WGBH pressroom

February 4, 2010

Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson and Smokey Robinson to perform at the White House as part of Civil Rights Music Showcase

Thursday, February 11, 8pm on WGBH 2/HD

PBS Special features leading performers and a Civil Rights Movement educational program for youth

Artists have been announced for “In Performance at the White House: A Celebration of Music from the Civil Rights Movement,” a PBS music special in the White House East Room that WETA will produce in association with The GRAMMY Museum®, AEG Ehrlich Ventures and the National Black Programming Consortium (NBPC). President and Mrs. Obama will host the concert event in honor of Black History Month. Artists include Natalie Cole, Bob Dylan, Jennifer Hudson, John Legend, John Mellencamp, Smokey Robinson, Seal, the Blind Boys of Alabama and the Howard University Choir. Guest speakers are Morgan Freeman and Queen Latifah. Additional artists may be announced in the coming days. The music special, part of the PBS “In Performance at the White House” series, will be taped live by WETA Washington, DC, on February 10 and air on February 11 at 8pm on WGBH 2/HD.

The evening will feature songs from the Civil Rights Movement performed by these top entertainers, as well as readings from famous Civil Rights speeches and writings. This event, including the President’s remarks, will be available for press via the White House Press Corps pool feed and streamed live on www.whitehouse.gov, www.pbs.org/inperformanceatthewhitehouse and npr.org/music. NPR will also produce a one-hour concert special from this event for broadcast nationwide on NPR Member stations throughout the month of February, beginning February 12. The special will be available at www.npr.org/music.

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Independent Lens presents Gabriel Noble's "P-Star Rising"

Sunday, February 14, 9pm on WGBH 44

The story of young Priscilla Star Diaz (a.k.a. P-Star), currently in her second season on PBS’s hit Electric Company, is told in Gabriel Noble’s gritty, intimate, and moving "P-Star Rising." The film will premiere nationally on the Emmy® award winning PBS series Independent Lens, hosted by Maggie Gyllenhaal, on Sunday, February 14, 9pm on WGBH 44.

"P-Star Rising" is the story of a talented young hip-hop performer who becomes the vehicle for her father’s unfulfilled ambitions. In the early eighties, at the dawn of hip-hop’s breakthrough into the mainstream, Jesse Diaz was poised for fame, success, and wealth, but drugs and a prison sentence soon quashed his dreams. Though Jesse managed to reclaim his life and regain custody of his two young daughters (lost to the foster care system while he was incarcerated, and after their mother succumbed to drug addiction), he struggles to support his family as a single dad. Broke, unemployed, and living in temporary housing, he pins his hopes for the family’s fortunes on his youngest daughter, Priscilla.

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For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots, a film by Frank Martin

Thursday, February 18 and 25, 9pm on WGBH 2/HD

Hosted by Halle Berry, introduced by Colin Powell, narrated by Avery Brooks, executive produced by Louis Gossett, Jr. with cooperation of the U.S. Army

www.forloveofliberty.org

In observance of February’s Black History Month and in honor of African-Americans who serve our country, For Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriots premiers on most Public Broadcasting System stations nationwide throughout the month. Presented by Maryland Public Television, this is a powerful documentary television series that salutes our African-American service men and women and reveres their dedicated allegiance to the United States military. The four-hour high-definition (HD) film will air in two parts beginning February 18, at 9pm on WGBH 2/HD. Made with the U.S. Army’s full cooperation (www.goarmy.com), the film is sponsored by US Bank, Ford Motor Company and State Farm.

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WGBH names Ben Godley Chief Operating Officer

WGBH President and CEO Jonathan Abbott today announced that Ben Godley has been appointed Chief Operating Officer for the WGBH Foundation, broadening his responsibilities to include the operations of the Foundation across departments.

Godley has served as WGBH’s Executive Vice President since May of 2008.

“In addition to Ben’s role as EVP, I’m pleased to have him take on further responsibility managing all day-to-day operations for WGBH,” said Abbott. “His leadership will enhance the effectiveness of our strategic efforts across WGBH’s many programs and services.”

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January 26, 2010

High School Quiz Show selects host: Dhaya Lakshminarayanan

New series premieres on March 22nd at 7:30pm on WGBH 2/HD

High School Quiz Show, WGBH’s new weekly competition between 24 Massachusetts schools, has selected a host who promises to be as fresh, smart and funny as the program itself. She is Dhaya Lakshminarayanan, a business consultant and a stand-up comedian with two degrees from MIT and a wealth of experience to bring to her new role.

Dhaya has taught social graces to students at MIT’s “Charm School,” has traveled to Cuba as a researcher, been crowned Ms. August ’06 Saffron Rare Threads, and created and led an inner-city youth environmental program, “Harbor Bound” for The Boston Harbor Association. She now works as a strategy and communication consultant to large corporations, early stage startups, investors, and non-profits.

