Program Highlights

Michiana's Public Television. Television worthy of your trust

WNIT Local Productions

DINNER AND A BOOK continues on Saturdays at 10:30am with repeats on Tuesdays at 5:30pm (except December 6).
OUTDOOR ELEMENTS airs on Sundays at 7:30pm with repeats on Wednesdays at 5:30pm and Sundays at 9:30am
ECONOMIC OUTLOOK is seen on Fridays at 8:30pm with repeats on Sundays at 12:30pm and Mondays at 5:30pm (except December 5).
ASK AN EXPERT will return in January
POLITICALLY SPEAKING will return in January.

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DECEMBER 2008 LISTINGS

CELTIC WOMAN: THE GREATEST JOURNEY - HOLIDAY SPECIAL

Monday, December 1, 8pm

Celtic Woman remains a major force in the contemporary music landscape, with three hit PBS specials, more than three million CDs and DVDs sold in the U.S., numerous chart-toppers and concerts before more than 800,000 fans in the U.S. alone. This essential collection of beloved and memorable songs features vocalists Lisa, Chloë, Órla, Méav and Hayley and fiddler Máiréad.

ROY ORBISON & FRIENDS: A BLACK AND WHITE NIGHT

Tuesday, December 2, 9:30pm

Filmed in black and white against the streamlined art deco stage of the since-demolished Cocoanut Grove in downtown Los Angeles, this triumphant performance for Roy Orbison is buoyed by a remarkable cast of "A-list" Orbison fans who signed on as his accompanists. Under the direction of T-Bone Burnett, the stage band includes Jackson Browne, Burnett, Elvis Costello, k.d. lang, Bonnie Raitt, J.D. Souther, Bruce Springsteen, Tom Waits and Jennifer Warnes, along with the rhythm section from Elvis Presley's fabled late 60s and early 70s touring band.

MY MUSIC: LOVE SONGS OF THE 50S AND 60S

Wednesday, December 3, 8pm

The 50s and 60s pop era meets early doo wop in this new MY MUSIC special. The cross-over pop and R&B special includes never-before-seen performances with archival favorites of the pre-Beatles era. Performers include the Penguins, Lenny Coco & the Chimes, the Tymes, the Clovers, Fred Paris and the Four Aces. Also featured are archival favorites from Doris Day, Johnny Ray, Perry Como and many more of the 50s pop and early doo wop eras.

YANNI VOICES

Wednesday, December 3, 9:30pm

Popular performer Yanni and four young vocalists - Nathan Pacheco, Chloe, Ender Thomas and Leslie Mills - combine talents to offer an evening of new compositions and Yanni classics. The program features a behind-the-scenes preview of the music from the new CD, Yanni: Voices, and the upcoming concert tour.

BRAIN FITNESS 2: SIGHT AND SOUND

Thursday, December 4, 8pm

This program, specifically designed to help people get the most from their vision and hearing as they age, considers how these senses change throughout life and what people can do to keep them healthy and fully functional.

LOVE TRAIN: THE SOUND OF PHILADELPHIA, PART 1

Friday, December 5, 9:30pm

This dynamic special captures the live power of one of the most popular styles of music, featuring some of the recognizable songs ever written. The first of a two-part program chronicles the "sound" that put Philadelphia's music on the international map, and features many of the beloved original artists who created it, including the O'Jays, Harold Melvin's Bluenotes, Russell Thompkins and the New Stylistics, Jerry Butler, the Intruders, the Soul Survivors, the Delphonics, the Three Degrees, Bunny Sigler and Jean Carne, as well as the 28-piece TSOP Orchestra. The programs were filmed in June 2008 at the Borgata Hotel and Casino in Atlantic City. In HD where available

VICTOR BORGE: 100 YEARS OF MUSIC & LAUGHTER!

Saturday, December 6, 5pm

This unparalleled collection of Victor Borge's funniest and most memorable skits contains such classic comedy bits as the timeless "Phonetic Punctuation," "Inflationary Language," "Autumn Leaves" with Robert Merrill, "The Opera Singer" with Marylyn Mulvey and more. Rare archival footage from the Borge family vault enhances this memorable retrospective. Rita Rudner narrates.

