Posted on January 24th, 2012

Arts In Context
The Relatives with The Isaac Sisters
Date: Saturday, February 11
Time: Taping starts at 8 pm. Doors will open at 7 pm
Free but RSVP required. RSVP now

Formed in the early 1970s by the Rev. Gean and Tommy West, The Relatives’ cut three genre-bending singles during their decade-long run that were too freaky for the church and too righteous for R&B radio. Though pioneers of an utterly singular sound, the Relatives never made a splash outside of Dallas and have remained virtually unknown even among serious record collectors. But all of that is changing with recent performances at ACL Music Festival in 2010 and backing Black Joe Lewis & the Honeybears on the PBS television series Austin City Limits last year. Joining them will be The Isaac Sisters in their very first television appearance.

Posted on January 18th, 2012

Educators can register now for the free Play Safe! Be Safe! event on Feb. 10

Austin, TX — KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, in partnership with other community organizations brings the award-winning fire safety education workshop Play Safe! Be Safe! to Austin on Friday, Feb. 10, at the Region XIII Education Service Center, 5701 Springdale Road. This event is designed to give teachers, other child care providers, child care program managers and fire and life safety educators the information and tools they need to instruct children ages three to five on fire safety.

The day’s activities will present a fascinating and entertaining look into the preschool child’s perception of fire, the surprising frequency of children’s misuse of fire and practical approaches to teach young children fire safety. All participants receive a free Play Safe! Be Safe! kit and trainers will receive additional kits for distribution.

KLRU’s Play Safe! Be Safe! training event will be from 9 a.m. to noon on Feb. 10 at Region XIII Education Service Center. The event is free but pre-registration is required. Register online now or contact Mary Alice Appleman at 512-475-9051 or maappleman@klru.org

KLRU is presenting Play Safe! Be Safe! in conjunction with United Way Capital Area, Region XIII Education Service Center and Texas State Fire Marshal Office.

Play Safe! Be Safe! is an award-winning fire safety education program created especially for children ages three to five. It was developed by BIC Corporation in cooperation with educators and fire safety experts. Find educational games and activities for your children or students, or learn about our workshops for educators, community leaders and fire safety personnel by using the links below.
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Posted on January 17th, 2012

Join KLRU and the Austin Public Library for free Community Cinema screenings on the first Tuesday of the month at the Windsor Park Branch Library (5833 Westminster Dr,). Screenings will start at 7 p.m. with a discussion to follow each of the films. The next screening will be More Than a Month on February 7th.

More Than a Month
Shukree Hassan Tilghman, a 29-year-old African American filmmaker, is on a cross-country campaign to end Black History Month. Through this tongue-in-cheek journey, MORE THAN A MONTH investigates what the treatment of history tells us about race and equality in a “post-racial” America.

Posted on January 16th, 2012

6th Annual Feria Para Aprender 2012 (Learning Fair)
Saturday, Jan. 28 from 10am-3pm
North Lamar Events Center (10601 N. Lamar Blvd.)

http://feriaparaaprender.com/austin/

Posted on January 4th, 2012

Arts In Context tapes a performance by up-and-coming singer Elle King.

Date: Friday, Jan. 6
Time: Taping starts at 8 pm. Doors will open at 7 pm
Location: KLRU’s Studio 6A
RSVP now

New York based singer/songwriter Elle King has a voice that sounds like Billie Holiday having a shot of whiskey with Johnny Cash. Born in Ohio and raised in Brooklyn, King blends those worlds of both grit and mid-western charm. On many “musicians to watch” lists for her blusey rock charms, King is an “incredible talent with a beautifully unique voice and simple yet effective song writing ability (Hollywood Is A Verb).” Sample her music on her website

Posted on December 20th, 2011

Join KLRU and other Downton Abbey fans as we preview the first hour of the second season of this beloved Masterpiece Classic series.

The screening will be January 5th in KLRU’s Studio 6A. Doors open at 6:30 and the screening will start promptly at 7. The event is free, but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Downton Abbey season two starts airing on January 8th on PBS, but we’re giving our fans a chance to see the first hour before anyone else. We’ll have Downton Abbey items to give away and light refreshments will be served. RSVP now

Posted on December 9th, 2011

We are halfway towards of goal of $240,000! In 7 days, you’ve helped raise $122,630 and we sincerely appreciate the outpouring of generosity and commitment to the mission of KLRU-TV. If you’ve given your gift this pledge drive, thank you! If you’re still waiting, this might just be the time to act because we have some great ways to thank you this weekend!

• Tonight, we’ll be live in the KLRU studios during the public affairs line up, with the PBS Newshour at 6pm, Washington Week at 7pm, and Need to Know at 7:30pm. To thank you for your gift at the $250 level, you’ll get two (2) tickets to the next three (3) Spark at the Moody speaker series events in 2012 which include the incredibly compelling and engaging topics of women in politics, citizenship, and children’s education. This is a not-to-be-missed opportunity for you to support quality public affairs and news programs and be a participant in our intriguing and dynamic speaker series!

• This weekend is the premier presentation of Straight No Chaser: Songs of the Decade: Holiday Edition and if you make a gift of $250, you’ll receive two (2) tickets to their April 4, 2012 concert at the Long Center (you’ll also get the CD & DVD of their holiday performance!). We have the best seats in the house reserved for KLRU donors and tickets are limited, so make your donation today!

