“Story in the Public Square” to Premiere 16th National Season January 5, 2026
NEWPORT, RI, Dec. 5, 2025 — “Story in the Public Square” is set to premiere its 16th national season on public television stations nationwide on January 5, 2026. The 12-time Telly Award-winning series is produced by The Pell Center at Salve Regina University.
The upcoming season features 24 new half-hours that continue the series mission of celebrating storytelling as a vital force in shaping public understanding . Each 30-minute program features compelling conversations with an ever-vibrant line up of guests – from acclaimed authors and scientists to leading scholars, journalists, artists and filmmakers. This season viewers can look forward to insightful dialogue on the more pressing issues facing our society today, brought to life through the voices that help us define our times.
Hosting guests both remotely and in person at the show’s home studio at Ocean State Media, “Story in the Public Square” offers viewers insightful perspectives on the narratives influencing modern American life.
“I’ve been studying the power of narrative in public life for 30 years,” said show host Dr. Jim Ludes, Vice President at Salve Regina University. “Thinking critically about the stories that bombard us daily has never been more urgent or more obviously a civic imperative. We’re lucky to have great guests who help us do just that each week.”
The series has been in production at Rhode Island PBS since January 2017 and is currently seen in 85 percent of the nation’s television markets with nearly 500 weekly broadcasts nationally. It has won Telly Awards for excellence in several categories, including politics and commentary, history, biography, and social impact in 2025 (four), 2024 (two) 2022, 2021, 2020 (two); 2019, and 2018. The show is produced by the Pell Center at Salve Regina University and presented by Rhode Island PBS via NETA, the National Educational Telecommunications Association.
Find Story in the Public Square:
On the Web: https://salve.edu/pell-center/projects-and-initiatives/story-public-square
On Facebook: https://www.facebook.com/StoryInThePublicSquare/
The Pell Center for International Relations and Public Policy is a think tank on the Salve Regina University campus in historic Newport, Rhode Island. Its programs on domestic and international issues are designed to generate new ideas, to expand public understanding of important issues and, ultimately, to help the public and its leaders make better decisions.
Dedicated to honoring Sen. Claiborne Pell's legacy, the center promotes American engagement in the world, effective government at home and civic participation by all Americans. The Pell Center accomplishes this through research and publications, public events and media programs that run throughout the year.
The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) is a professional association that serves public television licensees and educational entities in all 50 states, the U.S. Virgin Islands, and Puerto Rico. Since 1967, our reason for existing has been to connect public television people and ideas by providing quality programming, educational resources, professional development, management support, and national representation.