The Atlantic and PBS NewsHour Join Forces for Broadcast Partnership

Washington, D.C. (October 29, 2014)—The pages of The Atlantic are coming to television in a new partnership with PBS NewsHour that will produce and air the first-ever regular broadcast adaptation of Atlantic reporting. For the series, which premieres tonight, the NewsHour and The Atlantic are collaborating to produce TV segments based on the magazine’s cover and feature stories for air on the NewsHour and to run online at PBS.org/NewsHour and TheAtlantic.com. Lincoln Financial is the advertising launch partner for the series.

“We’re excited to see our stories brought to broadcast, and honored to be working with the NewsHour to make it happen,” says James Bennet, The Atlantic’s President and Editor-in-Chief. “No one in the business cares more about journalistic integrity and depth.”

“We are thrilled to collaborate with The Atlantic, leaders in thought-provoking journalism. We share a commitment to finding fascinating stories about our world and giving them the time and the space to tell them well, on air, online and in print,” says Sara Just, Executive Producer of PBS NewsHour.

The NewsHour and The Atlantic plan to broadcast reports on a wide range of topics over the next six months. The partnership combines the strengths and sensibilities of both brands: The Atlantic’s ideas-driven journalism on issues of import, and the editorial depth and broadcast expertise of PBS NewsHour.

Tonight’s report is from NewsHour co-anchor Judy Woodruff and The Atlantic’s national correspondent Hanna Rosin, whose cover story leads the magazine’s November technology issue, on newsstands now. The story focuses on how the increasingly common practice of sexting among teenagers has impacted one community in rural Virginia, and the implications of the growing trend for families, schools, and law enforcement.

This is the first broadcast venture of The Atlantic in a year when the brand has been experiencing record audiences and revenues. The Atlantic is having its most successful year in its history, has set new traffic records across all digital platforms, and has seen single-copy newsstand sales grow by more than 25 percent.

“We are excited to launch The Atlantic content on broadcast, and are already seeing resonance in the advertising marketplace,” says Hayley Romer, Publisher and Vice President of The Atlantic. “When brands want to be associated with your content, the opportunity becomes enormous as you move into new areas—it allows them to leverage the power of the engagement we provide, on new platforms.”

Similarly, it has been a momentous year for the NewsHour, with Sara Just joining the program as executive producer and as Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff complete their first year as co-anchors and managing editors. Heading into the midterm elections, PBS NewsHour has sustained record digital growth and is poised to renew the program’s commitment to quality journalism in the going into the new year.