Fall 2009: Sharing the Vision

f o r f r i e n ds an d su pporte rs of wgbh

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Making

American Experience’s Earth Days Premiering April 2010 PAG E 1

History

View from

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All Classical Boston You’ve heard the good news: WGBH is bringing WCRB 99.5 into the WGBH family of noncommercial, listener-supported public broadcasting stations, ensuring the preservation of full-time classical radio in Boston. Soon, we’ll have a broader, 24/7 stage for WGBH’s inviting, knowledgeable approach to classical music as our classical programs migrate to the new service.

To stay up to date on our progress, go to wgbh.org/allclassicalboston.

irst, a little history. Back in the early 1980s, WGBH launched an ambitious new kind of history documentary: Vietnam: A Television History. The 13-part PBS series examined not only what happened during that bitter conflict, but why—exploring the character of key decision-makers. Viewer and critical response was overwhelming.

We came away determined to create a space on public television for a history series that would tell all our stories. In 1988, WGBH introduced American Experience, the longest-running and still most-watched history series on American television.

Today, with more than 200 documentaries in its library, a pipeline of promising productions including Earth Days (see page 4), and every major broadcasting award on its shelf, American Experience is reaching out to new audiences across a range of media. Now you can watch full films online, download podcasts and teachers’ guides, go behind the scenes, and learn more about your favorite films at wgbh.org/americanexperience.

This fall, WGBH made more history. Ken Burns visited our studios in September to introduce his latest epic, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea. In October, we premiered Latin Music USA, one of the most ambitious music-and-history series WGBH ever has produced. Like so many of our productions, Latin Music USA couldn’t have happened anywhere but on public television—and wouldn’t have happened without your significant support.

In this issue, we turn the spotlight on some of WGBH’s staunchest and most generous supporters—people with a real passion for history, including Rodger and Dawn Nordblom, who’ve contributed to a newly created fund, the Documentary Investment Group, to support distinctive history productions. And Brian McCarthy, a young New Yorker and American Experience fan whose foundation is helping ensure the series keeps growing.

We’re grateful to them and to all of you for helping WGBH make history every day.

Jonathan C. Abbott President and CEO

DIGging Deep

Pursuing a Passion

W

for History

ith more than 50 years of leadership in commercial real estate behind him, Rodger Nordblom knows a good investment when he sees one.

Recently, the WGBH Overseer Advisory Board member and his wife, Dawn, closed a deal to help secure the future of documentary filmmaking by making the inaugural gift to the newly established WGBH Documentary Investment Group (see sidebar).

The Nordbloms’ support of the Documentary Investment Group is the latest chapter in their philanthropic commitment to history programming on public television, which includes their gift of the rodge r a n d daw n n o r d b lo m History Production Offices at WGBH’s Brighton studios. For Nordblom, it’s a fitting bookend to a passion for history that began when he was 12 growing up in Quincy.

That year, 1939, he began compiling a scrapbook of newspaper and magazine articles detailing the deepening conflict in Europe—a project he kept up until the conclusion of World War II. Now, 60-plus years later, he’s about to finish the fourth in a series of volumes he’s published from those early scrapbooks.

“Whether it’s World War II, the Civil War, or the Civil Rights Movement, it’s important that we remember the sacrifices and contributions of earlier generations,” says Nordblom. “Preserving those stories and making sure they can be told is what motivates me in my personal endeavors and in my support of WGBH.”

In addition to galvanizing philanthropic support for American Experience films, the Documentary Investment Group is designed to engage supporters with the programs they love, through screenings and events with filmmakers. This behind-thescenes access has opened a new window on the documentary filmmaking process for the Nordbloms, who enjoy making short films from their extensive world travels.

“Our involvement in the Documentary Investment Group has deepened our appreciation for the creativity, intelligence, and plain hard work that goes into each American Experience production,” says Nordblom. “It’s exciting to be associated with such thoughtful and visionary filmmaking.”

And if past is prologue, the Nordbloms are happy to help ensure that the lessons of history are not lost to a contemporary audience.

“We need to understand the past if we are going to make informed judgments about the future,” says Nordblom. “Public broadcasting provides the facts and perspective that are essential to a robust national dialogue. We’re proud to support it.”

WGBH’s Documentary Investment Group creates a new way for supporters with a passion for history and documentary film to help bring American Experience programs to life. The first-of-its-kind initiative was launched this past April at a screening of Ric Burns’s Into the Deep: Whaling & America (coming to PBS in spring 2010), hosted by Ralph Lowell Society members Rodger and Dawn Nordblom at their home in Boston.

