Jan. 30, 2012 at 8:31pmDaisy Bates

First Lady of Little Rock

On Thursday of this week I was attracted to the story of “Daisy Bates: First Lady of Little Rock.” KSPS is airing it at 10p.m. I did a bit of research on her and now I know I'll be watching Thursday evening.

Read more →

Jan. 30, 2012 at 8:26pmFrontline

Post Mortem

I love Frontline. They do some of the very best investigative journalism around. And tomorrow evening is no exception. 

KSPS will air Frontline’s Post Mortem Tuesday, Feb. 1, at 9p.m.

 

Read more →

Jan. 10, 2012 at 12:28pmThe Wild West Collection

Great programming!

Tonight’s airing of Billy the Kid from 9-10p.m. is the beginning of American Experience’s January series on the legend of the Wild West and Western Heroes called the Wild West Collection.

The series this month also includes programs on Custer’s Last Stand, Wyatt Earp, Geronimo, Annie Oakley and Jesse James.

 

Read more →

Jan. 10, 2012 at 11:28amHappy 2012!

Rumrunners in Spokane

I hope your holiday was everything you hoped for. If it was anything like mine it was filled with family, fun and food … lots of food … too much food!

I took a couple of weeks off from the blog and am back refreshed and looking forward to a great new blogging year in 2012.

 

Read more →

Oct. 10, 2011 at 8:08pmSpokane Election Specials

Listen and learn....

If you read this blog you probably know that I’ve been away from Spokane for several years and just moved back last August. So I’ve been playing catch up on what’s news in Spokane these days; who’s who on the city council … mayor … police chief, sheriff and any number of other subjects including elections and such. 

For the past few weeks we’ve been inundated with political ads and advertising pro and con on different initiatives on the upcoming ballot. If you're anything like me, you probably would like to see some objective-type programming that explains some of the issues and highlights the candidates running for the different positions. Yes?

 

Read more →

Oct. 10, 2011 at 8:02pmWomen WAR & Peace

A five-hour series starts tonight

Tonight’s the night for the premiere of “Women WAR & Peace” on KSPS in Spokane. The five-hour series airs at 10 p.m. tonight and the rest of the series continues on Tuesdays throughout October and into November.  Check the site for specifics dates.

As we all know, the United States “officially” bans women from combat while the reality is that they already serve on the front lines alongside men. The ban is somewhat ridiculous since while women are not officially assigned to units which are likely to see combat, they can be “attached" to them and fight alongside men.

Read more →

Oct. 5, 2011 at 9:06pmGrowing Hope Against Hunger

Join the Sesame Street crew!

By Judith Spitzer

Have you noticed your grocery bill going up and up and up? I certainly have. Compared to last year at this time I bet I am paying at least 10 percent more on groceries!

My mother was queen of getting her money’s worth, could save money even during winters when my dad wasn’t working and she passed all that wisdom down to her four daughters and two sons.

However, budgeting for families isn’t an easy task these days especially given the dire jobs situation in some parts of the country.

So I was very happy to see that PBS’ and Sesame Workshop (creators of Sesame Street) are launching a new campaign to end child hunger called “Food For Thought: Eating Well on a Budget.”

Read more →

Sep. 12, 2011 at 1:55pmVictor Borge

100 Years of Music & Laughter

Read more →

Sep. 12, 2011 at 1:27pmThe Week Ahead in Music

What to watch?

By Judith Spitzer

I love just about any and all kinds of music from classical to hip-hop and pop to Celtic and R&B to the sounds of Big Bands. If you feel the same way, you'll be happy to learn how many choices you have for music this week on KSPS.

Read more →

Jul. 18, 2011 at 12:17pmGot Antiques?

Play the game....

By Judith Spitzer

I finally tried the Antiques Roadshow App on my iPad this weekend.

Whether you’re a fan of the television series on Monday nights or whether you just love antiques – you’ll love this game! It’s available for the iPhone, iPad and the iPod touch.

Read more →

Jun. 14, 2011 at 4:58pmParents' Estates

Render much different results!

Read more →

Jun. 5, 2011 at 11:07pmSocial Media

An opportunity to interact and communicate

Did I mention how much I enjoy social media? You know … blogging, Tweeting, Face Booking, Linking In, YouTubing and a myriad of ways that we’ve come to know, rather quickly, as communication tools?

Social media is pretty amazing. It feels like a whirlwind with no apparent limits to its potential. People are using social media tools like this blog, to get their message out on a personal level, to communicate business to business, to promote and/or market, to network and to socialize, just to name a few.

Read more →

Jun. 5, 2011 at 9:12pmHow is your back?

Dr. Vad talks about solutions Friday afternoon!

I’m so proud of myself this week! I worked super hard over the weekend getting our yard back into shape after the too-wet spring. It was a major spring cleanup and since our house is on a corner, there are both the front and back yards as well as two sloping hills on either side.

Read more →

Jun. 1, 2011 at 9:17amCheck out the new video player!

I love this book!