• We still have seats left on the KLRU Drink Up tour, but they’re going fast! If you donate $150, you will receive two (2) tickets to the tour of local breweries and distilleries. This year, we’ll head out on a bus to Live Oak Brewery, Tito’s Vodka Distillery, Treaty Oak Rum Distillery, and BlackStar Brewery Co-op. We’ll tour the facilities, taste the product, and finish off the afternoon with food and drink at BlackStar.

We hope you’ll use these opportunities to support KLRU-TV and join in some of the fun and unique experiences we have to offer!

Thanks for your support and enjoy a great weekend of KLRU programming!

Posted on December 7th, 2011

Thanks to everyone who has made a gift to KLRU during our drive so far! We’re at $107,000 as of this morning and getting closer to our goal of $240,000.  If you haven’t made your gift yet, then tonight is the night for you: we’ll be live in the studio with an encore presentation of Ken Burns’ Prohibition and we’ll be offering tickets to the first ever KLRU Drink Up, a tour of local distilleries and breweries for KLRU donors!

The tour is a great representation of what Austin has to offer! We’ll board a bus at KLRU then head out for tours (and tastings!) at Live Oak Brewery, Tito’s Vodka, Treaty Oak Rum, and wrap up the afternoon with food and drink at BlackStar Co-op – a great selection of local business, innovation, and delicious beverages. The Drink Up is Saturday, February 4.

For your gift of $150, you’ll receive two (2) tickets to the Drink Up (which includes the price of the tastings and food), plus the Prohibition DVD set and the book, Last Call: The Rise and Fall of Prohibition by Daniel Okrent. The Drink Up would make a fantastic gift or a great outing for a group of friends – be sure to tune in tonight at 7pm for all the details.

Bonus: We’ll also have the Tipsy Texan, David Alan, live in the KLRU Studios tonight mixing up the best holiday cocktails and giving away tickets to tomorrow night’s Drink Local Austin event! Tell your friends and be sure to watch!

Posted on November 28th, 2011

Please join KLRU’s Overheard with Evan Smith for an interview with Nick Lowe
DATE: December 1
TIME: 2:00 p.m. (Doors open at 1:30)
LOCATION: in KLRU’s Studio 6A (map).
RSVP: The event is free but an RSVP is required. RSVP now

Nick Lowe has been writing, performing and producing music for four decades, exploring folk, pop, rockabilly and punk.  He produced the song known as Britain’s first punk single.  But he’s far better known for his own music – performed by Lowe himself, and by a long list of well-known musicians who count themselves among Lowe’s fans.  If you who think you don’t know Lowe, you most certainly know his songs.  Among his best known are “Cruel to Be Kind” and “What’s So Funny ‘Bout Peace, Love and Understanding” – a huge hit for Elvis Costello.  If you’re a Nick Lowe fan, join us for what you know will be a great conversation.  If you only know his songs, let us introduce you to the artist.

Join us as part of  Overheard with Evan Smith’s second season of great conversation with fascinating people, always on the news and always with a sense of humor.  The show features in-depth interviews with a mix of guests from politics, the arts, literature, journalism, business, sports and more, and reaches PBS stations from California to Florida. Overheard airs on KLRU at 7 p.m. Thursdays and 12:30 p.m. Sundays. Episodes are also available online at klru.org/overheard

Posted on November 28th, 2011

Can Women Change Politics? The Life and Politics of Ann Richards

January 31 at 6:30 pm @ The Moody
Buy tickets at klru.org/spark

Texas Governor, mother and larger-than-life personality, Ann Richards had a lasting impact on the nation’s political landscape. Only the second woman to be elected governor in Texas, she possessed a strong will, and a determined spirit. Actress Holland Taylor, University of Texas Documentarian Paul Stekler, and Dallas Morning News Reporter Wayne Slater share their experiences portraying, documenting and covering Ann Richards throughout her life.

Holland Taylor, an Emmy-winning actress, has enjoyed a long and varied career, with respected roles on stage, in movies and on television. Fans will recognize her work from The Practice, The Truman Show, Romancing the Stone, Two and a Half Men and The L Word. Her play, Ann, about Governor Ann Richards, had its launch in May 2010 at The Grand 1894 Opera House in Galveston and was also performed at Austin’s Paramount Theatre.

Paul Stekler’s documentaries about American politics have won numerous national honors including multiple Emmys, Peabodys and du-Pont-Columbia Journalism awards. His documentary work inncludes George Wallace: Settin’ the Woods on Fire, Vote for Me: Politics in America, Last Man Standing: Politics Texas Style and Frontline’s The Choice 2008. He is currently the Chair of the Radio-Television-Film Department at The University of Texas. He’s currently working on a film about New Orleans five years after Katrina, Getting Back to Abnormal.

Wayne Slater, Senior Political Writer for The Dallas Morning News, previously served as Austin bureau chief for The News covering national and state politics. He is a Fellow at the LBJ School’s Center for Politics and Governance at the University of Texas. He is a frequent guest on numerous network television shows and is co-author of two books Bush’s Brain: How Karl Rove Made George W. Bush Presidential and The Architect: Karl Rove and the Dream Absolute Power.

Be sure to join us on January 31st, for an insightful discussion about the role of women in politics as Holland Taylor, Paul Stekler, and Wayne Slater share their ideas on how women can play a valuable and influential part in the political world.