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
National contest challenges students and professionals
Austin, TX — KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, is one of 12 stations nationwide chosen to participate in the National STEM Video Game Challenge grant. KLRU will bring local middle school and high school students together with game developer mentors and education experts to create new games to compete in this national contest.
Inspired by the Educate to Innovate Campaign, President Obama’s initiative to promote a renewed focus on Science, Technology, Engineering, and Math (STEM) education, the National STEM Video Game Challenge is a multi-year competition whose goal is to motivate interest in STEM learning among America’s youth by tapping into students’ natural passion for playing and making video games.
In early 2012, KLRU will bring mentors from Austin’s vibrant gaming community together with youth from one area middle school and one high school. The teams of students will work to create games to be entered into the national contest. KLRU will also document the creative process on the station’s blog. Game developers who would like to participate in the mentoring project should contact KLRU at 471-4811.
The National STEM Video Game Challenge has four categories — Middle School, High School, Collegiate, Educators — and is open to any U.S. citizen or legal U.S. resident To participate in the challenge as an individual or a non-KLRU team, please see the rules and guidelines for each level on the competition’s website at stemchallenge.org. Deadline to enter is March 12.
About KLRU:
KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, presents quality multimedia content that engages people in the thoughtful exchange of ideas, the expression of the arts, and enjoyable lifelong learning opportunities, resulting in a more vibrant community and a higher quality of life. In addition to providing locally produced and quality national television programming, KLRU is also a non-profit organization helping to build a stronger community through educational workshops, community engagement projects and public events. Known as the producing station of the longest-running live music television show AUSTIN CITY LIMITS, KLRU has also worked on several other national productions including OVERHEAD WITH EVAN SMITH and documentaries like CITIZEN ARCHITECT and LAST BEST HOPE. Get more information about KLRU at klru.org.
Jim Lehrer from PBS NewsHour with Austin High School students
Guest blog by Laura Laufer
senior media arts student at Austin High School
Having been involved with the PBS Student Reporting Labs for the last year as a junior, it was a real treat to be able to tour the KLRU studio and view one of the tapings for Overheard with Evan Smith with Jim Lehrer as the guest. It was only a year ago when my teacher was showing me a video clip of Mr. Lehrer addressing me and my classmates about the journey we were about to take working with the PBS NewsHour Extra website. Having only seen a high school media studio it was mind blowing to walk around the maze of KLRU’s office to see studios the size of our classroom and a control board that looked like something off of a spaceship. It was not only the size that was impressive, but the staff of KLRU is truly amazing; being able to watch them in their element was enjoyable and enlightening. (See photos from this taping on KLRU’s Flickr page)
The taping was my favorite part, listening to Jim Lehrer crack jokes about all of the politicians he’s interviewed was the highlight of my day. My parents were also jealous that I got to sit in on such an influential political figurehead which made the gloating that much more enjoyable. It was a learning experience as well. Being the youngest crowd there Overheard gave insight to the class about the inner workings of political interviews, a process that had never been explained to us. more →
The Nelson Puett Foundation has just granted KLRU $20,000 to support the Inspiration Fund and Friends of Austin City Limits.
The Inspiration Fund is a mechanism to sustain comprehensive services at our station: local productions, outreach and education activities including Ready To Learn, Community Screenings, Community Cinema, Spark at The Moody Theater: KLRU’s Engaging Speaker Series, and more. Each of these elements frames KLRU as a trusted window to the world with universal access to educational and creative content in and beyond Austin.
Austin City Limits has presented audiences with the most diverse, original, cutting-edge talent that music has to offer for more than three decades. ACL airs nationally on 97% of the country’s PBS stations. In addition, select episodes are available to view online.
The Foundation’s investment in our mission will help bring pioneering programs, authentic engagement and meaningful acquisitions to the citizens of Central Texas. On behalf of all who will benefit, thank you!
This summer, we brought Vme to Austin in an effort to provide rich content and Spanish programming for Hispanics in Central Texas. Now, join KLRU and Vme as we celebrate Latinos’ contributions to American culture during Hispanic Heritage Month at Barton Creek Square Mall.
Enjoy a preview of Vme programming throughout the week and special festivities planned on select weekends beginning Saturday, Sept. 24, through Oct.15. Children and their families are invited to participate in several fun activities, including taking part in arts-and-crafts, learning new songs, meeting popular PBS characters, and joining in on puppet shows, face painting and balloon sculptures.
Schedule of Events
September 24th • 12:30pm-3:30pm
Join Vme and Mexic-Arte in creating Papel Picado, a traditional form of Mexican folk art that children can create and bring home.
