10:55 premiere reel 13 repeats early repeats mon 24th, …
TRANSCRIPT
EVENING AND NIGHT10:55 PREMIERE Reel 13 Indies: “Frozen River” (2008) Two single mothers become smugglers along the Canadian border. REPEATS EARLY SUN 16TH,
2:20AM AND EARLY WED 19TH,
1AM.
9/16 EARLY SUNDAY AM12:25 Reel 13 Shorts REPEATS
EARLY SUN 16TH, 3:50AM. [R]
12:30 Reel 13 Classics SEE
SAT 15TH, 9:05PM. [R]
2:20 Reel 13 Indies SEE
SAT 15TH, 10:55PM. REPEATS
EARLY WED 19TH, 1AM. [R]
3:50 Reel 13 Shorts SEE EARLY
SUN 16TH, 12:25AM. [R]
3:55 Austin Film Festival: On Story [R]
4:25 Globe Trekker [R]
16 SUNDAY
6:00 PREMIERE Moyers & Company Conversations about life and American democracy, with Bill Moyers. REPEATS MON 17TH, 10PM AND
EARLY WED 19TH, 4:30AM.
7:00 Treasures of New York: “Lincoln Center With Patti LuPone” Tony winner Patti LuPone, a Juilliard graduate, hosts and narrates this documentary exploring the ambitious renovation and fascinating history of Lincoln Center. REPEATS
EARLY TUE 18TH, 3:30AM.
8:00 PREMIERE Broadway or Bust America’s top high school musical performers vie for the coveted Jimmy Awards. REPEATS EARLY
TUE 18TH, 2:30AM.
9:00 PREMIERE Masterpiece Mystery!: “Wallander, Series III—The Dogs of Riga” Two
dead Latvians are found aboard a raft adrift in Swedish waters. REPEATS
EARLY TUE 18TH, 1AM AND
EARLY SAT 22ND, 3:30AM.
10:30 American Masters: “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story” The Brothers Warner keep current with trends in the TV age, emerging with their reputation for hard-boiled content (Bonnie and Clyde, Dirty Harry) intact. (PARTS 4-6 OF 7)
9/17 EARLY MONDAY AM12:30 American Masters: “You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story”(PART 7 OF 7)
1:30 Independent Lens: “These Amazing Shadows” [R]
2:30 Independent Lens: “No Subtitles Necessary” [R]
4:00 Independent Lens: “Operation Filmmaker” [R]
17 MONDAY
5:30 BBC World News America6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider. 6:30 Nightly Business Report7:00 PBS NewsHour
8:00 PREMIERE Pioneers of THIRTEEN Celebrating THIRTEEN’s 50 years on the air, featuring such pioneers as Jac Venza (Great Performances), Susan Lacy (American Masters), Fred Kaufman (Nature), Joan Ganz Cooney (Sesame Street), THIRTEEN President Emeritus Bill Baker, PBS
President Paula Kerger, and others. REPEATS EARLY
MON 24TH, 12 MID.
10:00 Moyers & Company SEE SUN 16TH, 6PM. REPEATS
EARLY WED 19TH, 4:30AM. [R]
11:00 Charlie Rose REPEATS
TUE 18TH, 1:30PM.
9/18 EARLY TUESDAY AM12:00 Tavis Smiley REPEATS
TUE 18TH, 1PM.
12:30 One-on-One With Steve Adubato1:00 Masterpiece Mystery! SEE SUN 16TH, 9PM. REPEATS
EARLY SAT 22ND, 3:30AM.
2:30 Broadway or Bust SEE SUN 16TH, 8PM. [R]
3:30 Treasures of New York SEE SUN 16TH, 7PM. [R]
4:30 Nature [R]
18 TUESDAY
5:30 BBC World News America6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider. 6:30 Nightly Business Report7:00 PBS NewsHour8:00 PREMIERE Death and the Civil War: American Experience The staggering casualty lists of the Civil War compelled Americans to find ways of coping with death on an unimaginable scale. A Ric Burns film. REPEATS EARLY THU 20TH, 1AM.
