Contributors Emily Abi-Kheirs, Ron Bachman, Mary Crotty, Daphne Northrup
Designers Tong-Mei Chan, Amy Saidens
Photo Research Leah Weisse
Production Manager Heidi Lewis
Associate Creative Director Danielle Pierce
Senior Creative Director Piper Rankine
Senior Director of Strategic Communications
Barbara Ayotte
Chief Marketing Officer Tina Cassidy
September/October 2024 Volume 34, Number 9, (ISSN 2152-7458) (USPS 0008-188).
Copyright 2024. WGBH Educational Foundation. One Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135. All rights reserved.
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ON THE COVER
FRONTLINE The Choice 2024 helps viewers get to know the presidential candidates, from their childhoods to today
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Your Trusted Election Source
This election season has been like no other in our lifetimes, and GBH is using its news division and documentary programs to cover this unfolding story from all angles. Here’s just some of what we’re working on:
• FRONTLINE, our award-winning investigative series, has prepared an up-to-the-moment edition of The Choice (see page 13), profiling the two presidential candidates: Vice President Kamala Harris and former President Donald Trump. It’s been a scramble, as our team had, until very recently, been putting the finishing touches on a documentary featuring Trump and President Joe Biden — a film that immediately changed on July 21 when Biden dropped out of the race.
Producer/director/writer Michael Kirk told us each The Choice documentary typically takes up to six months, with 40 interviews about each candidate. This year, given Harris’s late entry into the race, the team had less than 100 days to create a deep biography that will explore her life from childhood to the present — as they do about Trump. The Choice made its debut in 1987 and has continued every four years since then. The films are 60–70 percent historical footage, “what I call history on horseback,” Kirk says. “You’re making a history film but you’re roaring through history that’s happening right now.”
• AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, our history show, is doing a first-ever documentary about the vice presidency — a role often derided as inconsequential. Hubert Humphrey, who was vice president under Lyndon Johnson, once said, “There is an old story about the mother who had two sons. One went to sea, and the other became vice president, and neither was heard of again.”
But that’s not really true. As history shows us, who is vice president has mattered. A lot. Throughout U.S. history, 15 men who served as
TELEVISION
Follow GBH News Election 2024 coverage here:
VP have gone on to become president — about a third of all the men who have been president. This year, the vice presidency has played an important role, too: When Biden dropped out, he and the rest of the party coalesced around Harris. The American Vice President (see page 16) tells the fascinating history of this overlooked role.
• GBH News is expanding its coverage statewide, creating a new initiative, Connecting the Commonwealth, and a new position of State Editor to lead our work with two affiliated public media outlets: Springfield-based New England Public Media (NEPM), which provides PBS, NPR, and local programming in Western Mass., and the Woods Hole-based CAI, which is the Cape, Coast, and Islands’ NPR station. The initiative builds upon our bureaus in Worcester, at the State House, and in Boston. Coverage will weave local and enterprise reporting through radio and digital storytelling daily across all three media outlets’ digital and broadcast platforms. GBH News will bring in-depth news and information to listeners across the state, including explainers on the ballot questions, updates on local races, and more. I hope you’ll listen, read, and watch on GBH 89.7 FM, gbhnews.org and the GBH News YouTube channel.
At this moment of excitement and uncertainty in our country, it’s clear that an independent press is essential to our democracy. And that’s why the role of GBH, and especially our deeply trusted, fact-based journalism and storytelling, has never been more important. Thank you for all you do to support GBH. And stay tuned for our election coverage!
Susan Goldberg President & CEO,
GBH
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4
DON’T MISS Celebrate 40 years of achievement by director, screenwriter, and producer Blake Edwards in a new documentary from American Masters
10 HISTORY & CULTURE
John Leguizamo explores the ways that Latinos have influenced United States history in VOCES: American Historia
Find out what’s new month and how to EXPLORE GBH by email
6
DRAMA Detective Inspector Alex Ridley returns for a second season to investigate crimes with his former protégé
7
JOURNALISM
Follow a young man’s journey from leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution to “Most Wanted” in POV: Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?
