Yesterday, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) President & CEO Paula Kerger told a Los Angeles audience that following years of decline, arts and culture will once again have a home on PBS stations throughout the country.

The new endeavors for PBS include an online arts portal (starting in April) and a plan to devote one night of programming each week to the arts (starting in the fall or winter). The network is also looking to serve communities that have lost arts educators, by providing new arts inclusion material on the PBS Teachers website.

"To be candid, over the last years, we haven't done as good a job (with cultural programming) as we could," Kerger said. "I think we can do more. We're looking to increase the investment we're making in the arts. The budget (for such programs) has been flat or slightly down. I want to ramp it up."

It also appears that the new online portal will fall in line with the recent National Endowment for the Arts Audience Participation Survey that found that arts lovers are going online to find their favorite art forms:

“Utilizing broadband video, the new online arts portal ‘will function as a 24-hour virtual performing arts venue,’ she said. ‘You'll be able to drop in whenever you like and experience art of all kinds, including ballet, opera, theater and more.’”
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It seems like PBS is making up for lost time with the arts, but is it enough?
What other ideas would you pass along to Kreger if you had the opportunity?