Hello Newsroom Heroes!

To help support local media across the Pioneer PBS viewing area, we’re launching a new monthly email called News You Can Use.

Each edition will include free, publication-ready content you can use in print, online or on-air including:

          - Human interest format feature stories based on local Pioneer PBS productions.

          - High resolution photos with cutlines, photo credits.

          - Links to and QR codes for related video content.

          - Pre-written social posts regarding the features.

Our goal is simple: provide quality regional content that may be useful to your newsroom while highlighting the people, places and stories that make our communities unique. Use whatever fits your publication or station - there’s no cost or obligation. If there are resources or story types you’d like to see included, I’d welcome your feedback.

In this first edition of News You Can Use, you will find three Media ToolKits, each folder with all of the assets you need for the three separate features. This month, we are featuring Cory Hepola, creator of the docuseries My Town, who has traveled to rural towns throughout the Pioneer PBS region sharing stories of the people and places that make a community the place that people choose to call home. Included in the file are photographs from each region, labeled in folders by town, pre-written social media posts you can easily copy/paste to share your website article links online, short video clips, the human interest style story of how and why Cory chose to do what he does with the series, as well as links and QR codes for related content. 

We are also featuring resources for teachers, including information on the locally produced educational content available free for teachers to use. Lastly, we are featuring the new curated playlist page that organizes local stories by community.  

The My Town feature is timely as the series has a premiere date of August 6th, however the other two features included this month are less timely and can be run any time you need to fill space, with the teacher resources feature being an excellent resource for back to school special sections.

Thank you, and I look forward to working with you.

Best,

Jessica Stölen

Communications Manager

Pioneer PBS

800-726-3178

yourtv@pioneer.org

This Month's News You Can Use

This media toolkit has been created to make it easy for newspapers, radio stations, television stations and digital publishers to use Pioneer PBS content in print, online and on-air coverage.

Across Minnesota, Iowa, Wisconsin, South Dakota and North Dakota, My Town introduces viewers to people who have intentionally built their lives in communities that are often overlooked or misunderstood. Along the way, Hepola says, the series has grown beyond its original vision. “I think that’s one of the beautiful things about My Town. We’re helping tell those stories, those positive stories that just really never get told.”

As another school year approaches, many teachers are busy preparing lesson plans while parents begin thinking about homework, projects and ways to keep learning engaging throughout the year. What many people may not realize is that Pioneer PBS offers free educational resources designed to support both educators and students through PBS LearningMedia. 

Over the years, Pioneer PBS has produced hundreds of documentaries, local programs and short features that capture the history, culture and character of the region. While each program tells its own story, many are connected by common themes that stretch across communities and generations.  To help viewers explore those connections, Pioneer PBS has organized many of its stories into curated online playlists.