THE BOOMER CENTURY 1946-2046

Monday, December 8, 9pm

Baby Boomers have redefined every stage of life they have passed through, and will continue to re-write the rules as they enter the second half of their lives. This two-hour special follows a generation through the idyllic 1950s to the present as they develop a unique personality and continue to dominate every aspect of American culture. Psychologist/gerontologist/best-selling author Ken Dychtwald hosts.

NOVA

Tuesdays, 8pm

PBS' premier science series helps viewers of all ages explore the science behind the headlines. Along the way, NOVA programs demystify science and technology and highlight the people involved in scientific pursuits.

December 9 - "The Last Great Ape"

Deep in the Congo lives a little-studied group of apes called the bonobos. Like chimpanzees, bonobos are among humans' closest relatives. But unlike chimps, known for their violent behavior, bonobos are far more peaceful, even matriarchal. They embrace their neighbors and resolve conflict in an unusual way - by having sex. Much like humans, bonobos have sex not just to procreate, but for pleasure as well. The discovery of these more gentle ape traits has fascinated scientists and led them to question our origins and the roots of human nature as a whole. But in 1997, just as research on these elusive apes was getting off the ground, civil war broke out in the Congo. Bonobo researchers were forced to evacuate immediately, leaving behind the astonishing apes they were studying. Now, years later, NOVA returns to the Congo with veteran bonobo researchers who are worried that war and the bush meat industry may have decimated the bonobo population. What they find gives them hope for the future of the species. The program tells the intimate, emotional story of these amazing apes, detailing their survival and the experiences of the scientists who have followed them so closely for so long.

December 16 - "Pocahontas Revealed"

On May 13, 1607, three English sailing vessels drop anchor beside a small island fringed by swamps in the James River, Virginia. On board are 104 colonists who will establish the first successful English settlement in the New World at Jamestown. The exploits of the brash, swashbuckling John Smith, the wily, venerable chief Powhatan and his infatuated daughter, Pocahontas, will be recited, retold and embroidered until they gather the status of an epic founding myth of the new nation. Now, on the 400th anniversary of Jamestown, science is revealing the truth behind the myth - a saga of unparalleled adventure, greed and savagery. Virginia archaeologists have just discovered the site of Chief Powhatan's capital, Werowocomoco, some 17 miles from Jamestown beside the York River. This is the very spot where the captive John Smith had his famous life-and-death encounter with the mighty chief, when (so the story goes) the smitten Pocahontas begged her father to spare the Englishman's neck. NOVA has covered the excavation of this unique site for four years and for the first time reveals the Native-American side of the Jamestown story. The evidence from Werowocomoco provides a fascinating new perspective on the colonists' inevitably one-sided accounts of their sometime allies and adversaries. In HD where available.

December 23 - "Absolute Zero 'The Conquest of Cold'/'The Race for Absolute Zero'"

The two-part special "Absolute Zero" presents the epic story of humanity's struggle to master extreme cold. This NOVA special re-creates groundbreaking discoveries across four centuries that expanded our knowledge of low temperatures and led ultimately to today's cutting edge "cold technologies." Its memorable characters range from a 17th-century court magician who rigged a primitive form of air conditioning in Westminster Abbey to the original Captain Birdseye, who invented frozen food. For the first time on television, this program tells the gripping story of the decades-long scientific race between two leading chemists to liquefy helium and nitrogen, which opened the door to the modern era of refrigeration and modern air conditioning. The final chapter climaxes in a recent Nobel-winning breakthrough, the production of a new form of matter that Albert Einstein predicted would exist within a few billionths of a degree above absolute zero. In HD where available.

December 30 - "Is There Life on Mars?"

More than four years after they landed on Mars, NASA's twin robot explorers, Spirit and Opportunity, have lasted 16 times longer and driven 20 times farther than expected. Along the way, they've endured the worst Martian storm ever recorded and survived near-fatal software glitches, a broken wheel and hair-raising climbs and descents on steep slopes. And since May 25, 2008, they've had new company on the red planet: NASA's Phoenix probe, which dramatically "tasted" water ice on the planet in July. NOVA "Is There Life on Mars?" showcases the latest scientific results from the rovers and Phoenix , which are poised to reveal provocative new clues in the tantalizing search for water and life on the Red Planet. In HD where available.

