MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT, Quad Cities PBS announces the new PBS Kids Go Writing Contest, which takes the place of the annual Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest. "This new contest builds on the foundation laid by Reading Rainbow and encourages young writers to communicate more effectively through the development of early writing skills" said WQPT Educational Outreach Director, Ana Kehoe.

The contest is open to students in Kindergarten, 1st Grade, 2nd Grade and 3rd Grade.  Every entrant will receive a Certificate of Achievement.  Stories must be the original work of the child. They may write fact or fiction, prose or poetry. All entries must be postmarked by Tuesday, April 6, 2010 and mailed to WQPT, 6600 34th Avenue, Moline, Illinois 61265 or delivered to WQPT in Building 2 at Black Hawk College in Moline. Sixteen winners (four selected from each grade) will receive local recognition on WQPT and win special prizes.  First place winners will compete for national prizes. Winning stories will be displayed at the Butterworth Center in Moline, Illinois, the Figge Art Museum in Davenport, Iowa and the Family Museum in Bettendorf, Iowa. Winners will be notified in late April and a reception will be held to honor the winning stories.

For the last two years Jayda Brunkan of the Ed White School has gone on to win a national prize. As a kindergartener she was a 3rd place finisher in the national competition and last year she was a first place winner. There were 45,000 contest entrants nationwide and Jayda was one of only 12 national winners.

The sponsors are also hosting workshops to help Kindergarten through 3rd grade students with their writing and illustrating skills. Participants are not required to enter the contest. Parents are also invited to learn how to assist children with writing and editing stories.  These workshops are free and will be held at:

° Sat., Feb. 13, 10 am - 11:30 am: The Bettendorf Library, 563-344-4178

° Sat., Feb. 27, 10 am - 11 am: The Moline Library, 309-736-5742

° Mon., March 8, 3:30 pm-5:00 pm: The Family Museum, 563-344-4170

Please contact the museum and libraries to sign up for the workshop.

To find out more about entering the contest log on to www.wqpt.org.

Funding and support for the project has been provided in part by the Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House, Figge Art Museum and Family Museum.

WQPT is located on the campus of Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois.

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MOLINE, ILLINOIS & FALLS CHURCH, VA - WQPT launches MHz Worldview as the 24^th nationwide affiliate.

MHz Worldview will be available initially to over-the-air viewers from 7 am - 11 pm, on channel 24.2. Area cable systems will be adding the service within the next few weeks. A complete program schedule can be found on www.wqpt.org or at www.mhznetworks.org/mhzworldview/.

Known for its 'Programming for globally-minded people,' MHz Worldview serves as a liaison in bringing programs and understanding from around the world to American audiences.  MHz Worldview watchers will see a variety of news, public affairs and entertainment programming from around the world. News programs include "Euro News", "France 24 News", "RT News" from Russia and "Al Jazeera English News".  Sports fans can watch Australian Rules football. Entertainment programs include "BB's Presents: Best of the Blues", "Asian Variety Show", and "Bollywood Unlimited". Drama fans will see series such as the police/crime drama "The Octopus" and the French detective series "Maigret".

WQPT General Manager, Rick Best says, "The international scope of MHz Worldview will provide our globally-minded viewers with a wide array of new programs to supplement the programs from PBS and other public television sources that they are accustomed to watching on WQPT's main channel."

MHz Networks CEO, Frederick Thomas says, "WQPT brings the mission of global understanding to their viewers with the launch of MHz Worldview and we know the Quad Cities and surrounding areas will appreciate WQPT's addition of the globally-minded content."

WQPT is located on the campus of Black Hawk College in Moline, Illinois.

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MHz Networks is an independent, non-commercial television broadcaster delivering international educational and arts programming and providing diverse cultural perspectives for a globally-minded audience.

MHz Worldview, MHz Networks flagship channel, brings programming to globally-minded audiences in the US though affiliates, including cable, satellite and online. A division of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting Corporation headquartered in Richmond, VA, MHz Networks is a 501 (c) (3) non-profit organization. MHz has studio facilities in Falls Church, VA and at Washington, DC's Ronald Reagan Building and International Trade Center. Contact for MHz Networks: Stephanie Misar, 8101 A Lee Highway, Falls Church, VA 22042, 703-770-7100.

