RICK SEBAK & WQED PITTSBURGH GO GLOBAL WITH PREMIERE OF A HOT DOG PROGRAM ON PBS UK
WQED also announces national distribution by American Public Television (APT) for two of its 2011 productions

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE:
November 1, 2011

CONTACT:
George Hazimanolis
412-622-1366
ghazimanolis@wqed.org

Maria Pisano
412-622-1459
mpisano@wqed.org

RICK SEBAK & WQED PITTSBURGH
GO GLOBAL WITH PREMIERE OF
A HOT DOG PROGRAM ON PBS UK
WQED also announces national distribution by
American Public Television (APT) for two of its 2011 productions

PITTSBURGH—Rick Sebak and WQED Pittsburgh go global today with the premiere of the new PBS UK channel. Beginning November 1st PBS UK will be broadcast into an estimated 10 million homes in the United Kingdom. On its first weekend on the air, PBS UK will show WQED’s 1999 national PBS special A Hot Dog Program produced and narrated by Rick Sebak. “We hope we’ll convince people all over the British Isles about how wonderful an all-American hot dog can be,” said Sebak. “I wish we could all go watch it in a pub in Bristol or Birmingham.”

Among the other programming to be shown are some of PBS’ icon series including NOVA, Frontline and American Experience and the recent documentary PROHIBITION from producer Ken Burns.

Two 2011 WQED documentaries will also reach a wider audience this fall and in 2012. "We're proud to have these productions represent WQED nationally and, now, internationally," said Darryl Ford Williams, Vice President of Content for WQED.

Accepted for national distribution by American Public Television (APT) beginning November 2011, Long Road Home focuses on the compelling stories of Pittsburgh area veterans coping and healing after combat in Iraq, Vietnam, Korea, and World War II and explores current treatments and research into PTSD among returning veterans. Long Road Home was written and produced by David Solomon, with videography and editing by Paul Ruggieri - the same team that brought viewers award-winning WQED documentaries including: Losing Lambert, Alicia's Message, Stone Soldiers: Saving the Gettysburg Monuments, and The Darr Mine Disaster.

In January 2012, award-winning producer Alicia Schisler’s The Last Chapter documentary about several families facing end-of-life decisions will also be made available for broadcast to a national audience through APT.

WQED Pittsburgh has a proud history of honors, including 128 National and Mid-Atlantic Emmy® Awards, an Academy Award, and many, many others, including two Emmy® Awards for Station Excellence. WQED was founded in 1954 as the nation’s first community-supported broadcaster. The people of WQED create, produce and distribute quality programs, products and services to engage, inform, educate and entertain the public within their community and around the world. WQED Pittsburgh is one of the first broadcasters in the country to be fully high-definition (HD) in its studio and field production capabilities. It is the parent company of WQED-TV (PBS); WQED: The Neighborhood Channel; WQED: The Create Channel; WQED Showcase; Classical WQED-FM 89.3/Pittsburgh; Classical WQEJ-FM 89.7/Johnstown; local and national television and radio productions; WQED Interactive (www.wqed.org) and The WQED Education Department.