December 30, 2008
CONTACT: Meg Fullwood
214-740-9377
mfullwood@kera.org
New Radio and Television Programs Debut on KERA
DALLAS/FORT WORTH - KERA is rolling out new radio, television and special programs for the New Year. Tune in for innovative radio programs that explore language, culture, faith and politics. Tell Me More, The Story and A Way with Words join the schedule.
New television offerings take viewers to distant lands and offer perspective. Don’t miss The Story of India, Rick Steves’ Iran: Yesterday and Today, new BBC dramatic and comedy offerings, locally produced documentaries and the return of late night cult movie classics on One Star Theatre.
January also brings coverage of the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama. PBS, NPR and KERA will bring you full radio and television coverage of this historic event.
New radio programs on KERA include:
Tell Me More – 2:00 p.m. Weekdays – beginning Thursday, January 1, 2009
Tell Me More is a daily news-driven talk and interview program hosted by award-winning journalist Michel Martin. The program focuses on the way we live, intersect and collide in a culturally diverse world. Produced and distributed by NPR and the African American Public Radio Consortium.Tell Me More replaces Day to Day.
The Story – 9:00 p.m. Weeknights – beginning Thursday, January 1, 2009
A new program hosted by Dick Gordon, The Story offers first-person accounts and experiences on news that causes us to stop, think and sometimes inspire change in our lives. Ordinary and extraordinary people provide perspective. Produced and distributed by APM and North Carolina Public Radio. The Story replaces News and Notes.
A Way with Words- 1:00 p.m. Fridays – beginning Friday, January 2, 2009
A Way with Words is a lively and informative discussion and Q&A program about language. Hosts Martha Barnette and Grant Barrett take calls about slang, grammar, old sayings, word origins, regional dialects, family expressions, and speaking and writing well. A Way with Words replaces Calling All Pets.
The Promised Land: Different Takes on the Legacy of Martin Luther King
12:00 noon Monday, January 19
Majora Carter explores perspectives on Dr. King’s legacy and influence with contemporary civil rights activists who offer a fresh take on his life and work.
The Inauguration of President Barack Obama – Tuesday, January 20 at 10:00 a.m.
Tune in for NPR coverage and analysis of the inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama.
New television programs on KERA 13 include:
Landscapes Through Time – 8:30 a.m. Saturdays – beginning January 3, 2009
Dust off the paint box and learn new techniques with noted painter and lecturer David Dunlop in this 13-part series.
The Fall and Rise of Reginald Perrin – 10:30 p.m. Saturdays - beginning January 3, 2009
This dark, funny comedy about a man in the throes of a nervous breakdown returns to KERA 13 on Sunday nights. A BBC production.
Masterpiece Classic: Tess of the d'Urbervilles – 8:00 p.m. Sundays, January 4 and 11, 2009
Masterpiece Classic begins the 2009 series of signature period dramas with Tess of the d’Urbervilles based on the novel by Thomas Hardy. Gemma Arterton stars as the spirited heroine who is violated by one man and forsaken by another. Hosted by Laura Linney.
One Star Theatre – 1:00 a.m. Sundays – beginning January 4, 2009
Stay up late or TiVo KERA’s late night cult film classics. The series returns with Plan 9 From Outer Space and will be followed with favorites Night of the Living Dead, Carnival of Souls, The Giant Gila Monster and Little Shop of Horrors.
The Story of India – 8:00 p.m. Mondays - beginning January 5, 2009
India is as well-known for its mastery of computer technology as it is for its famous spiritual traditions. It’s also the world's most ancient surviving civilization with unbroken continuity dating back to prehistory, the world's largest democracy and a rising economic giant. Join host Michael Wood for this fascinating six-part series by PBS and BBC.
Frame of Mind - Deep Ellum – 10:00 p.m. Monday, January 5, 2009
KERA’s Art&Seek presents two locally-produced short films as part of the series Frame of Mind. Deep Ellum Blues and Deep Ellum explore Dallas nightlife of the 1920s and 1930s in the community east of downtown. Frame of Mind is series that showcases the work of Texas independent filmmakers.
