For viewers, on May 26 and June 2 at 3 p.m., ETV airs Spoleto Festival USA Anniversary Retrospective, an in-depth overview of the first 25 years of the Festival’s many artistic presentations.

Two of our Man and Moment productions—T. Moffatt Burriss and the Crossing and Charles Murray: Defining a Hero—are offered nationwide this month through NETA (National Educational Telecommunications Association). These specials on S.C. WWII veterans are also being offered on PBS World. They air this month on ETV May 23 at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.; and on the South Carolina Channel May 27 at 8 p.m. and 8:30 p.m.

Each month our schedule features a variety of local productions that highlight our state. We thank you for your support as we continue to showcase all that makes us proud to be South Carolinians.

Linda O’Bryon

President and CEO

As April springs forth with fresh, new-budding growth, ETV and ETV Radio are also “blooming” with new programming offers. ETV Radio begins a second season this month of its national production, Piano Jazz with Jon Weber, with guests including Dan Tepfer, Cécile McLorin Salvant, and Laurence Hobgood. Production continues on the upcoming third season of another of our national radio series, Song Travels with Michael Feinstein; if you are a fan, be sure to catch Michael this month in three new episodes of his public TV series, Michael Feinstein’s American Songbook.

On ETV, we are proud to offer Carolina Business Review Education Summit, a relevant and candid forum taped in the ETV studios, which examined the successes and challenges facing South Carolina’s K–12 schools. Co-hosted by the S.C. Chamber of Commerce and the S.C. Manufacturers Alliance, the special featured Superintendent of Education Dr. Mick Zais, Michael Brenan of BB&T, Dr. Rainey Knight of Darlington Schools, Rep. Gilda Cobb-Hunter, and Trip DuBard of S.C. Future Minds in a lively session with a studio audience.

ETV Radio begins its spring fundraising campaign on April 10, asking listeners to renew or become new members of the ETV Endowment. We appreciate your loyal support this month and every month.

Linda O’Bryon
President and CEO, ETV

From ETV’s earliest days operating out of a library at Dreher High School more than 50 years ago, education has been a major focus. Our location has changed. The technology has changed. But the legacy of educational service continues today.

Here are a few examples:

We are proud to be partnering with the Lexington 4 school district and local community groups to provide a year-long literacy and outreach initiative. ETV’s “Schools and Communities Together for Literacy” is designed to increase preschool reading readiness, reading on grade level, and to reduce the “summer slide.” The project provides ETV/PBS literacy resources, classroom equipment, mobile apps, and professional development. ETV is documenting the project and creating a “best practices” tool kit for other districts throughout the state based on the impact. We appreciate the support from the Knight Foundation Fund of the Central Carolina Community Foundation that helps make this initiative possible.

The ETV Endowment and ETV Radio recently hosted the American Chamber Players, a chamber music ensemble led by Miles Hoffman, as they provided musical development and appreciation workshops to elementary school students in the ETV studios through a grant from the Paul M. Angell Family Foundation. The ensemble also visited students at middle and high schools. 

Using ETV’s online education platform, South Carolina Educational Communications, the production affiliate of the ETV Endowment, has introduced “TeacherStep,” online courses providing graduate level professional development in partnership with Converse College. Courses include common core math and English language arts, as well as eight courses in math education. You can find out more at www.teacherstep.com.

ETV has recently launched a Common Core State Standards web page to assist educators with the new “Common Core” teaching standards adopted by 46 states. The clearinghouse page, using the learning platform Edmodo, provides links to common core websites that offer supportive videos and lesson plans. You can find more information at www.scetv.org/learn.

On a programming note, ETV is holding its Festival pledge period this month, with 16 days of entertaining music, documentary and self-improvement specials. The third and final installment of Antiques Roadshow: Myrtle Beach is broadcast March 25, wrapping up three full hours of intriguing appraisals. And ETV Radio offers the newest season of Chamber Music from Spoleto USA to a national audience, showcasing the vitality and charm of this popular series.

