Abstract: A method of selecting video segments and programs from a program database (“programbase”), such as may be constructed from a collection of news, educational programs, and motion pictures, in which available segments of programs are assigned descriptors responsive to subject matter (e.g. news), content levels (e.g. “Highlight”, “Summary”, “Condensed”, and “Detailed”), and levels of explicitness (e.g. “None”, “Implied”, “Explicit”, and “Graphic”) in each of a range of content categories (e.g. “Inclusion”, and “Violence”), according to the content of the segments of the program. The programbase being accessible by a plurality of video retrievers, and the selection of video segments and programs being responsive to the subject matter preferences and content preferences of a video retriever.