the following week from Philadelphia, host city of the Democratic National Convention (July 22). In September, “Washington Week” will broadcast from Colorado with a live-audience program from the campus of Colorado College in Colorado Springs.
American Experience, “The Presidents”: The all-new digital portal showcases hundreds of assets from the Peabody Award-winning collection of films about our nation’s most important leaders. Films include the upcoming “Murder of a President” (Feb. 2 on PBS) and biographies of John F. Kennedy, Jr.; Bill Clinton; George H.W. Bush; Ronald Reagan; Jimmy Carter; Richard Nixon; Lyndon B. Johnson; Dwight D. Eisenhower; Harry S. Truman; Franklin D. Roosevelt; Woodrow Wilson; Theodore Roosevelt; Ulysses S. Grant; Abraham Lincoln; and John Adams. The portral launched on Presidents Day 2016 (Feb. 15).
