NEWS RELEASE

For Immediate Release: October 5, 2020

JACKSON, Miss. – Mississippi Public Broadcasting (MPB), in partnership with the Mississippi Department of Education (MDE), has created a new television channel – MPB Classroom TV. This channel will start airing today and every weekday from 7 a.m. to 8:30 p.m. to provide instructional content on television to PreK-12th grade students.

MPB Classroom TV was developed to support and address needs of Mississippi students, teachers and parents as they navigate educational challenges during the COVID-19 pandemic. For some students, those needs include lack of internet and technology in virtual learning environments causing them to miss instruction.

MPB Classroom TV content was developed in collaboration with MDE and includes pre-recorded 25-minute lessons taught by certified teachers that are aligned to the Mississippi College and Career Readiness Standards. The content will be beneficial to students and adults who are supporting students learning at home. New content will be added as the school year continues.

"MDE staff members have been working with MPB over the last few months to develop educational content for this channel, which will reach homes across the state. Resources such as these are critical to ensuring that all students and families have access to high-quality learning, even if they currently don't have access to the internet," said Dr. Carey Wright, state superintendent of education.

To watch MPB Classroom TV, viewers do not need internet at home. The channel is not available on cable and satellite services. To receive and watch this channel, viewers must use an antenna on their TVs. Cable and satellite subscribers will need to purchase a low-cost antenna and change the TV’s input setting. Individuals who already only use antennas will need to rescan their TVs to pick up the new channel.

By providing broadcast instruction on the same subjects taught in schools, students can continue to receive direct instruction even while at home. Furthermore, the content will be available beginning Oct. 5 for on-demand viewing on the MPB Classroom TV web page as well as MPB’s YouTube channel under the MPB Classroom TV playlist.

“We have created a statewide classroom for Mississippi. It has been a rewarding experience to be in the trenches with MDE teachers and coaches to develop such a great resource for our children,” said MPB Director of Education Tara Wren. “I am hopeful that MPB Classroom TV is a resource parents and teachers depend on to make their lives a little easier during this pandemic when education instruction is so volatile.”

The channels for MPB Classroom TV statewide are:

• WMAH/Biloxi 19.5
• WMAE/Booneville 12.5
• WMAU/Bude 17.5
• WMAO/Greenwood 23.5
• WMPN/Jackson 29.5
• WMAW/Meridian 14.5
• WMAB/Mississippi State 2.5
• WMAV/Oxford/Univ. 18.5

For more information, visit education.mpbonline.org.