Panhandle PBS Contributes to Community Engagement for Stations Nationwide

Panhandle PBS is proud to have contributed to the development of PBS’s newly launched Community Engagement Learning Path, a comprehensive professional development program now available to public media stations across the country through Public Media Learns.

Created by the PBS Immersive Learning Team and the PBS Programming Engagement Team in partnership with Nine PBS, the Community Engagement Learning Path and companion guidebook were designed as evergreen resources to help stations strengthen their engagement strategies, build meaningful partnerships, and better serve their communities.

Panhandle PBS was among a group of frontline public media professionals invited to collaborate on the guidebook and training content. Rather than serving strictly as consultants, Panhandle PBS station leaders participated as active practitioners in community engagement — reflecting on what works, sharing collective knowledge, and contributing real-world examples to support peers nationwide.

“Community engagement has truly become a cornerstone of the public media mission,” said Cullen Lutz, Panhandle PBS community impact manager. “While production and programming have long been central to public media, it’s exciting to see engagement elevated to this level — recognized as essential to relevance, trust, and long-term sustainability. We were honored to share our experiences and learn alongside colleagues from across the country.”

The self-paced learning path includes six asynchronous courses and a companion guidebook, offering structured frameworks and practical tools stations can immediately apply. Courses explore foundational topics such as:

• The case for engagement and its impact on trust and sustainability
• Designing intentional, measurable engagement strategies
• Relationship-building as an ongoing practice
• Planning for impact
• Evaluating outcomes and telling compelling impact stories
• Fostering long-term community investment

Panhandle PBS contributed insights particularly in the area of community partnerships — one of the station’s core strengths. The station regularly collaborates with organizations including Amarillo College, Amarillo Museum of Art, Panhandle-Plains Historical Museum, Don Harrington Discovery Center, and the Amarillo Public Library, among many others. Through co-hosted events, shared educational resources, and collaborative outreach, these partnerships elevate each organization’s mission while serving communities across the Texas Panhandle.

“This collaboration demonstrates that stations serving smaller and rural communities have valuable insight to share on a national stage,” Kevin Ball, CEO of Panhandle PBS and AC vice president of communications and marketing said. “The work happening here in the Texas Panhandle shows how meaningful engagement can strengthen both public media and the communities we serve.”

The Community Engagement Learning Path is now available to public media professionals through the PBS Course Catalog and the Community Engagement Learning Path landing page on the Hub.

Visit the Panhandle PBS website to learn more about the station’s content and community engagement