The Circle: Spring 2011

The Circle

spring 2011

Leadership Circle

the wgbh leadership circle newsletter

The Making of a Masterpiece his year, Masterpiece celebrates 40 years of bringing you timeless, award-winning drama. And there’s plenty more to come! Masterpiece Classic’s season premiere, Downton Abbey, drew rave reviews and huge audiences. In April, we’ll bring back one of Masterpiece’s most beloved series of all time, Upstairs Downstairs.

The longest-running prime-time drama on American television, Masterpiece has garnered 51 Emmys.

Executive producer Rebecca Eaton has been at the helm for 26 years. The Circle’s Lori Gwyr recently caught up with Rebecca, to talk with her about Masterpiece’s success.

Q Masterpiece turns 40 this year.

What are you most proud of?

A Not only is it still here, but the programs are as good as they’ve ever been.

You can count on one hand the number of series that have had as long and as successful a run as we’ve had.

Q What’s it like for you as an executive producer when a Masterpiece series turns out to be a huge hit?

A I hope they’ll all be huge, and it’s always a gamble. First, there’s the feeling of relief, and then the excitement starts to build, because you can see that this is going to have broad appeal. It’s like reading a really, really good long book.

Q Two series, Downton Abbey (which aired in January) and Upstairs Downstairs, (which premieres in April) focus on an upper-class family and its servants. What makes these stories so appealing?

A Like a good saga, both stories set up a tension between two groups of people, in this case, the upstairs and the downstairs. They’re all in the same

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find out what happens to rose and the residents of 165 eaton place in an exciting new continuation of upstairs downstairs, premiering sunday, april 10 at 9pm on wgbh 2

“family,” and all their fates are interwoven. It’s a limited cast of characters, and you have all the great themes of love, betrayal, redemption, life, death, money.

They’re stories that always work, no matter what the period is.

Q How did the decision to revive Upstairs Downstairs come about?

A Well, there’s a great story! It actually happened on a plane when Eileen Atkins, who created Upstairs Downstairs with Jean Marsh, was flying from LA to London with Heidi Thomas, the writer of Cranford. They sat together for 12 hours, and at the end of the flight, the new Upstairs Downstairs had been hatched, with Heidi as the writer.

Q What do each of the Masterpiece hosts bring to the series?

A Laura Linney is a classic actress who does period, contemporary, comedy, or straight drama. Alan Cumming is the ultimate master of ceremonies, and a performer. He’s a chameleon and a wit.

David Tennant can do Hamlet or Dr.

Who. He fits perfectly into the anthology nature of Masterpiece Contemporary.

I think there’s a common reason for why they do this job: because they believe in public broadcasting. They want to make a contribution professionally to PBS and they also are very proud to showcase the work of their acting contemporaries.

Q What’s on the horizon?

A For Mystery! this summer, we have a new detective joining the family.

The program is called Zen, and Italian detective Aurelio Zen is played by Rufus Sewell, who is as beautiful as the setting for the series: Rome! In the fall, Masterpiece Contemporary welcomes back Emma Thompson and Alan Rickman in a lovely piece called The Song of Lunch, which is about the reunion of two ex-lovers. And, there will be a sequel to Downton Abbey, premiering in 2012.

Learn more about Masterpiece at wgbh.org/masterpiece, or follow us at facebook.com/masterpiecepbs and Twitter (@masterpiecepbs).

on tv

on radio

• More than 650 teachers nationwide will be trained to use accompanying material in their classrooms.

• The Freedom Riders website features an animated map of the rides, upcoming daily dispatches from the 2011 Student Ride, and much more. Visit pbs.org/wgbh/ americanexperience/freedomriders.

• On April 20, some of the original Freedom Riders will be at Boston’s John F. Kennedy Library for a film preview.

• A large-scale traveling exhibit, and some original Freedom Riders, come to WGBH’s Brighton studios for a special Leadership Circle event April 21. For more info call 617-300-3505.