"Younger Next Year" really is one of those books that can change your life. I love this book! One of the co-authors of "Younger Next Year," Dr. Henry Lodge, will be talking about the book this coming Saturday, 6/4/2011, from 2-3 p.m. on KSPS.My (younger) brother gave me a copy when I was in Boston last month. I had asked him why on earth he was taking "hot yoga" classes. If you've heard anything about hot yoga, you know it's not for the faint of heart. So I was curious what had caused the major lifestyle switch. Read more →

Jun. 1, 2011 at 6:59amCheck out the new video player!

Watch KSPS programs online

The long Memorial Day holiday weekend was packed with visiting family and non-ending meals ... clean up ... shop for meals ... eat meals ... clean up ... cook more meals ... ad nauseum. Eating seems to be what my family does best when we're together.

Read more →

May. 31, 2011 at 9:59amPublic Broadcasting By The Numbers

And Carl Kasell's Voice on Your Answering Machine

Answer: 170 Million Americans

Question? How many Americans connect to public media every month in this country?

Read more →

May. 23, 2011 at 2:25pmAntiques Roadshow

It must be Monday

It's Monday … which means I've got Antiques Roadshow on my get-to-do list. 

I love, love, love antiques. And not just because they're unique and wonderful vintage pieces. Most times people have collected at least a little bit of the history that goes along with their treasures. Better yet are the heirlooms passed down through generations within a family — then there are even more fascinating details.  

Read more →

May. 20, 2011 at 2:20pmA Community Blog

Come Along for the Ride!

This is my first blog for KSPS and I’m really excited to be sharing my thoughts with you about KSPS Public TV and the communities of Spokane, Calgary and Edmonton, Canada.

Read more →

May. 11, 2011 at 8:27amNorma Zimmer

Lawrence Welk Show

Norma Zimmer, the "Champagne Lady" on national television's The Lawrence Welk Show, died at her home in Brea, CA on Tuesday, May 10, 2011, at the age of 87. Norma was a featured soloist on The Lawrence Welk Show weekly series on commercial television from 1960 to 1982. In 1987, the weekly series moved to public television where it continues to air today on 276 PBS stations.

Before joining The Lawrence Welk Show, Norma was part of a quartet called The Girlfriends, a legendary group much in demand by singing stars such as Frank Sinatra, Dean Martin, Perry Como and others.  Norma's group sang with Bing Crosby on his recording of White Christmas, which has sold more copies than any other song in history. Norma also appeared with Crosby in the 1950 film, Mr. Music, and was the voice of the White Rose in the 1951 Disney film, Alice in Wonderland.

Religion was an important part of Norma's life and she often appeared with her friend, Billy Graham, on his evangelistic tours. She also appeared many times as a guest soloist at the Crystal Cathedral in Garden Grove, CA.

Norma Larsen Zimmer was born on July 13, 1923 in Larson, Idaho.  She grew up in Seattle, WA, married builder and property developer Randy Zimmer in 1944, and settled in Los Angeles.  They had two sons, Ron and Mark, and were married for 64 years, until Randy's death in 2008.

The Lawrence Welk Show is the longest-running weekly series on national television. It premiered on KTLA in Los Angeles in 1950, moved to ABC in 1955 where it aired until 1971. In 1971, Lawrence Welk took it into syndication until 1982 when he retired. In 1987, OETA-The Oklahoma Network, brought it to public television where it will celebrate its 25th year beginning September, 2011.

May. 2, 2011 at 2:58pmNews Coverage of Reaction to Osama bin Laden’s Death

PBS NEWSHOUR, FRONTLINE, NOVA, Charlie Rose Offer Extensive Coverage of Reaction to Osama bin Laden's Death and Issues Raised

As the world reacts to the news that that Osama bin Laden, long-hunted leader of the al-Qaeda terror group and mastermind of the Sept. 11, 2001, attacks, was killed in a firefight in Pakistan, news and public affairs programs on PBS are offering extensive coverage both online and on air about the years-long hunt, the operation and what’s next for the U.S. war on terror.

PBS NEWSHOUR – Jim Lehrer and Gwen Ifill will anchor a special edition of the PBS NEWSHOUR devoted entirely to the questions being raised after President Obama’s confirmation that the mastermind off the 9/11 attacks was killed. Senior Correspondent Margaret Warner reports from Washington on the details of Sunday’s Special Operations attack on bin Laden’s compound and Special Correspondent Saima Mohsin reports from the Pakistani town where the al-Qaeda leader was killed. Senior Correspondent Judy Woodruff looks at how Americans are reacting all around the country. Guests will include former Secretary of State Madeleine Albright, journalist and author Steve Coll, and Farhana Qazi (formerly Ali), an international terrorism analyst.


Read more →

Mar. 22, 2011 at 9:20amFunding Public Broadcasting is in the National Interest

by Friends of KSPS Bob Morrison and Mary Brown

Governments should be frugal with tax dollars. Sometimes, though, they get carried away with budget-cutting and people end up losing far more than they gain.

Recent proposals to eliminate federal funding for public broadcasting are a prime example of spending cuts that will hurt instead of help America. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and its PBS and NPR networks provide enormous benefits to individuals, state and local governments, and the corporate and non-profit sectors. These benefits are reflected in the funding received from non-federal sources: most recently 81% of total revenue for PBS, 89% for NPR.

The benefits are also reflected in the positive view Americans have of public broadcasting. The evidence is conclusive: Read more →