EMPERORS OF THE ICE

Wednesday, December 10, 8pm

In the windswept, hostile environment of Antarctica, National Geographic's Crittercam* team and Doctors Jerry Kooyman and Paul Ponganis of the Scripps Institution of Oceanography embark on a spectacular adventure of science and survival. Using Crittercam technology, they hitch a ride with the majestic emperor penguin to go places only penguins have gone before - under the massive Ross Ice Shelf.

*Crittercam - a revolutionary animal-borne research tool that records images, sound and data from an animal's perspective - allows researchers, scientists and filmmakers to gather data about behavior and habitats that humans cannot otherwise observe.

P.O.V.

Wednesday, December 10, 9pm

Celebrating its 21st season on PBS, the award-winning P.O.V. series is the longest-running showcase on television to feature the work of America's best contemporary-issue independent filmmakers. Honored with a 2007 Special News & Documentary Emmy Award for Excellence in Television Documentary Filmmaking, P.O.V. has brought more than 250 films to millions nationwide, and hosts a Webby Award-winning online series, P.O.V.'s Borders. Since 1988, P.O.V. has pioneered the art of presentation and outreach using independent nonfiction media to build new communities in conversation about today's most pressing social issues.

"Inheritance"

Imagine watching Schindler's List and knowing the sadistic Nazi camp commandant played by Ralph Fiennes was your father. "Inheritance" is the story of Monika Hertwig, the daughter of mass murderer Amon Goeth. Hertwig has spent her life in the shadow of her father's sins, trying to come to terms with her "inheritance." She seeks out Helen Jonas-Rosenzweig, who was enslaved by Goeth and who is one of the few living eyewitnesses to his unspeakable brutality. The women's raw, emotional meeting unearths terrible truths and lingering questions about how the actions of parents can continue to ripple through generations.

NATURE

Sundays, 8pm

For 26 years, NATURE has been the benchmark of natural history programs on television, capturing the splendors of the natural world from the African plains to the Antarctic ice. The series has won more than 450 honors from the television industry, parent groups, the international wildlife film community and environmental organizations, including 10 Emmys, three Peabodys and the first award given to a television program by the Sierra Club.

December 14 - "Chimpanzees: An Unnatural History"

Thousands of our closest living relatives have lived among us for well over a century, many in solitary confinement. We've dressed and trained them to be like humans, sent them into space and infected them with diseases. An entire population of these captive chimpanzees has been left behind by science, entertainment and the pet trade, their care neglected, their stories forgotten, their records lost. Today, a few dedicated individuals are working hard to give these long-suffering creatures the freedom and sanctuary they so richly deserve.

December 21 - "Christmas in Yellowstone"

As snow falls and Christmas lights glow in Jackson Hole, a holiday season of a different sort settles in just beyond the town, in the great winter world of Yellowstone. Breathtaking landscapes frame intimate scenes of wolves and coyotes, elk and bison, bears and otters as they make their way through their most challenging season of the year. NATURE journeys in the footsteps of the men who first explored the park, and travels with their modern-day counterpart on his own journey of discovery. From the unique crystals of individual snowflakes to the grand sweep of Yellowstone's Hayden Valley, this is a Christmas like no other. In HD where available.

December 28 - "Unforgettable Elephants"

Wildlife cameraman and elephant expert Martyn Colbeck has filmed African elephants for 15 years, learning to anticipate their every move as he follows them across plains and deserts and into jungles. He shares his spectacular footage and unique insights about these unforgettable elephants, including his conviction that they are just as intelligent as the higher primates.

A RENAISSANCE CHRISTMAS

Thursday, December 11, 10pm

Rich in emotion and detail, the Christmas story has inspired centuries of beautiful music. Chicago's celebrated Music of the Baroque Chorus and Brass celebrates the soaring sounds of the holiday season. Joyful carols, solemn chants and vibrant works for brass create a pageant of sound as voices rise to the rafters and bells ring out in the exquisite Chapel of the Holy Spirit. The elegant concert includes both Renaissance and Baroque pieces for chorus and brass. In HD where available.

