WQED+ launches on Local Public platform

There's a new streamer in the Local Public neighborhood: Pittsburgh's WQED Multimedia launched WQED+ last week, offering viewers and members a new-and-improved local streaming experience.   

WQED CEO and President Jason Jedlinski characterized the app as a thank-you gift for the station's loyal members. 

“After we lost our federal funding, our neighbors showed up for WQED in extraordinary ways," said Jedlinski. "We’re showing our appreciation with a modern, curated streaming experience created specifically for the people who sustain us. It’s our way of saying: your support makes innovation possible!” 

WQED+ is now available for streaming devices (Roku, Apple TV, Amazon Fire TV, Google TV), mobile phones (iOS and Android), and is available on the web at plus.wqed.org. Smart TV apps for LG and Samsung launch soon.  

The apps, which feature local, PBS and Passport (members-only) programming, are designed specifically by local public media for local public media.  

“With WQED+, we're able to truly curate and recommend outstanding content, when and where our supporters want it, and also learn more about what's resonating and why," said Jedlinski, "It's an important shift — from one-way broadcasting to a more tailored and dynamic relationship.” 

Locally viewed on channel 13, WQED is fittingly the 13th station using the Local Public platform, which was developed by Seattle's Cascade PBS in collaboration with PBS station partners.  

 Superstitions notwithstanding, the Local Public team feels lucky to have WQED aboard. 

"WQED is a public media pioneer, with a 72-year history of innovation including some of the earliest experiments in educational television, which led to the iconic Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood," said Kevin Colligan, Local Public project lead and VP of Media & Innovation for Cascade PBS. "We're looking forward to collaborating with WQED in the months and years ahead to create a sustainable, viewer-supported streaming model that can preserve public media for future generations."  

The challenge is daunting.  

The loss of federal funding follows on the heels of the massive shift of TV audiences away from traditional broadcast and cable channels to streaming services.  

But results in Seattle and other markets show that there is a strong appetite for independent, local public media delivered via modern, easy-to-use apps. Together, Local Public and its partners are replicating that success nationwide. 

“Launching WQED+ on the Local Public platform is a powerful example of public media at its best: sharing resources, splitting expenses, and tackling common challenges together," said Jedlinski. "At a moment when efficiency matters more than ever, we’re proudly leveraging what Cascade Public Media built in Seattle so we can focus our energy on serving our neighbors in Pittsburgh.” 

See wqed.org/plus for more information and to download WQED+.