WNIT PUBLIC TELEVISION

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.
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.
OPEN STUDIO: Living Michiana is no longer being produced.
MICHIANA SPEAKS is no longer being produced.
ASK AN EXPERT will return in the Fall
POLITICALLY SPEAKING airs on Sundays at 2:00pm

SEPTEMBER 2008 LISTINGS

PBS CONVENTION COVERAGE - A NEWSHOUR SPECIAL REPORT

Monday-Thursday, September 1-4, 8pm

"Republican Convention"

Live coverage of the Republican Convention from St. Paul, Minnesota, from THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER. In HD where available.

THAT'S AMORE: ITALIAN-AMERICAN FAVORITES

Saturday, September 6, 7pm

This special brings together archival performances from some of America's most loved Italian-American singers and classic Italian-American pop songs from the 1950s and 60s. The program features original recordings from Perry Como, Julius LaRosa, Frankie Laine, Eddie Fisher and more. Danny Aiello (Academy Award nominee for Do the Right Thing) hosts.

ANDRE RIEU: LIVE IN VIENNA

Sunday, September 7, 7pm

Andre Rieu and the Johann Strauss Orchestra and Choir perform on the square in front of the Hofburg Palace in the heart of Vienna. The concert includes compositions by famous Viennese composers Johann Strauss, Franz Lehar, Emmerich Kalman, W.A. Mozart, Robert Stolz and others. Joining the musicians are the Ballet of Vienna State Opera, the Vienna debutantes from the Elmayer Dance School, the Platinum Tenors and sopranos Carmen Monarcha, Carla Maffioletti, Mirusia Louwerse and Suzan Erens.

PRIDE & PASSION: THE ITALIANS IN AMERICA

Thursday, September 11, 8pm

Actor Tony Lo Bianco narrates this new television special, a comprehensive and entertaining history of the Italian people in the United States. The program details the many major contributions the Italian people have made to this country and, indeed, the world. The program begins with "Growing Up Italian" (an eight-minute segment that has gotten close to half-a-million hits on YouTube), then proceeds to examine the many accomplishments of the Italian-American people in numerous areas of endeavor.

THE 60S LIVE! - MY GENERATION, MY MUSIC

Saturday, September 13, 8pm

The MY MUSIC series presents an extra-special three-hour event focusing on the hit-making artists from the second half of the 1960s. This treasure-trove of essential folk-rock, rhythm and blues and pop classics is hosted by Michelle Phillips of the Mamas and the Papas. Live from San Francisco.

HISTORY DETECTIVES

Mondays, continuing through September 15, 9pm

America's top gumshoes are back for a sixth season to prove once again that an object found in an attic or backyard might be anything but ordinary. Wesley Cowan, independent appraiser and auctioneer; Gwendolyn Wright, professor of architecture, Columbia University; Elyse Luray, independent appraiser and expert in art history; and Tukufu Zuberi, professor of sociology and the director of the Center for Africana Studies at the University of Pennsylvania leave no stone unturned as they travel around the country to explore the stories behind local folklore, prominent figures and family legends.

Preempted September 1 and 8

September 15 - Episode #610

Blueprint Special - A WWII veteran from Chico, California, owns a unique souvenir from his time as a young GI. While stationed at Fort Dix, New Jersey, he picked up a 16-inch acetate recording of a promo for a soldier musical called "Hi Yank." The recording starts with a director's introduction, explaining that the musical is a "blueprint special" created by GIs for GIs to be performed anywhere in the world. The contributor has heard of USO shows, but never a "blueprint special" musical. Could this recording be a piece of forgotten history? In Washington, DC, and Virginia, HISTORY DETECTIVES host Elyse Luray meets with U.S. Army archivists and historians to discuss the military's efforts to boost morale and instill a sense of patriotism as the U.S. entered WWII.

Monroe Letter - A Florida woman recently inherited a family mystery. In her late mother's belongings, she stumbled on a framed letter allegedly penned by future President James Monroe in 1807. The contributor has recognized a family name "Manwaring" scrawled near the date, and believes the letter references a monetary debt the financially unstable U.S. government owed the Manwaring family. The document leads HISTORY DETECTIVES to a tale of terror on the high seas, when American merchant ships were stalked by Britain, their cargo pillaged and their crews forced into the British Navy. Young America was desperate to avoid war, and James Monroe, then Minister to Britain, attempted to mediate with his pen. In Newport, Rhode Island, and Charlottesville and Fredricksburg, Virginia, host Gwendolyn Wright tracks a conflict that nearly bankrupted America.

