November/December 2023
A MESSAGE FROM OUR PRESIDENT AND CEO, PAUL GROVE
As we close out 2023, the WEDU team is reflecting on what an outstanding year it has been for us. We are proud to have continued to provide each and every person in the WEDU community with beloved and trusted programs, and we can’t express our gratitude for your support enough.
There is an air of anticipation at the station as we look forward to 2024. With each new year brings new opportunities, and we can’t wait to share them with you. It’s important to us that we remain steadfast in our commitment to give you the information, entertainment, and knowledge you deserve.
WEDU is finishing out the year with an exciting array of programs, including Groundbreakers, The Earthshot Prize, and Call the Midwife Holiday Special. We hope our programming is part of your safe, relaxing holiday season. From all of us at WEDU — thank you, and happy holidays.
Onward and upward,
Call the Midwife Holiday Special
Christmas at Nonnatus House
Life for the midwives at Nonnatus House never slows — even during Christmas. The 2023 holiday special airs on Christmas Day, and is nothing short of sensational. Season 12 of the fan-favorite show brought a wedding, unusual houseguests, and a new nun, Sister Veronica.
The holiday special will close out the year with more drama, excitement, and holiday commemoration.
Airs Monday, December 25, at 8 p.m.
Watch this program live or stream with the PBS app.
Iconic Female Athletes Share Their Stories
In an upcoming documentary executive-produced by tennis legend Billie Jean King, viewers hear firsthand from female athletes about their journeys to stardom. Athletes including Naomi Osaka, Chloe Kim, Suni Lee, Diana Flores, and Billie Jean King herself interview each other, diving into the trials, tribulations, successes, failures, and unique experiences that have composed each of their careers.
Groundbreakers is a captivating and passionate testament to the persistence and grit that characterize not only the progression of women in sports, but the progression of women in society.
Airs Tuesday, November 21, at 8 p.m. Watch this program live or stream with the PBS app.
Billie Jean King
Give Smart — Plan Ahead
It’s not too late to make a 2023 charitable gift with your IRA. If you want to support WEDU PBS and make a lasting impact, you have two great options through your IRA: a Qualified Charitable Distribution (QCD) or lifetime income from a charitable gift annuity.
Each year, the IRS requires you to withdraw a Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) from your IRA. If you are at least 70½ years old, you can make a gift, a QCD, from your IRA without penalty. Give a one-time gift to WEDU PBS without increasing your taxable income.
Or, use your IRA to fund a charitable gift annuity, which creates lifetime income for you through a gift to WEDU PBS. If you are age 70½ or older, you can convert up to $50,000 of your IRA into a stream of income without paying federal income tax on the principal.
Advantages of funding a lifetime income gift from your IRA:
- Guaranteed income for life with a WEDU PBS charitable gift annuity
- Meet your RMD without adding to your taxable income
- Significant support for WEDU PBS
To take advantage of these benefits and make a one-time gift or QCD today, call WEDU PBS Development Office at (813) 739-2959 or email us at [email protected]. To learn more please visit: wedugiving.org.
Sounds of the Season
We’re ringing in the holidays with The Soldiers’ Chorus at the Army Field Band Concert. A musically diverse group of 29, The Soldiers’ Chorus never disappoints.
Christmas cheer will be come right to your home with the annual Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir. Featuring some of the world’s best-known stars, the Tabernacle Choir puts on a show you don’t want to miss.
You can welcome 2024 with From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2024 on Great Performances. Conducted by Cleveland Orchestra music director Franz Welser-Möst, the classical music show will feature songs never before performed at a Vienna Philharmonic concert.
Army Field Band Concert premieres Friday, November 10, at 9 p.m.
Christmas with the Tabernacle Choir premieres Tuesday, December 12, at 8 p.m.
Great Performances: From Vienna: The New Year’s Celebration 2024 premieres Monday, January 1, at 8 p.m.
Watch these programs live or stream with the PBS app.
A Bold Commitment to Repair Our Planet
Join WEDU PBS in celebrating a global initiative to spotlight, support, and scale breakthrough solutions to environmental concerns facing the world today.
The Earthshot Prize takes place this year in Singapore and highlights innovative approaches to surmounting environmental hurdles that face our planet. Prince William and The Royal Foundation founded The Earthshot Prize with a focus on five Earthshot categories: Protect and Restore Nature, Clean Our Air, Revive Our Oceans, Build a Waste-Free World, and Fix Our Climate.