13
COVER STORY
Go behind the scenes with filmmaker Michael Kirk and learn about FRONTLINE’s latest installment of the election documentary series The Choice
8
SCIENCE
Experts use the latest technology to record footage of lions, leopards, and cheetahs at all hours of the day and night in Big Cats 24/7
14
ALL EARS
Enjoy a live broadcast of the Boston Symphony Orchestra performing León, Copland, Barber, and Simon
9 LIVING
Join America’s Test Kitchen for their 25th anniversary celebration, hosted by Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison
16
COMING NEXT MONTH MASTERPIECE presents a new four-part cozy mystery as three friends investigate crimes in The Marlow Murder Club
+ 18 WHAT’S ON 22 SAVOR 23 CALENDAR OF EVENTS
drama
HIDDEN GEM
Foyle’s War
Christopher Foyle (Michael Kitchen, right) lives in a quiet English town during World War II. This upright detective with rock-solid convictions investigates cases on the home front as conflict ravages his coastal community. This award-winning British series first aired in 2002 and has been hailed for its historical accuracy and compelling mysteries.
Season One
MASTERPIECE
Van der Valk
Mon (9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30) at 9pm on GBH 44
MASTERPIECE
Moonflower Murders
Picking up where Magpie Murders ended, Susan Ryeland (Lesley Manville, below left) has left publishing and is living in Crete with her boyfriend. The shadow of a murder committed eight years earlier, and suggestions of a false conviction, disturb her new peace ful life. She finds herself once again investigating a crime that was featured in her former client Alan Conway’s Atticus Pünd mystery novel.
Sun (9/15, 9/22, 9/29) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeats:
Tue (9/17, 9/24) at 9pm on GBH 44 Sat (9/21, 9/28) at 9pm
In the fourth installment of this popular police drama, detective Piet Van der Valk (Marc Warren) and his team investigate high-profile cases in Amsterdam. The season opens with the murder of a whistleblower, and Van der Valk’s former flame was the protection officer in charge.
Season Four
Sun (9/15, 9/22, 9/29) at 10pm on GBH 2
Repeats:
Tue (9/17, 9/24) at 10pm on GBH 44
Sat (9/21, 9/28) at 10pm on GBH 2
more drama
COBRA
Sundays at 11pm on GBH 2
Sister Boniface Mysteries
Wednesdays at 8pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Tue (9/10, 9/17, 9/24) at 4pm on GBH 44
Agatha Christie’s Marple
Wednesdays at 9pm on GBH 44
Hijos del Desierto (Sons of the Desert) Thursdays at 10pm on GBH 44
A Suitable Boy Thu (9/12, 9/19, 9/26) at 8pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Fri (9/13, 9/20,
Retired Detective Inspector
Alex Ridley (Adrian Dunbar, left) tragically lost his wife and daughter in an arson attack, driving him back to work as a consultant for the police force. In Season Two, Ridley and his former protégé Carol Farman delve into mysteries including a series of jewelry heists that turn into murder and a decomposed body found in the hollow of a tree.
Season Two
Sun (9/15, 9/22, 9/29) at 8pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Tue (9/17, 9/24) at 8pm on GBH 44 Sat (9/21, 9/28) at 8pm on GBH 2
Almost American
For 20 years, the Ayala Flores family has lived and worked in Washington, D.C., but when the Department of Homeland Security revokes the Temporary Protected Status for six countries, including their home country of El Salvador, the family must fight to
Don’t
Judge Me
Deadlock
This one-hour GBH special, moderated by Professor Aaron Tang, aims to facilitate civil dialogue in a time dominated by polarization. A diverse panel of figures from legal, political, and cultural spheres delve into complex, ethical dilemmas based on real-life scenarios. This program is inspired by the celebrated 1980s PBS series, The Fred Friendly Seminars.
Fri (9/20) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Wed (9/25) at 9pm on GBH WORLD
HIDDEN GEM POV
Who’s Afraid of Nathan Law?