Atocha Spanish Silver - In 1985, one of the greatest treasure discoveries was made off the Florida Keys when the wreck of the Spanish ship Atocha was found. On board were some 40 tons of silver and gold, which in 1622 had been heading from the New World to the Spanish treasury as the means to fund the Thirty Years' War. A man from Cedartown, Georgia, was a diver on that legendary find and received two silver bars as compensation for his efforts. He's long been mystified by a strange mark that appears on one of the bars - but the mark is mysteriously absent from the other bar. In Key West, HISTORY DETECTIVES host Tukufu Zuberi translates 300-year-old documents from the archives of the Spanish treasury in Seville to crack a unique code of communication among ship captains of that era.

WHERE WE STAND: AMERICA'S SCHOOLS IN THE 21ST CENTURY

Monday, September 15, 10pm

WHERE WE STAND: AMERICA'S SCHOOLS IN THE 21ST CENTURY presents a frank evaluation of America's educational system's strengths and weaknesses. Hosted by Judy Woodruff, senior correspondent for THE NEWSHOUR WITH JIM LEHRER, the documentary visits schools throughout Ohio, an important swing state that represents a range of socioeconomic and geographic school districts. The program features schools in urban Cincinnati, suburban Columbus and rural Belpre. In HD where available.

NOVA

Tuesdays, 8pm (preempted September 2 and 9)

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.

September 16 - "Einstein's Big Idea"

Everybody's heard of it, but what does the world's most famous equation, E=mc2, really mean? NOVA dramatizes the stories of the men and women whose innovative thinking across four centuries led finally to Einstein's bold breakthrough. Based on David Bodanis' bestseller, E=mc2, "Einstein's Big Idea" celebrates the ingenuity and chronicles the human conflicts that ultimately unleashed the power of the atom, helping viewers gain a better understanding of the equation by tracking its history and the myriad ways it has changed the world. This engrossing docudrama brims with stories of triumph and failure, love and politics, bitter rivalries and revenge, all drawn from the lives and times of the scientists who intersected with the equation. Ultimately, "Einstein's Big Idea" is the story of young, ambitious scientists caught up by the huge forces of nature they seek to understand. The film stars Aidan McArdle (Not Only But Also, Ella Enchanted) as Einstein, Shirley Henderson (Harry Potter and Bridget Jones franchises) as his wife, Mileva, and Emily Woof (Oliver Twist, The Woodlanders) as Lise Meitner. In HD where available.

September 23 - "Monster of the Milky Way"

Astronomers are closing in on the proof they've sought for years that one of the most destructive objects in the universe - a supermassive black hole - is lurking right in the center of our own galaxy. Could it flare up and devour our entire galactic neighborhood? NOVA mounts a mind-bending investigation into one of the most bizarre corners of cosmological science: the truth about black holes. From supernova to event horizon, the dark secrets of supermassive black holes are revealed through stunning computer-generated imagery, including an extraordinary simulation of what it might look like to fall into the belly of such a beast. In HD where available.

September 30 - "Sputnik Declassified"

The world changed on October 4, 1957, when the U.S. public heard the shocking news that the Soviet Union had successfully launched the first satellite, Sputnik I. Why didn't the U.S. beat the Soviets in this first crucial round of the space race? NOVA reveals an astonishing behind-the-scenes story of the politics and personalities that collided over the earliest efforts to get America into space long before the founding of NASA. Anticommunist witch-hunts drove some of the nation's most talented rocketry pioneers out of the country even as we welcomed Wernher von Braun and his former Nazi colleagues. With help from Walt Disney, von Braun's vision of future space travel swiftly captivated U.S. TV watchers. But even as he became the first media star of the space age, von Braun's attempts to build space probes were hobbled by inter-service rivalries. NOVA details the previously untold story of the technological and political missteps that made the U.S. lose out to the Soviets' bleeping electronic basketball.

LIVE FROM LINCOLN CENTER

Wednesday, September 17, 8pm

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 Opening Night Gala With Sir James Galway"

The New York Philharmonic's 2008-09 season opening night concert, live from Avery Fisher Hall, launches the philharmonic's 167th season and Lorin Maazel's last as the orchestra's music director. The program will open with Berlioz' "Roman Carnival Overture" and conclude with Tchaikovsky's Symphony No. 4. Renowned flutist Sir James Galway will be the soloist in Ibert's Flute Concerto.

LOS LONELY BOYS COTTONFIELDS AND CROSSROADS

Wednesday, September 17, 9:30pm

After a childhood of playing cantinas and honky tonks from Texas to Tennessee, Los Lonely Boys have rocked their way to the top of the American music industry, determined to fulfill their father's long-held dream. This documentary feature film tells the story of three Mexican-American brothers from San Angelo, Texas, who create a unique sound that melds the core of the early San Angelo music scene of the 1950s and 60s with a signature style they call "Texican."

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.

September 21 - "Raptor Force"

Armed with powerful beaks and razor-sharp talons, raptors are nature's elite killing force - winged predators whose graceful beauty belies their stunning speed, acrobatics and precision. Dramatic original footage from cameras mounted on their backs shows why falcons, owls, eagles and hawks are masters of the sky, and why aeronautics engineers use their unique abilities and body designs as the basis of new aircraft technology. In HD where available.

