PBS Icons Live On Thanks to ... Autotune

(Newser) – PBS is out to prove it's still hip, by making dead people sing. The beloved network has rolled out three YouTube videos that it's hoping will go viral and re-kindle America's love-affair with public broadcasting. Each features clips of a beloved PBS icon (Julia Child, Bob Ross, and Mister Rogers) that have been re-cut and autotuned by musician John Boswell into jaunty tunes that, believe it or not, are actually kind of catchy.

"PBS sometimes … gets criticized for being peas and carrots or being appealing only to your mind, and I don't think that's true," a digital executive tells the Boston Herald. "What we wanted to do with these videos was make sure they provoked people to think, but at the same time touch their hearts." So far it's certainly drawing attention; as of this writing the Mister Rogers clip has almost 6.5 million views. (Read more PBS stories.)