faqs
SCHEDULE / TAPES & TRANSCRIPTS
When will you be re-airing (program name)?
Go to our FRONTLINE schedule section which will keep you informed about when FRONTLINE
will be on in your area and what the report will be. Just let us know which PBS member station you use to watch FRONTLINE.
How can I get a videotape/DVD of a program?
FRONTLINE programs generally are available for tape or DVD purchase for a period of three to seven years after initial
broadcast. After that, rights to distribute and/or broadcast the program expire. Many large libraries have tapes or DVDs of our programs in their collection, so you should check with your local library -- if they don't have the program, they may be able to obtain one for you via interlibrary loan.
Home videos (tapes and DVDs) are available for purchase online through ShopPBS.
A few programs ("Hillary's Class," "The Gulf War," and "Waco: The Inside Story") are
available from WGBH video.
NOTE: Not all FRONTLINE programs are available on home video.
Videotapes for schools, libraries and other educational institutions are available for
purchase online through PBS Video.
You can also write them at:
PBS Video
P.O. Box 279
Melbourne, FL 32902-0279
1-800-344-3337
video@pbs.org
How can I license FRONTLINE footage?
To find out about licensing "FRONTLINE" footage, please visit WGBH stock sales.
How do I find the Web site for a given program?
There are three ways:
- You can search by title & keyword using our site search -- the search box is available in the top right corner of this page and accessible on all pages of FRONTLINE's Web site.
- You can browse chronologically, if you know the year of the program's original broadcast.
- Or, you can browse our programs in the following categories:
Keep in mind that we started making companion Web sites for our programs in the 1995-1996 television season. Only a few programs produced before then have Web sites.
Where can I find a transcript for (program name)?
Transcripts for all FRONTLINE programs aired since the beginning of the 1995-1996 season
are free and available on the companion Web sites for the programs (in the "Tapes & Transcripts" section).
Use the program schedule search to find transcripts
and Web sites since 1995-96. This is the only place these transcripts are available.
RE-USE
I want to use your Web site in my (presentation/class/etc.). How long will the Web site be up?
All FRONTLINE companion Web sites will be available indefinitely as an archive for research and education. There are no plans to take any of them down.
Can I use this (image/content/feature) from your Web site on my Web site?
Unfortunately, this is generally not possible. We have to purchase rights for the images and the video clips that we use in our reports as well as for specially commissioned pieces, and those rights are exclusive to PBS for Web distribution and do not extend to publication on any other Web site. Contact us.
Can I make a copy of your site's pages/material?
If you're using it for educational purposes (i.e. you're teaching a class)
you can download a copy as long as you don't modify any pages.
(Please let us know so we can keep track of how our Web site content is being used.) Otherwise, no. As mentioned previously, all of our sites are permanently available; there's no need to squirrel
them away.
VIDEO / GENERAL TECHNICAL ISSUES
How can I watch video in full screen?
You may need to upgrade to version 9 of Adobe's Flash Player.
Why do I only get audio, not video?
You may need to upgrade to a newer version of your media player: version 9 of Adobe's Flash Player for programs from 2007 or later, Windows Media Player or QuickTime for earlier programs. If there is an interruption in the flow of data anywhere between our video server and your computer you may get an incomplete picture and just receive the audio track of the program. Unfortunately there's not much we can do about this problem -- our best suggestion is to wait a while and try again.
Why is there so much video buffering?
Unfortunately, there are many points between our media server and your computer that might be slowing the process down. Our media server won't serve you the stream unless it has sufficient bandwidth, so it's quite hard to tell where the problem lies. Our recommendation would be to try back later. We apologize for the inconvenience.
Why aren't more FRONTLINE programs available for viewing online?
We've been video streaming as many of our programs as possible and we appreciate the hundreds and hundreds of letters from viewers thanking us for this service. Although we would like to offer all our programs online, this is not possible. Internet rights cannot be obtained for some recent broadcasts, and costs are prohibitive for clearing stock footage, music and guild rights for the older programs in our archive. We plan to offer as many of our future programs as we can.
Why does this site look strange?
If you're having problems viewing the FRONTLINE Web site it may be that you're running an older version of your web browser. We test our site in every browser we can get our hands on, but occasionally problems will arise. We recommend that you use Firefox, Safari (for Mac users only), Opera or Internet Explorer 6 or later. We also recommend that you enable Javascript -- 99 percent of the site will work without it, but there are some areas that will be a bit confusing if it isn't enabled. Cookies are not a requirement; we do send you some (read our privacy policy for the specifics) and pbs.org also sends you a few, but FRONTLINE's Web site will function without them.
