Join us for these featured programs
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American
Experience |
Mondays at 9pm
Television's most-watched history series, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE has
been hailed as "peerless" (Wall Street Journal), "the most
consistently enriching program on television" (Chicago Tribune)
and "a beacon of intelligence and purpose" (Houston Chronicle). On
air and online, the series brings to life the incredible
characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and
present. Acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, AMERICAN
EXPERIENCE documentaries have been honored with every major
broadcast award, including 24 Emmy Awards, four duPont-Columbia
Awards and 14 George Foster Peabody
Awards.
Visit the companion
website at
www.pbs.org/wgbh/americanexperience/
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February 1 - "Donner Party"
This program chronicles the harrowing
tale of the ill-fated emigrant group who set out for the promised
land of California in the spring of 1846, only to meet with
disaster in the snows of the Sierra Nevada mountains the following
winter.
- February 8 - "The Bombing of Germany"
British and American bombing
of Germany during WWII claimed the lives of nearly half a million
civilians.
- February 15 - "Kennedys"
The Kennedy story is unlike any other: a
saga of ambition, wealth, family loyalty and personal tragedy.
- February 22 - "Amelia Earhart"
When her plane disappeared without
a trace, the "First Lady of the Air" was instantly transformed
into an American legend.
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American
Masters "Zora Neale Hurston: Jump at the Sun" |
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Monday, February 22 at 10:00pm
Writer, cultural
anthropologist, chronicler of folk roots and ethnic traditions,
daughter of a former slave, Hurston was one of the most celebrated
- and most controversial - figures of the Harlem Renaissance, the
creatively expansive era in the 1920s when "the Negro was in
vogue." She attained unique success in all areas, but her words
and her conclusions were often mired in contention - she was
called everything from flamboyant to outrageous, unpredictable to
bodacious. She collaborated with Langston Hughes, was criticized
by Richard Wright and ultimately died a pauper's death in total
obscurity. Now considered a lioness of African-American
literature, she was resurrected by Alice Walker; such works as
Dust Tracks on a Road and Their Eyes Were Watching God are
essential reading today. S. Epatha Merkerson ("Law & Order")
narrates the program.
Visit the companion website at www.pbs.org/wnet/americanmasters/
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Austin City Limits |
Thursdays at 9:00pm
AUSTIN CITY LIMITS continues its longstanding tradition of showcasing the best of original American music. Musical styles range from contemporary and traditional pop to rock, country, blues, bluegrass, Latin, folk, roots and more. All find a home on the AUSTIN CITY LIMITS stage.
Visit the companion website at
www.pbs.org/klru/austin/
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February 4 - "Steve Earle/Kris
Kristofferson" Steve Earle pays tribute to his mentor, legendary
Texas troubadour Townes Van Zandt. Kris Kristofferson follows with
tunes from his latest album.
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February 11-"Esperanza
Spalding/Madeline Peyrous" Singer/composer/bass prodigy Esperanza
Spalding debuts on ACL with a mix of jazz, soul and Brazilian pop.
Contemporary torch singer Madeleine Peyroux follows in support of
her album Bare Bones.
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February 18-"Them Crooked
Vultures" Josh Homme from Queens of the Stone Age, Dave Grohl from
the Foo Fighters and John Paul Jones from Led Zeppelin combine for
high volume rock 'n' roll.
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February 25 - "R.E.M." In
their AUSTIN CITY LIMITS debut appearance, influential superstars
R.E.M. take the stage in support of their latest acclaimed record,
Accelerate .
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Before
There Were Parks: Yellowstone and Glacier through Native Eyes |
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Monday, February 1 at 10:30pm
For more than 12,000 years, the intermountain West's native
peoples have called the lands known as Yellowstone and Glacier
National Parks "home."
This program explores modern indigenous perspectives on these
great wilderness areas and explores both the cultural divide
that separates modern times from the not-so-distant past and
recent efforts by the National Park Service and native peoples
to bring these disparate visions into greater harmony. |
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Blueprint America |
Monday, February 8 at 10:00pm
The latest installment in the BLUEPRINT AMERICA initiative takes
viewers on a cinematic journey in search of America's
transportation future. With Detroit, Michigan, as home base, the
film hop-scotches across the globe in an effort to look at what's
possible.
