Tenth national season of “Story in the Public Square” to premiere January 2023

“Story in the Public Square,” the six-time Telly Award-winning series from the Pell Center at Salve Regina, is set to premiere its tenth national season on public television beginning the week of Monday, Jan. 2, 2023, via the National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA).

The new season will feature  new episodes with guests who shed light on the stories that shape politics and culture, helping viewers make sense of current events.

“Story in the Public Square” is a weekly, 30-minute series that brings audiences to the intersection of storytelling and public affairs. The long-running series is a creative collaboration between its hosts: Jim Ludes, vice president for strategic initiatives at Salve Regina and the executive director of the Pell Center, and G. Wayne Miller, staff writer at The Providence Journal and leader of the Pell Center’s new Ocean State Stories initiative. It has been in production at Rhode Island PBS since January 2017.

Kicking off the series’ tenth national season, hosts Ludes and Miller will welcome guests both virtually and in-studio at Rhode Island PBS.  The show continues to broaden its reach, featuring guests from across North America and beyond.

“I still like to remind people that the show began as an effort to highlight the narratives we, as citizens, are bombarded with on a daily basis,” said Ludes who studies the history of disinformation. “And each week, we’re still talking to storytellers who are either creating worlds with words or using words to understand and often change the world around us. It is incredibly exciting to continue this work.”

“Story in the Public Square” is currently seen in more than 85 percent of the nation’s television markets with nearly 500 weekly broadcasts nationally. It has won Telly Awards for excellence in politics and commentary, as well as social impact, in 2022, 2021, 2020, 2019 and 2018.

“Looking forward to our tenth national season, I find myself reflecting on the incredible guests and team that has given this show its spark from the beginning,” said Miller. “Ten seasons on national public television is truly an accomplishment, and it wouldn’t be possible without all they bring to our set.”

The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy is a think tank on Salve Regina’s campus in historic Newport, Rhode Island. Its programs on domestic and international issues are designed to generate new ideas, to expand public understanding of important issues and to help the public and its leaders make better decisions. Dedicated to honoring Sen. Claiborne Pell’s legacy, the center promotes American engagement in the world, effective government at home and civic participation by all Americans.

The National Educational Telecommunications Association is a professional association that serves public television licensees and educational entities in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands and Puerto Rico. Since 1967, NETA’s reason for existing has been to connect public television people and ideas by providing quality programming, educational resources, professional development, management support and national representation.