Series in preparation for future public TV seasons, as of fall 2000 Winter/spring 2001 | Spring/summer 2001 Summer 2001 | Fall 2001 | Sometime in 2001 Sometime in 2001 or 2002 Winter/spring 2002 | Fall 2002 | Sometime in 2002 Winter/spring 2003 | Fall 2003 Airdates to be determined | About this survey Current's ninth annual survey, originally published Nov. 13, 2000. Compiled by Karen Everhart Bedford and Geneva Collins with assistance from Steve Behrens. Airdates are only expectations. List excludes projects less than two hours long. Expected distributor is PBS unless otherwise stated. Temporary working titles are marked "w.t." A listing here should not be construed as an indication that a series will be completed by the producer or accepted by PBS or other distributors.

 

 

 

 

 

Winter/spring 2001

American High
Producing organizations: Actual Reality Pictures in association with Twentieth Century Fox Television. Presenting station: Twin Cities Public Television. Episodes: 12 x 30, 1 x 60. Status: completed. Major funder: PBS. Executive producers: R.J. Cutler, Erwin More, Brian Medavoy, Cheryl Stanley. Contact: R.J. Cutler, rjcuttler@aol.com, 323-874-4245. • A year in the lives of 14 juniors and seniors at Highland Park High School in suburban Chicago. Mixes documentary footage of students and their parents with the students’ own video diaries, chronicling their lives in and out of school—family conflicts, issues of romance, sexual identity, loneliness, peer pressure, grades, and decisions about college. An extensive website will support and supplement the broadcast.

America’s Test Kitchen
Producing organization: A La Carte Communications. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: post-production. Budget: $695,000. Major funder: Amazon.com. Executive producer: Nat Katzman. Contact: Hope Reed, hopereed@msn.com, 617-242-1389. • Host Chris Kimball of Cooks Illustrated magazine and a test-kitchen team invite viewers into their kitchen, where they test and rate the best products, foods and recipes. Other media: companion book, "The Best Recipe," and Cooks Illustrated magazine, published by Boston Common Press. Website: www.alacartetv.com.

Ancestors in the Americas
Producing organization: Center for Educational Telecommunications. Presented by NAATA, ITVS for episode 1; NAATA for episodes 2 & 3. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: episodes 1 & 2, completed; episode 3, in production. Major funders: NEH, NAATA, ITVS, the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Rockefeller Foundation, California Council for the Humanities. Executive producer: Loni Ding. Contact: Donald Young at don@naatanet.org or 415-863-0814, x105. • An in-depth historical understanding of one of the fastest-growing—and least-known—groups of immigrants in the U.S., Asian-Americans. Other media: website (http://www.cetel.org), classroom materials.

Beyond Human
Producing organizations: Thomas Lucas Productions in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: production. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Producer: Thomas Lucas. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • Explores advances in genetics and bio-engineering that enable the improvement mechanization of the human body. Computer-controlled hands, auditory and retinal implants, and robots that think and act like humans are some of the technology examined.

Chasing the Sun
Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: post-production. Major funders: PBS/CPB and foundations. Executive producer: Carl Byker. Producer: Isaac Mizrahi. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org or 323-953-5246. • Traces the often-tumultuous 90-year history of commercial aviation.

Child Soldiers
Producing organizations: Electric Pictures, Wildfilm Australia, and OPB. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: pre-production. Budget: $900,000. Major funders: American and international partners. Executive producers: Andrew Ogilvie, David Davis, Daryl Karp. Director: Alan Lindsay. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Examines the scope and implications of the global phenomenon of children being conscripted into combat. Will include outreach and education components.

Conquistadors
Producing organization: Maya Vision International Ltd. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: completed. Budget: $1.8 million. Major funders: PBS, BBC, ITEL. Executive producers: Leo Eaton (U.S.), Lawrence Rees (BBC). Producer: Rebecca Dobbs. Contact: Leo Eaton at leoftv@aol.com or 410-876-9843. • Michael Wood journeys along the trail of the Spanish conquistators and looks at the history and consequences wrought by their conquests.