Great Performances – Cyrano de Bergerac – 7:00 p.m. Wednesday, January 7, 2009
Kevin Kline stars as Edmond Rostand’s 17th-century warrior-poet Cyrano de Bergerac. With stylish production, costumes and sets, Rostand’s 1897 play is the story of the philosopher-swordsman (Kline) who pines for his beautiful cousin, yet is too ashamed of his large nose to tell her. He writes poetry and love letters to her in the name of the man she loves. The truth is revealed years later in a four-hankie finale.
Make ‘Em Laugh: The Funny Business of America
7:00 p.m. Wednesdays – beginning January 14, 2009
Did you hear the one about PBS airing a comedy series? It’s no joke. Make ‘Em Laugh is a new historical documentary series chronicling more than a century of American comedy. The series places comedy in the context of American history andfeatures interviews with more than 90 comedians, writers, producers, and historians.
Rick Steves’ Iran: Yesterday and Today – 8:00 p.m. Thursday, January 15, 2009
This one-hour television special explores Iran’s people and culture through the eyes of travel-wise Rick Steves whose worldly adventures have taught him the power of people-to-people diplomacy.
Fortysomething – 8:00 p.m. Sundays – beginning January 18, 2009
Thisnew British comedy looks at the world through the eyes of a 44-year old man whose world is in chaos. Starring Hugh Laurie. Fortysomething rebroadcasts Wednesdays at 10:00 p.m. A BBC production.
The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer Inaugural Coverage – 10:00 a.m. Tuesday, January 20, 2009
Join host Jim Lehrer and others for special coverage and analysis of the Inauguration of President-Elect Barack Obama as he becomes the 44th president of the United States of America.
MI-5 – 9:00 p.m. Thursdays – beginning January 22, 2009
Visit the clandestine world of the British security service (akin to the United States’ C.I.A.) as they tackle organized crime, terrorist activities and anarchists amidst office conflicts and power struggles. A BBC production.
Vets in Practice – 6:00 p.m. Saturdays – beginning January 24, 2009
This serial documentary follows a group of young veterinarians as they take on dramatic and sometimes hilarious animal cases while dealing with the ups and downs of their personal lives. A BBC production.
Antiques Roadshow – The Dallas Episodes – 7:00 p.m. Monday, January 26, 2009
Thousands of North Texans toted treasures to the Dallas Convention Center last summer to meet with appraisers and vie for a chance to tell their stories to Antiques Roadshow. Don’t miss the Dallas episodes January 26, February 2 and 9, 2009 only on KERA 13.
Killing Hitler – 8:00 p.m. Tuesdays – beginning January 27, 2009
This new BBC program uses fact and dramatic reconstruction to unearth the story of Operation Foxley a top secret plan hatched by the British to assassinate Adolph Hitler. The program questions what would have happened if an agent had been sent to kill Hitler.
Age of Terror – 8:00 p.m. Tuesdays, February 3, 10, 17 and 24, 2009
Award-winning BBC journalist Peter Taylor has been reporting on global terrorism for more than 35 years. The series investigates notorious terror attacks of the last 30-years and their repercussions. The series debuts in February 2009 on KERA 13.
ABOUT KERA
KERA is a not-for-profit public broadcasting organization that is independently owned and operated in North Texas. The station’s services include original television and radio productions, national public television and radio programs, online information and resources at www.kera.org and an educational resource center that develops outreach programs for children, families and educators.
KERA productions have earned the highest accolades bestowed by the broadcasting industry, including Peabody, duPont, Emmy, Clarion (Association of Women in Communications), Gold Camera Award (the U.S. International Film and Video Festival), Texas Gavel (State Bar of Texas), Anson Jones for In-Depth Television (Texas Medical Association), International Health and Medical Award for Community Health, Chicago International Film Festival's Silver Plaque, Lone Star Emmy, INTERCOM Competition’s Gold Plaque, American Association of Museums’ Gold Muse Award, National Telecommunications and Education Association, and many more.