BLUEPRINT AMERICA "Beyond the Motor City" shows how the auto
industry, which created the transportation system that is now
fraught with so many problems, is also the industry that puts
Detroit in perhaps the best position to transform itself for the
transportation of the future. Current and former auto industry
executives explain how defunct auto manufacturing plants are being
retooled to build the renewable energy components that will be the
building blocks of the new transportation system.
Using CGI animation combined with current footage of Detroit, the
film brings the vision of the city's possible transportation
future to life in a sequence depicting a commuter's ride into the
city: He drives an energy-efficient electric "shared" car from his
home in the suburbs, purchases a rail ticket from an onboard
computer in his car and boards a train that takes him from the
suburbs into the city. A network of trains within the city center,
running along main thoroughfares, is available to take him to
points of interest.
Visit the companion website at
www.pbs.org/wnet/blueprintamerica/ |
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Faces of
America with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. |
Wednesdays at 8:00pm
What made America? What makes us? These two questions are at the
heart of FACES OF AMERICA WITH HENRY LOUIS GATES, JR. Building on
the success of his series AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (called by The
New York Times "the most exciting and stirring documentary on any
subject to appear on television in a long time") and AFRICAN
AMERICAN LIVES 2, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates, Jr. again
turns to the latest tools of genealogy and genetics to explore the
family histories of 12 renowned Americans.
Looking beyond the African-American experience to the wider
immigrant story, Professor Gates unravels the American tapestry,
following the threads of his guests' lives back to their earliest
origins around the globe. Along the way, the many stories he
uncovers - of displacement and homecoming, of material success and
dispossession, of assimilation and discrimination - illuminate the
American experience. Professor Gates' guests include professor and
poet Elizabeth Alexander, who composed and read the poem at
President Barack Obama's inauguration, chef Mario Batali, comedian
Stephen Colbert, novelist Louise Erdrich, journalist Malcolm
Gladwell, actress Eva Longoria, musician Yo-Yo Ma, director Mike
Nichols, Her Majesty Queen Noor, television host/heart surgeon Dr.
Mehmet Oz, actress Meryl Streep, and figure skater Kristi
Yamaguchi.
Visit the Companion
website at
www.pbs.org/wnet/facesofamerica/ |
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Great
Performances "Harlem in Montmartre" |
Sunday, February 7 at 10:00 pm
"Harlem in Montmartre" tells the story of the jazz age in Paris
between the First and Second World Wars, exploring a fascinating yet
often neglected era in African-American cultural history.
After peace
was signed at Versailles, many black Americans remained in Europe
rather than return to the brutal segregation and racism of America;
over the next two decades, they created an expatriate community of
musicians, entertainers and entrepreneurs, primarily congregating in
Paris' hilly Montmartre neighborhood. Some achieved enduring fame,
while others faded into history.
Inspired by William A. Shack's book
and using rare archival material from both France and America, this
remarkable documentary features footage of such key figures as James
Reese Europe, Josephine Baker, Sidney Bechet, Bricktop, Eugene
Bullard, Django Reinhardt and many more. S. Epatha Merkerson narrates.
Visit the Great Performances website at www.pbs.org/wnet/gperf/
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Masterpiece Classic |
Sundays at 9:00pm
For more than 35 years, MASTERPIECE has enthralled audiences with the works of the finest classic and contemporary writers interpreted by the world's foremost actors.
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January 31 & February 7 - "Emma, part 2
& 3"
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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February 14 - "Northanger Abbey"
In Jane Austen's gentle parody of
gothic fiction, Felicity Jones ("Meadowlands") plays romance addict
Catherine Morland. Invited to a medieval country house that appeals to
her most lurid fantasies, she forms a close friendship with the
younger son on the estate, Henry Tilney (JJ Feild, "The Secret Life of
Mrs. Beeton"), but their budding romance is mysteriously cut short.
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February 21 - "Persuasion"
Sally Hawkins ("Little Britain") appears as
Anne Elliot, destined for spinsterhood at age 27 after being persuaded
eight years earlier to refuse the proposal of dashing Captain
Wentworth (Rupert Penry-Jones, "Casanova"). Then chance brings them
together again. While her better days are past, his are definitely
ahead as he's now rich and free to play the field among eligible young
beauties. Anthony Head ("Buffy the Vampire Slayer") co-stars as Anne's
spendthrift father.
