As the leaves change color, it seems like an ideal time to thank you for all that you've helped to make
possible this year. Your interest and your financial support as a member keeps Idaho Public Television
strong and vivid. So far, 2007 is looking to be another successful year -- but not an easy one financially.
I am so very proud of the programs and services that Idaho Public Television brought to Idaho and surrounding
areas.
This month we are excited to bring you many new programs that are a result of your continued strong
support of Idaho Public Television. Thank you, and remember: Idaho Public Television -- We're Here For
You.
Ramona Dopps, Member Services
Ramonad@idahoptv.org
If e-news isn't your preference, you can easily remove your name at the bottom
of this edition.
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IN THIS ISSUE
OCTOBER SPECIALS
NEW SERIES, NEW SEASONS
ONGOING SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
LOCAL PRODUCTIONS
DIGITAL TELEVISION CHANGEOVER COMING IN FEBRUARY 2009
INDEPENDENT LENS "SNEAK PEEKS" CONNECT IDAHOPTV WITH ITS CAMPUS AUDIENCE
IDAHOPTV FRIENDS, FOUNDATION GROUPS TO UNIFY
RON'S PICKS BY RON PISANESCHI, DIRECTOR OF BROADCASTING
AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO E-MAIL YOUR THOUGHTS
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OCTOBER SPECIALS
THE WAR
The series concludes with episodes on Monday, October 1, and Tuesday, October 2, at 8:00 p.m. MT/PT
(Each episode repeats immediately upon conclusion of the first airing, and re-airs on Sunday, October 7,
at 12:00 noon MT/PT.)
On Wednesdays, beginning October 3, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT, the entire seven-part series repeats weekly.
THE MAGNIFICENT VOYAGE OF CHRISTOPHER COLUMBUS
Airs Monday, October 8, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
Reserve two hours to accompany modern explorers in celebration of the 515th anniversary of the European
New World landing. Zvi Dor Ner, executive producer and director of the acclaimed 1991 series COLUMBUS
AND THE AGE OF DISCOVERY, has retooled his original seven-part series as a single, action-packed evening
of adventure and discovery.
THE MYSTERIOUS HUMAN HEART
Airs Mondays, October 15 and 22, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
Filmmaker David Grubin offers a three-part miniseries that looks at the heart: how it works, what can go
wrong with it, and how to keep it healthy. THE MYSTERIOUS HUMAN HEART airs in one-hour segments that mix
individual examples with insight that is applicable to everyone. The first hour looks at the organ in
action, Endlessly Beating (October 15). The explanation moves to an exploration of how people survive
with a damaged heart.
Immediately following that episode, The Spark of Life (October 15) looks at the electrical mechanisms that sustain a
regular heartbeat and what happens when these life-sustaining rhythms go awry.
The Silent Killer (October 22) looks at arterial blockage, called atherosclerosis, that can trigger
sudden and devastating heart attacks. After examining the causes of the growing epidemic of heart
disease, the program looks at what the world's leading scientists are doing to fight it.
THE CANDIDATES 2008
Airs Thursday, October 25, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
In the second of two debates televised on public television stations, the Republican presidential
candidates set forth their positions on health care and financial security. Moderator Judy Woodruff
controls the debate, taped live earlier in the evening at the Orpheum Theatre in Sioux City, Iowa.
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NEW SERIES, NEW SEASONS
NOVA
Airs Tuesdays at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT
Repeats Saturdays at 4:00/3:00 p.m. MT/PT
October brings a new season of NOVA, beginning with Secrets of the Samurai Sword (October 9).
Exploiting unprecedented access to Japan's ancient foundries and traditional fighting schools, this
flagship science series reveals the science -- and art -- behind the making of a perfect Samurai weapon.
The Ghost in Your Genes (October 16) explores new findings challenging the belief that all inherited
traits are passed on in our genes. The field of epigenetics looks at the small, environmental changes
that appear and disappear within our DNA -- perhaps over the course of generations. Marathon Challenge
(October 30) explores another topic in biology: how the human body responds to intense exercise demands.
WILD CHRONICLES
Airs Wednesdays at 7:30 p.m. MT/PT
The third season begins October 3 with host Boyd Matson on location in Africa. The series, which is made
possible by National Geographic Mission Programs, continues to use the Crittercam for close-up studies
of animal behavior, including African elephants, and the Harpy Eagle of Central and South America.
WIRED SCIENCE
Airs Wednesdays, beginning October 3, at 8:00 p.m. MT/PT
The newest weekly series from PBS is an hour-long science program that carries viewers to the frontiers
of technology and scientific discovery. Each WIRED SCIENCE program combines reportage and narrative from
Wired magazine with stories developed specifically for public television audiences.
