Late PBS Journalist Gwen Ifill Honored Nationally and Locally

Gwen Ifill, PBS NewsHour legend, was honored with the 43rd Black Heritage series postal stamp, celebrating her professional achievements and contributions to African American communities.  A ceremony took place at her church in Washington, D.C.

Closer to home, community members in Springfield joined postal officials to honor the late journalist at a stamp unveiling ceremony at her alma mater – Classical High School (since converted into condominiums and renamed Classical High Condominiums).

Though born in New York on Sept. 29, 1955, Gwen Ifill came to Massachusetts when Continue reading

WGBY Celebrates Our PBS KIDS Fans

WGBY fans with young ones at home appreciate how PBS KIDS entertains and educates.  To celebrate our fans and PBS KIDS, we invite you to join us on Saturday, November 9, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m at the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in downtown Springfield.  Among the festivities, families can meet Curious George, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Springfield Museums’ The Cat in the Hat.  We’ll also have activities, live music, children’s books, art and more — even a free kid-sized iced cream with each ticket, courtesy of Friendly’s .

At WGBY’s PBS KIDS tables, you’ll find fun and learning not only for children but for parents and educators with Continue reading

Family Fun & Learning at WGBY Kids Fan Day

This year’s WGBY Kids Fan Day on Saturday, November 3, from 10am — 3pm promises to be the best ever!  Along with PBS KIDs characters that children love  — Curious George, Daniel Tiger & the Springfield Museums’ The Cat in the Hat — families will find PBS Kids-themed activity stations with arts & crafts, interactive games, or musical explorations hosted by community partners.  Free, kid-sized iced cream courtesy of Friendly’s will make the celebration even better.

At WGBY’s Kids tables, we’ll have fun & learning for not only kids but parents and educators with  Continue reading

Summer Fun & Learning with WGBY

Many of these snapshots capture four interns from Springfield’s Putnam Technical-Vocational Academy and one from the University of Massachusetts as they engaged children during WGBY’s 2018 Summer of Fun & Learning.  Throughout the summer, WGBY interns and staff visited Pre-K classrooms at the YMCA and Head Start where we read with children, played PBS KIDS digital games with our mobile media lab and participated in other fun, hands-on learning.

During our weekly visits we were also able to bridge classroom to home with resources from  Continue reading

Hurricane Maria: One Year Later

WGBY has been dedicated to sharing the aftermath of Hurricane Maria through both our week-night program, Connecting Point, and our summer project, “The Hurricane Maria Project: Negotiating Diaspora in Western Massachusetts,” with youth producers like Iraliz Suárez, who created this video.

WGBY continues to explore the hurricane’s aftermath with a new, half-hour Connecting Point special, “Hurricane Maria:  One Year Later,” which will be broadcast on Thursday, September 20, at 8pm.  The special will Continue reading

Join Us for WGBY Clifford Dog Days at the Springfield Museums

The following post was written in collaboration with Jonathan Daly, WGBY intern and recent UMASS graduate:

With the school year at an end and temperatures climbing, what better time to celebrate the “dog days of summer” than with WGBY and the Springfield Museums?  Since the expression “dog days of summer” refers to the sultry time of summer when Sirius, the Dog Star, rises with the sun — July 3 to August 11 — and WGBY Tuesdays run from July 10 – August 14, we’re pretty much on time! 

As part of the Springfield Museums’ Summer Spectacular — which includes its special Clifford Exhibit — WGBY staff and summer interns will be in a cool spot

Continue reading

Come Have Fun at WGBY’s Asparagus Festival

 

WGBY intern and recent UMASS graduate, Jonathan Daly, writes:

This weekend on Saturday, June 2nd, we at WGBY invite you to support the local community and join us at Asparagus Festival, an annual event held at the Hadley Town Commons on Route 9 in Hadley.  From 10:00a.m. – 6:00p.m., the festival presents a Farmers and Makers market with a whole slew of farmers, food vendors, artists.  For children, Continue reading

WGBY Kids Fan Day This Saturday!

WGBY has a legacy of support for early education and an appreciation for the love that young viewers have for trusted PBS Kids content.  To celebrate, we’re hosting WGBY Kids Fan Day this Saturday, November 4, from 10 a.m. to 3 p.m., inside the Naismith Memorial Basketball Hall of Fame in Springfield.

The day promises fun for everyone in the family with favorite PBS Kids shows represented — from Curious George and Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood to The Odd Squad, Wild Kratts and more.  For the many children who come in costume, it’s a chance to wear Halloween costumes one more time and to have a free photo taken.  Tickets may be purchased at the door.  To learn more  Continue reading