Author Archives: april

Screening: Freedom Summer preview 6/19

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Join KLRU and the George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center for a preview of the upcoming American Experience documentary Freedom Summer.

DATE: Thursday, June 19th
TIME: 7 pm (6:30 pm doors)
LOCATION: George Washington Carver Museum and Cultural Center,
1165 Angelina Street, Austin 78702
RSVP: Event is free, but RSVP is requested. RSVP Now

This powerful new documentary from PBS’ American Experience series chronicles one of the most important times in civil rights history. KLRU will show a preview version of the film followed by a discussion.

Freedom Summer: During the summer of 1964, the nation’s eyes were riveted on Mississippi. Over 10 memorable weeks known as Freedom Summer, more than 700 student volunteers joined with organizers and local African Americans in an historic effort to shatter the foundations of white supremacy in the nation’s most segregated state. Working together, they canvassed for voter registration, created Freedom Schools, and established the Mississippi Freedom Democratic Party, with the goal of challenging the segregationist state Democratic Party at the national convention in Atlantic City. The campaign was marked by sustained and deadly violence, including the notorious murders of three civil rights workers, countless beatings, the burning of 35 churches, and the bombing of 70 homes and Freedom Houses. The film will air on June 24th at 8 pm on KLRU.

KLRU will also feature a short preview of the local show Juneteenth Jamboree, which focuses on the African-American experience in Bell County.

PBS Online Film Festival features Two Austin Films

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Today, PBS announced the 25 short films that will be part of the third annual PBS Online Film Festival beginning June 16 – July 31. Austin filmmakers Joshua Riehl and Nidhi Reddy are among those featured in this year’s Festival for their films Digging for Water and The Yellow Wallpaper.

The films will be available for streaming across all PBS digital platforms, including PBS.org, Roku, Xbox, YouTube and PBS social media channels. Viewers are encouraged to vote for their favorite film to win the “People’s Choice” award. For updates on the festival, follow #PBSolff on Twitter.

Digging for Water
Vote here for this film
Joshua Riehl is filmmaker based in Austin, Texas, with a strong background in investigative journalism. Originally from just near Detroit, Michigan, he moved to Austin in 2009 to attend the University of Texas at Austin. He was a producer for PBS Frontline’s 2010 season premiere “Death by Fire” about the questionable execution of Cameron Todd Willingham. With an interest in criminal justice stories, he was Associate Producer for the 2013 SXSW Film Festival’s Audience Award winning documentary “An Unreal Dream” about the highly publicized case of Michael Morton’s wrongful conviction.

Digging for Water came out of three separate trips to Haiti over the course of 18 months and a longtime desire to visit the underdeveloped nation. Falling in love with the country and the people, Riehl intends to continue working in Haiti and  hopes to tell the story of dictator “Papa Doc” Duvalier’s tortuous rule in the future.

The Yellow Wallpaper
Vote here for this film
Nidhi Reddy is a recent graduate of the University of Texas at Austin, majoring in both Mathematics and Radio-TV-Film.  Her short animation, The Yellow Wallpaper, was an official selection of the 2013 London Feminist Film Festival, 2013 Portobello Film Festival in London, 2014 Austin Film Society ShortCase, the 2013 Longhorn Showcase, and has won grand prizes in two student film festivals.

The PBS Online Film Festival showcases powerful stories from filmmakers across the country while providing an opportunity to reach an engaged and digitally savvy audience. Attracting more than 1 million video streams and over 50,000 votes in its first two years, the PBS Online Film Festival has become a popular annual online event.

The PBS Online Film Festival showcases diverse films from Independent Lens, POV and collaborations with public television producers including, Center for Asian American Media, Latino Public Broadcasting (LPB), National Black Programming Consortium (NPBC) and Pacific Islanders in Communications (PIC), Wisconsin Media Lab and Vision Maker Media. This year, several locally-produced short films will be featured from PBS member stations including KQED (San Francisco), KLRU (Austin, TX), Alaska Public Media, Vermont PBS, Arkansas Educational Television (AETN), CET/ThinkTV(Cincinnati/Dayton), WCVE (Richmond, Virginia) and Louisiana Public Broadcasting.

“PBS and member stations are committed to experimenting with new platforms to reach diverse audiences with high-quality and engaging content,” said Ira Rubenstein, Senior Vice President and General Manager, PBS Digital. “PBS is the home for independent film, both online and on-air, and we’re proud that the Online Film Festival has become an annual celebration of unique films representing a diverse array of voices and viewpoints.”