Along with her new gig as host of WGBH’s High School Quiz Show, Dhaya currently is pursuing her passion for stand-up comedy and performs in several shows across the country each month, selling out venues with her sharp observational humor on the social-political scene, her own ethnic background, technology, and her travels in America.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

This Old House experts help launch The Partnership for ‘Greening’ Blue Hill Ave.

WHAT: Nuestra Comunidad and YouthBuild Boston will announce the formation of The Partnership for Greening Blue Hill Ave. to provide weatherization, energy audit and retrofit services to the residents of Roxbury, Dorchester and Mattapan at a reception on January 28th in Boston. Both Nuestra and YouthBuild Boston have been working with the home improvement series This Old House on the renovation of a foreclosed and vacant property in Roxbury. The Partnership’s rehab and landscaping improvements were instrumental in the renovation of the 1870s-era Second Empire home in Roxbury that will be featured during the This Old House 30th anniversary season.

WHO: Mayor Thomas M. Menino
Norm Abram, This Old House master carpenter
Kevin O’Connor, This Old House host
Mark Reale, Bank of America Senior Vice President and YouthBuild Boston Board Member
Ken Smith, YouthBuild Boston Executive Director
David Price, Nuestra Comunidad Executive Director

WHEN: Thursday, January 28, 6-8pm

WHERE: Bank of America, 100 Federal Street, Boston, MA

MORE INFO: The Emmy-winning This Old House is television’s premier home improvement series. Its mission is to demystify the home improvement process and to celebrate the fusion of Old World craftsmanship and modern technology. Host Kevin O’Connor and master carpenter Norm Abram will be on hand at this reception to unveil a sneak peek of the Roxbury project premiere episode, which airs on WGBH 44 on Wednesday, February 3, at 8pm.

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Telling Our Stories: African Americans commemorates Black History Month

Throughout February on WGBH 2/HD, WGBH 44, WGBH World, 89.7 WGBH, 99.5 All Classical and Forum Network

During the month of February, WGBH commemorates Black History Month with Telling Our Stories, an initiative that builds on WGBH’s year-round commitment to create and broadcast programs that reflect the ethnic and cultural diversity of the communities WGBH serves. Local sponsorship of Telling Our Stories is generously provided by UMass Boston. For additional information, visit www.wgbh.org/stories.

TELEVISION
Basic Black
For the Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriot (new!)
Independent Lens: “Herskovitz at the Heart of Blackness” (new!)
Stevie Wonder in Performance at the White House: The Library of Congress Gershwin Prize
Nova: “Forgotten Genius”
Lincoln: Prelude to the Presidency
Frontline: “Dreams of Obama”
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968 (new!)
Independent Lens: “February One: The Story of the Greensboro Four”
The Marines of Montford Point: Fighting for Freedom
Independent Lens: “P-Star Rising” (new!)
Nickles from Heaven
In Performance at the White House: Civil Rights (new!)
Bill Cosby: The Mark Twain Prize
Young Lincoln
African American Lives 2
Looking for Lincoln
Sisters of Selma: Bearing Witness for Change
An Evening with Smokey Robinson (new!)
RADIO
“Lady Writes the Blues—The Rose Marie McCoy Story”
“Women of the Harlem Renaissance”
“Who Is This Man? A State of the Re: Union Black History Month Special”
“Race and the Space Race”
Classical Music with Laura Carlo
FORUM NETWORK
Slavery and the making of America Series
Civil Rights Movement Series
Abolition and Garrison Bicentennial Series
Ken Burns/ Jazz Series – History of Jazz, Jazz and Modern Africa,
Bits and Bites from Hip Hop life
Ken Burns Unforgivable Blackness Series
African Meeting House Bicentennial Series
Black Writers
Race and Sports/Baseball
Obama Presidential Election
Struggle for Freedom – slavery, justice, South Africa, America

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American Experience presents “The Bombing of Germany”

Monday, February 8, 9-10pm on WGBH 2/HD

On September 1, 1939–the first day of World War II in Europe–U.S. President Franklin D. Roosevelt appealed to the warring nations to “under no circumstances undertake the bombardment from the air of civilian populations.” By the time the Axis was finally defeated six years later, British and American Allied forces had carried out an aerial bombing campaign of unprecedented might over Germany’s cities, claiming the lives of thousands of civilians.

On Monday, February 8, 2010, American Experience will premiere "The Bombing of Germany," a one-hour film from International Emmy Award and Peabody Award-winning producer Zvi Dor-Ner (executive producer, Israel’s Next War, House of Saud). Weaving together interviews with World War II pilots and historians, and stunning archival footage of the bombing and its aftermath, the film examines the defining moments of the offensive that led the United States across a moral divide.