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February 28 - "The 39 Steps"
Secret agent Richard Hannay battles
German spies on the eve of World War I in a riveting and romantic new
version of the classic thriller by John Buchan, made famous in Alfred
Hitchcock's 1935 movie. MASTERPIECE favorite Rupert Penry-Jones
("Persuasion") stars as Hannay, with Lydia Leonard ("Jericho") as
suffragette Victoria Sinclair, his unlikely accomplice in a quest to
expose German plans to destroy the British navy and invade the
country.
Visit the companion website at www.pbs.org/wgbh/masterpiece/ |
| National Parks: America's Best Idea |
Wednesdays
at 9:00pm
THE NATIONAL PARKS: AMERICA'S BEST IDEA, is a 12-hour, six-part documentary series directed by Ken Burns and co-produced with his longtime colleague, Dayton Duncan, who also wrote the script.
It is the story of an idea as uniquely American as the Declaration of Independence and just as radical: that the most special places in the nation should be preserved, not for royalty or the rich, but for everyone. As such, it follows in the tradition of Burns's exploration of other American inventions, such as baseball and jazz.
Visit the companion website at
www.pbs.org/nationalparks/
- January 27- "The Scripture of Nature (1851-1890)"
Please note that this
episode of NATIONAL PARKS will air immediately following the State of the
Union Address. The episode will also be repeated on Wednesday, February
3 at 7:00pm.
The astonishing beauty of Yosemite Valley and the geyser wonderland of Yellowstone give birth to the radical idea of creating national parks for the enjoyment of everyone; John Muir becomes their eloquent defender.
- February 3 - "The Last Refuge (1890-1915)"
A young president, Theodore Roosevelt, becomes one of the national parks' greatest champions; in Yellowstone, a magnificent species is rescued from extinction; and in Yosemite, John Muir fights the battle of his life to save a beautiful valley.
- February 10 - "The Empire of Grandeur (1915-1919) "
In John Muir's absence, a new leader steps forward on behalf of America's remaining pristine places; a new federal agency is created to protect the parks; and in Arizona, a fight breaks out over the fate of the grandest canyon on earth.
- February 17 - "Going Home (1920-1933)"
As America embraces the automobile, a Nebraska housewife searches for peace and inspiration in park after park, while a honeymoon couple seeks fame and adventure in the Grand Canyon; and the future of the Great Smoky Mountains becomes caught in a race with the lumbermen's saws.
- February 24 - "Great Nature (1933-1945)"
In the midst of an economic catastrophe and then a world war, the national parks provide a source of much-needed jobs and then much-needed peace; the park idea changes to include new places and new ways of thinking; and in Wyoming, battle lines are drawn along the front of the Teton Range.
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NOVA |
Tuesdays at 8:00pm and Wednesdays at 7:00pm
PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA programs demystify science and technology, and highlight the people involved in scientific pursuits.
Visit the NOVA website at
www.pbs.org/nova/
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February 2 - "Ghosts of Machu Picchu"
Perched atop a mountain crest, mysteriously abandoned more than
four centuries ago, Machu Picchu is the most famous
archeological ruin in the Western hemisphere and an iconic
symbol of the power and engineering prowess of the Inca. In the
years since Machu Picchu was discovered by Hiram Bingham in
1911, there have been countless theories about this "Lost City
of the Incas," yet it remains an enigma. Why did the Incas build
it on such an inaccessible site, clinging to the steep face of a
mountain? Who lived among its stone buildings, farmed its
emerald green terraces and drank from its sophisticated aqueduct
system? NOVA joins a new generation of archeologists as they
probe areas of Machu Picchu that haven't been touched since the
time of the Incas and unearth burials of the people who built
the sacred site. The program explores the extraordinary trail of
clues that began on that fateful day in 1911 and continues to
the present.
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February 9 & 10 - "Extreme Cave Diving"
This program follows the charismatic Dr. Kenny Broad as he dives
into blue holes - underwater caves that formed during the last
ice age when sea level was nearly 400 feet below what it is
today. They are Earth's least explored and perhaps most
dangerous frontiers. With an interdisciplinary team of
climatologists, paleontologists and anthropologists, Broad
investigates the hidden history of Earth's climate as revealed
by finds in this spectacularly beautiful "alternate universe."
