Watertown, NY – WPBS is preparing for the annual September Fall Festival Membership Drive, beginning Saturday, September 7 through Sunday, September 15. WPBS viewers will enjoy a week of exceptional programming – including several brand-new specials – as WPBS fundraises to continue the intelligent, vibrant programs and community events that viewers have come to know and love. Viewers will have the opportunity to renew support or make an additional gift during the September Fall Festival Membership Drive with special incentives offered around programs. To pledge, viewers can call 315-782-3142 or visit wpbstv.org/donate.
The September Fall Festival Membership Drive kicks off on Saturday, September 7 at 11am with the This Old House 40th Anniversary Special. The show will celebrate the groundbreaking PBS home improvement series with vintage clips and favorite moments that inspired an entire genre of television with current and alumni hosts Kevin O’Connor, Steve Thomas, and Bob Villa discussing the evolution of the venerable “how-to” series.
Monday, September 9 at 7:30pm, in Steven Page Trio – Live in Concert, the Canadian musician, singer, songwriter, and co-founder and former lead vocalist for Barenaked Ladies performs at the intimate Empire theatre in Belleville, Ontario. The trio will play some of Page’s most popular compositions alongside newer pieces from his most recent albums. This program will rebroadcast on Saturday, September 14 at 9:30pm.
Country music fans will enjoy the premiere of Country Music: Live at the Ryman, a concert celebrating the film by Ken Burns on Sunday, September 8 at 8pm. Hosted by Ken Burns, featured artists include Dierks Bentley, Rosanne Cash, Vince Gill, Brenda Lee, Rhiannon Giddens, and many more.
It’s boom time in Jamestown with the season 3 premiere of Jamestown on Thursday, September 12 at 10pm. Relations with the Native Americans offer hope and advancement for the settlers until greed for land and want of power corrupts those with influence. What ensues is devastating conflict; the fallout of which will shape the New World for centuries to come.
When the September Fall Festival Membership Drive ends, Ken Burns’ highly anticipated film, Country Music, premieres in eight-parts at 8pm Sunday, September 15 – Wednesday, September 18 and the following week Sunday, September 22 – Wednesday, September 26. Burns’ previous series include The Civil War, Baseball, Jazz, The War, and The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. He is widely recognized as one of the world’s finest documentary filmmakers and Country Music is a worthy addition to his body of work. Audiences will explore the history of country music from its deep and tangled roots in ballads, blues and hymns performed in small settings, to its worldwide popularity and learn how country music evolved over the course of the 20th century. The series features never-before-seen footage and photographs plus interviews with more than 80 country music artists.
About WPBS-TV
WPBS is a PBS station serving approximately 650,000 households throughout Northern New York and Eastern Ontario. WPBS’ non-profit mission is to educate, entertain and inform its audience through superior local and national content and media engagement in order to enhance the lives of those it serves. More information about WPBS, including a full channel listing, is available at www.wpbstv.org, or by following WPBS on Twitter and Facebook.
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