IN THE LIFE

Below is a letter from the very good PBS show "IN THE LIFE":


Our New Format

Dear Friends,

With the launch of our new season this October, I'd like to share some exciting news.
New Season. No Repeats.

For the first time since we went monthly back in 2001, our 17th Season will not include a single repeated episode. As part of a larger strategic move to bring new content to our viewers more often, IN THE LIFE is shifting to a 30-minute format starting with our October Season Premiere. As we have gathered information for our recent rebranding and our new strategic plan, we have heard repeatedly from members and viewers that they want new material more often and fewer repeats.

There will be something new in every episode; at minimum one of our new A Conversation With... segments. We will also be using unaired archival footage, and new footage, to bring our viewers updates on some of our best stories. This will allow us to continue educating both new, and existing, viewers on the struggles and triumphs of the LGBT movement and community.

In keeping with In The Life Media's tradition as a pioneer media organization, dedicated to providing information on LGBT life, this shift is in-step with the changing media environment, where - increasingly - viewers are enjoying their programs as streaming video on their desktops and widescreens, or downloading them to their iPods. The 30-minute format also follows a trend in broadcasting to the half-hour format of other PBS public affairs programs, i.e. NOW on Friday nights.
While we are going to a shorter format overall, IN THE LIFE will not lose any of what we're best known for: credible, provocative and relevant stories about the LGBT community. Each episode will include a feature segment focusing on an important issue: marriage equality (October); preventing LGBT teen suicide (November); or rising HIV rates among young men of color (March); a second cultural story, and one of our acclaimed A Conversation With... segments. October's conversation will feature NAACP Chairman Julian Bond with Washington Post editorial writer Jonathan Capehart. Later in the season, we will broadcast conversations with American Federation of Teachers President Randi Weingarten and Empire State Pride Agenda Executive Director Alan Van Capelle, and author of Gay New York, Professor George Chauncey, with New York Governor David Paterson, among others.

IN THE LIFE has long been a valuable resource to educational institutions in the United States, including The Julliard School, Harvard and Drexel Universities. This shorter format will be more classroom-friendly, making it more readily accessible to educators and their students.

Website Update
Last week, we launched additional upgrades to our website, including a new, more content rich, homepage and an upgraded "Get IN THE LIFE" feature. "Get IN THE LIFE" allows viewers to send their local station an email through our website to:

1. Request that it airs IN THE LIFE

2. Request better airtimes for IN THE LIFE

3. Thank those stations that do air our program

As the Internet increasingly becomes not only a space for advocacy, but also a portal for many users to watch educational programming, our website will continue to evolve to meet all of our viewers and donors' needs.

For general questions or comments about our programming, please email comments@inthelifetv.org. For questions about becoming a member or donating to IN THE LIFE, please email membership@inthelifetv.org.
Thanks for your incredible support making our work possible.
Sincerely,

Michelle Kristel
Executive Director