Public Media Shines a Light on Neighbors Helping Neighbors

Speaking at the APTS Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C., from left: Ed Ulman, Alaska Public Media; Andy Russell, PBS SoCal; Patricia Harrison, CPB; Becky Magura, Nashville PBS; Tamara Gould, PBS SoCal; Debra Sanchez, CPB; and Lucia Knell, Upworthy. 

As we prepare to celebrate in 2026 the 250^th anniversary of the founding of the United States, local public media stations throughout the country will be working with the communities they serve telling the stories of people helping one another through daily and extraordinary circumstances.

“Civic Spark: How the Good Gets Done” a new short-form, digital first initiative, led by PBS SoCal and funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), was featured this week at the APTS Public Media Summit in Washington, D.C.  attended by public media leaders from every state.

Debra Sanchez, CPB’s senior vice president of Educational Media and Learning Experiences, introduced the session saying: “These stories reveal that at our core we are a nation of neighbors being there for one another when help is needed. And the ‘help’ ranges from the volunteer Cajun Navy saving people from floods, to neighbors caring about the aged in their communities, mowing their lawns, shoveling snow, and delivering food, to those who mentor teens and help them stay on path to a high school diploma. As well as the thousands of people who volunteer at their local public television or radio station.”

PBS SoCal Chief Content Officer Tamara Gould moderated a panel discussion on the initiative featuring Lucia Knell, vice president of Upworthy and co-author of "Good People: Stories from the Best of Humanity," PBS SoCal CEO Andrew Russell, and Ed Ulman, CEO of Alaska Public Media. 

“Public media amplifies local stories and connects communities through storytelling,” Gould said.

PBS SoCal is working with six pilot stations -- Alaska Public Media, Idaho Public Television, KOSU in Oklahoma, Nashville PBS, Nashville Public Radio and WHYY in Philadelphia -- to develop a framework for stations across the country to participate in the initiative later this year.

Since the disastrous wildfires that swept Los Angeles in January, PBS SoCal has focused its stories on those committed to helping others, Russell said. “During the LA wildfires, public media kept our community safe, informed, and resilient,” he said.

Ulman said that for Alaska Public Media, a joint licensee that runs a statewide news network in collaboration with 27 public radio stations across the state, the initiative has allowed them to step outside the editorial calendar to connect with the community and find those unique stories. “It’s magical for me to watch the work that they’ve come up with, the video and audio folks working together … telling powerful stories in about two minutes,” Ulman said.

To Ulman, the initiative brings home what public media is all about. “One thing I’ve always appreciated being able to do while working in public media is 99% of all human activity is positive and good. And we're the only folks that will pay attention and retell those stories.”

From left, Tamara Gould and Andy Russell of PBS SoCal; Lucia Knell of Upworthy; and Ed Ulman of Alaska Public Media discuss amplifying local stories through storytelling at the APTS Public Media Summit. 

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