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Frontline investigates safety problems of major airlines outsourcing flights to smaller regional carrier in "Flying Cheap"

Tuesday, February 9 at 9-10pm on WGBH 2/HD

www.pbs.org/frontline/flyingcheap

Last February, Continental Flight 3407 crashed outside of Buffalo, N.Y., killing 49 people onboard and one on the ground. Although 3407 was painted in the colors of Continental Connection, it was actually operated by Colgan Air, a regional airline that flies routes under contract for US Airways, United and Continental. The crash and subsequent investigation revealed a little-known trend in the airline industry: Major airlines have outsourced more and more of their flights to obscure regional carriers.

Today, with regional airlines accounting for more than half of all scheduled domestic flights in the United States and responsible for the last six fatal commercial airline accidents, Frontline producer Rick Young and correspondent Miles O’Brien investigate the safety issues associated with outsourcing in Flying Cheap, airing Tuesday, February 9, 9-10pm on WGBH2/HD.

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January 21, 2010

WGBH February 2010 television program highlights

Nova: “Ghosts of Machu Picchu”
Frontline: “Digital Nation”
Independent Lens: “Herskovits at the Heart of Blackness”
Scarred Justice: The Orangeburg Massacre 1968
American Experience: “Bombing of Germany”
Blueprint America: “Beyond the Motor City”
Nova: “Extreme Cave Diving”
Frontline: “Flying Cheap”
Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
In Performance at the White House: “Music of the Civil Rights Era”
Independent Lens: “P-Star Rising”
For the Love of Liberty: The Story of America’s Black Patriot
Independent Lens: “Mine/Home”
Frontline/World
Masterpiece Classic: “39 Steps”
Independent Lens: “Behind the Rainbow”

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WGBH airs Hope for Haiti telethon on Friday

Friday, January 22, 8-10pm on WGBH 2/HD

WGBH joins stations across the globe in airing Hope for Haiti Now, the benefit/telethon hosted by George Clooney, Wyclef Jean and CNN’s Anderson Cooper, on Friday, January 22, 8-10pm on WGBH 2/HD. Hope for Haiti Now features performances and celebrity appearances, as well as live news reports from CNN. All donations directly benefit Oxfam America, Partners in Health, Red Cross, UNICEF and Jean's Yele Haiti Foundation.

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Frontline presents "Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier"

Tuesday, February 2, 2010, from 9-10:30pm on WGBH 2/HD

Within a single generation, digital media and the World Wide Web have transformed virtually every aspect of modern culture, from the way we learn and work to the ways in which we socialize and even conduct war. But is the technology moving faster than we can adapt to it? And is our 24/7 wired world causing us to lose as much as we’ve gained?

In "Digital Nation: Life on the Virtual Frontier" Frontline presents an in-depth exploration of what it means to be human in a 21st-century digital world. Continuing a line of investigation she began with the 2008 Frontline report "Growing Up Online," award-winning producer Rachel Dretzin embarks on a journey to understand the implications of living in a world consumed by technology and the impact that this constant connectivity may have on future generations. “I’m amazed at the things my kids are able to do online, but I’m also a little bit panicked when I realize that no one seems to know where all this technology is taking us, or its long-term effects,” says Dretzin.

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The WGBH Lab and Antiques Roadshow present Open Call

Media makers encouraged to submit completed video shorts that turn forgotten treasures into cinematic art

Do you have a family heirloom with a story to tell? In collaboration with Antiques Roadshow, the Lab is hosting an Open Call for video shorts that showcase a particular object or antique with personal relevance to the filmmaker. The Lab, an online tool for media makers to share their work, challenges emerging talent to consider their own compelling perspectives and craft unique videos that share their vision with the world.

Whether a cherished family heirloom or a forgotten trinket collecting dust in the attic, the selected item must have significance for the creator. There is unlimited artistic freedom, as interested media makers may choose to showcase emotional ties to the object or explain a unique history through their video.

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MEDIA ADVISORY

Celebrate language and literacy with WGBH’s Between the Lions

WHAT: Little Sprouts and Imajine That present “Roar about Reading,” featuring WGBH’s hit children’s literacy series Between the Lions. The event will include many interactive and educational activities for the whole family:

• Meet Leona from Between the Lions
• Visit the all new Between the Lions interactive area
• Singalongs and a concert by FUNdamentals of Music and Movement
• Make your own bookworm to chart books read
• Letter writing workshop
• Face painting
• Free books
• Special Between the Lions keepsakes and giveaways

WHEN: Saturday, January 23, 10am-1pm
WHERE: Imajine That
354 Merrimack Street (Riverwalk Mill Building)
Building 1, Entrance A, 2nd Floor
Lawrence, MA 01843
CONTACT: Jennifer Silver, Director of Creativity, Imajine That, 978-682-5338 jennifer@imajinethat.com

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January 12, 2010

**MEDIA ALERT/PHOTO OPPORTUNITY**

PBS KIDS’® Between the Lions® Characters Visit Christopher’s Haven

Mother-daughter duo Cleo and Leona Lion drop by for fun songs, stories and photos

WHAT: Christopher’s Haven, a local organization which provides a home away from home for families of pediatric cancer patients receiving daily outpatient treatments, will welcome two of the lovable lions from the Emmy®-Award winning PBS KIDS series Between the Lions. Mother-daughter duo Cleo and Leona will visit residents at Christopher’s Haven, who will be joined by other patients from the Mass General Hospital for Children. The Lions will invite the children to participate as they sing about the sounds of letters, read stories, and take photos. **This event is not open to the general public.**

WHEN: January 14, 2010, 3:00pm

WHO: Mother-daughter duo Cleo and Leona of PBS KIDS series Between the Lions

WHERE: Christopher’s Haven, One Emerson Place, Suite 2N, Boston, MA 02114, 978/460-3145

MORE INFO: Please visit pbskids.org/lions or christophershaven.org.

