New Year Ushers in New Ways to Watch at Arizona PBS

By Kasey Brammell

Arizona PBS will kick off its 60-year anniversary in January with a slate of new programming and new ways to provide its exceptional content to the Arizona community.

• There’s a new 24/7 live stream of channel 8.1 that will allow viewers to access programming without ever turning on a television. Viewers can visit azpbs.org to watch the live stream.
• Starting Jan. 4, Arizona PBS will launch “Prime Afternoons,” where it will air some of its highest-rated prime time evening shows, such as “American Masters,” “Antiques Roadshow,” “Frankie Drake Mysteries” and “Nature,” earlier in the day. “‘Prime Afternoons’ is a really nice way to share the quality PBS programming that we know people love and reach viewers who prefer to watch TV during a different time of the day,” said Tiffany Khan, director of annual giving.
• Arizona PBS is also launching “Destination: Drama!” on Sundays, beginning on Jan. 10, which will feature previously-aired period dramas that have multiple seasons, such as “Grantchester,” “Poldark,” “The Durrells in Corfu” and “Victoria.”

Both scheduling changes will lead into the news block each day, followed by regular primetime programming. Viewers who rely on our exceptional kids programming are still able to watch those shows at any time of the day through channel 8.4, logging on to azpbs.org/kids or streaming through the PBS KIDS Video app.

Kids can also access content through the PBS KIDS Games app, which features 180 games, and two new digital series, “Team Hamster!” and season two of “Scribbles and Ink.” Five new episodes of “Odd Squad” tell the story of the Squad “down under” in Australia and will air starting Jan. 18, leading up to a big reveal on Friday, Jan. 22 during Family Night on channel 8.4.

Overall, the station’s 60th anniversary provides an opportunity to revamp programming and use new forms of broadcasting to connect with audiences.

“We’re celebrating our 60th anniversary with a look ahead: new programming, new ways to watch and new ways to connect with us,” said Julia Wallace, interim general manager. “Arizona PBS has provided generations of lifelong learners with trustworthy, informative content. Now we’re gearing up to educate and inspire for generations to come, on-air, online and on-demand.”