The setting was perfect, says American Experience executive producer m a r k s a m e l s, because the Documentary Investment Group aims to connect supporters more deeply with programs by providing access to filmmakers and the filmmaking process. The model was inspired by the similar approach of film festivals such as Sundance.

“History is intensely personal,” says Samels. “We know from our experience with festivals and screenings that the more we can engage directly with groups of interested people, the more impact our films will have.”

Early reaction to the Documentary Investment Group has been encouraging, “For those who believe that history is deeply relevant to our lives today,” he concludes, “the Documentary Investment Group offers a personal stake in helping WGBH reach an ever-wider audience with the stories that continue to shape our nation.”

To learn more about how you can support documentary filmmaking at WGBH, contact WGBH Director of Major Gifts Ellen Frank at 617.300.3809 or email ellen_frank@wgbh.org.

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Earth Days and More As television’s most-watched history series, American Experience remains unmatched in its commitment to bringing to life the characters and stories that make up the narrative of America. Like any good storyteller, the series knows how to keep its audience wanting more. Here’s a look ahead.

Channeling History to • I n an age of hybrid cars, eco-tourism, and reusable shopping bags, it’s easy to forget that the modern environmental movement has been more than a half-century in the making. Earth Days, set to air in April 2010, traces its beginnings in the 1950s to its status as a major political force today.

The film already has been a hit in the festival circuit.

• F ifty years ago, a group of 400 Americans set out to challenge racial segregation by sitting where they pleased on buses and trains and demanding unrestricted access to restaurants and waiting rooms.

Freedom Riders, scheduled to air in 2011, tells their story.

• O n June 28, 1969, New York City police raided a Greenwich Village bar and set off six days of street demonstrations and violent protests. Stonewall Uprising, airing in 2010, examines the riots that catalyzed the gay rights movement.

Explore American Experience online (wgbh.org/americanexperience), where you can view films anytime, download teachers’ guides, and get the stories behind the stories. Register for even more info!

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Reach a New Generation

here’s a scene in Ric Burns’s 1991 American Experience film Coney Island that shows a throng of men and women in turn-of-the-century swimming costumes running, dancing, cartwheeling, and splashing in the surf along the Brooklyn shore. The vignette lasts less than a minute, but it’s left an impression on b r i a n m cc a rt h y for 18 years.

“It’s a beautiful piece of filmmaking that takes what might seem like an everyday scene and turns it into a reflection on a moment in history,” he recalls.

“As these people are frolicking before the camera, they have no idea that two World Wars and the Great Depression lie on the horizon. It gives you pause to think about your own place in time.”

That reflective approach to history has made McCarthy a fan of American Experience since the WGBH-produced series debuted on PBS in 1988. It also prompted him in 2004 to contact WGBH through its website to find out how he could support the series. Since then, the 39-year-old New Yorker has made a series of gifts to American Experience and Frontline, first through his family foundation and now through his own Brian A. McCarthy Foundation.

“American Experience and Frontline do history and investigative journalism better than anyone else on television,” he says. “By taking an honest and nuanced approach and by looking at all sides of a story, they give us a touchstone for our shared history.”

A collective short memory for history combined with the continuing national trend toward shallow news coverage makes reaching new viewers with public broadcasting’s content more important than ever, McCarthy says. That’s why he’s directed his support to online and outreach activities including the website for Frontline’s The Age of AIDS and the groundbreaking “Reel Native” feature on American Experience’s We Shall Remain website, which allows Native Americans to share their personal stories in self-produced short films.

“Our history belongs to all of us, and it’s something we all should engage in,” says McCarthy. “My generation has the opportunity to help public broadcasting harness the power of new media, and I’m happy to do whatever I can to help WGBH reach an even wider audience.”

News from the Ralph Lowell Society A New Chapter

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“...WGBH is the place where millions of people turn for news, analysis, stories, and images that provide real perspective about the world we share.”

’m honored to be writing to you as the new Chair of the Ralph Lowell Society.

WGBH has long been a part of my life. As a young girl growing up watching Sesame Street and practicing phonics with The Electric Company, later sharing in the excitement of Antiques Roadshow when I worked at an auction house, and now as a former English teacher who remains forever curious, I continue to enjoy WGBH as a supreme source of education. As parents, Will and I confidently turned on WGBH for our children knowing they could learn as we did early reading skills as well as moral values—for example, from WGBH’s generational hit, Arthur.

Up in Bar Harbor this summer, our family was thrilled to hear Ken Burns and Dayton Duncan describe their thinking behind National Parks before a preview showing. We also enjoyed the inspirational salsa dancing at our RLS Season Premiere Party on October 2nd celebrating WGBH’s Latin Music USA, a wonderful evening I hope many of you were able to experience as WGBH opened its doors to nearly 1,000 community guests.

