MAKE Makes PBS Show, But Doesn’t Leave Web Behind

Those recovering from a hangover on New Year’s Day probably got sucked into at least a small portion of The Discovery Channel’s all-day MythBusters marathon, in which dedicated geeks use science and technology to disprove myths and create amazing gadgetry in the process. But anyone recovering from a hangover on Jan. 3 had another option — the public broadcasting premiere of MAKE: television.

One of the great one-word brands, MAKE magazine has been engaging with creatively-oriented DIY-ers since 2005, and since 2006 it’s been using YouTube to provide video evidence of the amazing original creations concocted by staff and readers alike. On Jan. 4 it made the leap from the web to PBS — perhaps not as lucrative a home as the Discovery Channel, but very much in keeping with the MAKE spirit. While you can check your local listings to see when and where MAKE is available on TV, the show is completely available online as well — maintaining the format of the show, but still managing to be web-friendly.

Each episode of MAKE: television, as packaged for broadcast, includes a profile of someone embodying the Maker spirit, as well as demonstrations of original inventions. The segments are quick-witted and sharply paced, especially the more DIY-oriented ones; while creating an automated cat feeder using a VCR might seem like a task best left to Dr. Emmett Brown, creator John Park makes it seem actually doable. I especially liked the “Trouble Maker” segment, which calls out the fact that sometimes the technology being created is, at the very least, a bit morally dubious.

Rather than dumping entire episodes online in 30-minute chunks, the Make team has split the episode into individual segments, which are organized on the episode guide page and also distributed individually via Vimeo, YouTube, Blip.tv, and iTunes. This means that sequences from the Jan. 3 episode are easily shareable, but it’s still possible to enjoy the complete program experienced by TV audiences. It’s a strategy that works brilliantly for each part of the show, except one: the Maker Channel. A compilation of audience submissions, the Maker Channel feels a little disjointed out of context — and the segment suffers lower viewcounts as a result.

MythBuster Adam Savage is a contributing writer to the magazine and was a featured guest at Maker Faire 2008 — and if the MythBusters can become international superstars there’s no reason the MAKE team can’t find the same success. Those who MAKE are reminiscent of non-threatening mad scientists, people whose passion for new and exciting devices makes them revolutionaries of the intellect. Call them geeks if you like. It won’t spoil their fun.