September 28 - "Dogs That Changed the World: The Rise of the Dog"

From the tiniest Chihuahua to the largest St. Bernard, all dogs claim the wolf as their ancestor. But how did the wolf become the domesticated dog, and how did the hundreds of breeds we know today come to be so different? Using DNA analysis and other research, scientists have now pieced together the puzzle of canine evolution, creating a fascinating picture of how dogs became an indispensable part of our own history. In HD where available.

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY!

Sundays, 9pm

For more than 35 years, MASTERPIECE has enthralled audiences with the works of the finest classic and contemporary writers interpreted by the world's foremost actors. The new MASTERPIECE schedule breaks the year into three "seasons," each with its own host, graphics and fresh take on the series' famous theme music.

In winter and spring, MASTERPIECE CLASSIC features signature period dramas.
In summer, MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! presents the best British mysteries.
In fall, MASTERPIECE CONTEMPORARY will show dramas set in modern times.

MASTERPIECE MYSTERY! is hosted by Alan Cumming.

"The Inspector Lynley Mysteries, Series 6"

Detective Inspector Lynley (Nathaniel Parker) and Detective Sergeant Havers (Sharon Small), Elizabeth George's crime-cracking duo from opposite sides of the track, are back in two encore presentations. Lynley is suspended from duty and facing a disciplinary hearing, leaving Havers with a new boss, Detective Inspector Fiona Knight (Liza Tarbuck).

September 21 - "The Ruby in the Smoke"

Scrappy teen Sally Lockhart (Billie Piper) has a mind for numbers and for sleuthing. In Phillip Pullman's quartet of novels, she is put through the paces of Victorian melodrama and mystery. In this vivid adaptation of the first book in the quartet, The Ruby in the Smoke, the orphan Sally Lockhart, armed with a pearl handled pistol and her keen mind, uncovers the secrets of her father's death, discovers hidden cursed jewels and faces England's deadliest villains with bold courage. Sally's friends, the street-smart Jim and the besotted Frederick, help her expose the truth - no matter how dangerous. Sally navigates through the constantly twisting plots with the savvy dexterity of a sharp-eyed detective.

September 28 - "The Shadow in the North"

Billie Piper reprises her role as young sleuth Sally Lockhart in this program, based on the novels by Philip Pullman. An elderly woman loses her money on an investment; a conjuror is pursued by thugs; and a clairvoyant mentions the name of the richest man in Europe and his mysterious company. These seemingly unconnected events set Sally Lockhart on the trail of an evil far more awful than she could ever imagine. JJ Feild also stars.

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE

Mondays, September 22, 9pm and September 29, 9pm

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE brings to life the incredible characters and epic stories that have shaped America's past and present. Acclaimed by viewers and critics alike, television's most-watched history series has been honored with every major broadcast award, including 24 Emmys, four duPont-Columbia Awards and 14 George Foster Peabody Awards.

"The Presidents" - AMERICAN EXPERIENCE continues its presentation of "The Presidents," 20th-century biographies that offer an intimate and compelling look at the men who have defined and re-defined the modern presidency.

September 22 - "Reagan 'Lifeguard'"

When he left the White House in 1988, Ronald Reagan was one of the most popular presidents of the century - and one of the most controversial. A failed actor, Reagan became a passionate ideologue who preached a simple gospel of lower taxes, less government and anti-communism. One by one, his opponents underestimated him; one by one, Reagan surprised them, rising to become a president who always preferred to see America as a "shining city on a hill." Part 1 of 2.

September 29 - "Reagan 'An American Crusade'"

AMERICAN MASTERS

Tuesday-Wednesday, September 23-24, 9pm and Thursday, September 25, 9pm

AMERICAN MASTERS, which pioneered the television biography genre, continues to offer insightful profiles of important figures in America's artistic and cultural life.

"You Must Remember This: The Warner Bros. Story"

Their only bankable movie star was the four-legged hero Rin Tin Tin. But in April 1923, four visionary brothers from Youngstown, Ohio, officially incorporated their new motion picture studio. By the end of the decade, Warner Bros. hit it big with the sound of The Jazz Singer, the gangster personas of Edward G. Robinson and James Cagney, the kaleidoscopic escapism of Busby Berkeley and the lurid melodramas of taboo and defiance. Their films became a microcosm of America's cultural values, mirroring - and challenging - the attitudes of the era in which they were produced. Directed by award-winning filmmaker and critic Richard Schickel and narrated by Clint Eastwood, "You Must Remember This" celebrates 85 years of the legacy and evolution of Warner Bros. Clips from literally hundreds of films; archival interviews; and on-camera discussions with Martin Scorsese, Steven Spielberg, George Clooney, Warren Beatty, Clint Eastwood and Sidney Lumet, among many others, illuminate this rich story - giving viewers the history of 20th-century America on the big screen. In HD where available.