Digital West
Producing station: KQED. Episodes: 50 x 30. Status: production. Budget: $1.9 million. Major funder: C-Net. Executive producer: Peter Calabrese. Producer: Ben Bayor. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • A weekly forum, hosted by broadcast journalist Rebecca Roberts, that examines the far-reaching social, economic, cultural and political implications of the scientific and technological revolutions unfolding around the world. Website: www.kqed.org.

English Composition: Writing for an Audience
Producing organizations: Berkow and Berkow Inc. Distributor: Annenberg/CPB. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: post-production. Budget: $500,000. Major funders: Annenberg/CPB. Executive producer: Peter Berkow. Contact: David Pelizzari at dpelizzari@learner.org or 202-879-9643. • Dave Barry, Sue Grafton, Rush Limbaugh, Frank McCourt, Michael Moore and other writers share their views on English composition. From the creators of News Writing. Website: www.learner.org.

Global Report Card, w.t.
Producing organization: Public Affairs Television Inc. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: production. Major funders: Mutual of America, Surdna Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Germeshausen Foundation, David and Lucile Packard Foundation, Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Executive producers: Bill Moyers, Judith Davidson Moyers. Producers: Gail Ablow, Leslie Clark, Pamela Hogan. Contact: Joelle Jaffe at jaffe@thirteen.org or 212-560-8228. • Featuring field reports from Mongolia, British Columbia, the American Midwest, Brazil and South Africa, this special examines the state of the global environment. The World Resources Institute will conduct education and outreach.

HomeStyles
Producing organization: Jewish Television Network. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 22 x 30. Status: post-production. Executive producer: Jay Sanderson. Producer: Harvey Lehrer. Contact: Jay Sanderson at jewishtv@earthlink.net or 323-852-9494. • Host Teresa Strasser brings her charm, humor and style to a multidisciplinary how-to series featuring crafts, gardening, entertaining, decorating, cooking, celebrations and holidays. Website: www.jewz.com.

Hopes on the Horizon
Producing organization: Blackside Inc., Boston. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: post-production. Budget: $2.4 million. Major funders: Ford Foundation, W.K. Kellogg Foundation. Executive producer: Terry Kay Rockefeller. Producer/director: Onyekachi Wambu. Contact: Terry Rockefeller, terry_rockefeller@blackside.com, 617-279-0451. • In the 1990s, Africans stood up, acted and changed their continent. Through the voices of women and men who fought for social justice and democratic renewal, this series examines dramatic changes in six African nations—Benin, Nigeria, Rwanda, Morocco, Mozambique and South Africa. Other media to include: an eight-part companion radio series, a website, and a viewer’s guide for secondary- and university-level educators and community-based groups.

Islam: Empire of Faith
Producing organizations: Gardner Films in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: completed. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Series producer: Robert Gardner. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • Narrated by Academy Award winner Ben Kingsley, this series combines reenactments, examinations of Islamic art and architecture, and interviews with scholars to present the story of Islam from the birth of Mohammed to the glories of the Ottoman Empire. Website: www.pbs.org/empires.

Jay Jay the Jet Plane
Producing organization: Porchlight Enter-tainment, Los Angeles. Episodes: 40 x 30. Status: production. Budget: $10 million. Executive producers: Bruce D. Johnson, William T. Baumann. Producers: David Michel, Chris Walker. Contact: Brian Newbury at bnewbury@porchlight.com or 310-477-8400. • This series for preschoolers combines real-time performance animation with live action and miniature sets to create the adventures of a 6-year-old jet plane and his friends.

Jazz
Producing organizations: Florentine Films and WETA. Episodes: 10 of varying lengths; 19 hours total. Status: completed. Major funders: General Motors, Pew Charitable Trusts, Doris Duke Charitable Foundation, Louisiana Dept. of Culture, Recreation & Tourism. Producers: Ken Burns, Lynn Novick. Director: Ken Burns. Contact: Dewey Blanton at dblanton@weta.com or 703-998-2875. • A celebration of the music and social history of 20th century America, as told through the lives of Louis Armstrong, Duke Ellington, Billie Holiday, Charlie Parker, Benny Goodman and others. Website: www.pbs.org/jazz.