At 21, Nathan Law was a leader of Hong Kong’s Umbrella Revolution. By 23, he became Hong Kong’s youngest elected lawmaker. Three years later, he was “Most Wanted” under the National Security Law. This documentary introduces viewers to the city’s most famous dissident and what happens when authoritarian power goes unchecked.
more journalism
Counting the Vote: A Firing Line Special with Margaret Hoover
Tue (9/3) at 10:30pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Sun (9/8) at 4pm on GBH 2
Sun (9/8) at 9:30pm on GBH 44
Washington Week with The Atlantic Fridays at 8pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Sundays at 9am on GBH 44
America at a Crossroads with Judy Woodruff
Mon (9/23) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Wed (9/25) at 6pm on GBH 44
Mon (9/30) at 1pm on GBH 44
Local, USA/Metcalfe Park: Black Vote Rising Sun (9/29) at 6pm on GBH 2
Independent Lens/ One Person, One Vote?
A Boston man is incarcerated at 16 and then, 12 years later, returns home where he tries to restart his life. This short GBH News film follows Onyx White’s journey to launch a music career, find stable housing, and — most importantly — avoid the parole violations that land many returning citizens back in jail.
Sun (9/15) at 7:30pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Sat (9/21) at 7:30pm on GBH 44 Streaming now on GBH News YouTube
Mon (9/23) at 10pm on GBH 2
Repeat:
Wed (9/25) at 7:30pm on GBH WORLD
Mon (9/30) at 10pm on GBH 2
science
Big Cats 24/7
An elite team of experts uses the latest technology to film in Botswana’s Okavango Delta, capturing footage of lions, leopards, and cheetahs during the day and at night for this six-part series. See the big cats’ battle to survive over two extreme seasons as they face wildfire, floods, and devastating drought. Wed (9/18, 9/25) at 8pm on GBH 2
Repeats:
Thu (9/19, 9/26) at 4pm on GBH 44
Sat (9/21, 9/28) at 12pm on GBH 44
Sun (9/22, 9/29) at 8pm on GBH WORLD
HIDDEN GEM
Odysseus Returns
An amateur historian discovers an ancient tomb on a Greek island and claims the tomb, bones, and royal seal belong to King Odysseus. This documentary presents the controversy around what could be the biggest archaeological
more science
Changing Planet
Tue–Wed (9/3–9/4) at 6pm on GBH 44
Confluence
Sun (9/8) at 1pm, 2pm, 3pm on GBH 2
Great Yellowstone Thaw
Mon–Fri (9/9–9/13) at 3pm on GBH 2
Repeats:
Mon–Fri (9/9–9/13) at 5pm on GBH 44
NATURE/Big Bend: The Wild Frontier of Texas
Wed (9/11) at 8pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Sat (9/14) at 12pm on GBH 44 Sun (9/15) at 8pm on GBH WORLD
Building Stuff with NOVA on Twitch
NOVA’s first-ever Twitch channel offers groundbreaking ways for audiences to explore engineering through gameplay, interactive expert interviews, and virtual field Dr. Nehemiah
. In addition, daily livestreams follow the design and construction of an engineering-themed, in-person escape room at GBH Studios in Boston. Through Twitch chat, the audience can participate in the design, and eventually, the solving of the puzzles in the four-night finale. Livestream, Monday—
NOVA/Eagle Power Wed (9/11) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Thu (9/12) at 6pm on GBH 44
Life at the Waterhole
Mon–Wed (9/16–9/18) at 3pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Mon–Wed, Fri (9/16–9/18, 9/20) at 5pm on GBH 44
Thu–Fri (9/18–9/20) at 3pm on GBH 2
Land-Scraped Landscapes
These five films introduce new viewpoints that challenge the American South’s relationship to its diverse landscapes, including Arkansas’ Delta, Virginia’s tobacco belt, North Carolina’s mountains, Texas’ Rio Grande, and the Gulf Coast. Viewers will experience the beauty of the land while considering Indigenous land rights, drying water sources, and agricultural practices that change the landscape.
