i admit it, i am a big fan of PBS. i watch it considerably more than reg channel programming.

favs:

**antiques roadshow - yeah, my cynical nature doubts ALL those treasure are were really found in someone's attic and not plants by the producers.

**history detectives - love this show. finding out the history behind family heirlooms, etc.

**austin city limits - music, music, music

**soundstage - more music, music, music

am i alone here,
zayne

PBS rocks. at least potentially. sometimes they do seem to try to balance the need for substance with the need for pledges, which can lead to substandard programming here and there. but for the most part, I always check what's on with them first, because when they're on, they're ON...

I admit to being a sucker for most of the self-help type guru's they have on - Wayne Dyer, Gary Null, Robin Sharma, etc... not sure what to think of them sometimes - does this stuff work, is it true, or am I listening to a vague, smoke-and-mirrors circular logic snake-oil salesmen of sorts?

also into the music programs, depending on the artist featured. Never found much on Soundstage, but Austin City Limits has rocked my world sometimes. Flaming Lips / Beck, Tom Waits (I hope I'm not confusing this with VH1 storytellers!), Suzanne Vega (was that soundstage? I forget now)... I fear I've missed some amazing shows though - Patty Griffin comes immediately to mind.

Antiques Roadshow is strangely appealing and addictive. something about contact with talismanic artifacts from historic times, recent or older.

my folks are really into the mysteries, though I've not really watched any at length.

Great Performances became a gem for me after I got into classical music. can't tell you what a thrill it was to see Perlman for the first time in action on there a week before I saw him live for the first time.

and of course the special programming is probably what I love the most. the most recent example being the C.S. Lewis / Sigmund Freud "Question of God" special. one time / unique shows like that. but you always have to keep an eye out for the good stuff. it's not like knowing David Letterman is on every night at 11:35.

I tried to watch Austin City Limits a few years ago when String Cheese Incident was on. Our wonderful Detroit PBS station apparently doesn't run that show.

Did I mention how happy I am to be out of Detroit?

PBS is supposed to be running part of the upcoming Yes DVD...i should find out when that is.

where'd you go?

I don't often get to watch PBS television, but one of my favorite shows over the summer was Colonial House. And since Guster played on Austin City Limits, I've had a lot more respect in PBS's taste in music.

I heart Red Green!:)

me too!!

"If the women don't find you handsome, they should at least find you handy"

DOH!!

forgot to mention:

AMERICAN EXPERIENCE: recent epis have focued on ella fitzgerald, james dean, the history and trauma of hawaii becoming a state...

peace,
zayne

i grew up addicted to great performances. i lived for that show.

i also am a sucker for the shows featuring: cooking, gardening or travel.

TVO (our pbs) has some great arts programmes too.

i pretty much exclusively watch these two channels.

but then, im a nerd. i knew that. im proud.
d

What about:

NOVA
Now
Independent Lens
Frontline
Mystery!

PBS is right up there with HGTV, A&E, The History Channel, National Geographic Channel, Food Network, Discovery, etc., etc., etc.

Gosh, looks like I never watch 'regular' TV ... I don't!

Cher

man! the re-broadcast of the bio on f. scott fitzgerald was awesome. what a tragic existance. i wish i was able to hug him and let him know "tomorrow's gonna be brighter" and say it in a way that it was really real to him. i can't believe that when he died, his royalties from his works only amounted to approx. $13.00. and i'm so made at ernest hemmingway for the way he mocked fitzgerald. mocked him when he was the one who reached back and helped hemmingway make it....i love the show american experience.

anyway, looking forward to the series beginning in september about the 60's generation

peace,
zayne

i love pbs.

all the shows zayne listed in his original post are favorites.

and i actually love all the children's programming. i.e. mister rogers, sesame street, reading rainbow, and even arthur.

on weekend afternoons i like the random cooking shows

and lots of the random specials.

basically everything.

that will be MISS. ZAYNE to you young man.

i have breast,
zayne

whoops. im terribly sorry.

it's alright.

peace,
zayne

i highly rec. that you catch this P.O.V. program when it plays in your market. i wish i had a teacher like this guy in my life!


peace,
zayne

when i was a teenager, i used to watch pbs all the time.
then when i went to college, i didn't own a tv or watch much of anything.
now i'm back to the tv-owning world (well, my roommate owns one) -- and i want to start watching SUCH GOOD SHOWS again (zayne, your excitement over the f.scott fitz piece reminded me of what i used to watch!) but where do i begin? i get lost with their schedules...

ehlp?

hi dear, i'm here to help!

this week, i highly rec. on pbs channel 26:

American Masters: Ernest Hemingway: Rivers to the Sea Wed. 09/14/2005 9:00pm

The Autobiography of Miss Jane Pittman: 09/15/2005 9:00pm

peace,
zayne

I can't even begin to tell you how psyched I am about the new Bob Dylan special coming to PBS in a couple weeks!

american experience has to be my all time fave show.

did you see the willa cather bio?

peace,
zayne

no. I think I've just recently been discovering that show. or haven't seen much that interested me on it in the past (the history of some railroad or that sort of thing), but I've never paid close attention on a regular basis to what they've offered.
Was Ralph Ellison the subject of one? or was that another special? I saw that one recently and really liked it. I'd certainly like to see that Willa Cather one too.

I like the Lawrence Welk Show reruns.

And-a one-a and-a two-a.

ZAYNE!
you're much too awesome!
thank you!!!

beginning,
kelly

also, if you like history and research, there's a great weekly show called history detectives. besides, saying Tukufu Zuberi's name is just too much fun.

AND P.O.V. -- gotta love POV!!!!!!!!!

peace,
zayne

did you watch it???? both parts???

i did -- was never really a dylan vocal fan but damn can that boy write a song!!!

hope they re-play the show soon.

also enjoyed the other 60's retrospective shows on the bill from last week. such a turbulant, historically relavant decade. wish people (me included) were more willing to get out there to support or views.

ordinary people doing extraordinary things...

peace,
zayne

Has anyone ever volunteered during pledge-a-thon (answering phones and what not)? I am thinking about doing it this year, was wondering what it's like.

Hell yeah, about 3 times now (just about every time they were showing it). what a great documentary. I really like the limit that Scorcese(sp?) had to work with - stopping at the bike accident, focusing only on the early years. Bob's done too much, lived too long to be the subject of any kind of comprehensive biography that could do him any justice. I felt like this did justice to that early part of his life.
the supplementary programming on the 60's and protest songs and all that was a great way to round out the picture and give an even better understanding of the importance of Dylan's life and work during that time.

currently watching an INDEPENDENT LENS program on geoge clinton/parliment/funkadelic. get your funk on if you can in your PBS market.

peace,
zayne

was telling one of the shelter residents about this show. he made me promise to call him when it comes on again. one of the first times i saw him smile today.

peace,
zayne

did you just quote yourself and respond to yourself??? I don't think I've ever seen anyone do that before

actually, it's been done before...in my case, i did not mean to quote myself. darn late night/early morning posting!

peace,
zayne

ps - so did you watch the show?

thought of deb as i watched this show last night.

peace,
zayne

Just a heads up:

the encore presentation of Ben Folds/Ray LaMontagne on Austin City Limits is supposed to be on tonight!