JULY/AUGUST 2023
A WORD FROM OUR GENERAL MANAGER, DEANNA MACKEY
Spending time in parks and outdoor spaces and enjoying California’s natural beauty is a passion of mine. Numerous studies have found that time spent in nature reduces stress, increases happiness and inspires creativity. Even Gen Zers know when and how to break the indoor cycle—they call it “touching grass.” It can be as short as a walk at your local community park or as long as a hike in the Sierra Nevada mountains. If you need some inspiration, rewatch “America Outdoors with Baratunde Thurston” before it returns to KPBS-TV for Season 2 in the fall.
As you head out the door to spend some time in the sun, take a book with you. One Book, One San Diego will be announcing its 2023 selections on August 19 at the Festival of Books. Each year our advisory committee
chooses amazing books for all of us to read and discuss together.
For those of you with little ones in your life, check out our new KPBS Parents Hub for ideas on activities, events and resources to help you with your summer plans and back-to-school considerations. Read more about this new initiative in this newsletter. As always, thank you for supporting KPBS!
‘A Capitol Fourth’ Photo: Capitol Concerts
PBS Honored Independence Day With ‘A Capitol Fourth’
“A Capitol Fourth” welcomed iconic actor and television host Alfonso Ribeiro to lead the 43rd annual edition of America’s national Independence Day celebration on PBS. See performances by Chicago, Boyz II Men, Belinda Carlisle, Babyface, Maddie & Tae, Charles Esten, Renée Fleming, Adrienne Warren, with Elmo and Cookie Monster from Sesame Street and the Northwell Nurse Choir and featuring the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of premier pops conductor Jack Everly.
“A Capitol Fourth” premiered Tuesday, July 4, 2023. Stream this program with the PBS App.
Exploring LGBTQ+ and Transborder Students’ Stories With ‘Port of Entry’
From KPBS and PRX, the “Port of Entry” podcast is back for Season 5 with episodes in English and Spanish highlighting the LGBTQ+ community and transborder students’ stories from the San Diego and Tijuana region.
“Port of Entry” tells personal stories from the border region—stories of love, hope, struggle and survival from border crossers, fronterizxs and other people whose lives are shaped by the wall.
Listen to “Port of Entry” by visiting kpbs.org/podcasts/port-of-entry on the KPBS app or via your favorite podcatcher.
Get to Know the American South
Explore some of America’s most fascinating places with “Southern Storytellers,” the latest three-episode series from PBS and filmmaker Craig Renaud. You can truly find it all in the South — it’s a region filled with unique and diverse cultures, spectacular food, stunning landscapes and incredible people. “Southern Storytellers” documents all of this and more, following some of the most beloved Southern creators back to their roots to check out the inspiration behind well-known literature and films.
Accompanying the series is an additional six-part PBS Digital Studios series that depicts the influence the South has on the work of Southern songwriters.
Take advantage of this opportunity to discover one of the most expansive and intriguing parts of the country.
Premieres Tuesday, July 18, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS app.
KPBS Creates Resource Hub for Parents
Have you visited the KPBS Parents Hub yet? It is a place to find news, information and resources to help you make decisions about the children under your care and to care for yourself. KPBS Parents Hub (kpbs.org/parents) helps those who are parenting children under the age of 12 with content that supports them in navigating the adventure we call “parenting.”
The content found in the KPBS Parents Hub will be as broad as the community needs it to be. To start, we’ve curated content around education, child care, mental health, health, arts and culture and events. Topics will be added in response to community feedback. What topics would you like us to feature? What would you like to know more about? Let us know! Email [email protected].
‘MASTERPIECE’ Delivers the Summer’s Best Drama
Kick off July with Season 8 of “Grantchester.” Follow along as Detective Geordie Keating and sidekick Will Davenport tackle obstacles that threaten to disrupt the happiness in their personal lives as well as life in Grantchester—all while continuing to battle crime within their beloved town. The duo will be tested to their limits as the storyline dives into faith, forgiveness and redemption.
Don’t miss this season of romance, plot twists, and as always, crime and suspense.
“Grantchester” premieres Sunday, July 9, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS app.
Discover Our Impact on the Planet We Call Home
Have you ever wondered what our planet looked like 4.5 billion years ago? “Human Footprint,” a new documentary hosted by biologist and Princeton University professor Shane Campbell-Staton, examines how Earth has changed as a result of human life. Campbell-Staton embarks on a journey from the murals of Tlaxa, Mexico, to the National Xenopus Resource in Massachusetts and everywhere in between. He travels to a sheep ranch in Wyoming to learn about predator-prey relationships and goes bird-watching in Hawaii to view the relationships between organisms and their habitats.
Follow along as “Human Footprint” learns more about who humans are as a species.
Airs Wednesdays, July 5 through August 9, at 9 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS app.
It’s Because of You
February 23, 2023, was a momentous day for KPBS. Thanks entirely to
nearly 1,000 generous donors, KPBS successfully concluded Building on Trust: The Campaign for KPBS. Each of these meaningful gifts is a signal of support and trust in KPBS and what we offer: a community-supported alternative to commercial media with the goal to change lives for the better and help individuals and communities achieve their full potential.
When we launched this project in 2017, we embarked on the largest campaign in our station’s history to transform our facilities and expand our public service mission. We modernized how we produce and distribute programs and engage with our community, transforming to better serve you, our valued listeners, readers and viewers.