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February 16 & 17 - "Extreme Ice"
A photojournalist and a scientific team strive to create a
unique photo archive of melting glaciers to provide a key to
understanding their runaway behavior.
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February 23 & 24 - "Megabeasts: Sudden Death"
In May 2008, a scientific team made worldwide headlines by
announcing evidence of a previously unsuspected impact from
space that had devastated prehistoric North America at the end
of the last Ice Age. According to this controversial new claim,
the extinction of more than 34 types of large prehistoric
animals (or "megafauna") was caused not by climate change or the
arrival of the first human hunters, but by the massive breakup
of a comet over the Great Lakes region. NOVA explores this
provocative new theory about what killed off America's mammoths
and may have come close to extinguishing early human populations
as well.
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SoundStage |
Thursdays at 10:00pm
SOUNDSTAGE returns for another season with a roster of
show-stopping performers.
Visit the SoundStage website at www.pbs.org/wttw/soundstage/.
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February 4 - "3 Girls & Their Buddy"
This episode of SOUNDSTAGE highlights Americana music at its
absolute best. "Three Girls and Their Buddy" - Emmylou Harris,
Patty Griffin, Shawn Colvin and Buddy Miller - present a
versatile in-the-round set. The group's stage b anter and genial
rapport clearly transmit their passion for performing together
on songs like "Trouble," "Gasoline and Matches," "Strong Hand
(for June)" and "Mary." All legends in their own right,
collectively they deliver an unbeatable and spellbinding night.
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February 11 - "Seal"
Seal's one-of-a-kind husky baritone is perfect for any genre.
He's delighted fans and earned critical acclaim while staying
true to classic, honest songwriting in his two-decade career.
Now, he's done it again with the release of his exceptional
sixth studio album, Soul. Together with legendary music producer
David Foster, Seal adds his signature touch to some of the best
soul songs ever created. In his stunning SOUNDSTAGE performance,
Seal evokes an era when music vividly captured emotion and
romance. Joined by Foster, as well as a choir and string
section, Seal takes on Ann Peebles' "I Can't Stand the Rain,"
Sam Cooke's "A Change Is Gonna Come" and Harold Melvin and the
Blue Notes' "If You Don't Know Me By Now."
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February 18 - "Lynyrd Skynyrd "
With a backbone of Southern rock and country, passionate VanZant
vocals and trademark layered guitars, Lynyrd Skynyrd deliver
sensational renditions of their iconic classics "Sweet Home
Alabama," "Gimme Three Steps," "That Smell" and "Simple Man."
This episode is littered with hits, rousing guitar solos and
songs from the new album, God & Guns. An epic "Freebird" finale
does justice to the 35-year legacy of this all-star rock 'n'
roll group.
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February 25 - "Willie Nelson"
Over the last 50 years, the legendary Willie Nelson has
continued to be an enduring and compelling presence in music.
The troubadour mixes elements of folk, blues, classic country,
western swing and a little gospel during his versatile
SOUNDSTAGE set. Displaying a close connection with the audience,
Nelson and his eight-piece band (featuring a banjo, mandolin,
fiddle, steel guitar and more) gather round the stage to
highlight songs from Nelson's first-ever bluegrass album,
produced in collaboration with T-Bone Burnett. Tipping his hat
to the genre, Nelson puts his stamp on standards like Bob Wills'
"Trouble in Mind," Al Dexter's "Pistol Packin' Mamma" and the
Joe "Red" Hayes and Jack Rhodes classic "Satisfied Mind." Other
selections include "Whiskey River," "Drinking Champagne" and
"Dark as a Dungeon."
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For more program information
visit our Programs A-Z
page
and see clips from your favorite PBS
programs.
The Blue Ridge PBS Primetime Calendar and
daytime schedules are available as an Adobe PDF File.
Click below on the calendar of your choice.
January Primetime
January Daytime
February Primetime
February Daytime
Late-Breaking World News and Events May
Result in Schedule Changes
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Blue Ridge PBS: Enriching people's lives by providing
educational, informational and cultural programming that fills a
unique role as a positive and lifelong resource for the communities
we serve. |
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