I imagine you will agree that WGBH is the place where millions of people turn for news, analysis, stories, and images that provide real perspective about the world we share. I hope you have found that the Ralph Lowell Society keeps you better informed and offers events giving you an insiders’ view on how the programs we all love are made. I look forward to working closely with longtime WGBH staffer Vanya Tulenko, who will assume the duties of directing the Society (see below).

As we near the end of what has been an economically challenging year, I thank you for making WGBH a priority in your life. I hope we can count on you in 2010. Please send in your RLS renewal before the end of the year, so we all can continue to enjoy WGBH’s fabulous programming.

Most gratefully,

Geneva S. Thorndike Chair, Ralph Lowell Society

Welcome, Vanya Chances are you’ve met vanya tulenko, who this month takes on the duties of directing the Ralph Lowell Society. The 15-year WGBH veteran previously ran The WGBH Auction, orchestrated a series of opening celebrations for our One Guest Street studios and, most recently, served as director of special events, including last month’s spectacular Latin Music USA Premiere Party. Vanya can be reached at 617.300.3806 or by email, vanya_tulenko@wgbh.org.

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Ralph Lowell Society

Borrowing Privileges

For an Engaged Mind,

These Doctors Prescribe WGBH

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ot a nagging itch for history? A fever for high drama? A thirst for science?

Treat your symptoms with a healthy dose of WGBH, say Ralph Lowell Society members jeffrey dover, MD, and tania phil l i ps, MD. The Newton couple, prominent dermatologists and parents of two teenage daughters, have trusted WGBH to take care of their curiosity since they first moved to Boston in 1987.

“No one combines education and entertainment better than WGBH,” says Jeff.

Recently, the busy duo took time out to speak with Sharing the Vision’s Tina Vaz. What are your public broadcasting favorites?

Tania: Masterpiece Mystery! and Masterpiece Classic. We watched The Complete Jane Austen with our daughters and they loved it. They grew up with Sesame Street and Arthur, and it is gratifying to see them rediscover public television as teenagers.

Jeff: American Experience, Nova, and Frontline. I listen to WGBH 89.7 throughout the day. I especially like The Takeaway and The World. We were so enthralled by an Arts & Ideas presentation of The Glass Menagerie on a ride home from the Berkshires recently that we ran from the driveway to the house so we wouldn’t miss a minute!

What are your passions in life?

Tania: My husband and daughters, literature, theater, and traveling. We’ve taken the girls to India, Egypt, Israel, and the UK. We all love to eat, which is an excellent pastime when you’re traveling!

Jeff: Spending time with our family, biking, skiing, tennis, and reading. I’m always on the lookout for opportunities to learn new things.

Why have you made WGBH a philanthropic priority?

Tania: WGBH has a deep respect for their audience. It shows in the intelligence and variety of the programming and in the way that information is presented without interruption or filter.

Jeff: WGBH opens up the world. You can travel the globe, to different times in history, even into someone’s kitchen. When I watch or listen to a WGBH program, I become more engaged, more informed, more outward-looking. It’s a great way to learn.

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If you missed WGBH’s fresh take on America’s musical history in Latin Music USA, or saw most but not all 12-plus hours of Ken Burns’s The National Parks: America’s Best Idea, not to worry: simply request a DVD from the Ralph Lowell Society Lending Library.

This exclusive RLS benefit is as simple to enjoy as picking up the phone and calling the Ralph Lowell Society Hotline at 617.300.3900, sending an e-mail to ralph_lowell_society@wgbh. org, or making an online request at wgbh.org/ralphlowellsocietyvideo.

We’ll do the rest.

r a l p h lo w e l l s o c i e t y m e m b e r s h i p l eve ls chairman’s circle • $50,000 president’s circle • $25,000 benefactor • $10,000 sponsor • $5,000 fellow • $2,500 friend • $1,500 For a complete list of the benefits and privileges at each membership level, please call the Ralph Lowell Society Hotline at 617.300.3900, visit wgbh.org/ralphlowell, or e-mail ralph_lowell_society@wgbh.org.

We welcome your questions and value your support.

