FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: May 17, 2012

Expansive new online initiative will provide expertise from expert contributors, public television and trustworthy sources on aging

DALLAS/FORT WORTH, TX – The 50+ population in America continues to boom. It has grown from 74 million in 1999 to more than 99 million today, and is projected to be 127 million in 2030. Contributing to the substantiated numbers of Americans age 50 and older are the sheer size of the boomer demographic and dramatic increase in longevity – at the beginning of the 20^th century, life expectancy was 49 years, and today it tops more than 80 years.

KERA, the North Texas public broadcasting station, introduces Next Avenue, an extensive new website at www.kera.org/nextavenue. The Next Avenue website will provide visitors with in-depth content from its own editorial team, as well as aggregated information and commissions from expert sources. The site focuses on topics people may experience differently because of their stage in life, including health, finances, work, leisure and caregiving. When users log on to www.kera.org/nextavenue they will find an abundance of relevant information, including local news from kera.org.

Mary Anne Alhadeff, KERA’s President and CEO said, “KERA is excited to add Next Avenue to our growing list of online destinations for North Texans. Next Avenue will be a valuable tool for a substantial segment of the population, providing targeted resources that enrich, inform and inspire their lives and confidently plan for the future.”

The Next Avenue content comes from an experienced editorial team and a variety of contributors, including:

• Contributors: Top experts and leading journalists will create original content designed to suit Next Avenue’s mission of providing inspiration, advice and perspective.
  • Led by Senior Editor Richard Eisenberg, the Money & Security and Work & Purpose sections offer perspectives and advice for achieving financial well-being, maximizing present careers and preparing for meaningful new work. Contributors include Chris Farrell, Financial Editor for NPR’s Marketplace Money, Pension Research Council Executive Director Olivia Mitchell, Encore.org’s Marc Freedman, and journalists specializing in personal finances and careers, including Kerry Hannon, Caroline Mayer, Ben Popken, Catey Hill and Gwen Moran.
  • Led by Senior Editor Gary Drevitch, the Health & Well-Being and Caregiving sections will feature John Sharp, a Harvard University neuropsychiatrist; Pauline Boss of the University of Minnesota, a pioneer in the field of stress reduction for family caregivers; Margaret Morganroth Gullette of Brandeis University, a nationally-recognized authority on aging in American culture; and Sherri Snelling, a nationally recognized expert on America’s 65 million family caregivers.
  • Led by Senior Editor Suzanne Garber, the Living & Learning section includes content focused on the home, arts, travel, family and relationships, spirituality, arts and entertainment, technology, personal reinvention and more. It will include contributions from marriage expert Terri Orbuch, PhD.; a founding editor of MS magazine, Suzanne Braun Levine; home and design author Akiko Busch; family relationship author Francine Russo; architect and author Michael Litchfield; cookbook author and chef Joanna Pruess; former New York Times gardening columnist Leslie Land; technology authority Simon Munk; travel expert Stephanie Oswald (“travelgirl”); and former People magazine film critic Leah Rozen.
• Public media: Next Avenue will provide a wealth of video and public television personalities on the site, such as PBS NewsHour and Rick Steves, host of the popular travel show, Rick Steves Europe.
• Formal relationships with reliable sources: Deep content will come from Next Avenue’s formal relationships with key public and non-profit organizations that have a wealth of well-researched and trusted information. These organizations include the Administration on Aging, Encore.org and Civic Ventures, Family Caregiver Alliance, Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation, Leading Age, National Council on Aging, National Endowment for Financial Education, National Institute on Aging, National Institutes of Health and SCORE.
• The Next Avenue editorial team: An in-house staff will create original content designed to suit Next Avenue’s mission of providing inspiration, advice and perspective to help grownups keep growing. With this dedicated staff, Next Avenue can better develop its exclusive offerings and respond to visitors’ needs and feedback. The editorial team is led by Donna Sapolin, Next Avenue’s Vice President and Editorial Director, who brings three decades of experience in both print and online journalism. Sapolin served as editor-at-large of the multi-media enterprise FLYP, editor in chief of This Old House magazine and design and style editor of Food and Wine magazine, among others.

Next Avenue is led by Twin Cities Public Television (tpt) in partnership with the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), American Public Television (APT) and PBS stations nationwide.

ABOUT KERA

KERA is a not-for-profit public media organization that serves the people of North Texas. The station broadcasts to the fourth-largest population area in the United States. KERA produces original multimedia content, carries the best in national and international public television and radio programs, and provides online resources at www.kera.org. The station’s extensive coverage of the arts can be found at www.artandseek.org. KERA-TV broadcasts on Channel 13.1. KERA WORLD broadcasts on 13.2. KERA-FM broadcasts on 90.1 in Dallas/Fort Worth/Denton, 88.3 in Wichita Falls, 100.1 in Tyler and 99.3 in Sherman. The music station KXT 91.7 FM is also streamed online at www.kxt.org.

Next Avenue^SM is a service mark of Twin Cities Public Television, Inc.

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CONTACT:

Christopher Wagley

Director, Marketing & Communications

KERA, KXT and Art&Seek

cwagley@kera.org

214-740-9377