JANUARY/FEBRUARY 2022
A WORD FROM OUR INTERIM GENERAL MANAGER, NANCY WORLIE
Happy New Year! I can’t help but feel optimistic about 2022. New year, new building, new in-person events and new episodes. Throughout the pages of this newsletter, you will see exciting updates on your favorite shows. Ken Kramer returns with more stories about San Diego; Henry Louis Gates Jr. unveils family secrets and history; and animals and people take care of each other in heartwarming ways on “All Creatures Great and Small.” We are also planning a return to in-person events to discuss issues impacting our region and behind-the-scenes screenings of our locally produced shows and documentaries. We are unveiling the name of our new building in late January and, after more than two years apart, Team KPBS will move back in late spring. There will also be an opportunity for you to participate in the future of KPBS with recognition at our new (and improved) home. Stay tuned for more details!
For more than 60 years, taking care of each other and celebrating community has been central to KPBS’ work. Your membership and involvement with KPBS keeps that mission alive. For that, I thank you.
Cheers to a wonderful and exciting year.
Spend Sunday Nights with “MASTERPIECE”
It’s a new year—and at KPBS, we’re kicking it off with two highly anticipated “MASTERPIECE” premieres!
“Around the World in 80 Days”
Did you catch the series premiere of “Around the World in 80 Days” on January 2? David Tennant stars as literature’s greatest explorer, Phileas Fogg, in the new adaptation of Jules Verne’s classic adventure novel. The dynamic, eight-episode series follows Phileas as he circumnavigates the globe as part of an outrageous bet. The show will take you on a stunning journey across the world.
“Around the World in 80 Days” airs Sundays, at 8 p.m. on KPBS-TV. Watch the first episode on demand anytime with the PBS Video app.
“All Creatures Great and Small”
Fans of “All Creatures Great and Small” have patiently awaited the beloved show’s second season—and on January 9, the series finally returns! This season, James is offered a job at a modern local veterinary practice and he must decide between staying home in Glasgow with his elderly parents or returning to his life in Yorkshire. Tune in to learn what he chooses and to see for yourself what other surprises the new season holds.
“All Creatures Great and Small” premieres Sunday, January 9, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Shankar Vedantam
KPBS Radio: Check Out “Hidden Brain”
What unconscious patterns drive our behavior? What questions should we be asking ourselves about the way we think, behave and conduct our lives?
Hosted by the show’s creator, Shankar Vedantam, fan-favorite radio program “Hidden Brain” seeks to explore these questions, with the goal of helping us understand the concealed reasons behind the ways we think and act. Some previous topics included marriage, laughter as medicine and the halo effect.
Airs Saturdays at 3 p.m. and Sundays at noon on KPBS Radio.
A New Season of “Ken Kramer’s About San Diego”
For more than three decades, “Ken Kramer’s About San Diego” has presented stories of the people and places that define our home county.
Hosted by fourth-generation native Californian Ken Kramer, the new “front porch” episodes look at extreme and historic decorated front yards from Point Loma to Webster; spend a day with a professional goat herder; meet a suburban archaeologist who saves old and forgotten San Diego photos and film; and more.
Airs Thursday nights at 8 p.m. beginning January 6, 2022 on KPBS-TV. Watch anytime at video.kpbs.org or with the PBS Video app.
Congratulations to the 2021 KPBS Hall of Fame Visionaries
Two of our longest-serving volunteers and one of our biggest advocates are now officially inducted into the KPBS Hall of Fame as Visionaries for their extraordinary contributions to the station.
Don and Anne Wemple have worked in just about every volunteer capacity possible: pledge drives, tours, events and more. Dr. Arthur Getis—SDSU Professor Emeritus of Geography—has supported, participated and donated to KPBS for four decades.
Previous Visionaries include Dan and Phyllis Epstein, Steve and Sue Hart and Carol Vassiliadis. Since its inception, a total of 35 individuals and families have been inducted into the KPBS Hall of Fame.
To learn about past honorees, please visit kpbs.org/abouthalloffame.
A New Season of “Finding Your Roots” is Coming in January
Accaimed genealogy series “Finding Your Roots” returns this month with all-new episodes! Henry Louis Gates, Jr. guides 10 new guests as they explore their family trees, revealing surprising stories of love, hardship and triumph.
This season features the stories of CNN anchor Erin Burnett; Damon Lindelof (creator of “Lost”); and award-winning activist, educator and writer Brittany Packnett Cunningham; among others. Each guest uncovers fascinating ancestries and sometimes shocking family mysteries that reveal their unseen pasts.
Join Gates as he explores the origin stories that touch on the human experience and bring insight into how these individuals became the trailblazers they are today.
Premieres Tuesday, January 4, at 8 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS Video app.
Henry Louis Gates Jr.