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Faces of America With Henry Louis Gates, Jr., a new four-part series from the producers of “African American Lives” and “African American Lives 2”

Wednesdays, February 10-March 3, 8-9pm on WGBH 2/HD

Exclusive behind-the-scenes look at the making of the series, including extra footage and commentary from Professor Henry Louis Gates, Jr. available on pbs.org/facesofamerica.

What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the heart of the new four-part series Faces of America With Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Building on the success of his previous projects, African American Lives (2006), Oprah’s Roots (2007), African American Lives 2 (2008) and most recently Looking for Lincoln (2009), Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr., turns again to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 12 renowned Americans. Filmed throughout Europe, Mexico, the Caribbean and the Middle East, the series airs on three consecutive Wednesdays, February 10, 17, 24 and March 3, at 8-9pm on WGBH 2/HD.

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WGBH hosts special sneak preview and discussion of Faces of America, new mini-series hosted by Henry Louis Gates, Jr.

WHAT: WGBH screens the fourth episode of Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. Building on the success of his series African American Lives and African American Lives 2, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. turns again to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the family histories of 11 renowned Americans. Looking beyond the black experience to the wider immigrant experience, Gates follows the threads of his guests’ lives back to their earliest origins around the globe. Episode four explores the dynamic and shifting relationship America had with new immigrants in the 20th century. Discussion follows with executive producer William R. Grant.

PANELISTS: William R. Grant, executive producer, Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Stephen Ives, producer, Episode four, Faces of America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
Dr. David Altshuler, clinical endocrinologist and human geneticist, Broad Institute

WHEN: Thursday, February 4, 7-9pm

This event is free and open to the public, but RSVP is required. To reserve your seat, please call (617) 300-5400 or visit: wgbh.org/facesscreening

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WGBH TEACHERS’ DOMAIN LAUNCHES BIOTECHNOLOGY DIGITAL MEDIA COLLECTION FOR THE CLASSROOM

Collection to Enhance Biotechnology Education and Offer Professional Development for Science Teachers

WGBH Educational Foundation today announced the launch of the new Biotechnology collection on Teachers’ Domain, the public broadcasters’ free, online resource for teachers and students. Funded by a grant from the Amgen Foundation, these extraordinary digital media resources are designed to deepen the teaching and learning of biotechnology in middle and high schools throughout the United States.

Although biotechnology is one of the fastest growing fields, it is not always fully integrated into middle and high school science curricula. Biotechnology impacts our lives on a daily basis, from the drugs we take, to the food we eat, and to the jobs we do. This digital collection is the first of its kind on Teachers’ Domain, currently used by over 450,000 teachers and students, across more than 74 percent of K-12 public schools in the United States. Digital video and interactives explore laboratory techniques used in biotechnology for treating disease and improving diagnosis. Video profiles of biotechnology scientists and technicians offer students compelling examples of available career pathways into the field.

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January 5, 2010

Nova unlocks a slew of scientific mysteries with winter/spring 2010 premieres that explore killer midget subs, ghosts of machu picchu, extreme caves, riddles of the sphinx and more

Tuesdays beginning January 5 at 8-9pm on WGBH 2/HD

Nova travels the world this season to solve scientific riddles from across the globe. Our cameras take you to the Great Sphinx of Egypt, into the depths of Pearl Harbor, the Incan “city in the clouds,” and deadly underwater caves in the Bahamas to unlock mysteries that have baffled scientists for ages.
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Great Performances presents "Passing Strange"

Wednesday, January 13 at 9-11:30pm on WGBH 2/HD

This is the exuberant, frequently hilarious and ultimately moving story of a young African-American man on a journey of escape, exploration and self-discovery. Recorded for television by Spike Lee, “Passing Strange” is the semi-autobiographical story of a young man who leaves behind his middle-class, church-ruled upbringing in mid-70s Los Angeles to travel to Europe in search of his artistic and personal identity. Co-starring with Stew Rodewald is a talented ensemble cast featuring Daniel Breaker, de’Adre Aziza, Eisa Davis, Colman Domingo, Chad Goodridge and Rebecca Naomi Jones.
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Masterpiece presents "Emma"