September 23 - "You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (1923-1935)"/"Good War, Uneasy Peace (1935-1950)"

"You Ain't Heard Nothin' Yet (1923-1935)" - Episode one introduces the four Youngstown, Ohio, brothers (Harry, Albert, Sam and Jack L. Warner) who officially incorporated their new motion picture company on April 4, 1923. Rin Tin Tin may have put them on the map, but soon gave way to a unique hard-boiled, hard-times cinema ethos. Tough guys James Cagney and Edward G. Robinson dominated the new gangster genre, tough dame Barbara Stanwyck headlined racy melodramas and even the chorus kids in the dazzling musicals were one bad break away from the streets. Key interviews: Busby Berkeley, Edward G. Robinson, Alfred Hitchcock and William Wellman. Key films: The Jazz Singer, Public Enemy, 42nd Street, Baby Face and Little Caesar.

"Good War, Uneasy Peace (1935-1950)" - Warner Bros. becomes home to celebrated stars Bette Davis, Humphrey Bogart, Errol Flynn and more. The studio - like the world - faces the twin catastrophes of the Depression and World War II. Warner answers with films that reflect a deep and defiant belief in the courage of common people. But after the war, on-screen noir reflects the off-screen anxiety of blacklists and political witch-hunts. Key interviews: James Cagney, Ronald Reagan, Howard Hawks and Alexis Smith. Key films: Casablanca, Now, Voyager, The Adventures of Robin Hood, Kings Row and White Heat. In HD where available.

September 24 - "A New Reality (1950-1970)"/"Woodstock Notions (1970-1989)" - What the Depression, wireless and war couldn't do, "talking furniture" perhaps could: TV arrives. Warner Bros. fights back with new technology (CinemaScope, 3-D, Eastman Color) and new stars (girl-next-door Doris Day and teen icon James Dean). And a showdown between Harry and Jack Warner leads to a daring new spirit at the studio that releases breakthrough films like Who's Afraid of Virginia Woolf? and Bonnie and Clyde. Key interviews: Warren Beatty, Elia Kazan, Kim Hunter, Arthur Penn and Carroll Baker. Key films: A Streetcar Named Desire, East of Eden, Cool Hand Luke, A Face in the Crowd and My Fair Lady.

"Woodstock Notions (1970-1989)" - What the 1960s start, the 70s bring to flower. The film Woodstock signals a new era, while new talent (including Clint Eastwood, Martin Scorsese and Stanley Kubrick) and management spark a return to taking chances and setting trends. The past, meanwhile, becomes prologue: the tough authenticity of the 30s and 40s is re-imagined in Dog Day Afternoon, All the President's Men, Dirty Harry and other pivotal hits. Key interviews: Clint Eastwood, Robert Redford, Dustin Hoffman and Jack Nicholson. Key films: The Shining, Mean Streets, Superman: The Movie, The Exorcist and Body Heat. In HD where available.

KILLER STRESS: A NATIONAL GEOGRAPHIC SPECIAL

Wednesday, September 24, 8pm

Stress. It's always been there to save our lives. It's what made us run from predators and enabled us to take down prey. But today, humans are turning on that same stress response to deal with 30-year mortgages, difficult bosses, teenagers and traffic jams. Some of us are wallowing in corrosive hormones; for the first time, scientists can reveal just how measurable and dangerous that exposure can be. MacArthur "Genius Grant" recipient and Stanford University neurobiologist Robert Sapolsky and National Geographic search for answers to why stress seems to be killing us. In HD where available.

PBS NEWSHOUR DEBATES 2008: A SPECIAL REPORT "Presidential Debate"

Friday, September 26, 9pm

Jim Lehrer, of PBS' NEWSHOUR, moderates the first presidential debate between Republican John McCain and Democrat Barack Obama, live from the University of Mississippi, Oxford, Mississippi. The debate focuses on domestic issues. Analysis from THE NEWSHOUR team anchored by Ray Suarez with David Brooks and Mark Shields follows. In HD where available.

P.O.V.

Tuesday, September 30, 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.

"Critical Condition"

What happens if you fall sick and are one of 47 million people in America without health insurance? "Critical Condition" by Roger Weisberg ("Waging a Living," P.O.V. 2006) puts a human face on the nation's growing health care crisis by capturing the harrowing struggles of four critically ill Americans who discover that being uninsured can cost them their jobs, health, home, savings, even their lives. Filmed in vérité style, "Critical Condition" offers a moving and invaluable exposé at a time when the nation is debating how to extend health insurance to all Americans. A separate 30-minute follow-up program, RX FOR CHANGE, completes the broadcast.