E-MAIL BULLETIN QUESTIONS
How do I subscribe to or unsubscribe from the FRONTLINE Bulletin?
Go to this page and fill out either the subscribe or unsubscribe form on the right-hand side of the page. You'll then be sent a confirmation email to which you must respond (or click the link we send you) and then you're on our list.
I changed my email address. How do I continue to get the FRONTLINE Bulletin?
Go to this page and unsubscribe using your old email address and then subscribe using your new email address.
I subscribed but have never gotten any mail from you.
We don't normally contact you when we don't have a program coming up, so if you subscribed during the summer or during a break in our season you shouldn't be getting anything from us. If you didn't even get the confirmation email or the "Thanks for subscribing" note we send, then you should check that any spam-blocking mechanisms you may have (like an email box marked "Spam" or any challenge-response systems) didn't block the email. You may want to make sure that you can receive email from us in that case -- look for anything from lists@frontline.org.
Why do you require a confirmation email before I can subscribe?
It's a spam control measure (we need to ensure people realize what they're subscribing to) and also ensures that you entered the right email address in the first place.
STORY IDEAS / JOBS
How can I submit a story idea?
Story ideas can be sent to: Story Editor, FRONTLINE, One Guest Street , Boston, MA 02135. FRONTLINE
welcomes suggestions from our viewers and we review all letters and ideas. We produce approximately 18 new
programs each season and evaluate over 600 program suggestions and proposals.
How can I work for FRONTLINE?
Applications are welcome. However, almost all of our documentaries are made by independent producer teams and journalists based elsewhere in the country and abroad; FRONTLINE has a relatively small central staff headquartered at WGBH-TV in Boston. If there are openings at FRONTLINE, they will be posted on the WGBH site.
Does FRONTLINE have internships?
Yes, and we are always looking for interns with a keen interest in serious journalism. FRONTLINE interns assist in research and production for programs and Web sites. Interns must receive academic credit for the internship. Internships range from three months to six months and involve a maximum of 20 hours a week of work. Visit the WGBH-TV Web site for more information on how to apply.
GENERAL QUESTIONS
How do I comment about a specific program?
All of our online reports have a "Join the Discussion" section. This section allows you
to send in your comments about a program and we publish many of these comments on the Web site
so that others can read them. You may also email FRONTLINE at: frontline@pbs.org. We read and respond to all email letters.
In addition, you can also contact Michael Getler, who serves as an independent internal critic for PBS. He reviews commentary and criticism from viewers of PBS programs and seeks to ensure PBS upholds its own standards of editorial integrity.
How do I find out whether FRONTLINE has covered a particular subject in the past, or more recently?
FRONTLINE has a Google-adapted internal search engine on its site and there is also one on the PBS site. However, we suggest you also can just go straight to google.com and type in FRONTLINE and [the name of the subject]. It often delivers fast, high quality results.
How is FRONTLINE funded?
FRONTLINE is funded by public television viewers and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB is a private, non-profit corporation created by Congress in 1967 to oversee the development of public television, radio and online services. CPB, a grant-making organization, funds more than 1,000 public radio and tv stations.
How can I donate to FRONTLINE?
We encourage you to make a tax-deductible contribution to your local PBS station because this kind of support indirectly benefits FRONTLINE.
Each local station pays a fee to PBS to broadcast FRONTLINE, so
the more your local PBS station hears from their community of
viewers that they value the station bringing them FRONTLINE,
the stronger will be that station's interest in continuing to
pay for and broadcast FRONTLINE. If a viewer insists on making a tax deductible donation directly to the FRONTLINE series, we have set up a process for handling these contributions, which are also tax deductible. Please mail your check, made out to the WGBH Educational Foundation (with "FRONTLINE Support" written on the memo line of the check), to:
Jim Bracciale, Series Manager, FRONTLINE/WGBH, One Guest Street,
Boston, MA 02135
How can I contact FRONTLINE?
FRONTLINE/WGBH
One Guest Street
Boston, MA 02135
Fax: 617-300-1001
Email: frontline@pbs.org
Web Site: http://www.pbs.org/frontline/
I submitted my comments about a show using the "Join the Discussion" section and you haven't posted them yet. Why not?
We read every letter that is received. However, as with a "Letters to the Editor" section of newspapers or magazines, we cannot publish
all letters -- we receive many hundreds, sometimes thousands, of letters for each of our reports. We try to post a representative cross-section of the most thoughtful and interesting comments.
THOUGHT PROVOKING JOURNALISM