The “classy” Diggnation: Reddit launches a TV show with PBS

When I think of PBS I think of Sesame Street, Masterpiece Theater and Nova. This fall, however, there may be a new show to watch for on the public network: YourWeek, a collaboration between the station and the social news voting site Reddit.

The show, which will run once a week starting June 6th, makes a compelling case for why you should watch it: You can help decide what’s going to be on it. Topics for the show will be chosen every week from the hot stories on Reddit’s main page. The items chosen will then be put on a separate page at yourweek.reddit, where the service is encouraging the community to participate with comments.

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The hosts of the show, which will exist online at first, will be Michelle Cottle and Rich Lowry. This online trial over the summer will determine if the show makes it to the PBS channel in the fall, according to NewTeeVee.

The obvious parallel here is to online video network Revision3’s Diggnation show. That weekly show features Digg founder Kevin Rose and co-host Alex Albrecht talking about some of the hottest stories on the social news site Digg, one of Reddit’s main rivals. “No offense to Kevin and Alex, but I expect the discourse to be a little higher. I don’t think the hosts will be drinking beers,” Reddit co-founder Alex Ohanian tells NewTeeVee.

A little higher, maybe. But don’t expect it to be much higher. The pilot features a story entitled: #1 Reason to See a Cricket Match in Bangalore: Cheerleaders. Washington Redskins Cheerleaders.

If the show is successful, it’ll be the social interaction with the viewers and the Reddit community that make it so. From the official post on the Reddit Blog:

Whereas traditional television new stories end once the show airs, YourWeek — like reddit — will just be the beginning. Throughout the week you’ll be able to share your thoughts on yourweek.reddit and followup with content you think was missed or corrections that should be made.

Reddit was purchased by Wired in 2006. Both exist under Wired’s parent, publisher Conde Nast.