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“TONIGHT YOU JOIN ME ON A GREAT
ADVENTURE,” legendary newscaster
Edward R. Murrow famously said dur-
ing THIRTEEN’s inaugural broadcast 50
years ago on September 16, 1962. With
the flip of a switch, the greater New York
region’s first public television station
was born, offering a relevant alternative
to commercial networks that would
set the gold standard for television for
decades to come.
Much has changed since that historic
first broadcast half a century ago, but our
mission remains the same. Our program-
ming is as inspiring and groundbreaking
as ever, and we continue our proud
tradition of providing exceptional com-
munity and educational services to the
New York metropolitan area.
And we’re looking forward to 50 more
glorious years!
Join us for a trip down memory lane
as we recall some of the most memo-
rable moments in THIRTEEN’s broadcast
history. Then visit our 50th Anniversary
Website (thirteen.org/50) for exclusive
content including interviews with
Dick Cavett and other “Pioneers of
THIRTEEN,” archival program footage—
and much more.
YEARS
CELEBRATING
“This instrument can teach. It can
illuminate...and it can even inspire.”
EDWARD R. MURROW
COURTESY OF CBS
6
sON SEPTEMBER 16, 1962 AT 7:30 P.M.,
Edward R. Murrow ushers in a brave
new era in television history when THIR-
TEEN goes on the air, debuting with the
call letters WNDT (“New Dimensions in
Television”). The French Chef (1963)
makes the irrepressible Julia Child a
household name, and the station airs
the first telephone call-in Pledge nights
(1965), as well as New York Television
Theater, featuring such noted actors
as Sada Thompson, Gene Hackman,
and James Earl Jones. Dustin Hoffman
makes his TV debut in Journey of the
Fifth Horse on NET Playhouse (1966),
which, along with Sunday Showcase,
sets the stage for offering the finest in
the performing arts.
Black Journal (1968) covers issues
of concern to the black community,
while Soul! features a weekly line-up
of top black entertainers and thought
leaders. Children’s educational tele-
vision takes center stage with the
premiere of Sesame Street (1969).
Also that year, The Forsyte Saga intro-
duces the mini-series to American audi-
ences and THIRTEEN’s long relationship
with documentarian Fred Wiseman
begins with Law and Order.
AS THIRTEEN’S POPULARITY GROWS
DURING THE 70S, producers are given
the freedom to experiment with the
boundaries of what public television
can be. Bill Moyers Journal (1971) de-
buts while Alistair Cooke begins his
long residence as host of Masterpiece
Theatre. That same year, the Emmy
Award-winning satire series The Great
American Dream Machine, featuring
special guests ranging from Jane Fonda
to Dalton Trumbo, is heralded as an
intellectual Laugh-In. Faye Dunaway
stars in the drama Hogan’s Goat on Great
Performances (1972), and “C’mon and
zoom!” becomes a mantra for millions of
youngsters who tune in to the new kids
series Zoom. Viewers witness real-life
drama being played out on the cinéma
vérité series An American Family (1973),
and coverage of the Watergate hearings
produces an outpouring of 25,000
member contributions. Also in 1973,
THIRTEEN presents the first college
course, Man and Environment, offered
for credit on television in New Jersey.
The Adams Chronicles (1976) wins four
Emmy Awards and a Peabody Award,
and Dance in America becomes the first
long-running television program in the
United States devoted entirely to dance.
WELCOME TO THE 60S THE 70S: BOLD & FEARLESS
Watergate Hearings (1973): Gavel-to-gavel coverage of the political scandal.
An American Family (1973): Private lives, public television: at home with the Loud family of Santa Barbara, California.
Black Journal (1968): The weekly public affairs series from producer Tony Brown featured such high-profile guests as actress Lena Horne.
