Our Best Wishes to You

At the end of the day,
lose the stress of
the pushy crowds,
the hectic rush,
the biting cold,
and the frantic search
for that elusive parking spot.

Come home.
Kick off your shoes. Relax.
You provide the need;
we provide the quiet.
For you. For your family.

After the day you had,
you deserve a little pampering.
Where else but here?

Welcome home to
Rhode Island PBS.

"Drinking, Driving, Lethal Choices" on WSBE Rhode Island PBS

Just in time for holiday parties and New Year's Eve toasts, WSBE Rhode Island PBS airs Drinking, Driving, Lethal Choices. The subject of the film's title is explored through powerful stories told by family members, victims and offenders, and those who have survived catastrophic crashes with debilitating brain and spinal cord injuries. The film will air on WSBE Rhode Island PBS on Sunday, December 26 at 11:30 P.M. and Wednesday, December 29 at 10:30 P.M.

Drinking, Driving, Lethal Choices is the second in a drunken driving educational series targeting youth by award-winning producer and director Deborah A. Hoch of Seekonk, Massachusetts. Her first documentary, The Impact of Your Choice: Underage Drinking and Reckless Driving, won a New England Emmy award and was honored with four Bronze Telly Awards for outstanding achievement in Film and Video in the categories: Education, Social Issues, Documentary and Education (for academic use). For more information about Drinking, Driving, Lethal Choices, visit www.megastarproductionsinc.com.

WSBE Rhode Island PBS Joins Effort to Harness Grassroots Enthusiasm of 170 Million Americans

WSBE Rhode Island PBS has joined with public television and public radio stations across the country in an unprecedented effort to harness the enthusiasm of the 170 million Americans who watch, listen to or use the services and programming of public media each month.1 The centerpiece of the campaign is a web site – 170MillionAmericans.org – that represents the beginning of a grassroots effort to engage the support and energy of viewers and listeners in local communities in all 50 states.

The 170 Million Americans campaign was founded on the belief that now, more than ever, the country needs a strong public media system as a source of non-partisan news, local cultural programming, and non-commercial educational programs. Public funding ensures that public media will continue to enhance the quality of life of local communities through its offerings of children’s programming, news and public affairs, music and culture, and more.

"Rhode Island PBS is proud to participate in the national 170 Million Americans campaign," said David Piccerelli, WSBE Rhode Island PBS president and chief executive officer. "WSBE has a strong local focus, and a national campaign such as 170 Million Americans gives our viewers a chance to express on a national level their enthusiasm for local public television."

Piccerelli said the station will include on-air and online efforts that urge members, viewers and supporters of public media to visit 170MillionAmericans.org and join the movement. The 170 Million Americans is not a fund raising campaign.

“2011 will be the year when a vigorous debate over the importance of public media will take place,” Piccerelli said. “We’re proud to be a driver in this coordinated grassroots efforts to harness the support and energy of public media supporters in America.”

1 Source: http://170millionamericans.org/numbers

RI Stories: Old House Soul on December 18

This month, even with all the seasonal specials we are airing, we've managed to tuck in one installment of Rhode Island Stories. And if you love old architecture and the importance of preserving our past, you'll love Old House Soul. It airs on Saturday, December 18 at 7 P.M. (rebroadcast at 11 PM Sunday, December 19).

Don Manley and Michel Schtakleff’s documentary, Old House Soul, examines the life and work of Steve Tyson, Sr. (1942-2008), a Rhode Island preservationist whose company has restored and preserved hundreds of historic buildings and houses across Rhode Island, including such Rhode Island landmarks as Slater Mill in Pawtucket, Smith's Castle, the Towers in Narragansett, and several buildings in Rogers Williams Park. The documentary pays tribute to Tyson, his legacy and the tradition of architectural preservation in Rhode Island.

View a raw-footage video clip from the documentary, and learn more about Steve Tyson and the filmmakers at oldhousesoul.org. There's even a video journal of filmmaker Don Manley's own old house move. Fascinating!

Traditional Italian Cooking in the Electronic Age - Ciao Italia's new Web site

Wow! That's all I can say about the new Web site rolled out by Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito.

Looking for a recipe for one of Mary Ann's traditional and authentic Italian dishes? Click the electronic recipe file and browse by category - very easy navigation. Many of the recipes have video in addition to the text recipe.

Missed an episode? Want to see one again? Or maybe you've just discovered Ciao Italia and want to catch up on previous shows? There are 18 - yes, eighteen - seasons of episodes online.

Ciao Italia with Mary Ann Esposito is the longest running cooking show on television. WSBE Rhode Island PBS is proud to co-produce the series, and to be the location of Mary Ann's Ciao Italia cucina (kitchen) every summer. Each year for two weeks in June,  the crew rolls in from New Hampshire to tape a new season of shows. I'll tell you, those are the two most aromatic weeks of the year at the station!