Sunday, January 24 at 9-11pm on WGBH 2/HD
Sunday, January 31 at 9-10pm on WGBH 2/HD
Sunday, February 7 at 9-10pm on WGBH 2/HD

A fiercely funny four-hour adaptation of Jane Austen’s delightful love story stars Romola Garai (Atonement ) as a young woman whose attempts to play Cupid go disastrously awry. Rich, beautiful and hopelessly self-deluded, Emma Woodhouse can’t help meddling in the romantic life of others while neglecting her own. Jonny Lee Miller (“Endgame,” Eli Stone) stars as Emma’s stalwart friend, Mr. Knightley, with Michael Gambon (“Cranford,” Harry Potter ) as her doom-obsessed father.
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American Experience presents "Wyatt Earp"

Monday, January 25 at 9-10pm on WGBH 2/HD

He has been portrayed in countless movies and television shows by some of Hollywood’s greatest actors, including Henry Fonda, Jimmy Stewart and, more recently, Kevin Costner, but these popular fictions belie the complexities and flaws of a man whose life is a lens on politics, justice and economic opportunity on the American frontier. As a young man, Wyatt Earp was a caricature of the Western lawman, spending his days drinking in saloons, gambling, visiting brothels and gaining notoriety as the legendary gunman in the shootout at the OK Corral in Tombstone, Arizona. Shortly after his death in 1929, distressed Americans down on their luck transformed Wyatt Earp into a folk hero: a central figure in the American narrative of how the west was won, a man who took control of his own destiny.
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December 28, 2009 (updated 1/5/10)

WGBH Radio launches The Emily Rooney Show on January 11, 2010

Award-winning journalist Rooney anchors WGBH’s local mid-day programming

wgbh.org/emilyrooney

WGBH Radio announced today that The Emily Rooney Show, hosted by award-winning journalist Emily Rooney, will launch at noon on Monday, January 11, 2010 on 89.7, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture. The hour-long program anchors WGBH’s commitment to in-depth local coverage and will feature diverse topics of interest and importance in the region.

Airing Monday through Friday, Rooney will examine local news and public affairs in a spirited daily forum. The program will engage people on the issues of the day, ranging anywhere from politics and the law to science and technology. A signature segment of the hour, called “What are YOU Hearing?”, will feature experts with unique insight into a specific issue.

“The Emily Rooney Show will focus on what’s happening today that affects the greater New England area,” says Rooney. “I have a large cadre of contributors that I’ll discuss the issues of the day with, and we’ll step into areas that are both national and international. But we always will turn it back to a local focus.”
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WGBH Radio launches The Callie Crossley Show on January 11, 2010

Veteran journalist Crossley central to WGBH’s local mid-day programming

wgbh.org/calliecrossley

WGBH Radio announced today that The Callie Crossley Show, hosted by award-winning journalist Callie Crossley, will launch at 1pm on Monday, January 11, 2010 on 89.7, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture. The hour-long program, central to WGBH’s commitment to in-depth local coverage, will feature diverse topics of interest and importance in the region.

Airing Monday through Friday, Crossley will offer a daily discussion of current events, local happenings, arts and culture, and water cooler buzz. From the boardroom to the bus top, Crossley will examine stories of interests from Boston and New England. In turn, she will invite the community to weigh in on a wide range of topics, providing a forum for listeners to tap into the talk of your town.

“I look forward to being part of this new chapter for WGBH, exploring stories of the region and using the tremendous resources we have here to provide another way for people to expand their knowledge.”
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WGBH Radio announces 10-part series on special education in Massachusetts

Beginning Monday, January 11, reports air weekdays at 7:35am on 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture and WCAI 90.1, 91.1 and 94.3 for the Cape and Islands

WGBH Radio announced today a 10-part special report Educating Everyone: The Struggles and Costs of Special Education in Massachusetts, airing weekdays beginning Monday, January 11 at 7:35am on 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture, and WCAI 90.1, 91.1 and 94.3 for the Cape and Islands. A complete archive of each report will be available online at www.wgbh.org/897.

Educating Everyone examines the challenges presented in educating special-needs children, following 10 different families in 10 different communities in Massachusetts as they tell their unique stories. Produced by 89.7 interim news director Steve Young, the series is an in-depth examination of the myriad of struggles faced by towns, school districts, parents, and most of all, the disabled children at the center of the issue.

The series is rooted in the passage of a federal law 35 years ago, designed to “mainstream” children with disabilities and “educate everyone.” While the law pledged funding for 40 percent of special education costs, that share has never reached higher than 18 percent. Viewed as one of the largest unfunded mandates in United States history, the mandate has become a burden on every school district in the country. In Massachusetts, individual towns bear nearly the full expense of Special Education, with costs rising to over $100,000 per child in some cases.
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December 17, 2009

WGBH Radio expands collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra on 99.5 All Classical

WGBH’s recent acquisition of WCRB 99.5 All Classical enables the public broadcaster to air a greatly enhanced schedule of the Boston Symphony Orchestra’s many offerings, including Saturday evening concerts and specials 52 weeks of the year, all 25 Tanglewood concerts throughout the summer, and the entire Boston Pops spring season.

