PBS’ “The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer” will start airing in high-definition on Monday. With the switch, PBS said it will air the program on non-HD sets in letterbox format.
The switch doubles the number of PBS hours in HD, between the live weekday show and special coverage produced by “The NewsHour” during the Democratic and Republican national conventions.
WETA-TV, the Washington, D.C., public television station that co-produces the show, got a grant from the Department of Commerce to help fund the renovation of a control room and the purchase of cameras for HD.
“NewsHour” executive producer Linda Winslow called the transition “an exciting development. We look forward to this new HD format as a way to make “The NewsHour” even more engaging and to serve our viewers better,” she said in a statement.
PBS Chief Content Officer John Boland said the move is part of stepped-up HD efforts at PBS, where the transitioning of series including “Nature,” “Antiques Roadshow,” “American Experience,” “Nova” and “Frontline” to HD demonstrate PBS’ commitment to make public television a full HD service by February 2009.