The Kennedy Center Presents: The Mark Twain Prize
Producing organizations: WETA, the Kennedy Center, John Schreiber Group, Comedia. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: editing. Major funders: PBS, NEA. Executive producers: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson. Producer: John Schreiber. Contact: Dewey Blanton at dblanton@weta.com or 703-998-2875. • Comedy greats including Steve Martin, Jerry Seinfeld, Dick Van Dyke, Mary Tyler Moore, Richard Belzer and Rob Reiner pay tribute to actor-author-director-writer Carl Reiner.

Lidia’s Italian Table: Italian-American Favorites
Producing organization: A La Carte Communications. Presenting station: WHYY, Philadelphia. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: post-production. Major funders: Colavita, Cuisinart, Monari Federzoni, Palm Bay Imports. Executive producers: Geof Drummond, Nat Katzman. Contact: Nat Katzman at nkatzman@alacartetv.com or 415-626-2131. • Features Italian-American cooking as experienced by Lidia Matticchio Bastianich when she immigrated to the United States from northeastern Italy 40 years ago, and how it has evolved. Website: www.alacartetv.com.

LifeBlood: An Epic History of Medicine and Commerce
Producing organizations: WNET and Optomen TV, London. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: pre-production. Executive producer: Stephen Segaller. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Documents the social history of blood from ancient sacrifice to the AIDS crisis and beyond.

National Geographic Specials
Producing organization: National Geographic Television, Washington, D.C. Episodes: 12 x 60. Status: various stages of production. Budget: $600,000 per episode. Executive producer: Michael Rosenfeld. Supervising producer: Martha Conboy. Contact: Terry Smith at tsmith@ngs.org or 202-775-6146. • National Geographic Specials’ newest series, slated to air through Fall 2003, debuts in February with "Mayday! Lost at Sea." Other specials explore Black Sea ruins, Air Force One, the human body and the Vatican. Website: www.nationalgeographic.com.

Our Genes/Our Choices, A Fred Friendly Seminar
Producing organization: Fred Friendly Seminars Inc. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: research. Executive producers: Richard Kilberg and Barbara Margolis for Fred Friendly Seminars, Stephen Segaller for WNET. Major funder: Sloan Foundation. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Considers the cutting edge of revolutionary moral, ethical and philosophical dilemmas with which genetic technology confronts us. Takes viewers from the most intimate family discussions to the most powerful corporate boardrooms, from an argument over who should get the next job at the factory to a debate over the genetic future of the human race.

Queen Victoria’s Empire
Producing organizations: Brook Lapping Productions, London, in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: post-production. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan for DDE, Phillip Whitehead and Brian Lapping for Brook Lapping. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • More than a portrait of the queen who ruled an empire larger than any other in history, this series also tells the stories of Gladstone, Disraeli, Livingstone and Rhodes, and how they forever changed the lands they controlled. Website: www.pbs.org/empires.

Redwall
Producing organization: Nelvana Communications. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: 13 episodes completed and 13 in production. Executive producers: Michael Hirsh, Clive Smith, Patrick Loubert, Peter Volkle, Ramsay Cameron. Supervising producers: Stephen Hodgins, Jocelyn Hamilton, Patricia R. Burns. Contact: Tom Davison at tom_davison@aptvs.orgor 617-338-4455 x 160. • A new animated series based on the best-selling books by Brian Jacques that brings the magical world of the Redwall Abbey to life. Target audience is children 5-12.

Rocks with Wings
Producing organizations: OPB and Shiprock Productions. Presented by OPB and NAPT. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $1.2 million. Major funders: CPB, Ford Foundation, PBS, NAPT, Fonda Family Foundation. Executive producer: David Davis. Producer/director: Rick Derby. Contacts: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959; or Rick Derby, Shiprock Productions, 212-724-4877. • Shot over 10 years, this two-hour series tells the story of the Lady Chieftains, a Navaho girls’ basketball team in Shiprock, N.M., and their quest to become state champions. Other media: K-12 educational materials, website, soundtrack.