Chris Hardwick and Kamala Lopez host the show and present in-studio content, including interviews,
explanations and demonstrations. Field correspondents work on location, reporting to the hosts. The core
subjects are varied -- anything from brain-scanning lie detectors and unmanned aerial vehicles, to how
homeland security fears are changing the contents of kids' chemistry sets.
KINGDOM
Airs Thursdays, beginning October 4, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
Actor, comedian, writer Stephen Fry steps into the shoes of a country solicitor for his first television
drama series since JEEVES AND WOOSTER.
Peter Kingdom, a small-town solicitor, stands up for the little guy amid the eccentric citizens of
Norfork, which is also Fry's own hometown. The big-hearted Peter plays rescuer to his off-beat clients
and his colorful family members, all the while pre-occupied with his brother's mysterious disappearance.
P. ALLEN SMITH'S GARDEN HOME
Airs Sundays, beginning October 14, at 5:00/4:00 p.m. MT/PT
This show returns to the schedule with an all-new season seven of the series. He opens the season in his
environmentally friendly garden with construction updates on his new "green" home.
FRONTLINE
Airs Tuesdays, beginning October 16, at 9:00 p.m.
Viewers who appreciate the insight former Idahoan Michael Kirk brings to his examinations of the current
administration will want to catch the season premiere, Cheney's Law (October 16). Exploiting the insider
status gained during past projects, Kirk uses sources within the administration to advance the premise
that today's unprecedented rise in executive power was being orchestrated even in advance of 9/11.
Showdown With Iran (October 23) looks at how, especially in the wake of 9/11, a one-time friend has
become a chameleon-like provocateur, security risk and nemesis.
The Undertaking (October 30) is based on poet, author and funeral director Thomas Lynch's book, The
Undertaking: Life Studies from the Dismal Trade. The Lynch family believes that the rituals of a funeral
are more than mere formalities. Lynch contends, "A good funeral gets the dead where they need to go and
the living where they need to be."
INDEPENDENT LENS
Airs Tuesdays, beginning October 16, at 10:00 p.m. MT/PT
October brings a new season of this award-winning independent film series and three new-to-television
productions. The season opens with a bang, as Wordplay (October 16) hits home screens. This 90-minute
film, profiling New York Times crossword puzzle editor Will Shortz, was a commercial and critical hit
during its theatrical release.
The hour-long film Please Vote For Me (October 23) looks at young students learning about politics. In
an elementary school in the city of Wuhan in central China, three eight-year-old students campaign for
the coveted class monitor position.
The month closes with A Storm of Emotions (October 30), a 90-minute film about the Israeli disengagement
from the Gaza Strip. The director takes the point of view of the Israeli police force that must oversee
the transition.
DONNA'S DAY STARRING DONNA ERICKSON
Airs Saturdays, beginning October 20, at 11:30/10:30 a.m. MT/PT
Watch a new kind of lifestyle series especially designed for today's busy parents. Author, educator and
lifestyle expert Donna Erickson showcases arts, literacy, education and the value of play. She also
promotes cross-cultural understanding through cooking and travel segments.
Each show has a theme with activities designed to strengthen adult-child relationships, build family
traditions and increase children's self-confidence. From cooking ethnic dishes to recycling water
bottles into toys, it is all about making time spent together as a family more meaningful.
art 21: ART IN THE TWENTY-FIRST CENTURY
Airs Sundays, beginning October 28, at 10:00 p.m. MT/PT
As the new century opened, PBS producers introduced an innovative series that continues to examine and reveal
contemporary artists' visions and creations. With each program structured around a theme or topic that
drives artistic expression, the series strips away mediation and interpretation, taking the viewer
directly into the artists' studios and shows.
The newest, four-episode installment of this occasional series premieres with the theme of "Romance."
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ONGOING SERIES HIGHLIGHTS
NATURE
Airs Sundays at 8:00 p.m. MT/PT
This series features encore episodes until the premiere of Silence of the Bees (October 28). No
artificial mechanism can reproduce the honeybee's ability to pollinate, and most fruit trees and
vegetable species require natural pollination for their survival. But around the world, the honeybee is
disappearing. An international research effort seeks ways to end the massive die-offs that threaten
agriculture globally.
EXPOSE: AMERICA'S INVESTIGATIVE REPORTS
Airs Friday, October 5, at 10:00 p.m. MT/PT
This series, formerly called AIR, chronicles groundbreaking journalistic investigations by actually
interviewing the reporters and editors who pursue headline-making stories. This month's program looks at
the story behind a 2005 Idaho Falls Post Register investigative series. While investigating alleged
pedophile abuse by area Boy Scout leaders, the editors brace for community backlash. But the fallout is
even more dramatic than expected, creating local discord and eventually leading to changes in Idaho's
sexual abuse laws.