Wed (9/4) at 8pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Thu (9/5) at 6pm on GBH 44 Sat (9/7) at 3pm on GBH 44 Wed (9/11) at 4pm on GBH 44
living
Pati’s Mexican Table
Host Pati Jinich (right) shares delicious recipes, personal experiences, and conversations with cooks in Mexico and the U.S. In Season 13, Pati brings viewers to the northern Mexican state of Chihuahua to learn about local attractions and delicacies, as well as the region’s traditional flavors, and how to incorporate those tastes into their own cooking.
Season 13
Mondays–Fridays at 10am on GBH 44
Repeats:
Mondays–Fridays at 2pm on GBH 2
Saturdays at 12:30pm on GBH 2
Christina Cooks
Host Christina Pirello travels to Italy’s Puglia region to discover authentic cuisine, talking with local chefs as they prepare mouth-watering dishes. She also shares healthy, plant-based dishes centered on the Mediterranean diet and macrobiotics. This season, Christina features guests who aim to expand viewers’ knowledge of healthy eating.
Season Six
Saturdays at 4:30pm on GBH 2
Travel across America with host Gary Bredow as he interviews small business owners to hear their personal stories and what it takes to start a business from the ground up. This five-time Emmy-nominated show launches its 12th season and will bring inspiration and knowledge to all who dream of starting their own businesses.
Season 12
Saturdays at 11:30am on GBH 44
America’s Test Kitchen Celebrates 25 Years
Hosts Bridget Lancaster and Julia Collin Davison and the America’s Test Kitchen test cooks bring viewers behind the scenes in this celebration of the program’s 25th anniversary. Don’t miss the food, science, ingenuity, and fun that have defined the last 600+ episodes. New episodes premiere this month.
Mon (9/16) at 10pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Fri (9/20) at 9pm on GBH Create
more living
Martin Clunes: Islands of the Pacific Mon–Wed (9/2–9/4) at 12pm, 1pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Mon (9/9, 9/16, 9/23, 9/30) at 6pm on GBH 44
Thu (9/12) at 4pm on GBH 44
Cook’s Country Fridays at 11:30am on GBH 44
Repeats: Saturdays at 3:30pm on GBH 2
Outside: Beyond the Lens Fri (9/6) from 9pm–12am on GBH Create Repeats: Sun–Thu (9/8–9/12) at 9pm, 9:30pm on GBH Create Life of Loi: Mediterranean Secrets Saturdays at 12pm on GBH 2
Weekends with Yankee Sun (9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29) at 11:30am on GBH 2
Repeats: Saturdays at 5:30pm on GBH 44
America’s Test Kitchen, Season 25
Sat (9/21, 9/28) at 3pm on GBH 2
history & culture
more history & culture
My Music with Rhiannon Giddens
In Season Two of this series, Grammy winner Rhiannon Giddens hosts a series of musical performances and conversations with guest artists representing the cultures of people who helped construct and operate North America’s transcontinental railroad. Also featured is the groundbreaking Silkroad Ensemble, of which Giddens serves as artistic director.
Season Two
Fridays at 8:30pm on GBH 2
Repeats:
Saturdays at 10pm on GBH 44
Sat (9/14, 9/21, 9/28) at 11:30pm on GBH 2
VOCES
American Historia: The Untold History of Latinos
AMERICAN MASTERS
Julia Alvarez: A Life Reimagined
In this new three-part series, Broadway and film actor John Leguizamo takes viewers on a captivating journey into both well-known and lesser-known stories of Latino history and contributions from the Ancient Empires to the early 1970s. Learn how Latino participation has influenced the course of United States history and the challenges Latinos face in preserving their cultural identity.