Secrets of the Pharaohs
Producing organizations: Channel 4, London, and WNET. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: production. Executive producer: Beth C. Hoppe. Major funder: PBS. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Documents the recent findings of researchers using new scientific techniques and modern technologies to discover details about ancient Egyptian culture.

School: The Story of American Public Education
Producing organization: Stone Lantern Films. Presenting station: KCET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: post-production. Major funders: CPB, NEH and various foundations. Producers: Sarah Mondale and Sarah Patton. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.orgor 323-953-5246. • Examines the institution whose stated mission has been to bridge differences and provide common knowledge and values for all the people of this country.

Sister Wendy’s American Collection
Producing organizations: WGBH and Spire Films. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: post-production. Budget: $2 million. Executive producers: Jill Janows, David Willcock. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Britain’s famous art nun returns to offer viewers a guided tour of some of America’s great art museums, from the Museum of Fine Arts in Boston to the Los Angeles County Museum of Art.

Talking Money with Jean Chatzky
Producing station: WTTW. Distributor: PBS Plus. Episodes: 13 x 30 and 1 x 60 pledge special. Status: fundraising. Budget: $2 million. Executive producer: Mary Beth Hughes, Frederick Schneider with WTTW. Series producer: Dana Popoff. Contact: Mary Beth Hughes at mbhughes@wttw.com or 773-509-5589. • Today show and Money magazine contributor Jean Chatzky teaches viewers how to talk about their money and gives them the tools to evaluate and use financial information.

They Came for Good: A History of Jews in the U.S.
Producing organization: Amram Nowak Associates. Presenting station: Connecticut Public Television. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: completed. Major funders: NEH, CPB, private foundations. Executive producers: Amram Nowak, Manya Starr. Contact: Amram Nowak at nowakstarr@aol.com or 212-643-1717. • A history of Jews in the United States, from the arrival of the first group in 1654 to 1880. Two more films are planned.

Triumph of Life
Producing organizations: Green Umbrella Ltd. in association with PBS, WNET, New York, Trebitsch Produktion International GmbH and DDE. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: completed. Executive producers: Peter Jones for Green Umbrella, Ron Devillier, Brian Donegan for DDE, Fred Kaufman for Nature. Series producer: Nick Upton. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe @abc.com or 202-686-3980. • Explores how genes are the driving force behind the shape of life and its dazzling array of behaviors. Features rare and previously unfilmed animal action.

Witness to Yesterday
Producing organization: The Film Works. Presenting station: WGBH. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: completed. Executive producer: Victor Solnecki. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Host Patrick Watson interviews actors portraying the famous, infamous and others who were witnesses to major events in world history.

The 92nd Street Y Presents
Producing organization: Jewish Television Network, Beverly Hills. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 60. Status: Production completed. Major funder: Samuel Bronfman Foundation. Executive producer: Jay Sanderson. Producer: Harvey Lehrer. Contact: Jay Sanderson at jewishtv@earthlink.net or 323-852-9494. • A performance series featuring the best music, dance, drama, comedy and thought-provoking discussions from New York’s cultural landmark. Website: www.jewz.com.

Spring or summer 2001

Contested Ground: American Art in the 20th Century
Producing organizations: Muse Film & Television, PMI, and WETA, Washington, D.C. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: pre-production. Major funders: Terra Foundation, Henry R. Luce Foundation. Executive producers: Karl Katz, Helen Whitney. Producers: Hart Perry, Michael Owem. Contact: Dewey Blanton at dblanton@weta.com or 703-998-2875. • Based on an exhibition at the Whitney Museum of American Art in New York, this series will explore the American century through the works of its seminal artists, highlighting the impact of technology and international events on the artists and their work.

