ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online Transports Fans Behind-The-Scenes Of Hit Television Series At www.pbs.org/antiques

Market Wire, 20050229

Ever wonder what it takes to turn an empty exhibition hall into an ANTIQUES ROADSHOW appraisal event? When you're watching the show on TV, are you trying to figure out where they put all the cameras? Have you had heated debates with family members about the difference between art nouveau and art deco? What about the people who are picked for on-camera appraisals? Do you stay up nights thinking about whether or not they have to apply their own makeup? Do yourself a favor. Check out ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online at www.pbs.org/antiques for an interactive, backstage pass to the most-watched primetime series on PBS.

Like the broadcast series, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's companion Web site is part game show, part history, and part treasure hunt, with a whole bunch of really cool features thrown in for fun. The Season Six site will include weekly updates of familiar features and a slew of new bells and whistles arriving just in time for the series' season premiere. ANTIQUES ROADSHOW begins its sixth season on PBS Monday, January 21, 2002 at 8 PM (check local listings) with fifteen new programs and two encore episodes.

Ranked "Best of the Web" by "Forbes" magazine in 1999 and 2000, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online also is one of PBS's most popular sites. And, it's only getting better.

In 2002, ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online will offer fans a more intense experience when they visit the Behind the Scenes section, including a time-lapse movie of an entire appraisal event--26 hours compressed and presented in 30 seconds; and virtual reality tours of the mobile production unit, the control room and the set. The images also contain "hot spots" visitors can click to learn more about elements of the production.

And, back by popular demand with updates for the new broadcast season:

The Appraise It Yourself Game--a monthly quiz in which players test their knowledge of items appraised in the series and compete with other antiques aficionados for special ROADSHOW prizes;

Antique Speak--a glossary of terms used by ROADSHOW appraisers;

Follow the Stories--a further exploration beyond the appraiser's table with background information that isn't included in the broadcast series;

Tips of the Trade--a weekly column by ROADSHOW experts, providing collectors with valuable advice and information;

Your Stories--antiquing adventure stories from ROADSHOW fans, with a new tale posted every other week; as well as program descriptions; appraisal highlights and photos; broadcast schedules; biographical information about the host, the appraisers, and the production team; and much, much more.

Online visitors also can sign up to receive ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Fanfare, a monthly e-mail bulletin with timely updates about the television series and ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online.

ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online, www.pbs.org/antiques, is produced by WGBH Interactive Media, Boston, which produces Web sites supporting WGBH national series such as NOVA, American Experience, ARTHUR(TM), and This Old House(TM). WGBH Interactive Media also produces WGBH ONLINE (www.wgbh.org), updated weekly for WGBH viewers, members, and listeners throughout the Northeast. The WGBH Educational Foundation is the single largest producer of primetime television programs and Web sites seen nationally on PBS and PBS ONLINE.

Major funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW is provided by the Chubb Group of Insurance Companies. Additional funding is provided by eBay.com. Funding for ANTIQUES ROADSHOW Online is provided by grants from Chubb and PBS.

PBS.org, PBS's award-winning site on the World Wide Web, produces high-quality Web programming as it pioneers the convergence of television and the Internet. PBS.org features more than 135,000 pages of content as well as companion Web sites for more than 450 PBS programs and specials. In January 2000, Yahoo! put PBS.org at the top of its list of the best Web sites of all time.

WGBH Boston Copyright 2001 WGBH Educational Foundation