JOHNSTON — As Iowa Public Television concludes the yearlong celebration of its 50th anniversary, the statewide public television network is changing its name to better position it for the future. Executive Director and General Manager Molly Phillips announced today that beginning Jan. 1, Iowa Public Television will become Iowa PBS. Likewise, the Friends organization, which raises funds for the network, will now become Friends of Iowa PBS Foundation.
“Iowa PBS better represents who we are and how we deliver content in today’s digital age,” said Phillips. “As Iowans increasingly look to new ways to view information and entertainment, our new name will help ensure they will easily find their favorite locally produced programs as well as PBS programs where and when they want to watch.”
The name change follows on the heels of PBS’s recently announced update to its national brand. Iowa PBS will adopt the same refreshed look with a co-branded logo, a bold color palette and a modern, custom typeface designed to be highly legible across platforms, from televisions to mobile devices. The new local identity will be implemented throughout 2020, alongside PBS’s national brand refresh. PBS claims nearly 70 percent of its member stations across the country are adopting the new brand identity over the next year, with the goal of providing a consistent viewer experience.
“IPTV has a rich history of broadcasting the best of the world to Iowa, and the best of Iowa to the world,” said Susan Moritz Scharnberg, President of the Iowa Public Television Foundation. “The future demands we continue to evolve and grow. Our new name — Iowa PBS Foundation — will help us better serve our members while preserving our trusted brand and essential mission: to educate, inform, enrich and inspire Iowans.”
The new network name will be adopted across all of Iowa Public Televisions channels: IPTV KIDS .2 will become Iowa PBS KIDS .2; IPTV WORLD .3 will become Iowa PBS WORLD .3; IPTV Create .4 will become Iowa PBS Create .4. The new identity will follow online with a new website address, iowapbs.org, and new social and video platform names.
Phillips added that while Iowa Public Television will be changing its name to Iowa PBS, viewers will still find their favorite programs where they have always tuned to watch them. “Our commitment remains to Iowans in Iowa. That will never change.”
Learn more at Iptv.org.