The Corporation for Public Broadcasting Investments Support Public Television Programming Lineup

For Immediate Release on August 6, 2013

Upcoming CPB-funded education, history, science and public affairs programming will be featured at the Television Critics Association Summer 2013 Press Tour

Washington, D.C. (August 6, 2013) — The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) today announced its investments in upcoming public television series and specials, a number of which will be featured at the Television Critics Association (TCA) Summer 2013 Press Tour, August 5-7, 2013 in Beverly Hills, California.

CPB investments supporting the development and production of new programming announced by PBS at the Press Tour include: FRONTLINE (“League of Denial: the NFL's Concussion Crisis”), HOW WE GOT TO NOW with Steven Johnson, NOVA (“Making Stuff Colder, Faster, Safer and Wilder”), Latino Americans, Don't Stop Believin': Everyman's Journey, The African Americans: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr., as well as 40 episodes of the animated preschool series PEG + CAT, reflecting its commitment to commercial-free, educational content.

In addition, CPB, through its Diversity & Innovation Fund, is providing substantial funding for the following programs, consistent with its mission to support the development and production of content that addresses the needs of unserved and underserved audiences: THE MARCH ($1 million), Genealogy Roadshow ($1.4 million), The Graduates/ Los Graduados ($2.1 million) and Coming Back with Wes Moore ($1.5 million).

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting's dedication to providing the American people with content that educates, engages, and inspires is stronger than ever,” said Jennifer Lawson, SVP of TV and Digital Video Content. “We are proud to fund programming that explores our nation's diverse history, juxtaposing it against current events and looking forward into our future.”

THE MARCH is a documentary that reveals the story behind the 1963 March on Washington, where Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. delivered his now famous “I Have a Dream” speech. It is told through interviews with people from King's inner circle, everyday Americans who participated in the march, and celebrities such as Harry Belafonte, Oprah Winfrey, Diahann Carroll, and CBS News anchor Roger Mudd. THE MARCH premieres Aug. 27, the eve of the 50th anniversary of the historic march, at 9:00 P.M. ET on PBS.

GENEALOGY ROADSHOW is part detective story, part emotional journey combining history and science to uncover the fascinating stories of diverse Americans. Participants explore unverified genealogical claims, passed down through family history. Experts in genealogy, history and DNA use family heirlooms, letters, pictures, and historical documents to find the truth. Each individual's past connects to a larger community history, revealing the rich cultural tapestry of America. GENEALOGY ROADSHOW airs Mondays from September 23rd to October 14th.

THE GRADUATES/LOS GRADUADOS by Bernardo Ruiz, part of the groundbreaking public media initiative American Graduate: Let's Make it Happen, will explore pressing issues in education today through the eyes of six Latino and Latina students from across the country. It offers a first-hand perspective on the special challenges facing Latino high school students including dangerous and over-crowded schools, gang culture, pressures to contribute to the family finances, teen pregnancy, immigration status and more. Throughout the series, actors, writers, journalists and others share their own high school experiences, and what helped them get to graduation day. The Graduates/Los Graduados will premiere on October 28th and November 4th. It will also be presented in Spanish on the Spanish-language channel V-me and online. For more information on American Graduate programming, visit www.americangraduate.org.

COMING BACK WITH WES MOORE is a three-part special that personalizes the experiences of returning veterans and celebrates their lives. The series, hosted by combat veteran and New York Times best-selling author Wes Moore, tells the stories of returning U.S. veterans, the challenges they face readjusting to life at home, and their efforts to overcome everyday obstacles. COMING BACK WITH WES MOORE is slated to premiere in May 2014. “CPB is proud to bring public television audiences the untold stories of Americans returning from the battlefield and their efforts to rebuild their lives back home. No one is in a better position to tell those stories than Army combat veteran Wes Moore,” said Joseph Tovares, SVP for Diversity and Innovation. “Through CPB's Diversity and Innovation Fund, public television stations are delivering a much needed service to this diverse group of men and women, and their families.”

LATINO AMERICANS is the first major television documentary series to chronicle the history of the country's largest minority group, and how they helped shape the United States. The film features interviews with nearly 100 Latinos telling the story of the gradual construction of a new American identity that connects and empowers millions of people today. The six-part series will air on Tuesdays from September 17th to October 1st.

DON'T STOP BELIEVIN': Everyman's Journey follows the real life rock and roll fairy tale of Filipino singer Arnel Pineda, who went from YouTube to frontman for iconic American rock band Journey. In this Cinderella story, Arnel, having overcome a lifetime's worth of hardships, must now navigate the immense pressures of replacing a legendary singer and leading a world-renowned band on their most extensive world tour in years. The film premieres on September 30th.

THE AFRICAN AMERICANS: Many Rivers to Cross with Henry Louis Gates, Jr. chronicles the full sweep of African-American history, from the origins of slavery on the African continent through five centuries of remarkable events up to the present day. The six-part, six-hour series airs on Tuesdays, from October 22nd to November 26th.

FRONTLINE, in association with ESPN's Outside the Lines, joins prize-winning journalists Steve Fainaru and Mark Fainaru-Wada for “League of Denial: the NFL's Concussion Crisis.” The two-part special investigates claims that the National Football League (NFL) has covered up the severity of how football inflicted long-term brain injuries affect players. The joint FRONTLINE and ESPN investigation details how, for years, the league denied and worked to refute scientific evidence that violent collisions are linked to an alarming incidence of early onset dementia, catastrophic brain damage, death, and other devastating consequences. The special airs on Tuesday, October 8th and 15th.

NOVA examines cutting-edge science that is powering the next wave of technological innovation in the special “Making Stuff Colder, Faster, Safer and Wilder.” Host and New York Times technology columnist David Pogue explores topics ranging from quantum teleportation to the frontiers of cold science in saving the lives of severe trauma patients, and the extent to which science and technology can protect us from forces of nature. NOVA's Making Stuff Colder, Faster, Safer and Wilder airs Wednesdays, October 16th through November 6th.

HOW WE GOT TO NOW with Steven Johnson. Slated to air in Fall 2014, this six-part series hosted by the popular American science author and media theorist, explores the power and the legacy of great ideas. Topics explored in the series will include why and how these ideas happen, including how the search for clean water opened the way for invention of the iPhone, and how the nagging problem of overheating in a New York printing business led to an invention (air conditioning) that gave way to mass migration and a political transformation. Major funding for HOW WE GOT TO NOW is provided by the CPB/PBS Program Challenge Fund, which supports high-impact content that engages viewers and new audiences of all demographics

PEG + CAT is a multi-platform, animated program for preschoolers that follows Peg and her sidekick Cat on adventures as they problem solve and learn fundamental math concepts and skills. PEG + CAT premieres on PBS KIDS on Oct. 7, 2013, with a special one-hour broadcast of two back-to-back episodes. In addition to the daily television program, PEG + CAT will feature interactive mobile and online content with games, streaming video, parent and educator resources and a mobile app.

About CPB

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private, nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967, is the steward of the federal government's investment in public broadcasting. It helps support the operations of more than 1,400 locally-owned and -operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television and related online services.

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