NETA Webinars
NETA webinars allow our members to participate in engaging discussions on a variety of topics to increase skills and strengthen the long-term commitment to public media's education mission. We work closely with thought leaders throughout the system, including our PLC Executive Committees, to produce timely and content-rich online events.
Archived NETA webinars and all associating materials can be found on publicmedialearns.org.
Fill out this form if you're interested in hosting a webinar, or contact us with any questions you may have.
Join GBH and NETA to learn about the new and improved resources from Playtime with the Wombats!, a community initiative that seeks to engage young children in active play around computation thinking (CT). Thanks to station feedback, GBH has updated these resources to feature an improved design, making the resources more flexible and easier to transport and use. They’ve also added some new elements, including an activity passport for kids, a parent brochure, Wombats badges, and more.
Join us for this webinar to learn how you can order a free Wombats Family Activity Pop-Up and a supply of Family Playtime Kits. Members of GBH Education’s research team will also review the type of feedback they will ask stations to help gather from families and community partners.
GBH wishes to thank the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for their support of the Playtime with the Wombats! initiative.
Station staff will learn about the:
- New and improved Playtime with the Wombats! resources and how stations can access them
- Evaluation plan and what will be asked of stations
Join the NETA Community Engagement PLC every other month for an online open forum focused on advancing community engagement in public media. These sessions provide a collaborative space to discuss upcoming programs, share strategies for engagement, explore challenges and successes and exchange best practices. Designed to strengthen professional support networks and foster impactful initiatives, these open forums are a valuable opportunity to connect with peers across the country. Let's learn, innovate and build community together!
Join us Thursday, December 11 at 3 PM ET / noon PT.
Join members of the Fred Rogers Productions team to learn about Many Ways to Show You Care, a multiplatform content initiative for children ages 2-6, their families, and caregivers. The initiative shows that caregiving is part of a loving family. The project includes documentary shorts, a Fred Rogers-inspired music video, educator lesson plans, and family activities. Now available on pbskids.org, the PBS KIDS for Parents YouTube channel, and PBS LearningMedia, the series is a child-focused companion piece to Caregiving, the general audience primetime PBS documentary, which premiered in June and was produced by Lea Pictures and WETA Washington, D.C., in association with Ark Media.
In the documentary shorts, families will be introduced to three children who take part in helping family members in a variety of ways. Each piece is hosted by beloved PBS KIDS characters, including Daniel Tiger from Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Donkey Hodie from Donkey Hodie, and Alma Rivera from Alma’s Way. The characters connect the initiative’s caregiving themes to the intentional and trusted content made by Fred Rogers Productions.
Hear from Ellen Doherty, FRP’s chief creative officer and executive producer of Many Ways to Show You Care, who will provide insight into how this unique initiative began; Margaret Cavalier, producer for the project, who will give context and background to the documentary shorts; Mallory Mbalia, director of learning and education, who will share how the lesson plans and educational materials can be put to use in and outside the classroom; and Brittany Smith, director of community engagement, as she speaks on the caregiving-focused activities developed for kids and families. Featuring a Q&A with panelists and attendees, the session will also provide insight into how Many Ways to Show You Care came to be, how it continues to build on the legacy of Fred Rogers, and more.
Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:
- Hear how the FRP team was inspired to create a joy-filled multiplatform content initiative highlighting caregiving as a natural part of family life in age-appropriate stories.
- Learn about lesson plans for classrooms and informal education spaces along with turn-key resources for families and community engagements.
Archived Webinars
Join your peers across public media for an open conversation about how stations are rethinking their content strategies for the year ahead. From programming priorities to platform choices and audience engagement, this session will explore how stations are adapting to new realities and opportunities.
Join us for an insightful webinar designed for public media professionals navigating the complex world of rights and clearances. This session offers a practical overview of how Rights & Clearances (R&C) staff support producers in acquiring the necessary permissions for their content—whether it's a nationally broadcast series or a short-form digital piece.
Sharing our local value and identity is more important than ever for public media stations! Join the NETA Marketing and Communications Peer Learning Community for a meetup aimed at sharing value and image spots that you and your peers have created to inspire others with your creativity, messaging, and approach to sharing your unique local identity, value, and impact with the communities you serve every day!
Have a spot or two you'd like to share with your peers? Let us know in the question when you register for this meetup!
Every leader knows the struggle: departments with shared goals but disconnected workflows. In this interactive session with Tailwind Collective, a NETA Knowledge Network partner, we’ll explore how culture, systems, and leadership all play a role in building sustainable cross-team collaboration. Come with questions, leave with real examples and fresh ideas to try at your own station.
Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:
In a time of shrinking resources, evolving technologies, and rising community needs, public media professionals face unprecedented challenges. How do we balance innovation with sustainability? How do we lead project teams with clarity and care when uncertainty clouds our system?
In 2026, America will celebrate the 250th anniversary of our founding as a nation. In preparation for this semiquincentennial, GBH is launching America’s Awesome Kids, an initiative that seeks to capture and showcase a wide range of kids (ages 8-10) and their unique geographies, customs, interests, skills, and experiences. GBH is looking to partner with local public media stations to find real kids – one in 25 different states – to feature in 3-5 minute videos that will be distributed on PBS KIDS platforms.
The value stations bring to children's educational spaces is widely known, but do your audiences understand the resources your station provides for adult learners? Now more than ever, it is imperative to show public media's value for all citizens.
Join the NETA Content PLC for a discussion about how your station can build meaningful partnerships with independent producers in your community. Emily Compton, NETA Content PLC member and manager of content & engagement at WTCI PBS, will lead a panel discussion with station colleagues from across the country who have navigated the ins and outs of working with local creators to build robust programs that are elevating community voices.
Are you ready to take your station’s data management to the next level?
Who is The Silver Generation? For many, it's the heart of the public television audience. How do we truly connect with this influential group? Simple: by doing what public media excels at—creating a sense of belonging, purpose, and community. By engaging with this demographic in a meaningful way, we not only retain our loyal viewers, but also attract fresh faces and turn them into long-term members. Join Artemis Independent and Menchero Creative Consulting as we explore why it's time to rethink and reframe the narrative around our most valuable asset.