PBS Hollywood Television
Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 4 x 90. Status: pre-production. Major funders: PBS/CPB and various foundations. Series executive producer: Mare Mazur. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org or 323-953-5246. • Hollywood stars and behind-the-scenes talent revive television’s "Golden Age" in a series of contemporary, entertaining dramatic films shot completely on sound stages.

Changing Stages
Co-producing organizations: BBC and WNET. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: post-production. Executive producers: Andrea Miller, BBC; Jac Venza, WNET. Major funder: CPB/PBS Challenge Fund. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Sir Richard Eyre, one of the world’s leading theatre directors, explores the story of English-language theater in the 20th century through the work of American and British writers, directors and actors.

The Latin Sound
Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: fundraising. Major funders: PBS, CPB, and NEH. Executive producer: Jackie Kain. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org or 323-953-5246. • High-energy performance celebrating Latin music—today’s fastest-growing music genre—and its many styles, sounds and rhythms.

Summer 2001

The Academy’s World Cuisine
Producing station: WYES, New Orleans. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: post-production. Budget: $375,000. Executive producers: Beth Utterback, Jim Moriarty. Producer: Terri Landry. Contact: Randall Feldman at randall_feldman@ wyes.pbs.org or 504-587-7421. • Chefs and students of the California Culinary Academy demonstrate products and techniques to create native dishes from Asia, Africa, the Americas and Europe that viewers can recreate at home.

Class in America, w.t.
Producing organizations: The Center for New American Media and WETA. Presented by WETA and the Independent Television Service. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: Post-production. Budget: $1.5 million. Major funders: PBS/CPB, ITVS, MacArthur Foundation. Executive producers: Louis Alvarez, Andrew Kolker. Contact: Louis Alvarez at Louis@cnam.com or 212-630-9971. • A wide-ranging look at how social class works in the U.S, from the team that made Vote for Me — Politics in America. Website: www.pbs.org/classinamerica.

Global Trek
Producing organizations: KCET in association with Creative Visions Inc. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: production. Executive producer: Kathy Eldon. Major funders: PBS, various foundations and corporations. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org or 323-953-5246. • A pair of young journalists travel the world to discover what’s new in the global village. The series focuses on cities, countries and cultures that are off the beaten path. Hosted by Amy Eldon.

Le Cid
Producing organization: Washington Opera. Presenting station: WETA. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: post-production. Major funder: Carl Freeman Foundation. Executive producers: Dalton Delan, David S. Thompson for WETA. Producer: Michael Bronson. Contact: Dewey Blanton at dblanton@weta.com or 703-998-2875. • Taped at the Kennedy Center Opera House, this production of Massenet’s famed opera stars Placido Domingo in the title role. Shot in high-definition television.

Roman Empire: The First Century A.D.
Producing organizations: Goldfarb and Koval Productions, in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Producers/directors: Margaret Koval and Lyn Goldfarb. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • Tells the story of the Roman Empire when it stretched from Britain across Europe to the shores of Africa, from Spain across Greece and the Middle East to the borders of Asia—becoming the base from which Western civilization would grow. Website: www.pbs.org/empires.

Fall 2001

Africa
Co-producing organizations: Magic Box Mediaworks, Tigreas Productions, WNET and National Geographic. Episodes: 8 x 60. Status: post-production. Major funders: CPB/PBS Challenge Fund. Executive producers: Jennifer Lawson, Fred Kaufman, Chris Weber, Jeremy Bradshaw. Series producer: Andrew Jackson. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, or 212-560-2715. • Africa’s eight dominant ecosystems frame this series as it describes how desert, grassland, rainforest and other ecosystems shaped the continent’s wildlife, people, culture, and history.

Aleutians: Cradle of the Storms, w.t.
Producing organizations: OPB and Natural History New Zealand. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $1.1 million. Major funders: PBS, Natural History New Zealand. Executive producers: John Grant for OPB, Neil Harraway for NHNZ. Producers: Beth Harrington, Mike Single. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • The harsh natural beauty of the Aleutian Islands, interwoven with the history of the humans who inhabit this remote and storm-swept archipelago, is captured on film and digibeta.

