About TV 411
The Local Connection &TV 411

TV 411: The Local Connection is an AmeriCorps®-project conceptualized by Literacy AmeriCorps Pittsburgh's Director, Y. Denise Caldwell and produced by AmeriCorps member David J. Glanz. Loosely based on the Adult Literacy Media Alliance's (ALMA) PBS series, TV411, TV 411 L.C. highlights local adult-literacy instructors, students, and programs.

About TV411
ALMA's TV 411, released in 1998, is an educational tool for adult education instructors. It is a national series used to help adults improve their reading, writing, and math skills. Presented in a variety show format, it turns literacy and life-skills education into a modern, entertaining experience for adult learners. Available on video cassette and on some public broadcasting stations, it uses popular television formats in magazine-style half-hour episodes. TV411 teaches basic skills through such real-life situations as understanding the deductions on your paycheck, reading food labels, filling out a job application, and reading to children. There are currently 26 episodes, with plans to create up to 50 more. Learn more about ALMA and TV 411 here!

About TV411:

TV 411: L.C.was produced, filmed, and edited by second-year AmeriCorps member Dave Glanz, a University of Pittsburgh graduate (1998) in film-studies. Having finished a video project for his first year of service with AmeriCorps about violence in youth culture, (Violence is Not the KEY to Success), Mr. Glanz decided to follow his growing interest in using video to strengthen communities. From mid-September of 1999 through May of 2000, TV 411: The Local Connection was produced and filmed throughout the city of Pittsburgh, PA. Originally intended to be a series of episodes, the end result was two half-hour documentaries highlighting and celebrating a number of literacy programs in Pittsburgh. These include Goodwill's Pittsburgh Literacy Initiative program, a local Family Support Center, an English-as-a-Second-Language program, and the Storymobile (a local version of a Bookmobile). At the present time, Episode One: The Search for Literacy in Pittsburgh, airs on Pittsburgh's Cable Access channel (PCTV-21) on Wednesdays at 1:30 PM. To order copies of these entertaining and motivational videos, contact Denise Caldwell at the Greater Pittsburgh Literacy Council at (412) 661-7323, or email her at ydcgplc@aol.com.

Learn more about PCTV-21 here!