POV
49 Up
Airs Tuesday, October 9, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
In a film project that originated 42 years ago with "7 Up," director Michael Apted first introduces viewers to a
socially and intellectually diverse group of English children at age seven. He then visits his subjects
every seven years as they advance to maturity and adulthood.
This seventh installment of the "Up" series navigates the divides between childhood dreams and adult
reality by intercutting contemporary interviews with footage from the earlier films.
MASTERPIECE THEATRE
The Amazing Mrs. Pritchard
Airs Sundays, beginning October 21, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
Supermarket manager, wife and mother Ros Pritchard (Jane Horrocks) decides to make a personal difference
in the status quo of her nation's politics. Angry at the state of politics and distrustful of
politicians, she runs for Britain's Parliament in the general election on an independent ticket -- and
wins.
She promises: "I will never lie to you. I will never mislead you." The unique platform strikes a chord
with the public and her colleagues to elevate the amazed and amazing Mrs. Pritchard to prime minister.
This places the unusual heroine in the middle of the biggest adventure of her life in this five-part
story that marks MASTERPIECE THEATRE's return to the fall schedule.
AMERICAN MASTERS
Good Ol' Charles Schultz
Airs Monday, October 29, at 9:00 p.m. MT/PT
Every day for five decades, Charles Schulz pours out his heart on the comics page and helps us laugh at
life's struggles. Although characters like Snoopy and phrases like "Happiness is a warm puppy" become
part of a billion-dollar global phenomenon, success fails to quell Schulz's self-doubt.
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LOCAL PRODUCTIONS
OUTDOOR IDAHO
A Middle Fork Journey
Airs Thursday, October 4, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT
Repeats Sunday, October 7, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT
One hundred miles of free-flowing wild river through the heart of Idaho's wilderness -- through the
heart of Idaho -- provide a unique experience, captured in this new OUTDOOR IDAHO episode.
It's a story of how people have accommodated the river, its moods, its changes, its behaviors -- from
early explorers and subsequent hermit residents to today's annual 10,000 rafters.
DIALOGUE
Airs Thursdays at 8:30/7:30 p.m. MT/PT
Repeats Sundays at 5:30/4:30 p.m. MT/PT
DIALOGUE has introduced a new look and feel this month, both on the set and at the Web site,
www.idahoptv.org/dialogue. But count on the same solid reporting and insightful questioning you have come to expect from hosts Joan Cartan-Hansen and Marcia Franklin on IdahoPTV's flagship, statewide
public affairs program.
Responsive to the changing currents of local and regional news, IdahoPTV pulls together expert guests to
address timely topics--sometimes those that have been newsworthy for mere hours or days. Other DIALOGUE programs take viewers behind the scenes for a better understanding of current affairs.
On October 25, host Marcia Franklin welcomes Idaho Superintendent of Public Instruction Tom Luna to the
IdahoPTV studio to discuss Luna's first year in his position. Luna and Franklin will also take viewer
questions about where Idaho public education is heading in the coming months and years.
D4K DISCUSSES ENDANGERED SPECIES
Airs Tuesday, October 16, at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT
What does "endangered" mean, and what implication does the designation have when it is applied to plants
or animals? This month on IdahoPTV's D4K live call-in show for students, learn more about the 22 species
in Idaho that are threatened or endangered.
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DIGITAL TELEVISION CHANGEOVER COMING IN FEBRUARY 2009
The federally mandated analog shut-off date of February 17, 2009, is only 16 months away. The date will
end the traditional signal from station transmitters, the signal that television sets have used from the
1940s to the present.
Idaho Public Television is prepared for the changes coming to the television world:
- Five digital transmitters are in place and beaming signals for Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Boise, Twin
Falls and Pocatello.
- By the end of this year, 24 of 37 translators will be digital-ready, with others scheduled for work in
2008.
- The statewide control room, studios and camera equipment for studio and field are operating in digital
and High Definition.
The first all-high-definition (HD) IdahoPTV production airs in November -- ASSASSINATION: IDAHO'S TRIAL OF
THE CENTURY. But viewers can see both analog and digital versions.
Many Idahoans already have television sets with digital tuners and antennas. They might already be
watching digital programming in the areas covered by IdahoPTV digital transmitters. For these people,
little will change in 2009.
Over-the-air viewers in the Coeur d'Alene, Moscow, Boise Twin Falls and Pocatello areas, who are
currently using the analog signal, will see a change. They will need a converter box and antenna to pick
up the digital signal on their current television sets. A number of electronics manufacturers have
committed to making the converter boxes available for sale beginning in 2008, with plans underway for a
federal coupon to offset some of the cost. Look for details on converter boxes and coupons in the coming
months.