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hallmarks. Freedom Riders filmmaker Stanley Nelson heard rumors that the FBI had confiscated 8mm footage of the burning bus, and his persistence in tracking it down led to never-beforeseen film of the event. Rare images like those give viewers a true sense of the terror experienced by the Freedom Riders as mobs bashed in bus windows, shouted racial epithets, brutally attacked the riders, and tried to burn them alive.

Beginning May 6, some of those who endured that violence will join 40 modern-day college students on the 2011 Student Freedom Ride, American Experience’s most ambitious outreach project ever for a single film.

“We’re retracing the ’61 Freedom Rides, with a ride from Washington, DC, to Jackson, Mississippi,” says Samels.

“We’re taking some of the original Freedom Riders, along with a group of current-day college students, for a dialog across generations. Maybe we can help draw out not only some of the lessons from the original Freedom Rides, but also how they apply to civic engagement today.”

American Experience shines a spotlight on another pivotal moment of civic engagement in Stonewall Uprising.

In this case the filmmakers, Kate Davis and David Heilbroner, found what Samels called a “stunning” dearth of visuals. What the film lacks in original footage, it more than makes up for with vivid, firsthand accounts from those who

were part of the Stonewall riots. As one interviewee puts it, “This time the police ran from us.”

The film explores the difficulties of being gay in the 1960s, when there were precious few safe places to go, even in Greenwich Village. The three-night riot that erupted when Stonewall Inn patrons refused to go quietly was a transformative moment for them, and for society.

Q How is investigative reporting different from day-to-day news coverage?

A First of all, it takes a lot more time.

There are several aspects to investigative journalism. There’s the sexy aspect: what you see, what you hear, the final result.

And then there’s the grind, the research.

There are a lot of levels of research: actual reporting, of course, developing a huge reservoir of contacts, statistical and demographic research, and looking at records.

89.7 wgbh reporter phillip martin

Q Can you give us an example of how one of your pieces has had a broad impact?

A One of the series I’m continuing to work on is about human trafficking, and that is showing some results.

Massachusetts Attorney General Martha Coakley recently announced she’s filing legislation to expand Massachusetts’ statutes dealing with trafficking.

What’s Cooking? WGBH Radio!

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“I thought about Stonewall being, in a way, the ‘freedom ride’ for gay rights, a catalytic event that occurs to launch a movement,” says Samels.

Extraordinary “ordinary” people.

Important issues. Decisive moments.

Since 1988, American Experience has been bringing to life the stories that have shaped our country’s past and present.

Stonewall Uprising premieres Monday, April 25 at 9pm on WGBH 2, and Freedom Riders premieres Monday, May 16 at 9pm on WGBH 2. Watch the films online after their debut at wgbh.org/ americanexperience.

tay tuned for America’s Test Kitchen Radio, a new show from America’s Test Kitchen founder Chris Kimball and TV co-host Bridget Lancaster that will take you inside the test kitchen for food tastings, behind-the-scenes stories, equipment ratings, gadget reviews, and delicious revivals of America’s best “lost recipes.”

Right now there is no comprehensive trafficking law. We’ve been interviewing advocates, and they have continued to talk about the need for comprehensive legislation. So, we think it has had an impact for sure.

JILL GOLDMAN

COURTESY OF CORBIS

an angry mob stoned and firebombed the greyhound bus holding some of the original freedom riders in anniston, alabama

eeing a need to delve deeper into the wealth of stories in the Boston area, 89.7 WGBH recently expanded its local news coverage, which now includes an investigative unit, led by senior reporter Phillip Martin. Martin was one of the producers involved in the development of WGBH’s award-winning news series The World. A former Neiman Fellow at Harvard, he has won numerous awards, including a National Association of Black Journalists Award for best radio documentary for his NPR series on South Africa. The Circle’s Lori Gwyr recently talked with Martin about his work in enterprise and investigative journalism.

KELLER + KELLER

F reedom Riders Reaches Out

Telling the Untold Stories S

ARNIE SAWYER

hat drives people to stand up for a cause they believe in so strongly they are willing to endure beatings, incarceration, and even death? In April and May, WGBH’s American Experience, the longest-running and most-watched history series on American television, explores that question when it examines two pivotal moments in our nation’s civil rights history.