Fri (9/27) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Sat (9/28) at 2pm on GBH 44
Finding Your Roots Tue (9/3, 9/10, 9/17) at 8pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Sun (9/8, 9/15, 9/29) at 9pm on GBH WORLD Sun (9/15, 9/22) at 10pm on GBH 44
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE/ The Busing Battleground Sat (9/7) at 8pm on GBH WORLD
Repeats: Thu (9/12) at 9pm on GBH 2 Sun (9/15) at 8pm on GBH 44
Iconic America: Our Symbols and Stories with David Rubenstein Sun (9/8, 9/15, 9/22, 9/29) at 6pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Fri (9/13, 9/20, 9/27) at 4pm on GBH 2
37th Hispanic Heritage Awards Fri (9/27) at 10pm on GBH 2
Repeat: Sat (9/28) at 9pm on GBH WORLD
Since publishing How the Garcia Girls Lost Their Accents and In the Time of Butterflies, this DominicanAmerican author has become one of the most critically and commercially successful Latina writers of her generation, blazing a trail for others to break into the literary mainstream. This film includes interviews with Alvarez, her family, and her literary contemporaries. Tue (9/17) at 9pm on GBH 2
Repeats: Fri (9/20) at 8pm on GBH WORLD Sat (9/21) at 8pm on GBH 44
HIDDEN GEM AMERICAN MASTERS
José Clemente Orozco: Man of Fire
With his bold, dynamic frescoes, Orozco joined Diego Rivera as a leader of the Mexican Renaissance. He inspired FDR to put American artists to work during the Great Depression, even as border agents destroyed more than half of his early works. His frequent travels between the U.S. and Mexico evoke the larger migrant-immigrant experience. Presented in Spanish with English subtitles.
Fri (9/20) at 9pm on GBH 44
Repeats: Thu (9/19) at 12pm on GBH 44 Sun (9/22) at 8pm on GBH 44
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617-300-3300
Call or text weekdays 9am–5pm membersonly@wgbh.org
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Member Line
617-300-3505
champions_circle@ wgbh.org
GBH Beacon Circle
Concierge Line 617-300-3900
GBH Passport: What’s New This Month
Watch these captivating new dramas curated by Walter Presents, now available only on GBH Passport, your on-demand library of programs. If you like gritty mysteries like Van der Valk, Spanish-language series like Hijos del Desierto, or period dramas about inspiring women like Home Fires, these might be for you. Watch anytime on your device of choice. If you haven’t activated your GBH Passport account, it’s easy. Visit here: gbh.org/help/ how-to-activate-gbh-passport or call 617-300-3300 for assistance.
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1-800-220-7122 gift_planning@wgbh.org
Local Corporate Sponsorship and Advertising
617-300-3727
ted_petersen@wgbh.org gbh.org/sponsorship
The Drought
Bad Apples
In 1970s Finland, student activist Onerva is sent to a psychiatric institution against her will. Are the women sent to this island there to be silenced or are they truly mentally ill? In Finnish with English subtitles.
Season One
Available now
A tight-knit community spanning both sides of the SpanishPortuguese border faces more than water scarcity when an unprecedented drought reveals macabre evidence of a decades-old crime. In Spanish with English subtitles.
Season One
Available starting 9/6
Mailing address for Gifts and Correspondence
GBH Membership PO Box 55875, Boston, MA 02205-8264
openvault.wgbh.org
Visit The Linda and Andrew Egendorf Masterpiece Theatre Alistair Cooke Collection
Carmen Curlers
In 1963, a business adventure begins in a basement in a small Danish town. Within a few years, the company has 3,500 employees, many of them are women who are experiencing for the first time the joys and challenges of earning their own money.
Season Two
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Update your email address here or at gbh.org/support/ explore-gbh
Available starting 9/27
More Drama Favorites to Binge This Month
Broadchurch, Seasons 1–3
Call the Midwife,
The Durrells in Corfu, Seasons 1–4
Endeavour, Seasons 1–9
Mercy Street, Seasons 1–2
Mr. Selfridge, Seasons 1–4
Seasons 1–5
“ First time I read EXPLORE GBH online. I was very impressed with it. I especially liked the ability to click on an upcoming show and see a brief trailer.
”
—Bill M.
