For nearly 60 years, Arkansas PBS has been a trusted part of your community – bringing stories that educate, inspire and connect us all. But we do much more than deliver quality programming.
Arkansas PBS is committed to four essential public service missions: Education, Public Safety, Community Engagement and Local Storytelling.
Preparing Our Youngest Learners
We provide more than 40 hours each week of free, non-commercial children’s programming, earning us the reputation of being Arkansas’s preschool. Our research-driven educational media and resources reach every family regardless of income, helping children, especially those in underserved communities, prepare for kindergarten and beyond.
Our work extends beyond the screen and into Arkansas communities when we host free public events like Read to Succeed – family events distributing books, literacy resources, snacks and fun activities to encourage learning at home.
We directly impact student achievement in Arkansas by supporting educators through ArkansasIDEAS, the most-used online teacher professional development resource for the state’s K-12 educators. Offering more than 600 courses tailored to the needs of our state, ArkansasIDEAS is utilized by more than 96,000 educators and has awarded more than 4.6 million credit hours since 2005.
Increasing Public Safety
Arkansas PBS plays a critical role in keeping Arkansans safe. As the backbone of the Emergency Alert System, our broadcast towers provide the infrastructure for life-saving alerts and messages for tornadoes, floods and other emergencies.
Additionally, through PBS WARN (Warning, Alert & Response Network), we provide Arkansans even more protection as cell phone carriers utilize public media’s highly reliable and low-cost distribution channel for delivering Wireless Enabled Alerts such as emergency messages from FEMA.
Bringing Communities Together
Nearly every week, Arkansas PBS can be found in communities across the state offering screenings, reading events, family engagement events, adult learning events, and livestreaming events of arts, culture and entertainment from partners across the state. By fostering learning, creativity and cultural connection, we ensure that knowledge and opportunity are accessible to all.
As Arkansas’s only statewide broadcaster, Arkansas PBS brings our free over-the-air television signal to 96% of all Arkansans. In rural areas where local media options are limited or unavailable, Arkansas PBS is a lifeline, offering the only free television signal.
Serving as Arkansas’s Storytellers
For decades, we’ve been proud to be Arkansas’s storytellers, documenting the rich history of our state for today and future generations. Our locally produced programs shine a spotlight on the people, places and events that make The Natural State unique. As one of the last locally run media outlets, Arkansas PBS keeps you connected to your community, celebrating and preserving stories for generations to come.
A Tool for Good
When Mister Rogers testified in 1969 to Sen. John Pastore, he calmly and simply explained something that’s not simple at all – the impact public media can make in the lives of those it reaches. He knew public media was a tool to reach as many people as possible without barriers to accessing information, skills, creativity, comfort and joy – a tool for good.
For nearly 60 years, Arkansas PBS has been just that – a tool for good, “Making a Difference” through lifelong learning, life-saving emergency alerts and local stories that form the fabric of our communities.
Whether it’s the educational shows that shaped your childhood, the trusted news you rely on or the emergency updates that keep you safe, public media touches us all.
Thanks to the ongoing support of loyal viewers like you, we look forward to serving Arkansans for another 60+ years.
Learn more at myarpbs.org/makingadifference