Stonewall Uprising, premiering in April, tells the story of how a 1969 New York Police Department raid of the Stonewall Inn, a bar and haven for gays, ignited the gay rights movement.

Freedom Riders, premiering in May, chronicles the groundbreaking bus trips, known as the Freedom Rides, in which blacks and whites traveled together from Washington, DC, into the Deep South in 1961 in dangerous defiance of the Jim Crow laws.

“In some ways, the films are very similar: they’re witness-driven, nonnarrated films, where the storytelling is handled by those who lived through the event,” says American Experience executive producer Mark Samels.

Great storytelling, original research, firsthand accounts, and gripping visuals, such as that of a bus set on fire in Anniston, Alabama, are American Experience

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“I love radio. It’s a much smarter medium,” says Kimball. “There’s a lot of information in this show, which is kind of our style. Plus, radio gives my co-host, Bridget Lancaster, the opportunity to make fun of me at greater length. Everybody here appreciates that.”

The hosts also will take live calls on all things culinary. Kimball and his team of experts have been answering America’s cooking questions for nearly two decades for the readers of Cook’s Illustrated, which has been called “the Consumer Reports of cooking.”

America’s Test Kitchen Radio, which is finishing up a successful pilot run, goes national in July. Look for it Saturdays at 2pm on 89.7 WGBH. Stream it online or listen to past episodes at wgbh.org/atkradio.

Q What surprised you most when you were working on the human trafficking series?

A The most surprising thing was how extraordinarily difficult it is for law enforcement, and certainly for journalists, to find victims in a trade that probably involves about 25 million people worldwide. And that says something about both the efficacy of the traffickers and the fear that exists among those who are trafficked.

Q You recently wrote a series about a homeless Vietnam veteran and artist named Bruce. How did he come to your attention?

A Bruce is someone who I’d seen on the streets off and on for a long time, and I struck up a conversation with him. In that conversation I discovered a remarkable individual whose story was not being told, and I thought it was worth telling. Read about Bruce at wgbh.org/news.

Q What makes 89.7 WGBH Radio stand out?

A I can’t imagine any other place—in Boston or anywhere else—that would have allowed and encouraged the kind of journalism that focused on a homeless individual over a three-day period.

That’s remarkable.

Q What’s on the horizon?

A We’re working on a critical, exploratory piece coming up sometime this fall. It deals with foster care, and an aspect of foster care that I think will surprise people.

Do We Have Your Email Address?

Last-minute free tickets, special events, program changes, new member benefits. To make the most of your WGBH Leadership Circle membership, make sure we have your current email address. Call us at 617-300-3505 or email us at leadershipcircle@wgbh.org.

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wgbh leadership circle member highlights

Coming up on 99.5 All Classical Listen weekdays at 1pm the week of June 12-19 for timely recordings of this year’s Boston Early Music Festival, and visit 995allclassical.org often for a stream dedicated to the festival.

Our Thanks

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WGBH salutes its local sponsors for their support:

ony Bennett was among the distinguished guests at Opera Boston’s gala last November honoring 99.5 All Classical host Ron Della Chiesa. Local arts and entertainment critic Joyce Kulhawik hosted, with performances by Opera Boston singers and tributes from Ron’s friends, including his many WGBH colleagues and his pal Bennett, who closed the evening with a surprise rendition of Fly Me to the Moon.

Host of 99.5 All Classical’s live Boston Symphony Orchestra broadcasts from Symphony Hall

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RANDY GOODMAN

Opera Boston Honors Ron Della Chiesa

and Tanglewood, Della Chiesa is a longtime champion of opera. His career hosting classical music programs and live broadcasts spans more than four decades. Bravo!

American Experience: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Northeastern University High School Quiz Show: Major sponsorship for High School Quiz Show is provided by the Bank of America Charitable Foundation; additional funding is provided by Safety Insurance, Comcast, the Massachusetts Teachers Association, and Newbury Comics Live from Fraser: Boston Symphony Orchestra, Massachusetts Cultural Council, New England Conservatory, Safety Insurance Masterpiece: Huntington Theater Company, Skinner Inc.