“Preserving a full-time classical music service for the region was very important to us, and we’ve begun to realize its promise with this robust new collaboration with the Boston Symphony Orchestra,” said Marita Rivero, WGBH vice president of Television and Radio. “We are pleased to now broadcast much, much more of the BSO’s repertoire on our new 99.5 All Classical station.” The new lineup adds up to an increase of 140 percent more BSO than previously broadcast by WGBH.

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December 15, 2009

WGBH January 2010 television program highlights

Independent Lens: "Scenes from a Parish"
Antiques Roadshow
This Emotional Life
Nova: "Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor"
The Human Spark
Nature presents "Hummingbirds: Magic in the Air"
Masterpiece Classic: "Return to Cranford"
American Masters presents "Sam Cooke: Crossing Over"
Nova: "Building a Pharaoh's Ship"
Independent Lens: "Young@Heart"
Great Performances: "Passing Strange"
Nature presents: "Clash: Encounters with Bears and Wolves"
Vajra Sky: Over Tibet
Mustang: Journey of Transformation
American Experience presents "Influenza: 1918"
A Ripple of Hope
Nova: "Riddles of the Sphinx"
Frontline: "The Dancing Boys of Afghanistan"
Great Performances presents "At the Met: The Audition"
Masterpiece Classic: "Emma"
American Experience: "Wyatt Earp"
Sound Tracks: "Music without Borders"
Frontline: "The Fall of Lehman'
Tavis Smiley Reports: "One on One with Hillary Clinton"

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Independent Lens presents "Scenes From a Parish"

Sunday, January 3, at 9pm on WGBH 44

In 2001, Paul O’Brien, an irreverent, young, Harvard-educated Catholic priest arrived in Lawrence, Massachusetts to take over the reins of Saint Patrick’s Parish. A hundred years ago, Lawrence was a thriving mill town and Saint Patrick’s was home to a large community of immigrant Irish mill workers. Today, the mills are closed, the Irish-American families are a dwindling minority and a new generation of immigrants from the Dominican Republic, Puerto Rico, Vietnam and Cambodia are looking to Saint Patrick’s as their spiritual home. Father Paul quickly discovers that trying to foster an inclusive community in this hard hit, multicultural parish is no mean feat. "Scenes From a Parish," directed by James Rutenbeck, airs Sunday, January 3 at 9pm on WGBH 44.

Filmed over four years, "Scenes From a Parish" tells a story that is being played out in churches across the country, as neighborhood parishes struggle to serve the needs of communities transformed by rampant economic and cultural change. We watch as Father O’Brien embarks on an ambitious plan to build a church-based meal center that will feed the hungry of Lawrence. He enlists high-profile allies for help, including his Harvard classmate Conan O’Brien, while dealing with angry old timers who are dismayed by the rapid changes transforming their once traditional parish; a place that offers Spanish services and aid to members with new and frightening problems like addiction and gang activity. The story comes to life through the personal stories of several parishioners who come to the church seeking fellowship, but face obstacles that threaten to drive them apart.

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Nova expedition discovers sunken wreck of missing Japanese midget sub near Pearl Harbor and unravels myster of underwater attack 68 years later

"Killer Subs in Pearl Harbor" premieres on Tuesday, January 5 at 8-9pm on WGBH 2/HD

Nova has announced that a routine test dive in the waters near Pearl Harbor has uncovered a find that could rewrite the history of the Japanese attack on the U.S on December 7, 1941, which claimed the lives of more than 2,400 Americans and drew the nation into World War II. A team of researchers on an underwater expedition led by the signature WGBH science series recently discovered three sections of mysterious steel wreckage deemed by experts to be the unaccounted-for fifth and final Japanese midget submarine used against the U.S. in a top-secret mission to attack the American fleet from below on that day. The compelling new evidence suggests that the sub fired its torpedoes at U.S. ships in Battleship Row before it sank. In an unexpected twist, investigators piecing together clues on how the submarine arrived at its final resting place on the ocean floor have revealed an untold story of WWII involving another secret disaster that occurred in Pearl Harbor a full three years after the attack.

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Judi Dench in "Return to Cranford" on Masterpiece Classic

Sundays, January 10 and 17, 2010 at 9pm ET on WGBH 2/HD

The sleepy English village that captured the hearts of Masterpiece viewers in 2008 reawakens with two enchanting new episodes, based on the stories of Victorian-era writer Elizabeth Gaskell, on Return to Cranford. The Masterpiece Classic season premiere airs Sundays, January 10 and 17, 2010, 9 to 10:30pm ET on WGBH 2/HD.

