Inside WSKG

Jumping Into June!

WSKG kicks off June with a call to Be More®.  Learn more with your favorite current events programming, laugh more with our great entertainment shows, and contribute more to your community.  Be more WSKG!

WSKG hopes to bring more enjoyment to your television viewing with a special round of WSKG HD-TV favorites.  Catch The Roller Derby Chronicles: Rolling Thunder (with a special behind-the-scenes look at the Ithaca League of Women Rollers from Ithaca, NY) on June 1st at 9:30pm and on June 5th at 9:30pm.  On June 3rd, catch two WSKG documentaries, The Flood of '35 at 8:00pm and Watkins Glen at 9:15pm.  Carole King and James Taylor reunite live at the Troubadour for a special concert airing June 5th at 8:00pm, and you can rock out all week long with Canadian Tenors - Live in Toronto on June 7th at 8:00pm, Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics - The 60s on June 8th at 9:30pm, Celtic Thunder - It's Entertainment on June 10th at 9:30pm and Big Band Years on June 12th at 9:00pm.

Off the Page hits the road again, this time journeying to Elmira, NY on June 3rd.  The show will record live at Quarry Farm in a centennial remembrance of Mark Twain's life and death.  Host Bill Jaker will sit down with Barb Snedecor (director of the Center for Mark Twain Studies at Elmira College), Professor Michael Kiskis (Elmira College) and Professor Ann Ryan (Le Moyne College).  The program will broadcast June 8th at 1:00pm and 7:00pm on WSKG Public Radio and will include a pre-recorded interview with actor Hal Holbrook of Mark Twain Tonight.  Bring your own lawn chair and join us at Quarry Farm!

In other exciting radio news, WSKG began a collaboration with Ithaca Community Radio (ICR) on May 14th.  ICR now broadcasts WSQX programming on 88.1FM in Ithaca.  ICR will eventually construct a full-power station, bringing its own programming to the community, and in the meantime, WSKG has happily begun providing our service!

Our dynamic underwriting duo, Linda Cohen (Non-Commercial Underwriting Coordinator) and Susan Lake (Underwriting Account Executive), will visit the Ithaca Farmers' Market in Ithaca, NY on June 9th for Showcase Tompkins.  Stop by their booth, and say hello!

Get ready WSKG Kids - our Education and Outreach Department excitedly kicks off the 3rd annual Science in the Park this June!  The hands-on series brings STEM activities to children and parents throughout the Southern Tier and beyond.  This summer's theme, Cyberchase, combines the popular PBS Kids show with math and the great outdoors and is funded by a Cyberchase Summer Challenge grant.  In June, you can find us at Otsiningo Park Farmers' Market in Binghamton, NY on the 5th, at the OWL Ice Cream Social at Wilbur Park in Oneonta, NY on the 6th, at the Elmira Southside Community Center in Elmira, NY on the 15th and at the Johnson City School District in Johnson City, NY on the 22nd.  Science in the Park runs from June through September, so keep your eye out for us all summer!

     

But that's not it for our Education and Outreach extraordinaires.  Look for WSKG on June 1st as we head to the Delaware County Head Start in Sidney, NY.  WoW partner and special guest Johnny Only will perform for the students and bring free copies of his new CD, Move It! with Johnny Only, for the classrooms.  WSKG and Johnny keep on the move themselves, visiting over 250 kids at the Family Enrichment Network in Johnson City, NY on June 8th!  Catch the final episode of our associated original children's television program, Move It!, on June 4th at 5:30pm.

The Education & Outreach department like to hang out online too, and they've added a great new component to their portion of the WSKG website!  WSKG's literacy initiative strengthens early literacy skills through television programming, web resources, workshops and literacy-themed outreach events.  And don't forget to visit local libraries for your summer reading!  You can find PBS Kids Reading Corners at the Broome County Public Library in Binghamton, NY, the Moore Memorial Library in Greene, NY and the Steele Memorial Library in Elmira, NY.  Anytime is learning time!

As you start out the summer season, we hope you join us in striving to Be More®!

The Best of the Best - Grand Finale

All our expert staffers agree on one thing: The Roller Derby Chronicles: Rolling Thunder is awesome!  So not only will the show get its very own spot in the informal WSKG Public Broadcasting Hall of Fame, it will also air twice.  Catch this noteworthy documentary* June 1st at 9:30pm and June 5th at 9:30pm, and if you love it as much as we do, you'll probably want to see it both times.