Holiday Pops The Boston Pops’ holiday concert reached lofty heights this year, and Leadership Circle members were there to witness it! Members joined the Symphony Hall audience on Dec. 20 for the concert, which featured the Tanglewood Festival Chorus and a special guest conductor. The crowd enjoyed festive classics, such as the Hallelujah Chorus from Handel’s Messiah, and sang along to children’s

the harlem quartet is currently in residence at the new england conservatory.

Harlem Quartet

Christmas Celtic Sojourn

Been to a Live from Fraser performance in our studios? If not, you’re missing a real treat—such as January’s performance by the Harlem Quartet. The talented young musicians wowed the audience with a program as diverse as Beethoven and Wynton Marsalis. Currently in residence at New England Conservatory in its Professional String Quartet Training Program, the Harlem Quartet prides itself on this musical variety.

“Our goal is to diversify the age and audience that is attracted to our music,” says violinist Ilmar Gavilán. “We do a lot of outreach in schools, and are very interactive with kids. We try to always include some jazz in our repertoire.”

The ensemble displayed impressive chops, proving that its prestigious position at the NEC is well deserved.

They easily transitioned from Beethoven to Marsalis’s technically demanding Hellbound Highball (a piece about a train bound for hell) from his String Quartet No. 1. The unconventional orchestration tested the players abilities to tease unusual sounds out of their instruments. The result was an impressively organized cacophony of strings emulating whistles, horns, and even the Doppler effect!

Achieving that sound was not an easy process, according to the musicians, who talked to Wynton Marsalis personally for further explanations of the somewhat-vague score. With a diverse repertoire and immensely talented musicians, the quartet’s future is right on track.

WGBH supporters packed our Fraser Performance Studio in December for highlights from our Christmas Celtic Sojourn concert. Singer/songwriter Robbie O’Connell, former Cherish the Ladies vocalist Heidi Talbot, host Brian O’Donovan, and a talented group of musicians treated the audience to foot-stomping jigs, soulful ballads, and everything in between.

The somber Christmas in the Trenches, adapted from a World War I soldier’s first person-story, gave way to a lively and humorous tale about a near-lethal Christmas cake “that would paralyze anyone’s jaw.” The emotion-filled concert concluded with a combination Gaelic-and-English rendition of Silent Night, in which the audience helped provide the English verses.

LORI GWYR

hen WGBH acquired commercial station WCRB in December 2009 and launched 99.5 All Classical, those of us on the classical production team knew we had a big job in front of us. Among the challenges was the creation of a vibrant online presence that not only would reflect you’ll find everything from live interviews and performances to podcasts and blogs on our revamped classical website, who we are and how we 995allclassical.org approach classical music, but also would give listeners new ways to the Web as soon as possible after they’ve connect with us beyond the radio. Last been on the radio (and sometimes even summer, we fine-tuned 995allclassical. before). So now, if you miss Live from org even further.

Fraser on a Thursday evening, or you There you’ll find some of our most and your children are too busy to catch popular features, including a live stream our Kids’ Classical Hour on Saturday of our broadcast, playlist information on morning, you haven’t missed out: you what you’ve heard, and the weekly can listen anytime online. And for those Classical in Performance podcast that you who can’t get enough of Bach’s sacred can download to your computer or mp3 music on a Sunday morning, The Bach player. We’ve also improved the site in Hour is always available at least a full day several exciting ways. before its Sunday evening broadcast.

We’ve significantly increased the We’ve also enhanced our Boston number of programs available on Symphony Orchestra offerings by makdemand. Because few of us have scheding producer Brian Bell’s interviews and ules that allow for listening to the radio features available to you on demand, 24 hours a day, it was important to us to often before they’re heard on Saturday bring you 99.5’s signature programs on evening, and sometimes in an expanded

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form that gives you even richer content than what you hear on the radio.