Allies at War
Co-producing organizations: 3BM Television, London, with WNET. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: production. Executive producer: Stephen Segaller. Series producer: Simon Berthon. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, or 212-560-2715. • Presents the conflicted and duplicitous relationships between Roosevelt, Churchill and de Gaulle.

Art for the Twenty-First Century, w.t.
Producing organization: Art21 Inc., New York. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production and post-production. Budget: $2.7 million. Major funders: NEA, CPB/PBS, Rockefeller Brothers Fund. Executive producer: Susan Sollins. Senior producer: Susan Dowling. Coordinating producer: Eve-Laure Moros Ortega. Associate producer: Migs Wright. Contact: Laura Recht, art21@mindspring .com, 212-925-02770, x 23. • A documentary series about contemporary visual artists in America. Each of the four one-hour programs per season profiles three to five diverse visual artists, grouped around themes that cut across artistic media. Celebrity hosts who are passionate and knowledgeable about contemporary art will host programs in the series: Steve Martin is host of the first program. Other media: a companion website, book, and extensive educational outreach program will accompany the broadcast. Educational materials include a high-school curriculum.

Bob’s Job
Producing organizations: Detroit Public Television and Video Design Inc. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $200,000 per episode. Executive producer: Jay Nelson. Contact: Jay Nelson at jnelson@dptv.org or 313-876-8324. • A kids’ show featuring Bob, a wacky guy who explores the workaday world and helps children visualize endless possibilities for their future. Website: www.bobsjob.com.

Border Girls: Cooking with Milliken & Feniger
Producing organizations: KCET in association with 44Blue Productions. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: fundraising. Major funders: various corporations. Executive producers: Bohdan Zachary, Jamie Smith and Rasha Drachkovitch. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org, or 323-953-5246. • Susan Feniger and Mary Sue Milliken, chefs of Border Grill and Ciudad Restaur-ants, share their passion and skill for cooking bold Central and South American cuisine.

Cookalotamus
Producing organization: Scooterhill Studios. Presenting station: KCTS, Seattle. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $2 million. Executive producers: Ken Urman, John McLean, Greg Sharp. Contact: John McLean, johnmclean@cookalotamus.com, 206-285-2605. • Uses elements of science, nutrition, culture and learning skills to entertain and educate children and families about food and cooking. Other media: educational outreach, website, and companion books are planned.

Death Valley: An American Mirage
Producing organizations: KQED and Gold Creek Films. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $1.2 million. Executive producer: Danny McGuire. Producers: Ted Faye, John Fax. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • Focuses on the human history of Death Valley, from the Shoshone Indians and Gold Rush pioneers to land speculators, mining industrialists and Hollywood moguls who tried to exploit the area.

The Educated Traveler: Learning From the Masters, w.t.
Producing organization: The Educated Traveler Productions, LLC and Asti-Trevi Productions. Presenting station: WTTW, Chicago. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: fundraising and scripting. Budget: $1.9 million. Executive producers: Ann H. Waigand and Gina Minervini. Production executive/distribution and sales: Melissa Wohl. Associate Producer: Joanne Cosker. Contact: Ann H. Waigand, edtrav@aol.com, or 703-471-1063. • A cultural travel series that takes actress Veronica Hamel on learning vacations around the globe. Hamel takes up specialized activities, such as tango dancing in Argentina and learning to sculpt marble in Italy, learning from experts in each field. Other media and ancillaries to include a companion travel guidebook series, materials for classroom use and a website, www.educated-traveler.com.

Egypt
Producing organizations: Lion Television Ltd., London, in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: production. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Series producer: Richard Bradley. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • The great beauty Nefertiti, the boy-king Tutankhamun, the female pharaoh Hatshepsut, the heretical monotheistic pharaoh Akhenaten and Ramses II—all figure in this tale of an extraordinary period in Egyptian history, from 1567 B.C. to 1085 B.C. Website: www.pbs.org/empires.

