Ask Gilby^® Wins Awards and Goes National (back to top)

September 2009, Akron, OH: Ask Gilby^®, the Akron Public Schools-produced children’s educational television program and character, is gaining regional and national attention, winning awards, and gaining market share. 

Ask Gilby^® is nominated for a regional Emmy award. The prestigious Emmy is the highest award given in the television industry. The nomination recognizes Ask Gilby^® in the highly competitive children’s television program category. The Emmy Award ceremony will be held September 12, 2009, at the Intercontinental Cleveland Hotel.

“Wag-a-wow! I am very excited to be nominated for this award,” said Gilby. “This job is lots of fun. I fetch answers to kids’ questions, and together we learn all the things kids need to know to get ready for school.”

Ask Gilby^® is a past recipient of a Telly Award recognizing excellence in the category of children’s programming. The Telly Awards receives more than 13,000 entries annually from ad agencies, production companies and television stations all over the world. The Parents’ Choice Association, the nation’s oldest nonprofit guide to quality children’s media and toys, also awarded the show the Parents’ Choice Approved designation.

Ask Gilby^®, starring a fun, lovable and curious Dalmatian puppy, has gained a national audience. Scripps broadcasts the Akron-based show on Scripps-owned ABC stations including: Phoenix, Ariz.; Cincinnati, Ohio; Detroit, Mich.; Tampa, Fla.; Tulsa, Okla.; West Palm Beach, Fla.; and Baltimore, Md. 

The director of programming and special projects for Scripps Howard Broadcasting, Marla Drutz, is excited about the program. “We are thrilled to have Gilby on our stations. Ask Gilby^® is a high-quality, education-based show produced by a school district – it’s a good fit for us.”

Other national independent television stations airing Ask Gilby^® include: Bridgeport, Conn.; Boston, Mass.; Raleigh-Durham, N.C.; San Francisco, Calif.; and five other stations across the country.

Ask Gilby^® was conceived by the Akron Public Schools communications department as a means of reaching preschool children in the Akron area after research showed that many urban kindergarten children are not prepared for school. The show focuses on the basics — letters, shapes, numbers — providing young children the foundation they need for success in school. The show is also popular with early elementary students. District learning specialists and child psychologists work with show producers to link each show and at-home activities to APS academic standards.

Over the years, Gilby has become the school district’s mascot; and he actively participates in school and community events including parades and children’s events. 

Ask Gilby^® is seen locally on Time Warner Cable Channel 15, weekdays at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. For more information and fun with Gilby, visit www.askgilby.com; or, to book him for a community event, call 330/761-2928.

Gilby Goes National (back to top)
Locally produced children’s series can now be seen in more cities across the nation

April 2007, Akron, OH: Ask Gilby™, a dynamic children’s educational television program produced by Akron Public Schools, is gaining more national attention with the addition of several Scripps television stations.

Scripps Broadcasting recently expanded the broadcast of Ask Gilby™ to include its digital substations in: Baltimore, MD; Cincinnati, OH; Detroit, MI; Tulsa, OK; Tampa, FL; and Phoenix, AZ. Ask Gilby can also be seen in San Francisco, CA; Bridgeport, CT; Boston, MA, Fort Wayne, IN; and Cleveland, OH, on Multicultural Broadcasting Networks.

The E. W. Scripps Company is a diverse media outlet with interests in national lifestyle cable networks, newspaper publishing and broadcast television stations.

Director of Programming and Special Projects for Scripps Broadcasting, Marla Drutz, is excited about the program. “We are thrilled to have Gilby on our stations. Ask Gilby™ is a high quality, education-based show produced by a school district – it’s a good fit for us.”

Television broadcasters interested in an academic-focused, low-cost, fun show for young children should contact Tommy Bruno, Broadcast Communications, at 330.761.3095. 

