EMMY NOMINATIONS, CAMPAIGN SUCCESS & YOUR VOTE 2012

posted by Laura McKee

The Rocky Mountain Southwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences recently announced its annual Emmy® Award nominations and once again Arizona Public Media (AZPM) has garnered 10 nominations, more than any other television station in Southern Arizona, and the second highest among public TV stations in the Rocky Mountain chapter. We believe that the nominations demonstrate the quality and creativity of AZPM’s local productions. We will let you know who the winners are after the awards ceremony takes places early this month.

Last month, PBS 6 wrapped up its first television membership drive of the fiscal year, “That’s Entertainment.” The successful campaign raised $207,000, exceeding our goal of $200,000. Our next big push begins on October 12th with the launch of the NPR 89.1 and Classical 90.5 pledge drives. Please remember that your member dollars are an investment that makes possible our local productions and our local and national news coverage throughout the year. Thank you for your continued support.

NPR 89.1 will broadcast several special programs during the month of October. The specials will air on Sundays at 2 p.m. and will pre-empt To the Best of Our Knowledge. Here’s the lineup:

October 7th - State of the Re:Union: Fresh Stories on Building and Rebuilding Communities. Tucson sits in the borderlands, the desert landscape where America and Mexico meet. The program tells stories about what happens when people cross the U.S./Mexico border. October 14th - BURN: An Energy Journal: Election Special, Part 1: “The Power of One Election and America's Energy Future.” October 21st - BURN: An Energy Journal: Election Special, Part 2: “The Power and Politics of New Energy Frontiers.”

With the 2012 elections looming next month, AZPM’s Your Vote 2012 campaign continues to provide in-depth election news coverage and voter resources on PBS 6, NPR 89.1, and online at azpm.org/yourvote. Several Arizona Illustrated candidate forums have been scheduled:

Wednesday, October 10th - The CD3 Forum at 6 p.m. AZPM’s Christopher Conover hosts the forum with all three candidates for office at Pima Community College West.

Tuesday, October 23rd - The CD2 Forum at 6 p.m. Live from the UA campus, the forum will be moderated by AZPM’s Christopher Conover and Andrea Kelly, Arizona Illustrated Political Roundtable host and Tucson Weekly senior writer Jim Nintzel, and Associated Students of the University of Arizona President Katy Murray.

Wednesday, October 24th - The CD1 Forum at 6 p.m. The forum will be moderated by AZPM’s Christopher Conover and Andrea Kelly.

Don’t miss FRONTLINE: “The Choice” on October 9th at 9 p.m. on PBS 6. This special election program documents the places, people, and decisive moments that made the men who are competing for the presidency.

This month two national NPR and PBS personalities will visit Tucson. AZPM, in collaboration with the Tucson Hispanic Chamber of Commerce and the UA Hispanic Alumni Association, will present Maria Hinojosa, anchor and managing editor of NPR’s Latino USA and PBS’s Maria Hinojosa: One-on-One. Ms. Hinojosa will host a special screening of “America By The Numbers” on Monday, October 8th at the Center for Creative Photography at 5:30 p.m. A town hall style discussion on immigration, “the new mainstream,” and what it means to be a citizen will follow. The event is free and open to the public. More information is available here. On October 15th, Ken Rudin, NPR’s ‘Political Junkie,’ will lead a panel discussion entitled “Campaign Voices,” at the UA’s Centennial Hall at 7 p.m. The event, presented by The UA College of Social and Behavioral Sciences, is free, but tickets are required. Visit here for ticket information.

Elections aside, AZPM offers as always an outstanding schedule of entertaining programs. October will bring several program premieres to PBS 6 including Call the Midwife, MASTERPIECE Classic: Upstairs, Downstairs – Season 2,” as well as an encore presentation of the first season of MASTERPIECE Classic: Downton Abbey (gearing up for the premiere of its third season in January). Check TV schedules here. In addition,Hollywood at Home, PBS 6’s weekly film series, presents another month of blockbuster feature films including “Dark Victory” with Humphrey Bogart and Bette Davis on the 6th, “The Unforgiven” on the 13th, “Rainman” on the 20th, and “Diner” on the 27th. If you miss the 9 p.m. Saturday broadcast of Hollywood at Home, you can catch the encore matinee the following Friday afternoon at 1 p.m. Visit here for complete Hollywood at Home schedules.

Thank you again for your exceptional support for Arizona Public Media. It makes what we do possible.

Sincerely,

Jack Gibson