 

D-Day on KLRU Q – 6/6

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KLRU Q commemorates the anniversary of the D-Day invasion with back-to-back documentaries on Friday, June 6th, stating at 8 pm.

D-Day 8 pm
The planning for the Allied invasion on June 6th 1944 took two years, cost thousands of lives and involved a deception of breathtaking audacity. D-Day examines the intricate jigsaw, presenting events through the eyes of the men and women who were there, telling their extraordinary stories.

D-Day to Berlin at 9:50 pm
This series follows the remarkable story of the Allied forces and the victories that set them on their way to ending World War II in 1945. The collective military operations from D-Day in June 1944, to the final assault on Germany in 1945 represent one of the greatest military offensives.

New KLRU Kids schedule starts 6/2

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summer lineup2014
On June 2, KLRU will have a new lineup during our children’s programming block from 6:30 am to 5 pm Monday to Friday. The new schedule features back-to-back episodes of some of our viewers favorite shows plus the brand new series Space Racers. The weekend lineup will stay the same. Download a printable version of the new schedule
Here’s the new schedule:
Monday to Friday
6:30 am   Wild Kratts
7:00 am   Sesame Street
8:00 am   Curious George (two back-to-back episodes)
9:00 am   Peg + Cat
9:30 am   Super Why
10:00 am Daniel Tiger (two back-to-back episodes)
11:00 am Dinosaur Train (two back-to-back episodes)
12:00 pm Signing Time!
12:30 pm Thomas & Friends (M-Tu-W) / Peep (Th) / Space Racers (Fri.)
1:00 pm  Peg + Cat
2:00 pm  Curious George (two back-to-back episodes)
3:00 pm  Arthur  (two back-to-back episodes)
4:00 pm Wild Kratts  (two back-to-back episodes)
5:00 pm  Martha Speaks

Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years All-Star Benefit Concert 6/26

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UPDATE: This concert is now SOLD OUT

KLRU announces Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, an all-star benefit concert on Thursday, June 26 featuring some of the brightest stars in the show’s history returning to the Austin City Limits stage.

The star-studded evening, hosted by Jeff Bridges and Sheryl Crow, will feature Alabama Shakes, Gary Clark Jr., Joe Ely, Robert Earl Keen, Kris Kristofferson, Lloyd Maines, Bonnie Raitt, T Bone Burnett, Jimmie Vaughan, Grupo Fantasma and Doyle Bramhall II along with musical performances from Bridges and Crow, celebrating Austin City Limits legacy as an American music institution over the last four decades.

Commemorating the trailblazing music series 40th Anniversary, the evening will benefit KLRU, which created Austin City Limits in 1974 and still produces the show today.  The concert will take place at ACL’s home, ACL Live at The Moody Theater, and will be taped as part of a two-hour primetime special, Austin City Limits Celebrates 40 Years, airing Friday, October 3. ACL continues its remarkable run, kicking off its milestone 40th year with the series season premiere on October 4. The complete broadcast episode schedule for Season 40 will be announced at a later date.

 

KLRU announces local PBS Kids Writers Contest Winners

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writers contest 2014

Today, KLRU announced the local winners of the 2014 PBS KIDS Writers Contest. The first place winners in grades K-3 will advance to the national level of the contest. Over 235 creative entries were received from local children and 13 winners were chosen for first place, second place, and third place recognitions:

1ST PLACE WINNERS:

2ND PLACE WINNERS:

3RD PLACE WINNERS:

“At KLRU we were truly inspired by the enthusiasm and talent that this year’s contest entries demonstrated,” said Ben Kramer, Director of KLRU’s Educational Services Department. “Each year KLRU is a proud participant in PBS KIDS’ annual Writers Contest as it advances KLRU’s commitment to helping grow children’s literacy skills while encouraging expression and imagination. KLRU celebrates the talented children of our community and we wish the winners advancing to the national contest the best of luck.”

You can read all stories submitted in the KLRU area

The annual PBS KIDS Writers Contest is a national initiative designed to promote the advancement of children’s literacy skills through hands-on, active learning. The contest encourages children in grades K-3 to celebrate creativity by submitting their own original stories and illustrations.