 

 * Special appearance by the Ithaca League of Women Rollers and our very own WSKG derby team!_____________________________________________________________________________________

Learn more.  Laugh more.  Contribute more.

Be more® WSKG.

 

 

To see full WSKG HD-TV listings, visit http://wskg.org/television.aspx.

The Best of the Best - Part III

So it's Round 3 of our epic programming battle, and Stacey, WSKG's Programming and Traffic Manager, is ready to throw down her favorites!

1. Rod Serling Video Festival 2010

    Friday, June 4th @8:00pm

2. Change Your Brain Change Your Body

    Friday, June 4th @ 9:00pm

3. The Irish: Two Nations One Heart

    Saturday, June 5th @ 3:00pm

4. Ed Sullivan's Rock and Roll Classics - The 60s

    Tuesday, June 8th @ 9:30pm

5. Celtic Thunder - It's Entertainment!

    Thursday, June 10th @ 9:30pm

   

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Learn more.  Laugh more.  Contribute more.

Be more® WSKG.

 

To see full WSKG HD-TV listings, visit http://wskg.org/television.aspx.

Springing Into Action this May!

WSKG looks forward to a lively 31 days of May, especially as Radio and TV prepare for a month full of new programs and events!

Fresh off the success of April's WSKG Member Roll Call, the Membership and TV Departments have excitedly jumped into planning the June TV Drive.  We've rounded up a few good staffers, and on May 11th, they'll head to Cortland, NY for an evening with the Ithaca League of Women Rollers! Content & Production Coordinator Tina Reinhard, Broadcast Operations Assistant Christy Lantz and Emerging Media & PR Specialist Teresa Peltier will get a crash course in Roller Derby 101, complete with their very own, very intimidating derby names.  Our footage from the roller derby adventure will broadcast during the airing of a new documentary from American Public Television, The Roller Derby Chronicles: Rolling Thunder.  Look for this exciting fundraising event and more as June rolls around!

While other staff gear up and skate around, members of the WSKG Radio staff will also head into the community!  On May 7th, join Off the Page on location at the Tompkins County Public Library.  The live taping kicks off the first annual Finger Lakes Literacy Festival,  and the show will feature writings about Ithaca, NY.  Novelist J. Robert Lennon, mystery writer Beth Saulnier and historian Michael Turback sit down with WSKG's Bill Jaker to discuss their hometown and its role as inspiration, setting and even a character in itself.  We invite all our listeners to the live taping, beginning promptly at 4pm!  Listen for the radio broadcast the following Tuesday, May 11th at 1:00 and 7:00pm.

Also on WSKG Radio, Community Conversation will delve into two engaging topics this May.  On May 4th, the show will examine the sometimes controversial topic of autism.  On May 18th, Community Conversation will explore the decline of manufacturing in Upstate New York and the loss of young, skilled workers from our region.  Both shows air live at 7:00pm, and as always, WSKG invites you to call or email during the program with your questions and comments! 

     

Two more popular programs, The Moth and RadioLab, will continue in May on WSKG Radio.  The Moth features stories for adults, told before a live audience, without a script.  Listen in for Season 2 Monday nights at 8:00pm.  RadioLab is back on WSKG Radio, and Season 7 concludes on May 6th, but never fear!  The very next week, we'll return to Season 1 and rebroadcast all of the previous shows throughout the coming months! 

Also back by popular demand, Curious George and WSKG team up again for an event at Kopernik Observatory on May 1st.  On May 13th, join WSKG staff at the Moore Memorial Library in Greene, NY for a special literacy event.  And finally, look out for the newest episode of Move It! on May 7th at 5:30pm!  For the final challenge of the season, the Blueberryanators and the Ripe Bananas are neck and neck as they visit the Salsa Music Appreciation Club for a salsa dance-off!  Watch Fuel It! at the Vestal Farmers' Market and Cool It! with an exploration of the power of music with harpist Melissa Collins.

We hope you join us for these events, programs and more all throughout May!

Programmer's Picks 3/6/10 & 3/7/10

By Stacey Mosteller

I'm looking at this weekends schedule and I'm having a rather difficult time picking my favorites.  There are just so many great programs to choose from this weekend on WSKG TV.  Jimmy Sturr should provide a lot of toe tapping and hand clapping on Saturday, March 6 at 5 pm.   My husband is looking forward to Car Care for Everyone with Pat Goss on Sunday, March 7 at 2:30 pm and my daughter can't wait to see the new Celtic Thunder - It's Entertainment! Sunday night at 8 pm.  This weekend WSKG offers something for everyone.  So pop the popcorn and pull up a seat with WSKG TV.