Sesame Street (1969):
A revolutionary concept: TV can
teach children.
The French Chef (1963): With Julia Child.
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DURING THE 80S, THIRTEEN emerges
as a major producer of arts, public affairs,
and historical series, significantly influ-
encing PBS’ national schedule. Nature
(1982) debuts with The Flight of the Con-
dor, and Celeste Holm stars in The Shady
Hill Kidnapping, the series premiere of
American Playhouse. Also that year,
Brideshead Revisited garners critical and
popular acclaim, and Ken Burns begins
his illustrious career with Brooklyn Bridge.
The MacNeil/Lehrer NewsHour (1983) be-
comes the first hour-long nightly national
news program, while The Brain (1984),
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews, and
Adam Smith’s Money World offer equally
substantial food for thought. American
Masters (1986) presents revealing por-
traits of Charlie Chaplin, Billie Holliday,
and Aaron Copland, among others, while
Robert MacNeil takes viewers on a pro-
found linguistic journey in The Story
of English. Joseph Campbell and the
Power of Myth With Bill Moyers (1988)
inspires millions of viewers with re-
flections on spirituality and human
existence. THIRTEEN undertakes the
largest opera telecast in American
history with Wagner’s Ring Cycle when
The Metropolitan Opera Presents (1989)
makes its magnificent debut. The National
Teaching Training Institute is also launched
that year, providing educators with ideas,
strategies, and resources for bringing
technology into the classroom.
WITH THE ADVENT of new technologies
and a faultering economy, THIRTEEN
focuses on what it does best: diversity,
community, and experimentation. THIR-
TEEN makes television history once again
with the first Three Tenors concert (1990)
and the debut of Charlie Rose (1991).
Also in 1991, THIRTEEN becomes the
first public television station to air GED
en Español. Ken Burns hits a home run
with Baseball (1994) and on American
Playhouse, Armistead Maupin's Tales of
the City is one of the most talked-about
series of the year. Thirteen Online (1995)
hits the Web, City Arts showcases the
cultural diversity of the city, and Robin
Williams, Debra Winger, and other stars
bond with the animal kingdom in the
Nature miniseries In the Wild. Musical
milestones include Marsalis on Music
(1995) and the Great Performances special
Itzhak Perlman: In the Fiddler’s House
(1996). Religion & Ethics NewsWeekly
(1997) premieres, while David Hartman
and historian Barry Lewis introduce the
popular Walking Tours series with A Walk
Down 42nd Street (1998). Also in 1998,
12 million people tune in to Moyers on
Addiction: Close to Home and Savage Earth
rocks the world with its exploration of
earthquakes, tsunamis, and volcanoes. Ric
Burns’ epic New York (1999) series makes
headlines with its dazzling history of the
city that never sleeps.
THE 80S: THE CULTURAL CAPITAL
THE 90S: THE CHANGING LANDSCAPE
Tales of the City (1994): Olympia Dukakis, eccentric landlady of 28 Barbary Lane.
A Walk Down 42nd Street (1998):
Gotham uncovered, with David Hartman
and Barry Lewis.
Brideshead Revisited (1982): Addictive British drama, with Laurence Olivier and other acting giants.
Shining Time Station (1989): Ringo Starr rocks in the popular
children’s series.
Brooklyn Bridge (1982): Ken Burns’ first
film for public television. C
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COURTESY OF SUZANNE TENNER
21ST CENTURY UNLIMITED: 2000 TO THE PRESENT
ALSO THAT YEAR, Harvard scholar Henry
Louis Gates, Jr. debuts African American
Lives, and The Celebration of Teaching &
Learning brings educators from across the
country together for a weekend of inspira-
tion. New York Goes to War (2007) and
New York War Stories,THIRTEEN’S compan-
ion series to Ken Burns’ The War, feature
viewer-submitted narratives and videos.
