Partners: WGBH Educational Foundation; Public Broadcasting Service (PBS); New York University (NYU).

Subject: Partners in this project will collaborate to establish procedures, structures and national standards necessary to preserve public television programs produced in digital formats. Thirteen and WGBH are the two largest producers of public television content in the United States. Through PBS, their productions are made available to audiences from coast-to-coast. Together, these three entities produce and distribute the majority of public television in the United States. NYU is home to one of America’s most distinguished research libraries and the university recently established a graduate-level program in moving image preservation, which includes the exploration of digital technologies. The four partners will focus on such influential series as “Nature,” “American Masters,” “NOVA” and “Frontline,” which are increasingly being produced only in digital formats, including the new high-definition standard (HDTV). Issues associated with the preservation of important corollary content, such as websites that accompany broadcasts, will also be examined. (See: www.nyu.edu/its/pubs/connect/fall04/ackerman_grants.html)