We even have a new blog offering the latest thoughts and insightful background information from our hosts.

Host Notes includes everything from short, personal comments to online videos, images, and links. And we want the conversations to be two-way: look for the “Add Comment” link at the bottom of Host Notes and tell us what you think.

Classical music is a vast and rich art form that can be explored at many different levels. Our goal—on air and online —is to help you expand and amplify your classical music experiences. I hope you’ll join us on 995allclassical.org.

favorites Jingle Bells, Rudolph the Red-Nosed Reindeer, and more. The highlight came when Pops conductor Keith Lockhart introduced 7-foot, 1-inch guest conductor Shaquille O’Neal as “Maestro Shamrock.” O’Neal took the podium for Sleigh Ride and We Are the Champions.

Remembering Ray Smith

MILLICENT HARVEY FOR WGBH

By Brian McCreath Host of Classical Music with Brian McCreath, weekdays 1pm to 4pm on 99.5 All Classical

Winter 2010/2011 Live Performances

B.D.MACMAHON

Classical Music—Anywhere, Anytime

B.D.MACMAHON

on radio

Last fall, WGBH welcomed Leadership Circle members, friends, and jazz fans to a tribute to Ray Smith, longtime host of 89.7 WGBH’s Jazz Decades, who passed away in February 2010 at age 87. The Paramount Jazz Band (for which Smith was a drummer) entertained the audience in the Fraser Performance Studio. The event was made possible by a generous donation from the Clinton H. and Wilma T. Shattuck Charitable Trust and the Alice Willard Dorr Foundation.

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The Circle

spring 2011

Leadership Circle

the wgbh leadership circle newsletter

© GREG HABIBY/COURTESY OF KQED

w g b h l e a d e r s h i p c i r c l e m e m b e r u p d at e

Tastes of Europe

Your Benefits

A Jacques Pépin Culinary Cruise Aug. 10-26, 2011 co-hosted by Yankee Magazine food editor Annie Copps

Your membership in WGBH’s Leadership Circle tells us how much you value WGBH and our programming for TV, radio, and the Web. We value you, too. That’s why we’ve created benefits and privileges that speak to your specific interests and program tastes, from customized, information-rich newsletters to special events where you’ll meet WGBH on-air talent and producers.

Each level of the WGBH Leadership Circle offers unique benefits that take you behind the scenes at WGBH. Visit wgbh.org/support for details.

We want to hear from you! Call Cindy at 617-300-3505 to upgrade or renew your membership, RSVP to an event, update your address or email information, or to give us feedback on our programs or this newsletter. Help us keep the Circle growing — pass this newsletter on to a friend!

Thank you for your ongoing support of WGBH!

Don’t miss this extraordinary 16-day cruise from London to Rome on board the elegant, mid-size ship Marina, with stops in seven countries. Gourmands will find opportunities both on board and ashore irresistible as Marina calls on more than a dozen destinations renowned for their cuisine, wine, and artistry.

World-renowned master chef and PBS personality Jacques Pépin hosts this culinary journey, presiding over signature menus in seven distinctive restaurants, and offering demonstrations in the Bon Appétit Culinary Center, the only hands-on cooking school at sea.

WGBH LearningTour participants will be privately hosted by Yankee Magazine food editor Annie Copps, heard on 89.7 WGBH’s Daily Dish.

Exclusive experiences will include private cooking classes, special shore excursions, welcome and farewell receptions, and a private cocktail party with Jacques Pépin.

Fares range from $7,199 - $9,799 per person, including airfare from Boston, all on-board gratuities and meals, and a $600 tax-deductible contribution to WGBH. For more info, visit wgbh.org/ learningtours or call 617-300-3505.

The Circle is a publication of WGBH One Guest Street, Boston, MA 02135 Writers: Lori Gwyr, Jennifer Goebel Designer: Danielle Pierce Leadership Circle Staff: Mary Toropov (director), Germaine Frechette, Elizabeth Hagyard, Stacy Kasdin Constituent Communications: Cynthia Broner, Susan Reed

© 2011 WGBH Educational Foundation

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