January 30 - February 1, 2025
Celebrating Excellence
• Learn together with access to hundreds of hands-on and lecture
• Connect with over 20,000 dental professional colleagues
• Discover cutting-edge products on the Exhibit Show Floor to envision the future landscape of dentistry
• Enjoy surprise Yankee special night events and giveaways throughout the conference
Registration opens October 9 at yankeedental.com
In the lead-up to the 1988 election, a group of journalists gathered at Harvard’s Kennedy School of Government to discuss how to cover presidential elections more effectively. While newspapers and network stations covered the race’s daily twists and turns, GBH’s FRONTLINE was positioned to offer something new: a long-form biography series. The Choice was born.
In every election since 1988, The Choice has dug deep into the lives of the two candidates. And since the 2000 election, producer/director/writer Michael Kirk has been at the helm for all but one.
Kirk and his team interview 40 people from various stages of each candidate's life. He believes understanding the candidates from their earliest days is critical. “Do they have a bad family life? Do they have a fascinating family life? But also, how did they respond to trouble? What is the method they create for themselves to do everything that matters…Show me the person at (age) 7, and I’ll show you the President.”
Through his work as the original senior producer at FRONTLINE and now with his company Kirk Documentary Group, Kirk has produced more than 120 FRONTLINE documentaries on topics including the NFL concussion scandal, the Supreme Court, Russia’s incursions, and the Iraq War. In the first six months after 9/11, he helped create eight films on the events. Even with all that experience, The Choice 2024 introduced an unprecedented challenge.
As the team neared completion of their film, they were confronted with the withdrawal of President Joe Biden just 3 1/2 months before election day. The extensive breaking news journalism skills of the FRONTLINE team were critical. They also benefited from the foresight of FRONTLINE Editor-in-Chief and Executive Producer Raney Aronson-
Rath who, months before, had initiated a documentary about the vice presidential candidates. The extensive research into Vice President Kamala Harris for that film allowed Kirk and his team to complete a new version of the two-hour presidential documentary in 100 days, a process that usually takes five to six months. The hours of interviews that had already been completed about President Biden were reconfigured into a second film, FRONTLINE Biden’s Decision, airing just weeks after Biden’s withdrawal.
Redeveloping The Choice 2024 was far more complicated than just adding content about Vice President Harris. What makes these films truly successful is that links between the candidates’ stories are highlighted. With the change of candidates, these chronological connections could no longer be the historical touchstones that contemporaries like Presidents Biden and Trump share. When covering different generations, the threads need to be thematic, an approach Kirk used in the Obama/ McCain election. In addition to developing the new Harris content, the completed Trump components had to be reconfigured and reassessed. FRONTLINE’s decades of experience made this possible.
FRONTLINE / The Choice 2024 Tue (9/24) at 9pm on GBH 2 Repeats: Fri (9/27) at 7pm on GBH WORLD Fri (9/27) at 9pm on GBH 44 Sun (9/29) 8pm on GBH 44
Kirk believes GBH’s long tradition of standing behind its productions is what makes every one of these films possible. “FRONTLINE is an institution which a lot of people call ‘Documentary Heaven.’ You don’t feel the pressure to back off. Your ideas and your hard-earned understanding of an issue or character are not second-guessed. It’s the envy of everybody I know who works in television.”
View FRONTLINE ’s other election-related coverage
GBH Music | CRB Classical 99.5
ear a live broadcast of the Boston Symphony Orchestra on September 28, featuring the works of Pulitzer Prize–winning composer Tania León, Aaron Copland (featuring soloist Principal Clarinet William R. Hudgins), Samuel Barber, and the inaugural BSO Composer Chair Carlos Simon. Andris Nelsons conducts.
Listen here.
Sign up for The Note
The Note is your one-stop shop for everything going on at CRB Classical 99.5. This includes on-air highlights, upcoming events, and exclusive behind-the-scenes content.
Sign up to receive this newsletter in your inbox each week.
Sign up here.
GBH Music | Jazz on 89.7
Music’s Jazz on 89.7, Stream
Anytime
I f you miss Jazz on 89.7 ’s broadcasts on Friday, Saturday, and Sunday nights, visit GBH’s website to stream anytime. Each link provides three hours of programming to satisfy your need for more jazz.