March 2007, Akron, OH: Ask Gilby™ was recently recommended by Parents’ Choice Foundation. Parents' Choice Foundation's panels of educators, scientists, performing artists, librarians, parents and kids themselves identify the very best products for children of different ages and backgrounds and of varied skill and interest levels.

“Gilby” executive producer, Tommy Bruno, is excited by the prospect of the program’s growth and its recent seal of approval from Parents’ Choice.

“Gilby has become an education icon,” Bruno said. “Our first goal was to help enhance the education of preschool children in our local community. Since then, we have expanded our broadcast nationally. The recognition from Parents’ Choice Foundation is a great honor, and we are very proud of the award.”

Ask Gilby™ is an early childhood learning experience developed by Akron Public Schools. Educational consultants and child psychologists work with show producers to link each show and at-home activities to national academic standards and focus on the basic skills children need to be successful in school.

Ask Gilby™ can be seen in Akron on Time Warner Cable-channel 15, weekdays at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. It also airs in the Cleveland area on Channel 67, Wednesday at 10 a.m. For more information on Ask Gilby™, visit askgilby.com; or call Tommy Bruno at 330.761. 3095.

Ask Gilby™ is proudly underwritten by the OMNOVA Foundation

Ask Gilby™ Goes National (back to top)
Locally-produced children's program airs in major TV markets and receives funding to produce more shows

March 1, 2006, Akron, Ohio: What is black and white and local, yet full-color and seen across the nation? It’s Gilby, the star of Ask Gilby™, a ready-for-school television program produced by Akron Public Schools. 

This spring, four ABC-affiliate television stations owned by Scripps Howard Broadcasting Company began airing Gilby shows. These stations are located in Cincinnati, OH; Baltimore, MD; Detroit, MI; and Tulsa, OK.

"Ask Gilby™ is a fresh, high-quality, children's program that meets FCC educational broadcasting requirements," said Marla Drutz, Scripps V.P. Director of Programming & Special Projects. "We are pleased to expand our relationship with Gilby and Akron Public Schools."

In 2003, Scripps began airing Ask Gilby™ once a week on its Shop at Home stations located in Bridgeport, CT; Boston, MA; Cleveland, OH; Raleigh-Durham, NC; and San Francisco, CA. 

“Getting picked up by ABC affiliates is an exciting opportunity,” said Tommy Bruno, executive producer of Ask Gilby™, “and a huge compliment to our production staff. Ask Gilby™ has earned the respect of the Scripps networks, and we are delighted to share this educational series with kids across the country. ”

Not only does Scripps respect the programming, it has just announced that Scripps Howard Foundation will provide a matching grant to generate 12 additional shows.

“The Scripps Howard Foundation is proud to support the Ask Gilby™ educational program,” said Scripps Howard Foundation President and CEO, Judy Clabes. “Ask Gilby™ is a wonderful educational television program for young children.”

Ask Gilby™ made its debut in 2001 on Time Warner Cable’s public access channel 15. The communications staff at Akron Public Schools developed the program to reach pre-school children.

“We had research, both national and from our schools, that showed urban children often start school without the basic learning skills they need to succeed in school,” said Karen Ingraham, executive director of communications. “We know many children are as much as two years behind their classmates when they enter kindergarten. Ask Gilby™ began as a local outreach to preschoolers to teach basics like colors, letters, numbers and shapes. We are thrilled that, through Scripps, we will reach children in 15 cities across the nation.”

The program is produced by Akron Public Schools broadcast communications staff. Producers work with educational consultants and child psychologists to link each show to academic standards. When Gilby isn’t on TV, he makes public appearances at preschools, parades and community events.

Ask Gilby™ can be seen in the Akron area Monday through Friday on Time Warner Cable channel 15 at 7 a.m., 2 p.m., 5:30 p.m. and 7 p.m. It also airs in the Cleveland area on Channel 67, Wednesday at 10 a.m.

For more information, visit askgilby.com; or contact Tommy Bruno, 330.761.3095.