Other IdahoPTV viewers will see no obvious change in February 2009:
- Viewers who get their over-the-air signal from translators on mountain-tops outside the main
transmitter areas will receive analog signals for up to three years.
- Viewers who subscribe to cable and satellite will remain analog in the near-future, and they will
continue to have the option to subscribe to a digital tier.
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INDEPENDENT LENS "SNEAK PEEKS" CONNECT IDAHOPTV WITH ITS CAMPUS AUDIENCE
A new season of the Community Connections outreach film series kicked off in Boise, Pocatello, Nampa and
Lewiston in September, and continues through the school year. A program that IdahoPTV coordinates
locally, Community Connections offers free monthly sneak previews of films selected from the Independent
Lens series. Each screening is followed by speaker-led audience discussion of issues raised in the film.
In October, Community Connections airs "Miss Navajo: The Movie" in advance of its November 13 airing on
IdahoPTV. Check campus listings or go to www.idahoptv.org/hot/ for the time and place of each local event. The public is invited to attend.
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IDAHOPTV FRIENDS, FOUNDATION GROUPS TO UNIFY
By Peter W. Morrill, General Manager
These are exciting times for the Friends and Foundation boards of Idaho Public Television. During the
past 18 months, board members of the three regional Friends of IdahoPTV organizations and the Idaho
Public Television Foundation have discussed how they can better serve the long-term needs of IdahoPTV.
The conclusion they have reached is to unite under the banner of a single board. The configuration would
comprise board leadership from across our service area of Idaho and six surrounding states. The
resulting organization would be called the Friends of Idaho Public Television (working title). It would
be the single organization that receives both annual and long term gifts (including Endowment) to
IdahoPTV.
To that end, each Friends Board has scheduled a local meeting to consider this plan of merger with the
Foundation. The dates and locations are as follows:
- Friends of Idaho Public Television, KUID/KCDT, Inc., October 9, 2007, Radio/TV Center, University of
Idaho, Moscow, Idaho 83844 at 5:00 p.m.
- Friends of Idaho Public Television, KISU, Inc., October 10, 2007, Building 62, ISU Campus, East Terry
at 19th, Pocatello, Idaho 83209 at 5:30 p.m.
- Friends of Idaho Public Television, KAID/KIPT, Inc., October 18, 2007, 1455 North Orchard Street,
Boise, Idaho 83706 at 1:30 p.m.
In my nearly 27 years working for Idaho Public Television, this has been one of the most exciting and
enriching experiences that I've had the opportunity to be associated with. The boards of the four non-
profit groups have been universal in their determination to play a more effective role in assisting
Idaho Public Television in connecting our services with our constituents.
For more information, please check idahoptv.org or contact Kelly Roberts at Idaho Public Television,
1455 North Orchard Street, Boise ID 83706-2239. Email: kelly.roberts@idahoptv.org. Telephone: 1-800-543-
6868.
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RON'S PICKS by Ron Pisaneschi, Director of Broadcasting
IDAHO'S TRIAL OF THE CENTURY Comes to Life
Next month we will present an extraordinary Idaho Public Television production that examines one of the
most important events in Idaho history -- the murder of former governor Frank Steunenberg and the
ensuing trial. ASSASINATION: IDAHO'S TRIAL OF THE CENTURY is a program replete with colorful characters
and dastardly deeds.
Idaho's best lawyers, James Hawley and William Borah, matched wits with the brilliance of Chicago's
Clarence Darrow and Denver's Edmund Richardson.
Hanging in the balance was the fate of "Big Bill" Haywood, a member of the "inner circle" of the Western
Federation of Miners, accused of paying Harry Orchard blood money to kill Steunenberg.
With the assistance of the famous Pinkerton Detective James McParland, Haywood and two other members of
the "inner circle" were kidnapped in Denver and whisked away by train to Idaho, to stand trial.
In the documentary spirit of the AMERICAN EXPERIENCE series, we will re-create portions of this
remarkable story and the "struggle for the soul of America" that it represented.
Using some of the state's most accomplished actors, authentic costuming, and strict adherence to the
transcripts of the trial, we have brought back all the key players, including Clarence Darrow, Harry
Orchard, James Hawley and William Borah, for what we anticipate will be a memorable program about a key
moment in Idaho history. It also features the comments of numerous historians and legal scholars.
ASSASSINATION: IDAHO'S TRIAL OF THE CENTURY will air on Idaho Public Television, Thursday, November 15,
at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT, and repeats December 2 at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT.
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AN OPPORTUNITY FOR YOU TO E-MAIL YOUR THOUGHTS
I'd love to hear from you. Send your comments to Ramonad@idahoptv.org
If you would like to unsubscribe from IdahoPTV's enewsletter, you can respond to this email with "REMOVE" as the subject.
