Free Movies + TV Picks 1/10 | PBS Programming Mega-Guide
Greetings Cadets!
On Free Space, our mission is to bring you great TV and Movies to stream for free. While we cover massive streamers like Pluto TV and Tubi, this week we’re showing PBS some love. (Free Subscribers get these guides direct to inbox every week!)
A news story broke this week about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting shutting down. While that’s a bummer, as PBS and NPR used that organization to direct funding. We'd like to share some good news: PBS isn’t gone!
@pbs EXPLAINER: Are we dead? No. Is the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) dead? Yes. The CPB board has voted this week to dissolve the organization after Congress voted last year to end federal funding for PBS and NPR. The CPB was created by Congress in 1967 as a means to distribute federal funds to over 1,500 local public media stations. PBS the brand will continue to serve our mission of providing high-quality educational and entertainment programming that fosters lifelong learning. We will also continue to support the local stations that make up the public media system. Local stations get funds from members, fundraisers, grants, and, until now, the CPB. PBS gets funding from station dues as well as grants, donations, and other sources. PBS, NPR, and all local stations are adjusting to reduced budgets moving forward. The best way you can help is to support your local stations directly 💙
♬ original sound - user
In fact, your local station needs more help than ever. So, this edition of Free Space will get you all set up to stream PBS and explore their offerings more if you haven’t looked around at what’s available on their app.
Also, we should mention that services like PBS Kids, Ken Burns documentaries, and other or it's contributions are all funded through PBS. If it goes away, the free streaming landscape would be negatively affected. Like most of you out there, I have fond memories of the kids programming and Nova. We can't lose it.
- 📺 Also, we loaded this one up, so you see how much the service has to work with!
NOTE: You don't need a PBS account to watch programming from the network, and PBS is usually available over the air in multiple Different markets in the United States of America. Check if your area has a local PBS affiliate right here! Donations are probably going to be key in the road ahead folks:
PBS Sign Up Guide
First, we’re gonna head to the account creation page here. Your Login is going to give you access to both Pbs.org and the PBS app. If you want to use PBS Passport, which gives you some extended offerings for $5 a month, that option is there for you too.
But really, like any other streaming service the account allows you to have a watch list, access to your viewing history, and the ability to favorite shows so that you can know exactly when they come back for a new season!
- Type your first name into the appropriate field and then in the last name field go ahead and fill out your last name.
- Then we head down to the email field, type your email address. Now, your email address acts as the username for your PBS account.
- Down in the password field, we're gonna make a personal password that has at least eight characters using letters and numbers. There is a helpful show password option available on the right side to let you know which characters you're entering.
- Once that's all settled, go ahead and check the box to confirm your acceptance of the privacy policy and the terms of use.
- If all of the above fields are properly filled out, click the Create Account button to make it all official. This completes your account set up. If anything was left incomplete or otherwise shows incorrect a dialog box will pop up informing you how to correct it.
It’s important to note, you’ll be able to tell what shows are available to stream for free by paying attention to the thumbnails in the app. PBS Passport videos have a little compass icon in the top left corner of their thumbnails. (Shown down below!)
If you want to get the app on your television, the easiest way to do that is to activate your device through a code from the PBS app on your phone. This helpful little video on PBS Help’s Youtube channel helps explain that process.
If you've ever had to log in to a cable-based streamer, or use your phone to log into something like Disney Plus or HBO Max on a Roku or Fire TV for the first time, you probably understand this. But it's good to have this for beginners.
Now, we’re going to dive into the offerings for this week on the streamer. As a reminder, our podcast is available on a bunch of different platforms. Take a look at some of our other episodes if you’re in search of stuff to watch from all around the TV landscape.
Our episode with Marya E. Gates, from RogerEbert.com and author of Cinema Her Way, does a great job of laying out alternative streaming methods and interesting projects. Listen wherever you get your podcasts.
Time for some FREE picks available on PBS
Weekend Recommendations
The Electric Indian - Free on PBS
As I'm sure a lot of you are, I have been thinking a lot about hockey recently. That made this documentary from Twin Cities PBS an Instant Pick. The Electric Indian follows Henry Bucha, native hockey legend and his career all the way through the Olympics.
There are so many stories in the world of sport that resonate with me. But, it's rare to encounter a project that grapples with a lot of thorny subjects in American life.