Chair, Ralph Lowell Society • Geneva Thorndike Director, Ralph Lowell Society • Vanya Tulenko Volunteer, Video Lending Library • Debbie Katsiroubas

New McGhee Fellow

Back row (from left): Overseers Peter Blacklow, Chet Messer, Simone Winston, Joseph Fallon, and Michael McCay; Front row (from left): Overseers Susan Kaplan (Chair), Rebecca Lee, and Ruth Ellen Fitch

On Board

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n June, the WGBH Board of Overseers welcomed its newest members. “One of the signs of WGBH’s strength as a vibrant public media force is the consistently high quality of volunteer leaders who serve on our board,” says Susan Kaplan, Overseers Chair. Here’s a quick look at WGBH’s newest Overseers. p e t e r d. blacklow is President of WorldWinner.com and Executive Vice President of Digital for the Game Show Network, a joint venture of Sony Pictures Television and Liberty Media Corporation. Blacklow also serves as a senior advisor to Flybridge Capital Partners, an early stage venture capital firm, and as a board member at GamerDNA and Concord Academy. jo s e ph f. fallon is CEO and President of The Fallon Company where he oversees the development and investment operations of the company’s real estate portfolio; developments include Fan Pier and The Marriott Renaissance Boston Waterfront Hotel. Fallon serves on numerous nonprofit and corporate boards including Beth Israel Deaconess Hospital, The Boston Harbor Island Alliance, the Boston Symphony Orchestra, and the National Association of Industrial and Office Properties. r e b ecca a. lee is a real estate partner with the Boston office of Edwards Angell Palmer and Dodge LLP. She was previously the Chief of Staff and Special Counsel to the Director of the Boston Redevelopment Authority and a partner at Goodwin Procter LLP. A member and former president of the Asian American Lawyers Association of Massachusetts and a member of New England Women in Real Estate, Lee is a graduate of Brandeis, with a JD from Yale Law School and an MPA from the Kennedy School of Government at Harvard University. m i c h ael a. mccay is CFO and COO of One to One Interactive, a digital marketing and advertising company. A member of the Board of Directors of the New Repertory Theater, McCay is a graduate of Suffolk University and received his MBA from Bentley University. s i m o ne s. winston is a member of the Ralph Lowell Society Committee and serves as the annual co-chair of the MGH Children’s Hospital Storybook Ball.

A much-in-demand volunteer, Winston also serves on Massachusetts General Hospital Cancer Center’s Leadership Board as well as the Events Advisory Council for both the Perkins School and the Emerald Necklace Conservancy, and works with the Boys and Girls Club of Boston.

Like history, ja m i l a w i g n ot’s path to filmmaking didn’t follow a straight line.

The producer/director, who recently was awarded WGBH’s 2009 Peter S. McGhee Fellowship, started out as a history major at Wellesley College. A year in Spain awakened her creative side, so she changed her major to Spanish and began taking film classes.

An internship at WGBH led to a job with Eyes on the Prize creators Blackside, where Wignot helped bring the 2003 series This Far by Faith to public television.

She later worked on American Experience’s Reconstruction: The Second Civil War. “Film is a powerful language for exploring what this country means and for helping us make sense of the world,” says Wignot. “I look for ways to place history in context and express the continuity of human themes.”

“Jamila has a gift for visually dynamic storytelling that creates emotional connections with our audience,” says American Experience executive producer Mark Samels.

“She realizes history is a powerful lens through which to see the present.”

It’s that talent for storytelling and commitment to excellence that the annual McGhee Fellowship recognizes. The honor was established upon the retirement in 2002 of WGBH’s longtime vice president for national programming.

During her fellowship year, Wignot will bring her skills to Triangle Fire, a new American Experience film about the 1911 fire that killed 146 garment workers in New York City and led to comprehensive employment law reform.

“American history is full of times where the country has had to stop and recalibrate,” says Wignot. “In that sense, the story of the Triangle Fire is the story of America.”

To learn how you can endow a WGBH fellowship, contact WGBH’s Office of Endowment and Planned Giving at 800.220.7122 or email planned_giving@wgbh.org.

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An Eventful Season Meeting

the Press

WGBH’s closest friends got to meet public television’s top journalists in late spring.

Gwen Ifill (moderator and managing editor, Washington Week with Gwen Ifill) shared her perspective on presidential politics at a May event for Ralph Lowell Society Sponsors at The Parkman House in Beacon Hill. In June, Frontline executive producer David Fanning and senior producer Michael Kirk took center stage in WGBH’s Yawkey Theater for a look at recent Frontline films on the global economic crisis, followed by a lively discussion.

gwen ifill with (left to right) overseers advisory board member beth pfeiffer, overseer christine dunn and trustee lia poorvu

frontline senior producer michael kirk (right) with a group of enthusiastic rls members

