Generating Views for a College TV Show on PBS

Challenge

Beacon College – the first college in the country accredited to award bachelor’s degrees exclusively to students with learning disabilities, ADHD and other learning differences – in 2020 started “A World of Difference,” a TV program celebrating and supporting families who are navigating the journey of learning differences.

Curley & Pynn has provided communications and marketing support for the award-winning program since its launch. Upon securing an opportunity for the third season to air on WUCF-TV, a PBS-member station serving 4 million households in Central Florida, we were challenged with building viewership to help maintain its spot in the channel’s program lineup.

Objectives

Our primary objective was to secure media coverage announcing the show’s launch on PBS, while also generating interest among potential viewers through engagement on Beacon College’s owned media channels.  

Solution

Curley & Pynn developed a comprehensive communications campaign for the season three premiere, including research, content development, media relations and social media strategies that targeted families of children with learning differences, prospective Beacon students/families, donors, partners and the Central Florida community.

Tactics included ideation and selection of a show tagline, creation of a sizzle reel, development and distribution of a news release to relevant local, statewide, national and trade media contacts, content creation for social media and more.

Results

Ahead of the premiere in September 2022, we secured 9 media placements, far surpassing our objective by 200%. As we continued to follow up with media, we also secured two additional earned media placements after the season three premiere, bringing us to a total of 11 placements about the program’s third season. Collaborating with the show’s host, we also developed an op-ed about the importance of visibility for neurodivergent people, which ran in the Orlando Sentinel. Now halfway through its third season, “A World of Difference” ranks among the top five programs streamed locally on WUCF-TV. As a result of the positive reception and continued growth in viewership (which increased by 50% from September to November alone), the program was renewed for a fourth season on the PBS member station. 

Curley & Pynn and Beacon College were also recognized for their efforts by two industry associations, earning an Award of Commendation at the Public Relations Society of America’s Radiance Awards and a Judges’ Award and Award of Distinction at the Florida Public Relations Association’s Golden Image Awards competition.