HONOLULU (HI Now) - PBS Hawaiʻi is celebrating 60 years of storytelling this year. On April 15, 1966, Hawaiʻi Educational Television Network (HETV) broadcast its first programs from the University of Hawaiʻi at Mānoa Lab School campus. Over the years, the station name evolved, from HETV to Hawaiʻi Public Television to PBS Hawaiʻi, but what never changed was its mission – to educate, to ignite conversations, to celebrate our culture and community and to connect generations through stories that touch lives.
While the station is known for hallmark national programs like NOVA, Masterpiece, FRONTLINE and more, PBS Hawaiʻi’s current programs speak to the community it calls home, showcasing local artists and musicians, highlighting favorite local foods, celebrating people and organizations whose unique talents and contributions impact others in big and small ways, and gathering voices and perspectives for important conversations that affect us all.
Generations of students have gotten their start at PBS Hawaiʻi, which hires and trains student employees, teaching them TV production skills that many take into future careers, including Hawaii News Now’s own Michael Harris.
“There was a camera up on a platform. Guys were going up on these ladders and the control room. I was like, this is so cool. I’ve got to work in television, and it stayed with me ever since, 40 plus years later.”
Former station manager Mary Bitterman said it best, “Our commitment, in a way, was not to have programming for some people all the time, but having some programming for everyone.”
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This has been a challenging year for public media, including PBS Hawaiʻi, which no longer receives federal funding that helped sustain its work for nearly 60 years. As the station strengthens its independence, it looks to deepen community connections and build a stronger future powered by the community and people who count on PBS Hawaiʻi. For more information on how you can be a part of the evolution, go to pbshawaii.org/donate.
Join the trip down memory lane. Donʻt miss PBS Hawaiʻi: 60 Years of Storytelling on Thursday, April 30 at 7:30 pm on PBS Hawaiʻi.
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