With all of these offerings and more, we’re off to a remarkable start in 2013. Many of these accomplishments are due to your unwavering support, and for that, we thank you!

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO

This is a month many have been waiting for since the Antiques Roadshow truck rolled in to Myrtle Beach last June! On that Saturday, nearly 5,000 guests brought in 12,000 items to be appraised by experts, and a lucky few were chosen to be part of Antiques Roadshow’s 17th season, which began in January.

The Myrtle Beach programs are full of interesting and historic items; and host Mark L. Walberg (a native South Carolinian) also visits nearby Brookgreen Gardens and Hobcaw Barony estate. ETV is proud to join Antiques Roadshow to highlight our beautiful state and its significant role in the history of our nation. (One find is from the 1850s, valued at $30,000–$40,000!)

February is traditionally a month when we pay tribute to the achievements of African Americans, and ETV’s local programming emphasizes the many civil rights leaders in our state. A new Carolina Stories special focuses on Harvey Gantt, an architect from Charleston who broke many racial barriers throughout his career. Other programming spotlights Sara Mae Flemming, Modjeska Simkins, the Penn Center, the Greensboro Four, and Richard Samuel Roberts; and again we will broadcast the annual Black History Forum in partnership with Benedict College.

February may be a blustery winter month outside, but ETV features significant and entertaining programming when you’re inside!

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO

For the New Year, ETV presents a variety of new offerings and opportunities, from riveting drama to essential information to exceptional entertainment. The long-awaited third season of Masterpiece’s Downton Abbey premieres this month, with the addition of actress Shirley McClain to the cast, as social change and intrigue grip the Grantham estate. Our younger viewers are treated to Wild Kratts Lost at Sea, an hour-long special that dives beneath the ocean for an aquatic adventure.

High school students and their parents will not want to miss ETV’s annual special, Finding Money for College, a live, two-hour program that presents information on different  types of higher education aid, scholarships and grants, and state assistance. During the program, viewers may call in with questions and comments.

In addition to a new national season of Song Travels, ETV Radio news stations have added two informative series to their line-up: The Splendid Table, which explores the entire spectrum of food; and The Dinner Party, a humorous series of celebrity interviews and other stories.

The State Legislature returns to Columbia this month, and ETV cameras are there to bring viewers complete gavel-to-gavel coverage of the Senate and House sessions. State House Today, airing on ETV World, includes This Week in the State House, hosted by Lt. Governor Glenn McConnell. Other public affairs coverage this month includes The State of the State address, The State of the Union address, and the Presidential Inauguration.

This year promises to be one of the best yet, and ETV is proud to bring you these and other programming ventures throughout the year.

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO

As 2012 draws to a close, we say thank you for your support over the past year. 

Your efforts have enabled ETV to create and distribute an array of thought-provoking and high-quality content across radio, TV, interactive and education services.  In short, it’s been a terrific year, thanks to you. Here are a few highlights:

December brings an array of holiday programming including highlights of the Governor’s Carolighting, Dec. 3 at 7 p.m., encoring December 23 at 6 p.m.

On the horizon for 2013 is a multitude of exciting programming initiatives, including the third season of a much-awaited Masterpiece Classic and the surprising Antiques Roadshow “finds” from Myrtle Beach. Mark your calendars!

Best wishes to you and your families for a very happy holiday season. 

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO

November is a newsworthy month, and ETV is your source for election news analysis.

First up, PBS NewsHour's Hari Sreenivasan hosts Election 2012: What’s at Stake (Nov. 2 at 9 p.m.), which explores how President Obama and Governor Romney plan to address the nation's most pressing concerns: the economy, Social Security and Medicare, healthcare, immigration, and foreign policy. Following at 10 p.m., an encore broadcast of Frontline: The Choice 2012 documents the people, places and decisive moments that made the two presidential candidates who they are today.