Annual PBS KIDS Event Fosters Reading, Writing and Creativity.

MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT is pleased to announce that the 15th Annual READING RAINBOW Young Writers & Illustrators Contest has awarded Jayda Brunkan, a first grader from Eldridge, Iowa, a national First Place in the first grade level for her story. The Contest encourages children to use their imagination to author and illustrate their own "book." Jayda is one of only 12 authors selected from more than 35,000 Contest entrants nationwide. This is the second year in a row that Jayda has been a national winner. As a kindergartener at Ed White Elementary she was a Third Place national winner.

For her original story, Jayda wrote, and drew pictures for "Gus and the Garbage Mountain," the tale of a mouse named Gus and his friend, Cuddles who recycle, reduce, reuse and repair in order to save the planet.

"We are thrilled that Jayda has once again placed as a national winner," said WQPT Educational Outreach Director, Ana Kehoe.

Conducted by the acclaimed PBS KIDS television children's series READING RAINBOW with funding from presenting sponsor Country Inns & Suites By Carlson, Inc. and The Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, the national Contest is produced by WNED-TV/Buffalo and Smarterville Productions LLC. The Contest is public television's longest running and most successful outreach effort.

WQPT was one of 95 public television stations participating in this year's Contest, with support from the Butterworth Center & Deere-Wiman House, Figge Art Museum and Family Museum.

Contest entries from Kindergarteners through third graders are first judged at the local level, with local winners advancing to the national competition. There were two rounds of national judging culminating in a final judging by a distinguished panel that included representatives of children's television programming, educators, a literacy expert, a librarian and university professor.

This year's national Grand Prize Contest winners were given flat-panel TVs with DVD players. Each also receives three READING RAINBOW library sets (DVDs and books) for their home, school and library.

The illustrated stories of national Contest winners can be found at pbskids.org/readingrainbow. In mid August, the newest winners will be posted. The website also features fun, engaging activities and games for kids and information about READING RAINBOW for parents and teachers.

Just as READING RAINBOW generates excitement about reading, the Contest engages children in the process of creating stories that are uniquely their own," said Donald K. Boswell, WNED's President and CEO. "Every child who participates learns what it is like to be an author."

READING RAINBOW airs on WQPT on Saturdays at 10 am and Sundays at 9:30 am. Designed to encourage children to develop a love of reading and books, the series is now in its 26th season, making it the second-longest running PBS KIDS series still in production. The series has been honored with 26 Emmy Awards, including two in 2007 for "Outstanding Children's Series "and "Outstanding Writing In A Children's Series."

WQPT has been the local PBS station for 25 years located in Moline, Illinois.

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MOLINE, ILLINOIS - WQPT will air WorldFocus: Outbreak - A Special Report, a timely special on the Influenza A (H1N1) virus on Wednesday, May 6 at 9:00 p.m.   It has been the lead news story around the world for the past two weeks. Misinformation and rumors abound, Global experts will tell you what you need to know today to protect yourself from this virulent flu.  Panelists on the program include :

Dr. Stephen Morse, Professor of Clinical Epidemiology, Columbia University's Mailman School of Public Health; Founding Director & Senior Res. Scientist, Center for Public Health Preparedness: Author Emerging Viruses.

Laurie Garret, Senior Fellow for Global Health, Council on Foreign Relations

Simon Tay Fellow, Asia Society Chairman; Singapore Institute of International Relations

Christopher Sabatin, Senior Director of Policy, Council of the Americas

While the infection rate seems to be subsiding in Mexico for now, many other countries are preparing for potential outbreaks, either now or later in the year when the typical flu season begins again in the northern hemisphere.

The special will be hosted by Martin Savidge and Daljit Dhaliwal.

WQPT airs WorldFocus Monday through Friday at 6:30 p.m.