THIRTEEN creates local programs Reel
13 (2008) and SundayArts, unique on-
air/online showcases. The Tisch WNET
Studios at Lincoln Center (2010) open at
66th Street and Broadway, stars shine in
Sondheim: The Birthday Concert on Great
Performances, and American Masters
presents Lennon NYC, a valentine to
the former Beatle and the city he loved.
The Masterpiece miniseries Downton
Abbey attracts millions of enthusiastic
fans worldwide, Women War & Peace
(2011) recounts stories of Nobel Peace
Prize winner Leymah Gbowee and other
activists. Lincoln Center With Patti LuPone
debuts the Treasures of New York series.
Bear expert Chris Morgan hosts Bears of
the Last Frontier on Nature, and My Life
as a Turkey is one of the highlights of the
series' 30th anniversary season. Online
series Mission US and Oh Noah! help kids
learn history and foreign language skills.
MetroFocus launches online and evolves
in 2012 with broadcasts and a mobile app.
SundayArts moves to primetime and be-
comes NYC-ARTS, with a comprehensive
new website and app. Bill Moyers returns
with Moyers & Company, and American
Masters breaks ratings records with Johnny
Carson King of Late Night.
Learn more about THIRTEEN’s 50th
anniversary at thirteen.org/50.
THE NEW MILLENNIUM BEGINS on a
high note with the premieres of EGG the
arts show (2000) and The 1900 House,
THIRTEEN’s first "hands-on history" series.
Stage on Screen delivers the best of Broad-
way with The Man Who Came to Dinner
starring Nathan Lane, and Ken Burns’
10-part Jazz (2001) series premieres.
On July 11, 2001, THIRTEEN begins
transmission of its digital broadcast signal
from the World Trade Center. On July 31,
the merger of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 is
announced. Two months later, THIRTEEN’s
digital and broadcast antennas are
destroyed in the terrorist attacks on the
World Trade Center.
Shortly after the attacks, THIRTEEN
resumes broadcasting from a back-up
tower in New Jersey and airs programs
designed to help viewers understand and
cope, including New York Voices, hosted
by Rafael Pi Roman.
A new year brings new milestones
as the animated children’s math series
Cyberchase (2002) launches to great ac-
claim. Other premieres include Wide Angle,
NOW With Bill Moyers, and Frontier House.
Julie Andrews hosts Broadway: The Ameri-
can Musical (2004), and Martin Scorsese
directs a Peabody Award-winning portrait
of Bob Dylan (2006) for American Masters.
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Women, War & Peace (2011): Courageous
women, inspiring stories.
Woody Allen: A Docu-mentary (2011): Smile, you’re on American Masters.
Silence of the Bees (2007): Nature's Peabody Award-winning film on the honeybee crisis.
MICHAEL ANGELO FOR WONDERLAND
COURTESY OF WHITNEY JOHNSON - © EBC 2007
©MGM/BRIAN HAMILL
The Tisch WNET Studios at Lincoln
Center (2010): The site of NYC-ARTS
tapings and more.
The 1900 House (2000): Modern family, Victorian house.
Faces of America (2010): Henry Louis Gates, Jr.’s genealogy series, with Stephen Colbert (left) and other renowned Americans.
10:00 Frontline Episode TBA11:00 Charlie Rose REPEATS
WED 19TH, 1:30PM.
9/19 EARLY WEDNESDAY AM12:00 Tavis Smiley REPEATS
WED 19TH, 1PM.
12:30 One-on-One With Steve Adubato1:00 Reel 13 Indies SEE
SAT 15TH, 10:55PM. [R]
4:30 Moyers & Company SEE SUN 16TH, 6PM. [R]
19 WEDNESDAY
5:30 BBC World News America6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider. 6:30 Nightly Business Report7:00 PBS NewsHour8:00 Nature: “Outback Pelicans” Every 10 years, rains fill the largest lake in Australia, and 100,000 pelicans arrive to breed. REPEATS EARLY FRI 21ST, 1AM;
EARLY MON 24TH, 4AM; AND
EARLY FRI 28TH, 4:30AM.
