Our Mission & History
 Our
Mission
We develop and deliver valued program choices and services in partnership
with America's public television community.
For more than 47 years, American Public Television has been a prime source of programming for the nation's
public television stations.
With more than 10,000 hours of available programming,
APT identifies innovative programs and creative distribution techniques
for producers. In four decades, we have established a tradition of
providing public television stations with the choices that enable
them to strengthen and customize their schedules.
Each year, we distribute more than 300 series and specials in a variety
of genres including documentary, cooking and lifestyle, travel, feature
film packages, drama, music and entertainment. Rick Steves' Europe, Globe Trekker, Sara's Weeknight Meals, America's Test Kitchen From Cook's Illustrated, Lidia's Family Table, Rosemary and Thyme, Celine Dion: A New Day, Queen Rock Montreal, Spain...on the road Again and films from Warner/Turner and 20th Century Fox are among the high-profile programs we market and distribute to public television stations. Our program staff seeks
finished programs and co-production partnerships from overseas and
domestic markets. This includes international public and commercial
broadcasters, independent producers, commercial record labels, film
studios, syndication services, cable networks, and public television
stations.
 Our
History
Our roots extend to the early days of public television, pre-dating
the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) by eight years. Incorporated
in 1961 as the Eastern Educational Television Network (EEN), we
provided public television's first interstate interconnection among
stations and were the first distributor of such public television
staples as The French Chef, Mister Rogers' Neighborhood and Washington
Week in Review. We were first to introduce Monty Python's Flying
Circus to American audiences in 1975, the first distributor to bring
professional tennis to television, and we showcased the original
Three Tenors program to public television audiences in 1991. And in
2001, we offered the first High Definition series on public television,
Smart Travels with Rudy Maxa.
In 1999, we launched APT Worldwide, our international
sales division. APT Worldwide has built its program catalog to become
a leading source for U.S. public television programming in the international
marketplace. APT Worldwide licenses innovative television programming
including documentary, lifestyle, science, health, arts, culture
and music. We have successfully sold programming to major television
outlets, including Discovery Networks, National Geographic Worldwide,
NHK in Japan, ITV in Great Britain, RAISAT in Italy and Alliance/Atlantis
in Canada.
In 2003, we launched our new Web site and added new features such as the APT HD and APT Pledge sections, monthly scheduling suggestions and newly released shows for stations, plus a faster and easier-to-navigate program catalog.
In 2006, we launched the national Create™ TV channel featuring the best of public television's lifestyle programming. On any given day, Create™ treats home improvement buffs to This Old House and The New Yankee Workshop. Food fans will feast on Lidia's Italian-American Kitchen and Jacques Pépin: Fast Food My Way. Wandering souls will be captivated by Rick Steves' Europe Classics and Smart Travels With Rudy Maxa. Budding artists and crafters will appreciate One Stroke Painting With Donna Dewberry and America Sews With Sue Hausmann. Create is produced and distributed by APT, Thirteen/WNET and WGBH Boston in association with NETA and PBS. For more information about Create™, visit www.CreateTV.com.
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