Subject: Gay Series Debuts on PBS
From: [email-masked]
Date: Sat, 10 Jun 1995 12:13:23 -0400

PRESS INFORMATION
For immediate release. 
Feature-length version w/photo available by request.

Reference: Network Q: Out Across America
Independent Series on PBS 
Distributed Beginning 19 June 1995

Contact:David Surber
[email-masked]
404.733.6112

FIRST WEEKLY GAY SERIES RELEASED;
PREVIEW SCORES SOLID RATINGS IN DENVER

With little fanfare, broadcast history was made June 8 when -- in Denver, of
all places -- the first weekly gay television series premiered to
enthusiastic audience reaction and strong ratings on PBS station KBDI. The
program is Network Q: Out Across America, and the 13 one-hour episodes being
distributed via satellite to PBS stations nationwide are a milestone in the
treatment of gay issues on television. 

With a format reminiscent of the old "On The Road" series, Out Across America
travels to different regions, profiling the wide range of people, issues,
events and culture in the gay and lesbian community. The 13 hours being
released on PBS have been drawn from the 26 feature-length documentaries
produced by Network Q since 1992. Segments being included in the series
originate from such diverse locations as New York; LA; Seattle; Denver;
Atlanta; Ovett, Mississippi; Boston; Raleigh-Durham, North Carolina; New
Orleans; Salt Lake CIty; Austin, Texas; and Sydney, Australia.

So far, a handful of stations have confirmed they will be carrying the
series, including WNET in New York; WLRN in Miami; WYBE in Philadelphia; and
KBDI in Denver. But programmers at the Central Educational Network, Out
Across America's distributor, are confident that a significant number of PBS
stations will ultimately air the series. The satellite feeds begin June 19. 

Says David Surber, the series' Executive Producer. "We've identified about 70
stations (out of around 350) that should be open to the idea. We're also
getting a lot of assistance from people familiar with our work, who are
talking to their local staions. But because of the way the information is
reported, it'll take a while for us to really know who's picking it up."

Denver's KBDI jumped the gun by requesting an advance copy of the Denver
episode for use as part of a slate of gay programs during their pledge drive.

"It did quite well," says Kirby McClure of KBDI's programming department.
"The overnight ratings showed Network Q with a .4 rating and a 1 share, which
are good numbers for us. During two quarter hours, it pulled a .8 rating and
a 2 share, which is excellent -- the best we did all day." A 1 share is
comparable to what a pre-O.J. Simpson CNN might expect at any given time.

The show also proved popular as a pledge vehicle. "During the Network Q
broadcast, we raised several thousand dollars in pledges, and signed up about
60 new members," continues McClure. "The best of the evening."

Network Q: Out Across America is an independent production of the
Southeastern Arts, Media & Education Project, a 501c3 organization based in
Atlanta, Georgia. SAME plans to continue producing Network Q as a weekly
series for PBS, with a total of 26 episodes annually. Thirteen all-new
episodes are slated for release at the end of December.

The series is funded entirely through private donations and is provided at no
cost to PBS member stations. It is distributed by Continental Program
Marketing, a service of the Central Educational Network. The programming is
not underwritten by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting or any of its
member stations.

-END-