THIRTEEN/WNET NEW YORK GIVES PUBLIC TELEVISION AUDIENCES MORE VIEWING CHOICES THAN EVER BEFORE WITH A NEW ONLINE, ON-DEMAND OPTION THROUGH THIRTEEN.ORG

Internet Users Can Now Watch Entire Episodes Of Major PBS Series, Including Wide Angle, Frontline And The NewsHour, Online

Fans of public television have more choices than ever before regarding when and how they watch their favorite PBS programs. Thirteen/WNET New York, the flagship public broadcaster for the New York metropolitan area and a major producer of programming for PBS, has launched Thirteen on Demand, a new option that allows Internet users to watch entire episodes of popular series online.

"Now, with a click of the mouse, computer users can turn their screens into portals for enlightening viewing experiences covering current events, international affairs and other topics," said Thirteen president Dr. William F. Baker.

"People today are busier and more tightly scheduled than ever before, and they need flexibility and options regarding where, when and how they get their information. For teachers and students, the ability to stream episodes of Thirteen's acclaimed educational programming will make the learning experience richer and more memorable."

Thirteen on Demand can be accessed at Thirteen Online, Thirteen's home page (www.thirteen.org), and offers streaming video of episodes from such national series as AIR: America's Investigative Reports; Frontline; The NewsHour; Nightly Business Report; NOW; Moyers on America; Bill Moyers on Faith & Reason; and Wide Angle; as well as Thirteen's award-winning local series New York Voices. They can be viewed using a variety of broadband connections, depending upon the particular program.

Since it was first launched almost a decade ago, Thirteen Online has been an extremely popular destination for Web users of all ages and interests. Last year, Thirteen Online had 5.5. million unique visitors and more than 40 million page views.

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Thirteen/WNET New York is one of the key program providers for public television, bringing such acclaimed series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Charlie Rose, Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly, Wide Angle, Secrets of the Dead, NOW With David Brancaccio, and Cyberchase - as well as the work of Bill Moyers - to audiences nationwide. As the flagship public broadcaster in the New York, New Jersey and Connecticut metro area, Thirteen reaches millions of viewers each week, airing the best of American public television along with its own local productions such as The Ethnic Heritage Specials, The Thirteen Walking Tours, New York Voices, and Reel New York. Thirteen extends the impact of its television productions through educational and community outreach projects - including the Celebration of Teaching and Learning - as well as Web sites and other digital media platforms. More information can be found at: www.thirteen.org.