KLRU’s first place winners will advance to the national contest and a panel of some of America’s foremost children’s authors, illustrators and content experts will serve as honorary judges and rank the top 12 finalists. National winners will be announced this summer and the winning stories will be featured on pbskids.org/writerscontest.

The national winners will receive prizes courtesy of national prizing sponsor, LeapFrog Enterprises, Inc. Winners will receive a prize package that will include LeapFrog’s award-winning LeapReader Reading and Writing System. The contest is also made possible through national promotional support from Highlights for Children. The PBS KIDS Writers Contest is produced by PBS and based on the Reading Rainbow Young Writers and Illustrators Contest, a concept developed by WNED-TV, Buffalo.

To learn more about the contest, visit pbskids.org/writerscontest.

Superheroes take over KLRU Q on May 18

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On Sunday, May 18th, KLRU Q features an evening of adventure, action and inspiration with a superhero marathon!

6:00pm  Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle “Truth, Justice, and the American Way (1938-1958)” – The popularity of superhero characters during the Depression and the World War II era is explored.

7:00pm  Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle “Great Power, Great Responsibility (1959-1977)” – In the 1960s a new breed of Marvel superheroes emerges, inspired by atomic energy and space travel.

8:00pm  Superheroes: A Never-Ending Battle “A Hero Can Be Anyone (1978-Present)” – The “Superman” movie with Christopher Reeve, the overhaul of “Batman” and “Watchmen” are discussed.

9:00pm  Pioneers of Television “Superheroes” - Adam West, Lynda Carter, Lou Ferrigno and others discuss “Superman,” “Batman” and more great shows.

10:00pm  Independent Lens “Wonder Women! The Untold Story of American Superheroines” – The comic book superheroine Wonder Woman and popular representations of powerful women are explored.

11:00pm  Independent Lens “Wham! Bam! Islam!” – A Kuwaiti psychologist launches a comic series with 99 superheroes based on the 99 virtues of Allah.

Event explores Past, Present and Future of Jewish Austin

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KLRU and the Jewish Federation of Greater Austin in association with the PBS series The Story of the Jews presents The Past, Present and Future of Jewish Austin

DATE: Monday, May 19th
TIME: 7 pm (doors open at 6:30 pm)
LOCATION: Jewish Community Center, 7300 Hart Ln
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

The PBS series The Story of the Jews explores the Jewish experience from ancient times to the present day. In conjunction with the series, KLRU has created five videos for the Austin Revealed series focusing on the many differing ways of identifying and “being” Jewish in Austin. All five videos will be showcased at this event followed by a community discussion.  KLRU has partnered with the Jewish Federation of Greater Austin for this event.

Panel discussion moderated by Rabbi David Komerofsky, Associate Vice President for Advancement at Hillel International.

Confirmed panelists include:

  • Randi Shade, entrepreneur, mother and former City Council member
  • Cathy Schechter, co-author of Deep in the Heart: The Lives and Legends of Texas Jews, and wrote the first article about Austin for the Encyclopedia Judaic
  • Jay Rubin, CEO, The Jewish Federation of Greater Austin

This event was funded in part by a WNET Education grant in conjunction with the PBS series The Story of the Jews with Simon Schama. Watch the complete series plus web-only extras at pbs.org/wnet/story-jews

Stories of Service begin this month

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In recognition of Memorial Day on May 26th, KLRU and KLRU Q are offering several programs this month on veterans issues. These programs are part of a national initiative called Stories of Service designed to increase dialogue and solutions as our nation’s veterans transition to civilian life.

Coming Back with Wes Moore
Tuesdays, May 13, 20 & 27 at 7 pm
This series, produced by best-selling author and US Army veteran Wes Moore, tells the story of his search for answers to some of the most difficult questions facing vets returning from war. Moore’s journey, spurred by the suicide of one of his oldest friends and a fellow officer, takes him into the personal lives of different soldiers as they attempt to reintegrate into society, establish new identities and — for many — find a new mission.

Operation Appreciation
Thursday, May 22, at 8 pm; Sunday, May 25, at 1:30 pm and 4 pm
This documentary follows the efforts of volunteers from Sun City Texas that come together on a mission to show appreciation to the soldiers at Fort Hood.

