On this day in 1969, four public broadcasters joined together to form the non-profit public broadcasting television service, PBS.
The Public Broadcasting Service's Articles of Incorporation cited eight purposes, including the establishment, development, management and operation of interconnected systems to distribute programming to noncommercial broadcast stations and networks.
PBS currently has 354 member TV stations in the U.S. that carry a mix of local and national programming, including PBS NewsHour, Nova, Masterpiece, American Experience, Sesame Street and Frontline.