On election night, Nov. 6,  ETV’s The Big Picture features an hour-long special  at 7 p.m., when host Charles Bierbauer talks with analysts and politicos about exit polls, voter turnout, and trends for both local and national elections.

Then it’s straight to the NewsHour Special Report: Election 2012, beginning at 8 p.m., as Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff host complete coverage of the election returns.  ETV Radio also provides continuing election returns beginning at 7 p.m., and regularly scheduled programs such as Morning Edition and All Things Considered will be covering pre and post election news. 

And be sure to watch for some great new pledge programs the last week in November. Music offerings range from Motown to Judy Collins to the Tenors, and other broadcasts feature author Mark Walton, Harvard Medical School professor Dr. Rudy Tanzi, T’ai Chi expert David Dorian Ross and others who give practical advice on healthy and happy living.

Linda O’Bryon
President and CEO

As a longtime journalist, I’m well aware of the power that television has to “tell the story,” and this month ETV has some compelling stories to tell.

In preparation for the presidential election, we offer the national presidential and vice presidential debates, where the candidates tell their stories in their own words. In addition to these informative broadcasts, Frontline airs The Choice 2012, which includes in-depth biographies on the presidential candidates as well as behind-the-scenes insights on the two men competing to lead our country.

Another important story is told in Half the Sky: Turning Oppression into Opportunity for Women Worldwide. Six actresses, including Eva Mendes, Meg Ryan, and Olivia Wilde, travel around the globe to meet inspiring individuals who are working to improve gender-based inequality.

And finally, the StoryCorps crew is in Charleston this month, gathering your stories for preservation at the American Folklife Center at the Library of Congress, and perhaps even for broadcast during ETV Radio’s Morning Edition series.

ETV is proud to offer these stories and more, with our promise to continue to provide enlightening and inspiring programming for all South Carolinians.

Linda O’Bryon
President and CEO

This month we are proud to celebrate the 40^th anniversary of ETV Radio, which began as one small station in the Greenville area, and is now a complete statewide network of eight stations. From the popular national series such as the Metropolitan Opera, Whad’ Ya Know?, and All Things Considered, to our local gems such as Carolina Live, Walter Edgar’s Journal and The Bluegrass Sound, listeners can find just about anything they want in our unique array of programming. And ETV Radio has made a national name for itself, producing the multiple award-winning Marian McPartland’s Piano Jazz, as well as Spoleto Chamber Music Concerts, Piano Jazz Rising Stars, and Michael Feinstein’s Song Travels.

We are even more pleased and thankful for all of our loyal listeners and ETV Endowment members who consistently rally around and support ETV Radio, generously making the new state-of-the-art radio studios a reality. Whether you listen for news, music, public affairs, or as a lifeline in times of emergency, ETV Radio is now stronger and better able to serve the people of South Carolina.

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO

This month ETV offers viewers a week of special programming, August 18–26, providing front row seats to outstanding musical events, as well as informative discussions by the world’s leading experts. Some highlights to watch for:

*Ed Sullivan’s Top Performers features an amazing line-up of original ‘60s performers singing their biggest hits from 1966–1969.

*Oscar Hammerstein II: Out of My Dreams pays tribute to the acclaimed lyricist with favorite movie clips from his musicals.

*Rock, Pop & Doo Wop brings back the best songs of the late 1950s and early ‘60s doo wop era, with guest Maurice Williams in our studios.

Throughout the summer ETV has highlighted literacy programming for our youngest viewers. On July 25, ETV celebrated with families in North Charleston with “SuperWhy! Live.” The stage show featured the hero of the award-winning children’s series SuperWhy! who takes young readers and their families on “larger than life” adventures and encourages reading.

ETV’s mascot, Smart Cat, is out and about during August visiting community events and encouraging families to read and exercise. Premiering this Labor Day, Mr. Rogers’ beloved Daniel Tiger returns in a brand new animated series, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood.

As always, we appreciate your support during our pledge periods and all year long. Your donations make these and many other unique programs possible, and we thank you.

Linda O’Bryon
President & CEO