Learning The Landscape Ace2009

Emily E. Eubanks, University of Florida J. Faith Peppers, University of Georgia Learning the Landscape: Potential for Regional Public TV Projects ACE/NETC 2009

Partnerships

Why are we creating one?

How did it happen?

Where did the idea come from?

Your Southern Garden with Walter Reeves A University of Florida & University of Georgia Gardening Show

Your Southern Garden

Collaborative effort between UF and UGA

Based on Gardening in Georgia (10-year program)

Perennially one of GPB’s most watched and highest rated locally-produced programs

Expanding to the Southeastern region

Gardening in Georgia Background

Partnership with Georgia Public Broadcasting

Began airing in 1998

2002-2006 on hiatus due to budget cuts

Show Success

Expertise provided by college experts

Exceptional production quality and talent of the crew

Reputation of show host

The Host: Walter Reeves

Presents a unique blend of real-life expertise and the latest unbiased, research-based information

Retired after 29 years as a horticulture educator with UGA

Best-selling author of gardening books

Frequent speaker on gardening

Current Gardening in Georgia Funding

UGA

GPB

Corporate underwriters

Expansion

Pursued talks with

University of Florida

Auburn University

Clemson University

University of Tennessee

June 2008 – signed MOU with UF/IFAS

May 2009 – resigned MOU with UF/IFAS

Commitment Levels

Co-producer level

$100,000

26 shows per season equal number of specialists

Recognized in opening credits

Logo included on all publicity materials

Underwriter

$75,000

Noted in closing credits

13 state-specific segments in show content over 26-week season

$50,000

Noted in closing credits

7 state-specific segments

Co-Producer Responsibilities

Appoint liaison to the production team

Contribute to content decisions

Facilitate opportunities to have their college specialists featured

Work with production team to

Identify segment ideas

Provide specialists to appear on camera

Help set-up pre-arranged shoots

Total time commitment is usually 10-12 days a year

In Return

Partner institutions get

15-second promotional spot at the open and close of each episode

Featured in weekly promotion materials, exhibits and printed materials

Advantages

Pool resources to provide high-quality program with tremendous educational value to citizens of our states

Provide that programming with relatively low financial input that offers ample opportunity to be self-supporting through outside support

Widens the pool of corporate underwriters

Experienced production staff is fully aware and committed to the land-grant mission

Challenges

MOU - writing and getting consensus

Florida’s difficult configuration of public broadcasting

Finding a name

Program Elements

Half-hour program

26 episodes

Florida and Georgia specialists and locations featured

Gives viewers practical “how-to” information

America Gardens

Three out of four American households own some kind of yard or garden. This is a little bit higher in Florida.

This means 75% of adults have an interest in gardening information.

Average U.S. gardening household spent $464 on lawn and gardening activities between 1999 and 2004

Florida’s Green Industry contributed $15.2 billion to the state economy in 2005.

Until severe drought, the green industry was the fastest growing segment of Georgia agriculture.

The Audience

Highly educated and in the upper income bracket

Disposable dollars to spend on gardening

Fastest growing segment is males between 35-49 years old

Many characteristics of gardening audiences are the same as PBS audiences.

Research

Gardeners prefer to receive customized information that will help them in their own backyard –

Gardeners are information seekers and prefer to receive their gardening information in multiple methods – television, radio, web, etc.

Meyers, Irani, and Eckhardt (2006)

Your Southern Garden

Your Southern Garden is a place to learn.

It’s a program where the average home gardener can find out how to choose the right plants, how to work the soil, and how to care for lawns.

It’s an opportunity for Southeastern land-grant universities to demonstrate how we work as a cooperative system and reinforce that message with this key audience.

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