GBH Music | CRB Classical 99.5 Bach’s
Mass in B Minor Performance
L isten to CRB Classical 99.5’s broadcast of the Handel and Haydn Society’s April performance of Bach’s Mass in B minor, led by conductor Masaaki Suzuki This performance is part of the CRB In Concert series. Listen here.
Boston Busing at 50
Fifty years ago, segregation in Boston Public Schools was ruled unconstitutional by Judge W. Arthur Garrity, Jr., forever altering the trajectory of the city’s education system. Now, GBH News is exploring the events surrounding that decision and the explosive chapter in Boston history that followed, as well as its
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE / The Busing Battleground Sat (9/7) at 8pm on GBH WORLD Repeats: Thu (9/12) at 9pm on GBH 2 Sun (9/15) at 8pm on GBH 44
To mark the 50th anniversary of the Garrity decision, GBH News is looking at the impact of Boston school desegregation with in-depth, multiplatform coverage unpacking the generational trauma passed on by those who lived through this fraught moment in history and exploring the potential for community solutions. GBH News joins GBH WORLD and AMERICAN EXPERIENCE in September to examine the legacy of desegregation in Boston with a series of events.
“Desegregation rocked Boston families, resulting in violence and open racism, and shaping the reputation of the city for decades to come,” said GBH News Managing Editor Ellen London. “We see its effects today in the levels of mistrust in our education system and the lingering harm of generational trauma to the students and their families forced into hostile environments.”
Find GBH News’ “Boston Busing at 50” at gbhnews.org and events at gbhnews.org/events
Meet Dan Lothian
Dan Lothian, executive producer of The World since 2021, has been named to the newly created role of editor-in-chief for GBH News and The World. An award-winning journalist, Lothian spent more than a decade as a CNN correspondent, covering the White House and breaking news. He also worked in CNN’s Jerusalem bureau. Under his leadership, The World now broadcasts on 377 public radio stations in the U.S. and Canada.
Read more here.
Reconsidering Short-Term Rentals on Nantucket
Aspecial town meeting vote on Nantucket could decide the fate of the island’s short-term rentals.
The Nantucket Select Board approved an article for the warrant that would ban short-term rentals in the current zoning code. New zoning would be created for “Nantucket vacation rentals.” While most districts would still permit these rentals, there would be new limitations, according to a report by CAI’s Gilda Geist.
The most critical changes would relate to turnover. The majority of short-term rental operators would only be permitted to have eight changes of occupancy from July to August. New operators would be limited to just three.
Several versions of the article were proposed, with some arguing that short-term rentals should not be permitted as the primary use of a dwelling. They believe that short-term rentals are continuing to strain the already difficult housing market. Others see them as critical to promoting tourism.
The special town meeting will be held on September 17.
Read the story here.
coming in October
Here is a selection of some of our favorite new titles coming in October. Watch these
AMERICAN EXPERIENCE / The American Vice President
What happens when the President of the United States cannot fulfill their duties due to death, illness, or incapacity? This new film focuses on the period from 1963 to 1976 when the country was forced to clarify the role of the vice president and the process of succession.
NOVA /Solar System
Across the solar system, volcanoes are erupting, storms are raging, and ice is acting in strange ways. Using the latest scientific imagery and stunningly realistic animations, planetary scientists take us on a journey to uncover new revelations about our celestial neighborhood in this five-part sequel to NOVA’s 2019 series, The Planets.
VOCES / Latino Vote 2024
This multiplatform initiative examines the priorities of the politically diverse Latino electorate as the U.S. approaches its presidential election. A one-hour documentary will look at issues related to voter turnout in battleground states. There will also be a series of six digital shorts.
MASTERPIECE /The Marlow Murder Club
When murder visits the quiet riverside town of Marlow, retired archaeologist Judith Potts (Samantha Bond, bottom left) joins with a local dog-walker and the vicar’s wife to investigate. Based on the novel by Robert Thorogood, this cozy mystery will air in four parts.
Left photo by Kathy Tarantola/Plimoth Patuxet Museums.