KPBS is truly grateful for the partnership and the deep bond we have with our community and for the generosity you have shown during this campaign. We hope you will join us as we celebrate this new chapter.
From our specialized reporters in news, science and the arts to our engagement producers, engineers and educators—the entire KPBS team thanks you.
Enjoy Classical Music and Exquisite Scenery in Vienna
Join your fellow classical music connoisseurs for the annual “Great Performances: Vienna Summer Night Concert” at the spectacular Schönbrunn Palace Gardens!
For nearly 20 years, orchestra fans have tuned in to the Summer Night Concert series to hear some of the world’s top artists perform the works of time-honored and modern composers. Past shows have featured three-time Grammy Award-winning director Andris Nelsons and French cellist Gautier Capuçon, and the 2023 concert is guaranteed to be just as illustrious. Let the sounds of classical favorites fill the air in your home this August.
Airs Friday, August 25, at 9 p.m. on KPBS 2.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS app.
Credit: Julius Silver
Uniting Through Reading
One Book, One San Diego is our region’s premier literary program, presented in partnership between KPBS and over 80 public libraries, service organizations and educational institutions.
Now in its 17th year, the purpose is to bring our community closer together through the shared experience of reading and discussing the same book.
Find out what the 2023 One Book, One San Diego selections are for adults, teens, kids and Spanish language readers! For more information, visit kpbs.org/onebook.
Cultural Identity Meets Murder in the Four-Part Series ‘D.I. Ray’
When Detective Inspector Rachita Ray is assigned to a homicide investigation, she’s eager to get to work on the high-profile case. However, her enthusiasm quickly turns to a feeling of deep uneasiness when she’s informed that the case is a “culturally specific homicide”—and Rachita suspects the case, as well as her assignment to it, could be a result of deep-rooted bias.
“D.I. Ray” details Rachita’s determination to not only solve the increasingly complex case despite the circumstances, but also to deal with the bias surrounding her. Her journey is one of self-realization, professional obstacles and mysterious intrigue. Follow along this summer on KPBS.
Premieres Sunday, July 9, at 10 p.m. on KPBS-TV.
Watch this program live or stream anytime with the PBS app.
KPBS Announces Two New Podcasts
‘Everybody’s Doing It with Miss Lolly’
“Everybody’s Doing It with Miss Lolly” explores the role sexuality plays in our identities. The podcast shrinks taboos and makes the unconventional less intimidating, all while making the listener feel like an expert in their own intimacy and welcome to the conversation.
Miss Lolly is the host and a licensed marriage and family therapist. She has a knack for talking with people everywhere she goes, and uses her therapist skills to create a safe space for intimate conversations with strangers.
You can listen and subscribe to the series now by visiting https://www.kpbs.org/misslolly, or search “Miss Lolly” in your favorite podcast app.
‘Freeway Exit’
The second podcast is “Freeway Exit.” Created and hosted by KPBS metro reporter Andrew Bowen, “Freeway Exit” tells the forgotten history of San Diego’s urban freeway network, and how the building of that network divided communities and created inequities that still exist today. The series also shows how freeway culture has contributed to the climate catastrophe we’re now facing, and how reimagining our freeways could be a key part of the solution.
You can listen and subscribe to the podcast by visiting https://www.kpbs.org/freewayexit or wherever you get your podcasts.
KPBS Radio
Weekday news and talk show “The Takeaway” aired its final program on June 2. Check out the new KPBS radio schedule and tune in to KPBS 89.5 or the KPBS app for more of the shows you know and love. You may even find a new favorite!
To get the latest news or listen online, check our radio schedule.
Sponsor Message
The Jacobs & Cushman San Diego Food Bank is encouraging the community to use its Virtual Food Drive platform to donate food online for families in need over the summer.
“Our Virtual Food Drive is an easy and efficient way to donate food to the Food Bank for families in need,” said Food Bank CEO, Casey Castillo. “Supporters simply select and scan food items on a virtual checkout register and then pay for the items securely via credit card.”
The Virtual Food Drive is an excellent giving platform for schools, businesses and faith-based groups. The Food Bank can customize an organization’s Virtual Food Drive with an organizational logo in the ‘shop sign’ and provide food drive organizers with a unique URL to share in e blasts with supporters and customers.
The Food Bank can also help food drive leaders set up internal competitions between departments, classes and groups while also providing online access to monitor an organization’s progress towards their food drive goal. Check out the Virtual Food Drive online at SanDiegoFoodBank.org/Virtual.
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KPBS channel info—television
KPBS TV—15.1, Cox 1011, Spectrum 1221
KPBS 2—15.2, Cox 811, Spectrum 1277
KPBS Create—15.3, Cox 816, Spectrum 1275
KPBS Kids—15.4, Cox 809, Spectrum 1276
KPBS channel info—HD radio
KPBS Radio—89.5 HD1, Calexico 97.7 FM
Classical San Diego—89.5 HD2
Does Your Car Spark Joy?
Warm up this summer with a spark of joy! It feels great to donate a vehicle to KPBS and support the station you love. Our vehicle donation program makes donating easy and the pickup is free.
Call 877-572-7227 or visit kpbs.org/car to donate your vehicle today.