GREAT PERFORMANCES

Wednesday, December 17, 8pm

Entering its 36th season on PBS, GREAT PERFORMANCES and its sub-series "Dance in America" have guaranteed a national primetime television audience the finest in the performing arts with a diverse range of cultural programming. Regardless of geographic or economic limitations, GREAT PERFORMANCES insures America's national television audience "the best seats in the house" and continues to serve as one of the nation's premiere performing arts institutions.

"Dance in America: San Francisco Ballet's Nutcracker"

Since The Nutcracker's first production in St. Petersburg more than a century ago, its charming story, dazzling choreography and magnificent Tchaikovsky score have combined to make it one of the most popular and enduring ballets the world over. Surprisingly, the ballet did not receive its first full-length production in America until 1944 with the San Francisco Ballet. GREAT PERFORMANCES partners with SFB and KQED San Francisco to bring the company's current production to television. With its setting transposed to San Francisco's 1915 Pan-Pacific Exposition, SFB artistic director Helgi Tomasson's production features dazzling new sets by Michael Yeargan and opulent costumes by Martin Pakledinaz.

L.A. HOLIDAY CELEBRATION 2008

Wednesday, December 17, 10pm and December 24, 10pm

This program is a highlight version of the six-hour Los Angeles County Holiday Celebration that took place in the Dorothy Chandler Pavilion of the Music Center on Christmas Eve 2007. The Los Angeles County Board of Supervisors has sponsored an admission-free holiday-themed show as a gift to the people of the county every December 24 since 1960. Attendance has become a seasonal tradition for many Angelenos. The 1,000-1,500 performers participating in the show each year represent the many cultures and holiday traditions found in the county.

FAITH HILL, JOY TO THE WORLD: A SOUNDSTAGE SPECIAL EVENT

Thursday, December 18, 10pm

Faith Hill, backed by an orchestra led by esteemed conductor David Campbell, sings favorites from her upcoming holiday album, Joy to the World, a collection of standards amped up with challenging vocals and ambitious melodic structure. This SOUNDSTAGE special features booming orchestral arrangements on the title track, "Joy to the World," and swinging, big-band versions of more lighthearted fare such as "Santa Claus Is Coming to Town" and "Holly, Jolly Christmas." A choir joins Hill and the orchestra on more spiritual songs such as "O Come All Ye Faithful," "Silent Night" and "A Baby Changes Everything." The program was taped over two nights at the Chicago-area Sears Centre Arena.

CHRISTMAS AT LUTHER: NIGHT OF GLORY, DAWN OF PEACE

Monday, December 22, 10pm and Wednesday, December 24, 9pm

Breathtaking music, glowing candlelight and the robed choristers of Luther College capture the wonder and joy of the holiday season in a new special. For the past 27 years, Luther College has been sharing the gift of music with audiences far and near through televised performances. This year's special features performances by six choirs, the symphony orchestra, organ, hand bell choir, Christmas Brass and Percussion Ensemble; caroling; and the signature lighting of candles that encircle the audience in light. Luther's music program is internationally renowned for its tradition of excellence. Nearly 9,000 audience members experience live performances at Luther each year in the college's 1,700-seat performance hall.

CHRISTMAS WITH THE MORMON TABERNACLE CHOIR FEATURING THE KING'S SINGERS

Wednesday, December 24, 8pm

The King's Singers - England's premier vocal choral ensemble - join the renowned Mormon Tabernacle Choir and Orchestra at Temple Square in a magnificent Christmas celebration featuring some of the season's most beloved songs. The King's Singers have been delighting audiences around the world with their charm, wit and incomparable musicianship for more than 40 years. Selections by the King's Singers include "O Holy Night," "Sussex Carol," "The Little Drummer Boy" and a spectacular staging of "The Twelve Days of Christmas." Other numbers with the choir include "The First Nowell," "Deck the Hall With Boughs of Holly" and "Angels, From the Realms of Glory."

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER

Wednesday, December 31, 8:00pm

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER makes the world's greatest artists accessible to home viewers in virtually every corner of the United States. It remains the only series of regularly scheduled live broadcast performances on American television today.

"New York Philharmonic New Year's Eve Gala Concert"

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER makes the world's greatest artists accessible to home viewers in virtually every corner of the United States. In this program, the New York Philharmonic ushers in 2009 with tenor Rolando Villazon.