9:00 NOVA: “Making Stuff Stronger” Is the world’s strongest material steel, spider silk, or carbon nanotubes? REPEATS EARLY
FRI 21ST, 2AM.
10:00 NOVA: “Making Stuff Smaller” Host David Pogue reveals the latest in high-powered nano-circuits and micro-robot technology. REPEATS EARLY FRI 21ST, 3AM.
11:00 Charlie Rose REPEATS
THU 20TH, 1:30PM.
9/20 EARLY THURSDAY AM12:00 Tavis Smiley REPEATS
THU 20TH, 1PM.
12:30 One-on-One With Steve Adubato
1:00 Death and the Civil War: American Experience SEE TUE 18TH, 8PM. [R]
3:00 Frontline Episode TBA4:00 Independent Lens [R]
5:00 Equitrekking Adventures [R]
20 THURSDAY
5:30 BBC World News America6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider. 6:30 Nightly Business Report7:00 PBS NewsHour
8:00 PREMIERE NYC-ARTS New York arts and culture with Philippe de Montebello and Paula Zahn. REPEATS SUN 23RD,
12 NOON.
8:30 PREMIERE MetroFocus News, culture and life in and around New York. 9:00 Masterpiece Mystery!: “Sherlock: A Study in Pink” A woman dressed all in pink is found dead in an abandoned building. RE-
PEATS EARLY SAT 22ND, 2AM.
10:30 PREMIERE In the Life The acclaimed LGBT newsmagazine. REPEATS
EARLY MON 24TH, 5AM.
11:00 Charlie Rose REPEATS
FRI 21ST, 1:30PM.
9/21 EARLY FRIDAY AM12:00 Tavis Smiley REPEATS
FRI 21ST, 1PM.
12:30 One-on-One With Steve Adubato1:00 Nature SEE WED 19TH,
8PM. REPEATS EARLY
MON 24TH, 4AM AND EARLY
FRI 28TH, 4:30AM. [R]
2:00 NOVA SEE WED 19TH,
9PM. [R]
3:00 NOVA SEE WED 19TH,
10PM. [R]
4:00 World Peace and Other 4th Grade Achievements5:00 Equitrekking Adventures [R]
21 FRIDAY
5:30 BBC World News America6:00 NJ Today With Mike Schneider. 6:30 Nightly Business Report7:00 PBS NewsHour8:00 Washington Week REPEATS SAT 22ND, 9AM.
8:30 PREMIERE Need to Know With Jeff Greenfield, Maria Hinojosa, Scott Simon, and Ray Suarez. REPEATS
SAT 22ND, 9:30AM.
9:00 PREMIERE From Dust to Dreams: Opening Night at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts Neil Patrick Harris hosts Opening Night at the Smith Center for the Performing Arts in Las Vegas. With Jennifer Hudson, Willie Nelson, Martina McBride, Joshua Bell, and others. REPEATS SUN 23RD,
12:30PM. AND EARLY MON 24TH,
2AM.
11:00 Charlie Rose REPEATS
MON 24TH, 1:30PM.
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OUR THANKS!
I HOPE THIS LOOK at our first 50 years
has brought back some of your fondest
THIRTEEN memories. THIRTEEN has made
a remarkable impact on television and
New York during its five decades on the
air, and we truly couldn’t have embarked
on this “great adventure” without you.
Our members are the heart and soul of
THIRTEEN, and your continued support
makes it possible for us to bring you quality
content that inspires, educates, changes
lives, and serves our community.
So whether you’re a new member or some-
one who has been a part of the THIRTEEN
family since we first went on the air in 1962,
thank you for being a champion of public
media. We’re excited to see the possibili-
ties the next 50 years present and look
forward to sharing more great adventures
with you.
NEAL SHAPIRO, President and CEO of WNET
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