Statements

Mission

Mission: NPT inspires & educates our community through excellence in public media. Vision: NPT is an enduring, dynamic and integral part of the community and uniquely enriches the lives of citizens in Middle Tennessee and beyond

Background

On September 10, 1962, Channel 8 signed on the air as the pioneer in the classroom, delivering six hours of educational programming daily. Today, NPT has grown to accommodate the changing educational needs of children and adults, offering over 69 hours per week of educational programming for children and providing adults with the opportunity for lifelong learning with educational, enlightening and entertaining programs. In 1997, the station began broadcasting a 24-hour schedule to increase its service to the community. Not only does NPT provide television service and education for many people in the area, it participates in the community through outreach with special projects and events throughout the year. In July 1999, NPT gained independence from the Metropolitan Board of Public Education after 37 years of ownership and became an independent non-profit organization, WDCN Public Television Corporation. The station changed its identity to Nashville Public Television (NPT) with corresponding call letters (WNPT) on February 22, 2000. The corporate name changed from WDCN Public Television Corporation to Nashville Public Television, Inc., in January 2001. NPT has 39 employees and is located near the Tennessee State Fairgrounds at 161 Rains Avenue. The facility contains two studios, with 7,200 sq.ft. of production space. Studio A is one of the largest production spaces in Middle Tennessee with 4,800 sq. ft. and five studio cameras.

Impact

NPT serves more than 2.3 million people in the Middle Tennessee and Southern Kentucky region with television that informs inspires and educates all - from toddlers learning to read to grandparents enjoying programming they can find nowhere else. Signature programs Tennessee Crossroads and Volunteer Gardener are often rated as two of the most-watched public television programs in the nation on Thursday nights. NPT is a national leader in the implementation of major multi-year projects including NPT Reports: Aging Matters, NPT Reports: Children's Health Crisis, Next Door Neighbors and American Graduate which are nationally recognized models for in-depth reporting and community engagement. NPT is committed to projects that highlight the history and culture of Middle Tennessee through productions including Tennessee Civil War 150, a major ten-part documentary project focusing on life in Tennessee during the Civil War. NPT Arts Break shares Nashville's rich cultural offerings with a diverse audience and our ArtQuest series builds an appreciation for visual arts in our youngest viewers. Most importantly, NPT is committed to making a positive impact on the lives of children through the highest-quality, curriculum-based educational programming. Each week NPT provides over 69 hours of children's programming which reaches more than 75% of homes with children ages 2-5. NPT's Educational Outreach Department extends the impact of this programming through community-based workshops and on-line resources. NPT's Family Literacy Project for Refugees and Immigrants provides family literacy services to Nashville's immigrant communities, making a significant impact on Nashville's Kurdish, Somali, Sudanese, Vietnamese and Hispanic communities. A rich array of online resources expand on the content in NPT's children's programming and complement an extensive series of Parent Tip spots focused on health and literacy. Programs such as Sesame Street, SuperWhy!, Daniel Tiger's Neighborhood and Curious George support children in their acquisition of knowledge and critical thinking skills while empowering their imagination and curiosity of the world. NPT's Community Engagement Department extends the impact of this programming through community-based literacy and health workshops to parents and children impacting nearly 2,000 families each year. A rich array of online resources expand on the content in NPT's children's programming and complement an extensive series of Parent Tip spots focused on health and literacy.

CEO Statement

NPT was originally established as WDCN by the Metropolitan Board of Public Education in September 1962. On July 1, 1999, Nashville Public Television began a new era of providing insightful, entertaining, and thought-provoking programming as an independent, nonprofit public television station. Since then, new management and an independent Board of Directors have achieved full-scale organizational transformation of NPT and built a dynamic, nationally recognized resource that provides the Nashville community with the full PBS schedule of programming. NPT is available to more than 900,000 homes via broadcast, cable and satellite services, and is among the most-watched public television stations in the nation with more than 600,000 viewers per week. NPT provides high-quality locally produced programs including Tennessee Crossroads, Volunteer Gardener, and A Word on Words. In addition to these long-running programs, NPT is committed to the production of documentaries that focus on the history and culture of Middle Tennessee. Among the productions which have aired nationally on PBS are Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues, An Evening with the Nashville Symphony, Christmas at Belmont, Deford Bailey: A Legend Lost, The Carter Family, Sam Houston: The Volunteer Exile, and Rachel and Andrew Jackson: A Love Story. Children are at the heart of NPT's mission and each week NPT provides over 65 hours of educational and non-violent programming for children. NPT is also committed to serving the communit in new ways through our digital broadcast capability. "Through electronic media, we engage our audiences of all ages with stimulating cultural, civic and entertainment experiences that educate." And we look forward to fulfilling our vision to become the trusted source of timely and relevant information, insight, entertainment, and education for Middle Tennesse

Service Categories
Primary Category:	Arts, Culture & Humanities  - Television
Secondary Category:	Education  -
Tertiary Category:	-

Areas Served

NPT serves all of Middle Tennessee.

TN - Davidson