WPSX-TV Changes Young Lives Through The Gift Of Books

11-15-96
University Park, Pa. -- The simple gesture of giving a child a new book creates a wonderful ripple effect of joy, self-esteem, family bonding, and learning. That's why WPSX-TV has joined a partnership with First Book, a national non-profit organization committed to giving children the opportunity to read and own their first new book.

Through this partnership, WPSX-TV, which is broadcast in 29 central and northcentral Pennsylvania Counties and carried on more than 125 cable channels, is now able to provide free books monthly to disadvantaged throughout the listening area. The first distribution is targeted for Cen-Clear Head Start in Philipsburg, Blair County Head Start in Altoona, and ARIN Even Start in Shelocta. Books are slated for delivery this month. The distribution program is part of The Ready To Learn Service on WPSX-TV.

To provide the free books to local children, First Book has created a series of critical national partnerships that include: Barnes & Noble; Scholastic Publishing; The Corporation for Public Broadcasting; the Association of Library Services to Children, a Division of the American Library Association; B. Dalton Booksellers; the Association of Junior Leagues International; Share Our Strength; and Mondo Publishing.

Locally, Murata Electronics of State College has provided funding to WPSX-TV to purchase books from Scholastic and Mondo Publishers in the coming year. "We are pleased to make this investment in PTV, the Ready to Learn Service on Channel 3," says Mike White, human resource manager, at Murata Electronics. "In a very literal sense, this is an investment in the future of our community."

"Local underwriting is critical to the successful implementation of the PTV initiative in our broadcast area," says Bill Speakman, director of development at WPSX. "We will be working across the Channel 3 viewing area to garner further support of the Ready To Learn Service. We want to make a significant impact in the lives of our communities' children and families-we can do that only by creating these types of partnerships with local businesses, providing the funds necessary to increase the number of free books available to local children in need."

PTV, The Ready To Learn service, is public television at its best, airing topnotch programs for children and supplementing them with home and community-based activities to help them start school "ready to learn."

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Contact: Sandra Koelle Grenci - (814) 865-3333