‘Antiques Roadshow’ Revisited

The Antiques Roadshow columns appearing on The Bee’s Web site written in December 1998 and June 2000 receive good activity when Websurfers stumble upon them. On occasion, e-mail from a reader will acknowledge that the highly rated PBS show represents some of the best programming on television today. Its blend of anticipation, drama, and occasional humor results in enjoyable entertainment along with a trip down memory lane as we view the work of artisans from yesteryear.

Just recently, I received a thoughtful e-mail from Judy Matthews, senior publicist for Antiques Roadshow. Her note brought a few things into focus. The longtime host, Chris Jussel, has left the show to take a job with Sotheby’s. His replacement, Don Elias, owns a contemporary art gallery. Jussel’s smooth, easygoing style will be hard to duplicate. Like many television personalities, often viewers see hosts as friends or strong acquaintances. When they move on to better positions, there is a sense of loss. We wish the best for Mr Jussel in his new capacity. Buoyed with a weekly viewership of 15 million people, the Antiques Roadshow appraisers develop a following and can even generate a fan base.

In her note, Judy Matthews included a press release highlighting events in upcoming shows to the following cities: St Louis, Missouri; Charleston, South Carolina; Austin, Texas; Denver, Colorado; Madison, Wisconsin; Tulsa, Oklahoma; Las Vegas, Nevada; Sacramento, California; and Boston, Massachusetts. Followers of the show know the host takes tours of local historical and cultural sites as part of each program. This adds local color and exposes viewers to museums that may have been overlooked in their area.

The Web Site

In my view, the Web site (http://www.pbs.org/ wgbh/pages/roadshow/) should be viewed as a model for excellence. When arriving at the site, visitors are struck with its clean design and rich content. The white background coupled with careful use of small graphics means that the site loads quickly even under heavy traffic. In addition, the navigation around the site with hotlinks on sides and bottom of the pages allows for easy to find information. To top it off, the use of a sitemap means that all locations on the large Web site can be reached with just a few clicks of the mouse. If more Web sites were designed this way, the frustration experienced by many surfers would be considerably reduced.

Although some shopping can be done on the Web site, the current offerings are limited to four books/calendars and videos of aired shows. Online purchasing is not possible. Orders can only be placed by calling a toll-free 800 phone number.

Perhaps the most compelling reason to visit the site is to read the “Your Story” section. Dating back to June ‘98, this area represents the Internet at its finest – short, touching vignettes of people finding treasures or junk. The personal side of the Internet remains the most intriguing for many of us. The Antiques Roadshow Web site has done an unusually good job in this area.

Visit Now And Then

Search engine and news Web sites receive very high visitor volume on a daily basis. The Antiques Roadshow site does not offer a continuous stream of new content. However, when someone stops in for an occasional visit, they are rewarded with a clean layout, easy navigation, and updated information about the television show. This is a Web site worthy of a bookmark and an occasional visit. Highly recommended.

URLs (Uniform Resource Locators) of interest:

http://www.pbs.org/wgbh/pages/roadshow/

(This is the 247th of a series of elementary articles designed for surfing the Internet. Next, “A Banking Experience on the Web” is the subject on tap. Stay Tuned. Until next week, happy travels through cyberspace. Previous issues of Internet Info for Real People can be found: http://www.thebee.com. Please e-mail comments and suggestions: rbrand@JUNO.com or editor@thebee.com.)