Left photo by Kathy Tarantola/Plimoth Patuxet Museums.
primetime
primetime
Life st yles
INGREDIENTS
Lamb
• 1 lamb shoulder, trimmed and cleaned (approx. 2–3 pounds)
• Extra virgin olive oil
• Salt and pepper
Fennel Tzatziki
• 1 fennel bulb, finely sliced
• 6 ounces full-fat plain Greek yogurt
• 4–5 tablespoons extra virgin olive oil
• 6 garlic cloves, finely grated or turned to paste
• 2 tablespoons red wine vinegar
• Fennel fronds, chopped (optional)
• Pita bread, grilled or warmed as desired TO PREPARE
STEP 1 Preheat oven to 375º F.
What’s Cooking on GBH? Arni Psito (Roasted Lamb with Fennel Tzatziki) | Serves 6 to 8
Chef Maria Loi travels to Athens to explore the culinary scene. She meets with Chef Christos Bouboulis to prepare a Spit Roasted Lamb. Later, under the light of the Acropolis, Maria joins Chef Thodoris Afentakis to make a deliciously craveable Celery Root Soup. Back in New York, Maria creates other simple, tasty dishes inspired by her travels. Watch it all come together on The Life of Loi on Sat (9/14) at 12pm on GBH 2
STEP 2 Coat lamb with olive oil and season all sides with salt and pepper. Place on rack in shallow roasting pan. Roast, turning lamb halfway through cooking time, for 30–35 minutes for medium (internal temperature of 130°) or 40–45 minutes for medium well (internal temperature of 145°). Remove from oven and let rest for 10 minutes.
STEP 3 Meanwhile, in mixing bowl, combine all tzatziki ingredients and stir to combine. Season with salt and pepper to taste.
STEP 4 To assemble, carve lamb as desired. Spread fennel tzatziki generously on pita bread. Top with lamb and drizzle with additional olive oil. Sprinkle with additional fennel fronds, if using.
Note: You can substitute leg of lamb or lamb loin for the lamb shoulder or replace the lamb with roasted chicken or vegetables. You can also enjoy the lamb and tzatziki without the pita for a gluten-free option.
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➤ ➤ Come join us
GBH invites you to participate in virtual or in-person events where you can engage with experts to learn something new, enjoy a reading with an exciting author, or talk with other top-notch talent. Don’t forget: You can also visit our GBH Boston Public Library Studio to see a live taping or attend other community happenings. GBH will keep you informed and entertained with a full calendar of upcoming events.
Boston Desegregation
Walking Tour
Sat (9/14) at 10:30am ET (In-person)
Join this guided walking tour of important sites in Boston’s desegregation and busing history: locations where demonstrators rallied, laws were passed, and students faced protestors. Sites include the Massachusetts State House, Boston City Hall Plaza, South Boston High School, Freedom House, and more. Register here.
Open Streets Boston
Sun (9/15) at 10:30am ET in East Boston GBH is proud to be the exclusive media sponsor of Open Streets Boston, when streets in different communities become car-free for a day, and people can come together for fresh air, live art, music, and community-building. Learn more.
Stories from the Stage
Thu (9/26) at 6:30pm ET (In-person)
At Stories from the Stage, produced by GBH WORLD, ordinary people share extraordinary experiences that you will not soon for get. You’ll hear stories of love and loss, amazing adventures, incredible surprises, and unexpected triumphs. In each taping, we get up-close and personal with storytellers about what inspires them and the craft of storytelling. Register here.
To learn more or to register for any of our events, visit gbh.org/
September
Outspoken Saturdays Sat (9/7) at 2pm ET (In-person)
On the first Saturday of the month, the GBH BPL Studio hosts Outspoken Saturdays, a spoken word poetry event for emerging artists. The series is offered in collaboration with spoken word artist Amanda Shea Register here.
NOVA Science Trivia Night
Thu (9/26) at 5:30pm ET (In-person)
Bring your smartest friends to the GBH Boston Public Library Studio for a nerdy night of NOVA science trivia! Get ready for creative categories and exciting prizes as we test your knowledge of the natural world, space, science history, and more! Register here.