Julie & Julia…

at WGBH

simply ming’s ming tsai toasts the film with jasper white

trustee ann gund with boston restaurateur michela larson

Ralph Lowell Society members, Boston celebrity chefs, and veteran WGBH producers filled every seat in WGBH’s Yawkey Theater for Boston’s special screening of Columbia Pictures’ hit film Julie & Julia in early August, followed by a panel discussion featuring Corby Kummer food editor for The Atlantic; Judith Jones, Julia’ Child’s longtime editor at Knopf; Russ Morash, producer and director of WGBH’s The French Chef; and Jasper White, chef/ owner of Jasper White’s Summer Shack.

an expert panel: (left to right) corby kummer, judith jones, jasper white, and russ morash

Summer on

the Islands Nantucket and Martha’s Vineyard provided the perfect settings for two special evenings in August. Trustee Ann Gund and Graham Gund threw open the doors to their Nantucket house for a cocktail reception celebrating producer Ric Burns’s upcoming American Experience film: Into the Deep: Whaling in America. Burns was joined by

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maritime historian and on-screen interviewee Nathaniel Philbrick and American Experience executive producer Mark Samels. The following night, Dr. William and Nan Harris welcomed WGBH friends to their Vineyard home for cocktails and conversation with NPR senior news analyst Cokie Roberts.

nantucket host and ralph lowell society president’s circle member graham gund (left) with walter and donna wick

Celebrating “America’s Best Idea”

with Ken Burns

Ralph Lowell Society and Leadership Circle members joined National Park Service rangers and officials for an afternoon preview of The National Parks at WGBH’s Yawkey Theater, with running commentary by featured guests: filmmaker extraordinaire Ken Burns and co-producer Dayton Duncan.

dayton duncan with ralph lowell society fellow karen kaufman

two national parks service rangers rub shoulders with ken burns

Latin Music USA

Celebración

Rocks the Studios

pulitzer prize-winning author junot díaz (left) with maría hinojosa and her husband, artist german perez

bobby sanabria performs with quarteto aché

dancing in wgbh’s calderwood studio

president of alpfa boston paul francisco with rls chair genie thorndike and husband, overseer will thorndike

wgbh supporters nancy adams and patty ribakoff

vineyard hosts dr. william and nan harris with npr’s cokie roberts and wgbh president jon abbott

Ralph Lowell Society and Board members gathered Friday evening, October 2, for the RLS Season Premiere Party celebrating WGBH’s groundbreaking music-and-history documentary Latin Music USA, with WGBH producers Elizabeth Deane and Adriana Bosch as their guide. At 8pm, WGBH welcomed the whole community to join in the celebración. Nearly 1,000 people—Latin music enthusiasts, salsa dancers, old friends and new—danced to the music of Bobby Sanabria y Quarteto Aché and Mango Blue.

richard sher, producer and host of npr’s says you! with overseers advisory board member leigh braude

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One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135 wgbh.org­

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WGBH is home to history—the source of scrupulously

G MAKIN Y HISTOR

researched, artfully crafted documentaries. Programs and online resources push past the myths, bringing to life the powerful stories, diverse personalities, and pivotal issues

that have shaped our world. Millions of Americans count on WGBH for a fresh perspective on where we’ve been and where we’re going.

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For general information, please contact

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Winifred Lenihan Vice President for Development

Sharing the Vision is a publication of WGBH

WGBH One Guest Street Boston, MA 02135

Editorial Tina Vaz Susan Reed

617.300.3804 winifred_lenihan@wgbh.org

Design Danielle Edson Alison Kennedy

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Publication Coordination Caitlin Downey Production Lenore Lanier Gibson Director, Constituent Communications Cynthia Broner­ Associate Director Susan Reed

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PHOTO CREDITS • PAGE 1: © ARNIE SAWYER STUDIOS, INC. • PAGE 2: JOEL LAINO FOR WGBH • PAGE 3: COURTESY RODGER AND DAWN NORDBLOM; © WGBH/ANDY RYAN • PAGE 4: © CORBIS; COURTESY BRIAN MCCARTHY • PAGE 5: © WGBH/LISA ABITBOL; © WGBH/JEFF DUNN • PAGE 6: COURTESY JEFFREY DOVER AND TANIA PHILLIPS • PAGE 7: © WGBH/MARK OSTOW; COURTESY JAMILA WIGNOT • PAGE 8: © WGBH/LISA ABITBOL; © WGBH/MARK OSTOW; © WGBH/MAI NORTON; © WGBH/L.A. BROWN • PAGE 9: © WGBH/DENNIS O’REILLY; © WGBH/LISA ABITBOL.

© 2009 WGBH EDUCATIONAL FOUNDATION • 0907043