Tattooed Under Fire
Thursday, May 22, at 9 pm; Tuesday, May 27, at 10 pm
A unique, intimate, character-driven portrait of Iraq-bound and returning US soldiers as they go under the tattoo needle: openly professing their pride, sharing their secrets and confessing their fears

National Memorial Day Concert
Sunday, May 25, at 7 pm and 8:30 pm; Monday, May 26, at 10 pm
Joe Mantegna and Gary Sinise co-host the 25th anniversary broadcast, a night of remembrance honoring the service and sacrifice of our men and women in uniform, their families at home and all those who have given their lives for our country.

Death and The Civil War: American Experience
Monday, May 26, at 8 pm
From filmmaker Ric Burns, “Death and the Civil War” explores an essential but largely overlooked aspect of the most pivotal event in American history. With the coming of the Civil War and the staggering casualties it ushered in, death entered the experience of the American people as it never had before — permanently altering the character of the republic, and the psyche of the American people.

D-Day 360
Tuesday, May 27, at 8 pm
D-Day was a logistical effort on a scale never seen before or since. On the day itself, 3,000 planes dropped 23,000 airborne troops behind German lines, and 7,000 ships delivered around 20,000 military vehicles and 130,000 soldiers onto the beaches.

Nova D-Day’s Sunken Secrets
Wednesday, May 28, at 8 pm
A vivid blow-by-blow account of the tumultuous events of D-Day and how the Allies’ intricate planning and advanced technology was vital to assure the success of the most ambitious and risky military operation ever launched.

The PBS programs are part of a national, multi-platform initiative called Stories of Service and a community engagement campaign funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) called Veterans Coming Home. The Stories of Service collection on PBS’ website includes rotating films and videos, encompassing both new and archival programs, resources for educators and students courtesy of PBS LearningMedia and resources for veterans as part of Veterans Coming Home.  More programming is planned for later this year including Makers “Women & War” (September 2014) and Craft In America “Service” (November 2014). The conversation will continue across social media using #ServiceStoriesPBS.

 

KLRU Q presents a Memorial Day marathon of programs on Sunday, May 25th

1:05pm  We Served Too: The Story of the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots - A look at how the Women’s Airforce Service Pilots broke through barriers during World War II.
 
2:00pm  Fly Boys: Western Pennsylvania’s Tuskegee Airmen - The triumphant story of the African-American airmen who served their country during World War II.
 
3:00pm  Nickels From Heaven - Recounts the experiences of the “Triple Nickles,” the first African- American soldiers to be designated as U.S. paratroopers.
 
 
4:00pm  Gathering of Heroes - World War II veterans from Indiana embark on trek to visit the memorial that honors their sacrifice.
 
4:30pm  Charles Murray, Defining A Hero - The heroic World War II experience of Congressional Medal of Honor Charles Murray are detailed.
 
5:00pm  Maggie’s War: A True Story of Courage, Leadership and Valor in World War II - James Megellas, a fearless World War II platoon leader, returns to Europe to visit battlefields.
 
6:00pm  T. Moffatt Burris and the Crossing - Moffatt Burriss’ heroic actions in Operation Market Garden during World War II are detailed. (Portrayed by Robert Redford in 1977 Richard Attenborough film “A Bridge Too Far.”)
 
6:30pm  Ted Bell and the Ridge - Col. Ted Bell became The Citadel’s most decorated World War II veteran for his valor in Okinawa.
 
7:00pm  Last Ridge - National Public Radio’s Scott Simon narrates the remarkable story of the 10th Mountain Division.
 
8:00pm  Unforgettable: The Korean War - A diverse group of Korean War veterans recall their memories and emotions of the war.
 
9:00pm  Vietnam War Stories - Personal memories of service and sacrifice are shared, giving an insight into the experience of war.
 
10:00pm  As Long As I Remember: American Veteranos - Examines the steep personal toll and enduring legacy of the Vietnam War on artists from south Texas.

Arts In Context Shorts: More Awkward Than Heavy

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ASFILMT2This week, Arts In Context Shorts presents the fun side of art. In the sequel of “More Awkward Than Heavy,” Ink Tank Lab‘s artists focus on collaborating, having fun and letting their imaginations go wild. “MATH2″ is an installation that explores going to art shows as a social event and pokes fun at museum and gallery stereotypes. Ink Tank’s artists want the attendees to participate, touch and help create the “awkward” experience. While some work in academic or museum settings and all have different aesthetics, working together as Ink Tank Lab allows these artists to lose the restraints put on when creating ‘serious’ artwork.