September 25th • 1:00pm-2:30pm
Sing and learn Spanish words and songs through “Aprende Cantando” a 45-minute music class hosted by Heartsong Music. Two sessions will be available starting at 1:00pm and 1:45pm.
October 8th • 11:00am-3:00pm
Meet and greet the popular PBS characters Maya and Miguel.
October 15th • 12:00pm-2:00pm
Enjoy a bilingual puppet show, balloon sculpturing & more with Fonzie the Clown.
* All activities will take place at the ground level of Barton Creek Square Mall by the Macy’s entrance.
About Vme:
Vme is the newest Spanish-language addition to Austin’s KLRU lineup and features drama, sports, current affairs, documentary, food, educational preschool content and lifestyle programming. Austin viewers can watch Vme shows on KLRU channel 18.4 and Time Warner Cable channel 610.
KLRU has added the documentary Out in America to the June schedule. This program will air on Sunday, June 12, at 7pm.
Out in America is an uplifting collection of unique, transformative stories and inspiring personal narratives told through the lens of the country’s most prominent LGBT figures and pioneers, as well as many average, yet extraordinary, citizens from Gay, Lesbian, Bisexual and Transgender communities. The program weaves together diverse stories – from urban and rural America, from the heartland to New England, from San Francisco to Harlem. Deeply moving and often humorous, viewers will get a glimpse of awakenings, first crushes, unlikely soul mates, intimacy and liberation. While separated by circumstance and upbringing, the film’s subjects are all united in their shared experiences of self-discovery, coming out, pride and love as well as a triumph over adversity and a true sense of belonging. Against the backdrop of historical events, each also traces their own hopes, struggles, influences and contributions towards advancements in equality and broad social change.
Also airing is Montrose, Texas: The Transformation of a Neighborhood. This thirty-minute documentary airs at 8:30 pm Sunday and 10:30 p.m. Monday.
Houston Mayor Annise Parker shot into the national spotlight this year when she was elected the first openly GLBT mayor of a large city. Hers is one of the many voices featured in the documentary, Montrose, Texas: The Transformation of a Neighborhood. This program features community leaders Suzanne Anderson, Marion E. Coleman, John Danielson, Ray Hill, Jimmy Carper, Brandon Wolf, and City Council Member Sue Lovell, among others. Rare footage from The Gulf Coast Archive and Museum of GLBT History brings back fond memories.
Other shows airing as part of Gay & Lesbian Pride Month include:
Stonewall Uprising: American Experience airs Monday, June 13th at 8pm
Emile Norman—By His Own Design airs Monday, June 13th at 9:30 pm
Independent Lens “Two Spirits” airs Tuesday, June 14th at 9 pm Find out more these programs here
From Frontline:
In the aftermath of the killing of Osama bin Laden, FRONTLINE presents two inside views of the fight against al Qaeda and the Taliban.
First, Afghan journalist Najibullah Quraishi — who reported last year’s award-winning FRONTLINE film Behind Taliban Lines — once again journeys deep inside enemy territory. This time, he gains extraordinary access to a band of militants and foreign fighters in Afghanistan who say they’re loyal to bin Laden and are readying a Spring offensive against the U.S.
Then, FRONTLINE crosses the border into Pakistan, where correspondents Stephen Grey and Martin Smith go inside The Secret War against the militants. They uncover new details of a CIA “private army” of militiamen launching kill raids against al Qaeda and the Taliban inside Pakistan. They also find new evidence of covert support for elements of the Taliban by the Pakistani military and its intelligence service, the ISI. At a safe-house not far from where bin Laden was killed, they make contact with one mid-level Taliban commander who tells FRONTLINE, “If they really wanted to, [the Pakistanis] could arrest us all in an hour.”
“Fighting for Al Qaeda” airs tonight at 8pm on KLRU.
In Vine Talk, actor-writer-director Stanley Tucci leads a wine-tasting and a lively and engaging conversation among an eclectic group of celebrities and celebrity chefs. Vine Talk airs Tuesdays at 10:30 p.m. starting April 5. This ever-changing panel sniffs, swirls and sips wines while discussing wine, food and culture. Then, they blindly pick their favorite wine and compare their choice with that of the studio audience. Featured guests include: John Lithgow, Lidia Bastianich, Rosie Perez, Jennifer Coolidge, Julianne Moore, Steve Buscemi and the irrepressible Nathan Lane. Food & Wineexecutive wine editor Ray Isle, along with a rotating group of experienced sommeliers, take turns introducing the names, labels, origins and retail price-points of varietals, and answering celebrity and studio audience questions.
Join KLRU and other Downton Abbey fans as we preview the first hour of the second season of this beloved Masterpiece Classic series.
© 2013 KLRU-TV