TVO CELEBRATES 40 YEARS BY ANNOUNCING GIFT TO ALL ONTARIANS

TORONTO, Sept. 26 /CNW/ - TVO, Ontario's public educational media organization, kicked off its 40th anniversary in a special ceremony at The Word On The Street in Toronto today with a gift to the province.

Over five hundred people gathered around the TVO stage as TVO announced plans for a free, online Public Archive set to launch later in the fall. A preview is available at tvo.org/40.

"We'll be unlocking some of TVO's best educational content from the last 40 years and making it available for free in our new public archive. This includes rare interviews, Ontario stories and kids content that stands the test of time," said CEO Lisa de Wilde. "Many people receive gifts for their birthdays; at TVO we thought we would celebrate ours by giving a gift to all Ontarians."

The Honourable Leona Dombrowsky, Ontario Minister of Education; Peter O'Brian, Chair of TVO's Board and CEO Lisa de Wilde joined emcee Steve Paikin and friends of TVO at the TVO stage to mark this significant milestone.

"Congratulations to TVO on 40 years of public educational broadcasting in Ontario," said Minister Dombrowsky. "TVO is such a valuable resource to the province because it inspires Ontarians of all ages to learn and become more engaged citizens."

Other highlights of the ceremony included: the largest ever group sing-along of the iconic Polka Dot Door theme song; Ontario singer-songwriter Brian MacMillan's first public performance of TVO's new song "You're My Home" and the launch of a new province-wide "Where's Polkaroo?" photo contest.

Here is a summary of TVO's 40th anniversary initiatives:

    
    "Where's Polkaroo?" photo contest
    ---------------------------------

    -  All Ontarians are invited to enter a new photo contest at polkaroo.com
       for the chance to win a day "behind-the-scenes" at TVO's studios.
    -  There are two ways to enter: (1) Download and print Polkaroo, snap a
       picture and upload the photo to polkaroo.com. (2) "Polkaroo" your
       photo by using the digital photo creator on the contest site.
    -  The contest runs from September 26 to October 31.

    "You're My Home" song and music video
    -------------------------------------

    -  TVO has written and produced an upbeat contemporary song to
       commemorate its 40th anniversary. The music video is available for
       viewing at tvo.org/40 and is performed by Ontario singer-songwriter
       Brian MacMillan.
    -  A "behind-the-scenes" look at the making of the video is also
       available at tvo.org/40.

    40th anniversary on-air programming
    -----------------------------------

    -  Testimonials from some of Ontario's best known public figures,
       including TVO founder Bill Davis, on the impact TVO has had on the
       province over the last four decades.
    -  Anniversary programming kicks off at 6:55 pm on Monday, September 27.
       For a preview visit tvo.org/40.
    -  A special fundraising evening Tuesday, September 28 inviting viewers
       to "Go Public" in support of TVO.

    TVO Public Archive
    ------------------

    -  The TVO Public Archive will be a free online resource that will offer
       Ontarians access to historic TVO content from the past four decades -
       launching this fall and available for preview at tvo.org/40.
    -  It will offer rare interviews with big thinkers, Ontario stories,
       historical information and timeless educational content for kids. It
       will be an interactive cultural resource for students, teachers,
       librarians, historians, journalists and all Ontarians.
    

For more information or to book an interview with CEO Lisa de Wilde, please contact Lesley Horlick at 416.254.9456, email [email protected] or Jeff Rohrer at 647.618.4016, email [email protected].

About TVO

TVO is Ontario's public educational media organization and a trusted source of interactive educational content that informs, inspires and stimulates curiosity and thought. Celebrating 40 years in 2010, TVO's vision is to empower people to be engaged citizens of Ontario through educational media. TVO is funded primarily by the Province of Ontario and supported by thousands of donors. For more information, visit tvo.org.

    
    Where to find TVO

    On air:                        Websites:        Online:         Connect:
    Cable channel 2                tvo.org          Yahoo!          Facebook
     (may vary in some areas)      tvokids.com      YouTube         Twitter
    Rogers TVO HD channel 580      tvoparents.com   Rogers On
    Rogers On Demand channel 100   ilc.org           Demand Online
    Bell TV channel 265
    Star Choice channel 353
    

/NOTE TO PHOTO EDITORS: A photo accompanying this release is available at http://photos.newswire.ca. Images are free to accredited members of the media/

For further information: Media contact: Lesley Horlick, TVO, Corporate Relations, Phone: [phone] x 2281, Cell: [phone], [email protected]