Welcome, Cheryl Inokon! New Major Gifts Officer, KPBS
Cheryl brings to KPBS a leadership background in business, finance and the arts. As KPBS’ Major Gifts Officer, Cheryl connects individuals with key station funding needs and strengthens support among San Diego philanthropists.
Cheryl’s passion for community, education, arts and culture drew her to KPBS. She says, “I am so passionate about the role KPBS plays in building community throughout San Diego and beyond.
I look forward to working with our members to strengthen and grow these communal bonds.”
Please join us as we extend a warm welcome to Cheryl!
Experience the Grace, Strength and Beauty of Choreographer Alvin Ailey
Come discover the lifework of legendary choreographer Alvin Ailey on “American Masters,” Tuesday, January 11. This documentary will showcase the journey of a visionary artist who found salvation through dance and movement and confronted a world that refused to embrace him.
Directed by Jamila Wignot, the film weaves together a resonant biography that connects Ailey’s past to our present. This special features previously unheard recorded conversations with Ailey, interviews with those close to him and an intimate glimpse into the Ailey studios today.
Premieres Tuesday, January 11, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS Video app.
Given a Terminal Diagnosis But … “Not Going Quietly”
“POV: Not Going Quietly” is a powerful film that will leave you awestruck and inspired.
Tune in on Monday, January 24, to experience life through the eyes of Ady Barkan—an American lawyer, liberal activist and new father who was diagnosed with ALS at 32 years old.
After a chance encounter with a powerful senator on an airplane catapults him to fame, Ady and a motley crew of activists storm across the country, igniting a once-in-a-generation movement for healthcare for all Americans.
Airs Monday, January 24, at 10 p.m. on KPBS-TV
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS Video app.
“Vienna Blood:” Solving Mysteries in Austria
In 1900s Vienna, science, art and philosophy collided in dramatic fashion.
This month, “Vienna Blood” returns to KPBS for its dramatic second season. Dr. Max Liebermann is back—and his extraordinary skills of perception lead him and Detective Inspector Oskar Rheinhardt’s to some of the city’s most mysterious and deadly cases.
Tune in to be transported and follow unusual and disturbing murders.
Premieres Sunday, January 9, at 10 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
“American Masters: Marian Anderson: The Whole World in Her Hands”
First, “American Masters” explores the life, career and legacy of Marian Anderson. Best known for her performance at the legendary Freedom Concert on April 9, 1939, Anderson, in a bold protest against racial intolerance, sang before a diverse crowd on the steps of the Lincoln Memorial in Washington, D.C., after being denied use of Constitution Hall by the Daughters of the American Revolution.
Airs Tuesday, February 8, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
“American Experience: Changing State”
Next, KPBS will air “American Experience: Changing State” on February 15. This special will tell the story of the fight for inclusion in American diplomacy through the lives of three Black U.S. Foreign Service officers tasked with representing American ideals while facing discrimination at home.
Airs Tuesday, February 15, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
“Fannie Lou Hamer’s America”
And finally, on February 22, watch “Fannie Lou Hamer’s America.” The film takes you into the life of the Mississippi sharecropper-turned-civil-rights-activist Fannie Lou Hamer, who was known for her powerful speeches, soul-stirring songs and impassioned pleas for equal rights.
Airs Tuesday, February 22, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
“Preserving Democracy” Chronicles the Capitol Riot
January 6 marks the one-year anniversary of the insurrection at the U.S. Capitol. Join “Law & Order: SVU” star Tamara Tunie as she narrates a documentary about the domestic assault on the Capitol and examines the pursuit of democracy as we move ahead after the event.
The film will explain the history of our democratic system—from its origins to its present—and address the divisiveness and turbulence in politics that threatens democracy around the world.
Airs Thursday, January 6, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Sponsor Message
Thousands of children spend time in the San Diego County foster care system each year. These children have been removed from their homes due to abuse, abandonment, and neglect and often struggle as they move between homes and schools without consistent adults in their lives.
For children in foster care, a volunteer Court Appointed Special Advocate (CASA) can be the essential difference in the trajectory of their lives.
Founded in San Diego in 1980, Voices for Children is a private, nonprofit organization that recruits, trains and supports CASA volunteers who speak up for the needs and well-being of children in foster care.
No prior experience is necessary to volunteer as a CASA: Voices for Children provides all the needed training, plus a dedicated staff supervisor to offer resources and support throughout a volunteer’s service. With just 10-15 hours a month, a CASA can create a brighter future for a child in foster care.
To learn more about becoming a CASA, visit www.speakupnow.org or call 858-598-2243.
(619) 594-6983 or (888) 399-5727; [email protected]
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Donate Your Car and Give It New Purpose!
You may think your car has had its final ride, but not all good
things have to end! You can donate your car, truck, boat,
motorcycle or even your plane to support KPBS. It’s easy. The tow is free and we handle the process from start to finish. Call 877-572-7227 or visit www.kpbs.org/car to donate your vehicle today.