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Audience sensation "Young@Heart" to premiere on Independent Lens

Sunday, January 10 at 9-11pm on WGBH 44

Prepare to be surprised, delighted and entertained by the inspiring members of the "Young@Heart" Chorus, a New England senior citizens chorus that has delighted audiences worldwide with their renditions of songs by everyone from The Clash to Coldplay. As Stephen Walker’s critically acclaimed documentary begins, the retirees, led by their demanding musical director, are rehearsing their new show, struggling with Sonic Youth’s dissonant rock anthem “Schizophrenia” and giving new meaning to James Brown’s “I Feel Good.” What ultimately emerges is a funny and unexpectedly moving testament to friendship, creative inspiration and expectations defied. "Young@Heart" will premiere on Independent Lens on Sunday, January 10th at 9 PM on WGBH 44.

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American Masters presents “Sam Cooke: Crossing Over”

Monday, January 11, 2010 at 9pm on WGBH 2/HD

Sam Cooke put the spirit of the black church into popular music, creating a new American sound and setting into motion a chain of events that forever altered the course of popular music and race relations in America. With “You Send Me” in 1957, Cooke became the first African-American artist to reach No. 1 on both the R&B and pop charts. It was risky for this young gospel performer to alienate his fans by embracing “the devil’s music” — but he proved, with his pop/gospel hybrid, that it was, indeed, possible to win over white teenage listeners and keep his faithful church followers.

American Masters' “Sam Cooke: Crossing Over,” airing Monday, January 11, 2010, 9pm on WGBH 2/HD, features interviews with Muhammad Ali, Lou Adler, Herb Albert, James Brown, Jimmy Carter, Mel Carter, Dick Clark, Sam Moore, Earl Palmer, Billy Preston, Lou Rawls, Smokey Robinson, Jerry Wexler, Bobby Womack and more. Danny Glover narrates.

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December 10, 2009

María Hinojosa: One-on-One premieres fourth season with new episodes in January 2010

Tuesdays, beginning January 5, at 7:30pm on WGBH 2/HD

The award-winning series María Hinojosa:  One-on-One opens its fourth season with new episodes beginning in January 2010. This season’s schedule provides viewers with in-depth interviews with guests from a wide range of fields and perspectives.

In the season premiere on Tuesday, January 5 at 7:30 pm, host María Hinojosa interviews the man with perhaps the greatest backstage pass of all time: former Rolling Stone editor Ben Fong-Torres. During his career at Rolling Stone which spanned from 1968-81, he wrote cover stories on legends like Bob Dylan, Stevie Wonder, Paul McCartney, Marvin Gaye, and the Grateful Dead. His interview with Ray Charles won the Deems Taylor Award for Magazine Writing in 1974.

Other notable guests include playwright and activist Eve Ensler (The Vagina Monologues), chef Ming Tsai (Simply Ming), conceptual artist Krzysztof Wodiczko, Oscar-nominated screenwriter José Rivera (The Motorcycle Diaries), environmentalist Majora Carter and filmmaker Chris Eyre (Smoke Signals).

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December 3, 2009

WGBH’s High School Quiz Show announces participating school teams

Twenty schools from eastern Massachusetts have been chosen to compete on High School Quiz Show, the new weekly series debuting on WGBH on March 22, 2010. The competition will culminate in a statewide playoff for the championship, as four teams from WGBY’s academic game program, As Schools Match Wits, arrive in WGBH’s studios to compete with High School Quiz Show’s four top qualifying teams.

The producers of High School Quiz Show selected schools with consideration given to location, size, diversity, and the commitment of a team coach. More than 70 schools from eastern Massachusetts applied to participate in the first season of High School Quiz Show, and based on WGBH’s criteria, the selection was narrowed to 20.

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Calling All Future FETCHers!

Auditions for season six of WGBH’S Fetch! with Ruff Ruffman™ held January 9 & 10, 9am-6pm
Are you adventurous? Daring? Outgoing? Up for a challenge? Then don’t miss your chance to audition for the hit WGBH series Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman on January 9 and 10, 2010! The show, which airs on WGBH and nationally on PBS KIDS GO!sm, is on the lookout for a fresh team of everyday kids ages 9-13 to join TV’s top dog for a brand-new season of hilarity, adventures, and fun! Auditions are by appointment only, and are being managed by Maura Tighe Casting. Timeslots are limited and will be filled on a first come, first served basis. To sign up, please visit www.mauratighe.com. For information about the show, visit the Fetch! website at www.pbskidsgo.org/fetch.
WHO: Kids, ages 9-13
WHAT: Open casting call for Season 6 of WGBH's Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman
WHEN: Saturday, January 9 & Sunday, January 10, 2010 (snowdate January 16) 9am-6pm
HOW: To schedule an audition, contact Maura Tighe Casting
617-424-6805, info@mauratighe.com 

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Antiques Roadshow premieres special edition: “Big & Little”

Monday, December 21, 2009 at 8pm on WGBH 2/HD

Antiques Roadshow unwraps a wildly mis-matched collection for the holiday season when Special Edition: “Big and Little” airs Monday, December 21, 2009 at 8pm on WGBH 2/HD. Roadshow looks high and low through its archive of appraisals from 1998 to 2008 for the teeniest treasures and immense items whose stories come in all shapes and sizes. “Big & Little” proves good things come in small – and gigantic – packages alike.

