February 2, 2023

Diversity and culture are at the core of Public Media's mission, and we welcome February by celebrating Black History Month. We are proud to highlight programs from our library over the next month that showcase our nation's history, cultural differences, and diversity.

Our first series, Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World offers an absorbing survey of how a musical genre that originated on the streets of New York in the 1970s developed into a movement against racial and economic depression and came to dominate the world's charts in the process. Produced and hosted by Chuck D, this series gives context and access to the contributions of the rap grandees. 

- Heather Mazzoni, Chief Content Officer

 

Now on to the shows

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

Fight the Power: How Hip Hop Changed the World

Authored by Public Enemy's Chuck D, who famously labeled Hip Hop as "the Black CNN" for bringing the stories of the street to the mainstream, this story will include personal testimonies of the MCs, DJs, graffiti artists, filmmakers, politicians, and opinion formers who created and shaped its direction as it grew from an underground movement in the Bronx to the most popular music genre in the U.S. and the fastest growing genre in the world today. Watch Now.

 

London Super Tunnel

NOVA: London Super Tunnel

For over a decade, more than 10,000 engineers and construction workers race to build a brand-new subterranean railroad under London— the Elizabeth Line—London's new underground. One of Europe's most significant engineering projects, the construction teams confront immense challenges, from building platforms and concourses the size of aircraft carriers hidden under London's busiest shopping venue, Oxford Street, to designing, outfitting, and testing a fleet of 70 new high-speed trains from scratch in just two years. Watch Now.

 

Zora Neale Hurston

American Experience: The Films of Zora Neale Hurston 

Meet the influential author and key figure of the Harlem Renaissance. Also, a trained anthropologist, Zora Neale Hurston, collected folklore throughout the South and Caribbean — reclaiming, honoring, and celebrating Black life on its own terms. Watch Now.

 

 

 

 

Paradise

Paradise from Walter Presents

Paradise is a profound drama portraying tight-knit relationships between workers at a store amidst the societal expectations of the 1950s. From Walter Presents, in Italian with English subtitles. Binge Now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Your Calendar

Nature: Dogs in the Wild

Nature: Meet the Family | Dogs in the Wild

One family, 37 different faces. From the recognizable and familiar like foxes, wolves, African wild dogs, and coyotes to the lesser-known ones like the Japanese raccoon dog, fennec fox, dholes, and dingoes, canids have conquered every continent except Antarctica. Get to know these adaptable creatures in the three-part Dogs in the Wild, A Nature Miniseries. Premieres Wednesday, February 8, at 8 p.m. Enjoy the preview now.

 

 

 

 

February 16, 2023

Welcome, Welkom, Benvenuto, Witamy, and Velkommen! If you are a fan of foreign language films, over 50 new titles, have been added to the WHRO Passport Library. The collection, known as Walter's Choice, is a curated collection of award-winning international dramas. If you're wondering who Walter is, he is Walter Iuzzlino, an international host and film critic sharing what he considers the best foreign dramas available for viewing. Over the next several weeks, I'll showcase a few of my favorites and would love to hear which films you enjoy!  Now onto the shows!

- Heather Mazzoni, Chief Content Officer

 

 

 

Now on to the shows

Independent Lens

Independent lens: The Picture Taker

The vibrant life of Ernest Withers--civil rights photographer and FBI informant--was anything but black and white. From his Memphis studio, Withers' nearly 2 million images were a treasured record of Black history but his legacy was complicated by decades of secret FBI service revealed only after his death. Was he a friend of the civil rights community, or enemy--or both? Watch Now.

 

 

 

 

Lie Detector

American Experience: The Lie Detector

Discover the story of the polygraph, the controversial device that transformed modern police work, seized headlines and was extolled as an infallible crime-fighting tool. A tale of good intentions, twisted morals and unintended consequences. Watch Now.

 

 

 

 

 

Let My Children Hear Mingus

Next at the Kennedy Center: Let My Children Hear Mingus

The Kennedy Center celebrates jazz icon and social activist Charles Mingus at 100. Through performances and conversations, we explore how his outsized personality and inimitable style pushed boundaries and paved the way for future generations. Watch Now.

 

 

 

 

 

All the Sins

All the Sins from Walter Presents

A detective is forced to confront hard home truths about his past and his present while chasing a serial killer. Battling prejudice and fanaticism, Lauri Raiha seeks resolution. From Walter Presents, in Finnish with English subtitles. Binge Now.

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

Mark Your Calendar

D.I. Ray

D.I. Ray, Season 1

Binge the 4-episode season of this drama with PBS Passport. Newly promoted D.I. Rachita Ray takes on a case that forces her to face a lifelong personal conflict. This riveting police series stars Parminder Nagra and received critical praise for its fresh spin when it aired in the U.K. last spring. Premieres Monday, February 20, on Passport. Enjoy the preview now.