Five award winners will be announced at the prestigious ceremony, each receiving prize money and access to a global network of support. The ceremony will feature an impressive lineup of international celebrities to present the awards.
The Earthshot Prize airs Sunday, November 12, at 7 p.m. Watch this program live or stream with the PBS app.
GivingTuesday takes place on November 28!
GivingTuesday is a special, global day of giving to support the nonprofit organizations that are making an impact in our communities.
When you donate to WEDU PBS on November 28, for GivingTuesday, you are ensuring equal access to high-quality programming for your family, friends, and neighbors.
With the end of the year approaching, now is an ideal time to make a tax-deductible gift to WEDU PBS.
WEDU PBS Passport — our online, on-demand, 24-hours-a-day, 7-days-a-week video library of PBS programs — is at your fingertips.
As a Sustaining Member or one-time contributor at the $60 level, you will have unlimited access to PBS shows, including the full seasons of your MASTERPIECE favorites such as Victoria and Poldark, or great educational programs by Ken Burns and Dr. Henry Louis Gates Jr. Tune in to the new season of All Creatures Great and Small or binge on past seasons of Antiques Roadshow.
For more information, please call 1-800-354-9338 or visit: wedu.org/watch/passport.
Poldark
Great Performances Has It All
This fall, you’ll find all the entertainment you need — from Shakespeare to the best Broadway shows.
November begins with Message in a Bottle, a dance production set to the music of 17-time Grammy winner Sting. Catch up on your Shakespeare knowledge with Shakespeare’s First Folio. A collection of his most classic plays, the “First Folio” is a defining factor of his literary and artistic legacy.
November concludes with Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway’s Best. Reminisce on your favorite performances from over the years, and maybe even discover a new one.
Message in a Bottle airs Friday, November 3, at 9 p.m.
Shakespeare’s First Folio airs Friday, November 17, at 9 p.m.
Celebrating 50 Years of Broadway’s Best airs Friday, November 24, at 9 p.m.
Watch these programs live or stream with the PBS app.
Danish Butter Cookies
Ingredients
- 1 cup (2 sticks) best-quality salted butter, room temperature
- 1 cup confectioners’ sugar
- 1 teaspoon pure vanilla extract
- 1 large egg
- 2½ cups unbleached all-purpose flour
Preheat oven to 325 degrees. In the bowl of an electric mixer fitted with the paddle attachment, beat together butter and confectioners’ sugar on medium speed until light and fluffy, about 3 minutes. Add vanilla and egg, and beat to combine. Gradually add flour, and beat until well incorporated. Transfer dough to a pastry bag fitted with a 7/16-inch star tip (such as Ateco #825).
Pipe 2½-inch rings onto parchment-lined baking sheets, spaced 2 inches apart. Bake, rotating halfway through, until lightly golden around edges but still light on top, about 20 minutes. Transfer sheets to wire racks; let cool completely.
Recipe courtesy of Martha Bakes
Every contribution makes a difference.
IRA Charitable Rollover
Individuals who have reached age 70½ can donate up to $100,000 to WEDU directly from their Individual Retirement Account (IRA), without treating the distribution as taxable income. Giving from your IRA is a great way to satisfy your Required Minimum Distribution (RMD) tax-free and support WEDU’s mission to serve the public good and to aid in the creation of an informed citizenry. Talk to your financial or tax advisor about rolling 401(k) monies into an IRA to make a tax-free charitable contribution to WEDU.
Stocks, bonds, and mutual funds
Donating stock or mutual funds you have held longer than one year and which have appreciated in value directly to WEDU is a savvy giving strategy to avoid capital gains taxes. Consult with your financial advisor to help leverage your gift for the best tax savings. Remember, sometimes it might be more tax advantageous to sell depreciated stock and give a gift of cash to WEDU with the proceeds — a double tax savings!
Donate your car, motorcycle, boat, RV, kayak, or even real estate!
We make donating your vehicle or other mode of transportation simple and convenient with fast pickup and streamlined paperwork. You benefit by possibly being able to reduce your taxable income. Plus, you avoid paying for advertising, loss of privacy, and possible security risk. In addition, there is no need to pay for registrations, insurance, and repairs to keep your transportation in working condition.
Please contact us for easy gifting of real estate that may have become a burden to own or insure. For more information:
CALL: (813) 739-2959
EMAIL: [email protected]
VISIT: wedugiving.org