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New documentary, This Emotional Life, examines whether Americans can be happier

Vulcan Productions, Nova/WGBH team up with Harvard author to provide the keys to leading richer lives

On the eve of a new year, as millions of Americans struggle to find more meaning in their lives, Vulcan Productions and Nova/WGBH have teamed with Harvard psychologist and best-selling author of Stumbling on Happiness, Professor Daniel Gilbert, to produce This Emotional Life. This three-part documentary premieres on WGBH 2/HD January 4-6, 2010 at 9:00 p.m. and examines why people find happiness to be such an elusive goal.

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November 30, 2009

New schedule for 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR Station debuts December 1

Veteran Journalists Emily Rooney, Callie Crossley to host talk shows

Local in-depth news, analysis and discussion will form the core of the new lineup on WGBH Radio as the Boston public media producer introduces a new schedule on Tuesday, December 1.

Alongside its international news production The World, and signature programs from National Public Radio, the new 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s NPR Station will focus on stories that provide context for the issues facing Boston and the New England region. And starting in January, the centerpiece of the new lineup will be two distinct hours of local, mid-day discussion with award-winning journalists Emily Rooney and Callie Crossley.

The changes are possible because of WGBH’s acquisition of All Classical 99.5, where it will shift its schedule of classical music, preserving a full-time classical service for Boston.

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Emily Rooney

Host, Greater Boston and Beat The Press

Emily Rooney is the host, executive editor and creator of WGBH’s Greater Boston and Beat the Press. Since Greater Boston’s inception in 1997, Emily has brought her journalistic credentials and deep knowledge of media, politics, and culture to the program and has earned numerous awards, including the National Press Club's prestigious Arthur Rowse Award for Press Criticism, a series of New England Emmy Awards, and Associated Press recognition for Best News/Talk Show. She was recently inducted into the Massachusetts Broadcasters Hall of Fame, which honors the Bay State’s legends of radio and television

Before coming to WGBH, Emily was director of political coverage and special events at Fox Network in New York from 1994 to 1997. Prior to that, she was executive producer of ABC World News Tonight with Peter Jennings. Emily also worked at WCVB-TV in Boston from 1979 to 1993, where she served as news director for three years and as assistant news director before that.

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Callie Crossley

Commentator

Callie Crossley draws on her rich experience as an award-winning journalist and documentary filmmaker to offer commentary on the media for WGBH’s Beat the Press, Basic Black, National Public Radio, and other outlets. Producer of the Academy Award-nominated hour of the acclaimed documentary series Eyes on the Prize, Callie has won nearly every top film and broadcast journalism prize, including a national Emmy, a Peabody, an Edward R. Murrow, and the Alfred I. Dupont-Columbia award (Gold Baton). A former producer for ABC's 20/20, she is currently Program Manager for the Nieman Foundation for Journalism at Harvard and a Woodrow Wilson Visiting Fellow, guest lecturing at colleges and universities about media, politics, and the intersection of race, gender and media. Callie also serves as a judge for several major journalism awards and is a wine enthusiast and commentator who writes the blog The Crushed Grape Report.

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November 19, 2009

MEDIA ADVISORY

WGBH’s Emily Rooney and Greater Boston present exclusive Democratic Senatorial Forum

All four candidates to appear together in moderated discussion on Monday, November 23 from 7-8pm on WGBH 2/HD, and simulcast on WGBH 89.7 and WCAI (our Cape and Islands station)

WHAT: WGBH’s Greater Boston will broadcast a Democratic Senatorial Forum on Monday, November 23 from 7-8pm. Moderated by Emily Rooney, the Forum will feature all four candidates vying for the party’s nomination. Throughout the hour, Rooney will ask each individual questions specific to his/her experience, with time allowed for follow-up and input from other candidates. The Forum, oriented toward discussion rather than formal debate, will be taped earlier in the day at the WGBH Studios in Brighton.

WHO: Congressman Mike Capuano
Attorney General Martha Coakley
Alan Khazei
Steve Pagliuca

WHEN: Monday, November 23, 2009
Taping begins at 4:30pm; Candidates available following taping.

WHERE: WGBH Studios, One Guest Street, Brighton, MA

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WGBH December 2009 television program highlights

Pledge programming airs December 1-13 and December 26-31

Great Performances At the Met: “Tosca”
Anatomy of a Pandemic
Masterpiece Mystery!: “Bleak House” (encore)
Masterpiece Classic: “Crawford” (encore)
Independent Lens: “Between the Folds”
Augustus Saint-Gardens: Master of American Sculpture
The National Christmas Tree Lighting 2009<