WGBH Educational Foundation

As the most-watched history series on television, WGBH’s American Experience has been capturing the public imagination since its debut two decades ago. This award helps to fund an impact campaign for American Experience: Command and Control, a documentary about the high-stakes and near misses in the history of the U.S. nuclear weapons program, which the Foundation also supported. The impact campaign consists of the film’s theatrical release in New York and Los Angeles, including related editing and distribution costs, which qualifies it for major award consideration. The campaign also includes high-profile influencer screenings in the lead up to the 2016 Nuclear Security Summit in Washington, D.C.

WGBH Educational Foundation is the single largest producer of television and web content for the Public Broadcasting System (PBS). Since 1983, WGBH Educational Foundation has produced and presented FRONTLINE, a weekly documentary journalism program that provides extensive, in-depth examinations of complex stories not typically found elsewhere on U.S. television. In addition to producing and broadcasting an average of 20 episodes during its regular season, FRONTLINE produces content year-round, on a daily basis, including shorter-form newsmagazine episodes distributed on its website, via podcast, social media, and YouTube. General operating support from the MacArthur Foundation allows FRONTLINE to make critical investments in a digital producing infrastructure that enhances its ability to report across a range of media, while also providing it with flexibility to respond quickly to opportunities and to investigate important issues as they arise.

WGBH Educational Foundation will produce Command and Control, a documentary directed by Robert Kenner that explores the long-hidden accidents, near misses, technological breakthroughs, and extraordinary heroism connected to America’s nuclear weapons program. Based on the book by Eric Schlosser, Command and Control reveals how the combination of technological complexity and human fallibility has repeatedly escalated the risk of nuclear disaster. The narrative will interweave the story of a 1980 accident at a Titan II missile complex in Arkansas with key events, decisions, and policies over the past seventy years.

FRONTLINE is a PBS primetime news documentary series produced and presented by WGBH in Boston. For thirty years, FRONTLINE has provided in-depth and incisive reporting on major news stories as well as groundbreaking investigations of important under-reported issues. FRONTLINE is a core grantee in the media program's news and investigative reporting portfolio. The Foundation funds this set of television, radio, print and satellite news programs to preserve and strengthen journalism that is distinguished by its professionalism, high production values, and strictly noncommercial, nonpartisan, and educational mission. This grant supports FRONTLINE’s television and digital content production activities.

In support of FRONTLINE/World reporting on Asian security issues.

In support of the FRONTLINE and the FRONTLINE/World series, and the expansion of the series' digital and online capabilities (over five years).

In support of FRONTLINE/World.

In support of "The New Asylums," a FRONTLINE documentary film about the challenges faced by a prison system dealing with large numbers of mentally ill inmates.

In support of FRONTLINE/World (over two years).

In support of the Digital Opportunity Fund (over three years).

In support of a two-hour documentary commemorating the ten-year anniversary of the Rwandan genocide.

In support of expanded programming to cover war-related stories.

To support "FRONTLINE/World," a global news documentary series on PBS (over two years).

To support the television documentary "World in the Balance."

In support of Frontline’s expanded programming in the aftermath of the September 11 attacks.

To support "Reconstruction," a documentary series about the Reconstruction era (1863-1877).

To support promotion and outreach activities associated with the PBS series "The War on Drugs."

To support "The Decalogue," a documentary series about the moral and ethical choices facing contemporary America.

To support a documentary series on drug policy for the television program "Frontline."

To design and implement a model outreach effort as part of the Television Race Initiative.

To support outreach activities associated with "The Lost American," a documentary film about the life of relief worker Fred Cuny.

To support outreach for "Africans in America," a documentary series about the influence of Africans on the early history of the United States.

To produce a documentary about international refugee issues and the work of Fred Cuny, for broadcast on the public television program "Frontline."

For "Africans in America," a series exploring the history of Africans in the pre-Civil War United States (over two years).

To support "New Television," a series co-produced with WNET.

To support educational and outreach activities for the public television series "Degrassi Junior High."

To support "The Other Americas," a television series and college-level telecourse on Latin America.

To support the PBS series "Inside Gorbachev's USSR."

To support "The Other Americas," a television series and college-level telecourse on Latin America.

To support "The Other Americas," a television series and college-level telecourse on Latin America.

To support a television documentary series on the global environment, "State of the World."

To support "The Nuclear Age," a series for public television, in partnership with the Massachusetts Institute of Technology and Harvard University.