This March at WSKG...

WSKG is heading into an exciting month and can't wait for a little spring sunshine after all this winter snow! 

On March 4th at 8:00pm, look for the debut of our Art in Motion Preview Show on WSKG HD-TV.  We'll feature award winning pieces from regional artists and provide information on when the art will visit your community.  Art in Motion hits the road for stops in Cooperstown, Hornell, Ithaca, Corning, Mansfield and Binghamton throughout April, May and June.  New this year, art will sell at the venues only.  Visit Art in Motion online for details.

Our Spring TV Membership Celebration kicks off March 4th and continues through March 22nd.  Keep an eye out for Jimmy Sturr and His Orchestra(with a bonus preview of WSKG's polka show), two Expressions episodes featuring local band Kilrush and area singer/songwriter Zarni De Wet and a new documentary from WVIA Public Broadcasting,The Irish: Two Nations One Heart.  The much anticipated Celtic Thunder special, It's Entertainment!, debuts along with new programs New Affluence: Money Help is on the Way with Jonathon Pond, Chris Botti in Boston, Part II and National Geographic Magazine's Top 10 Photos of the Year.

The newest episode of Move It! appears March 5th on WSKG HD-TV!  For all of the avid Move It!fans keeping score, the Blueberryanators have taken the lead over the Ripe Bananas after winning three of four challenges.  This month, the teams face off in a competition that will put their teamwork to the test!  Plus, special guest Mason Mastroianni, writer and illustrator of the comic strip "B.C.", will lead the group in an art project.  Look for new ways to Fuel It! when the kids head to Wegmans and an exploration into gratitude when they Cool It! with yoga teacher Don Glauber.

We're also looking forward to several special events within our coverage area. On March 3rd, The Clemens Center in Elmira, NY will host the WSKG Family Day at Sesame Street Live. The Clifford Literacy Day at Johnson City Elementary School will occur on March 5th.  WSKG's Scott Hollis will record the Binghamton Philharmonic, featuring pianist John Nakamatsu, on March 20th.  Mr. Nakamatsu will perform Rachmaninoff's Piano Concerto No. 3, and the orchestra will perform the Symphony No. 2 of Jean Sibelius.  Listen for the broadcast on March 29th at 9:00pm with WSKG's Bill Snyder.  If you're in Ithaca, visit us on March 23rd at the Cornell Lab of Ornithology for the Home Tweet HomeAwards Ceremony, or on March 27th at Regal Cinema for the Metropolitan Opera Live in HDcinema event at 1:00pm.  Radio staffers will host a meet-and-greet before the Met's live presentation of Hamletby Ambroise Thomas.  Finally, WSKG heads to Whitney Point, NY for the Whitney Point Literacy Fair on March 27th.

In celebration of Women's History month, WSKG Public Radio will feature several topical programs, including a Community Conversation on girls and STEM (Science, Technology, Engineering and Math) careers.  Listen live on Tuesday, March 9th.  See GAMUT for other radio programming highlights! 

Programmer's Pick 2/17/10

By Stacey Mosteller

I’m really looking forward to Part 2 of “Faces of America” tonight at 8 pm on WSKG-HD TV.  Tonight’s featured guests include Stephen Colbert, Mario Batali, Queen Noor and Kristi Yamaguchi.  For me, this series brings back so many fond memories of my grandmother.  I’d spend full summers in her kitchen as she taught me the art of cooking. She’d also share all kinds of stories including my favorite about her first job as a NYC movie ticket taker.  Telling that particular story always brought a smile to her face! In addition to calling up pleasant memories, the series also makes me want to learn more about my family’s history.  I hope you enjoy the series as much as I do.  Join the station and me tonight at 8 pm on WSKG-HD TV.

WSKG will air President Obama's 100 Days press conference

WSKG Public Broadcasting will air special live coverage of President Obama's primetime news    conference on Wednesday, April 29th. President Obama is expected to address his first 100 days in office, including his administration's handling of the economic crisis, its response to the outbreak of swine flu, and his legislative priorities going forward in his administration.

NPR's Robert Siegel will anchor the coverage on WSKG Public Radio. The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer will offer a special report on WSKG-TV.

The coverage begins at 8 p.m. on Wednesday, April 29th.