"High School Quiz Show" Goes into Production at WGBH

BOSTON--(Business Wire)--
A new weekly television competition was announced today by Boston public
broadcaster WGBH. Premiering on WGBH in March 2010, High School Quiz Show will
celebrate and showcase academic achievement in Massachusetts schools statewide.

High School Quiz Show will feature up to 144 students from 24 Massachusetts
schools competing in a fast-paced question and answer format, both as teams and
in head-to-head lightning rounds. Questions will be drawn from the core
Massachusetts high school curriculum, including literature, history and science,
together with current events, sports, entertainment, and general knowledge.

"We want to shine a spotlight on intellectual curiosity and the pursuit of
learning in a fun, lively, and encouraging way," said WGBH President Jon Abbott.
"Academic quiz shows across the country attract a broad following of students,
their families, schools, and communities in support of the home teams. Most
importantly, High School Quiz Show enables WGBH to further align with the
education goals of the Commonwealth."

The weekly series will begin taping at WGBH`s Brighton studios in January in
front of a live audience of school supporters who will cheer on their home teams
through semi-finals and finals, all the way to the championship in June.
Producing the show is veteran WGBH producer Hillary Wells, whose recent Project
Dropout addressed a "silent epidemic" in Massachusetts education. A host has yet
to be named.

"We are incredibly fortunate to have a media leader like WGBH in our backyard,
here in Massachusetts," said Education Commissioner Mitchell D. Chester. "High
School Quiz Show is another example of the outstanding educational programming
they have the capacity to offer-and of their interest in supporting education in
the Commonwealth. This show will inspire our students to stretch themselves both
academically and competitively, and I look forward to seeing the results."

"High School Quiz Show is yet another outcome of WGBH`s longstanding commitment
to the education of young people," said Carol R. Johnson, Superintendent of
Boston Public Schools. "WGBH has always been a great community partner for the
Boston Public Schools. Beyond being a spirited competition for students, High
School Quiz Show will be educational and fun. This truly will be must-see TV."

Major production support for High School Quiz Show is provided by the University
of Massachusetts. Research and development funding is generously provided by
Bank of America Charitable Foundation. Additional funding is provided by Comcast
and Massachusetts Teachers Association.

"Massachusetts must support the highest-quality academic preparation for our
students in order to succeed in the 21st century`s global economy," said
University of Massachusetts President Jack M. Wilson. "The University of
Massachusetts is pleased to partner with WGBH on this academic competition,
which will feature some of the Commonwealth`s brightest and hardest-working high
school students. We applaud the competitors and their teachers and hope to see
many of them on our campuses."

"At Bank of America, we know the importance of engaging teens and challenging
them to reach their potential," said Bob Gallery, President, Bank of America
Massachusetts. "We took an early interest in the High School Quiz Show concept,
as it represents a unique opportunity for students statewide to demonstrate
academic excellence and pride in their schools."

About WGBH

WGBH Boston is America`s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such
celebrated national PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline,
Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other
award-winning prime-time, lifestyle, and children`s series. Boston`s last
remaining independent TV station, WGBH produces local TV productions (among
them, Greater Boston, Basic Black and María Hinojosa: One-on-One) that focus on
the region`s diverse community, while WGBH 89.7 is Boston`s NPR Arts & Culture
station, offering a rich menu of classical, jazz, blues, news programming and
more. WGBH is the leading producer of online content for pbs.org-one of the
most-visited dot-org sites on the Internet-a major producer for public radio and
a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make
media accessible for people with disabilities. For its efforts, WGBH has been
recognized with hundreds of honors, including Oscars, Emmys, Peabodys, and
duPont-Columbia Journalism Awards. Visit WGBH on the Web at www.wgbh.org

WGBH
Lucy Sholley, 617-300-5459
lucy_sholley@wgbh.org

Copyright Business Wire 2009