Electric Money
Producing station: OPB. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: post-production. Budget: $1 million. Major funders: PBS, OPB. Executive producer: John Gau. Producer: David Davis. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@ opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Robert Cringely (Triumph of the Nerds) explores the impact of digital technologies on the world of money, from the invention of the credit card to the high-stakes world of global finance.

Evolution
Producing organizations: WGBH Science Unit and Clear Blue Sky Productions. Episodes: 1 x 120, 6 x 60. Status: production. Executive producer: Richard Hutter. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson @wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Explores the theory of evolution and its implications, using the ongoing debate over evolution to examine the relationship between science and religion.

Eyes of Nye
Producing station: KCTS. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: fundraising. Major funder: NSF. Executive producer: Jeff Gentes. Contact: Jeff Gentes at jgentes@kcts.org or 206-443-6796. • Designed for an adult audience age 25-54, this series brings Bill Nye’s unique, quirky scientific perspective to subjects that most people take for granted, such as looking at rush hour traffic as a migratory pattern.

5 Girls
Producing organization: Kartemquin Educational Films, Chicago. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: post-production. Budget: $500,000. Major funder: CPB. Executive producer: Gordon Quinn. Producer/director: Maria Finitzo. Co-producer/editor: David Simpson. Contact: Maria Finitzo at mlfin@interaccess.com or 847-866-6269. • The producers of Hoop Dreams present a documentary that delves into the hearts and minds of five young women struggling through adolescence. Website: www.kartemquin.com.

The Great American Treasure Hunt
Producing organization: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Episodes: 39 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $2 million. Executive producer: Lee Koromvokis. Contact: Rob Flynn, rflynn@newshour.org, 703-998-5707. • An ongoing series featuring Lee Dunbar, senior v.p. of Sotheby’s, who criss-crosses the country in search of collectibles and collectors at flea markets, auctions and yard sales.

Jacques Pepin Celebrates!
Producing station: KQED. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 20 x 30, 6 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $1 million. Major funders: Oxo, Salton, Meyer, Artisans & Estates. Executive producer: Sue Ellen McCann. Producer: Peggy Scott. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • Chef Jacques Pepin and daughter Claudine return for a cooking series on how to prepare memorable meals for special occasions and holidays. Website: www.kqed.org/tv.

Legendary Lighthouses II
Producing organizations: Driftwood Productions and OPB. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production. Major funders: PBS, Lighthouse Depot. Executive producer: John Grant. Producers: Jack McDonald, Carolyn Zelle, Lloyd Fales. Contact: John Grant at jajgrant@aol.com or 703-503-8183. • Tells the stories of lighthouses in Hawaii, Alaska, the Gulf of Mexico and the eastern Great Lakes.

Life in Bold
Producing organizations: OPB and ABC’s Nightline, in cooperation with member stations and independent producers. Episodes: 13 x 60. Status: pre-production. Budget: $5.2 million. Major funders: CPB, PBS. Executive producer: Janet Tobias. Contact: John Lindsay at lindsayopb@aol.com or 609-924-8686. • A new weekly series devoted to America’s everyday heroes, spotlighting compelling stories of extraordinary achievement by ordinary people.

Local News
Coproducing organizations: Lumiere Productions with WNET. Episodes: 5 x 60. Status: post-production. Executive producers: Calvin Skaggs and David Van Taylor for Lumiere; Stephen Segaller for WNET. Producers: Brad Lichtenstein, Ali Pomeroy. Major funders: Ford Foundation, PBS, MacArthur Foundation, CPB, Burns Foundation. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Shot in a Charlotte, N.C., newsroom and on the beat with reporters, anchors, crews and TV executives who produce the news. Takes viewers behind the scenes to discover how decisions are made, who makes them, and what impact they have.

Mark Twain
Producing organizations: Florentine Films and WETA. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: post-production. Major funders: General Motors, Pew Charitable Trusts, Connecticut State Tourism. Producer/director: Ken Burns. Contact: Dewey Blanton at dblanton@weta.com or 703-998-2875. • The fifth in the American Lives series by Ken Burns, this film chronicles one of the pivotal figures in American letters, including lesser-known aspects of Twain’s life, such as the disastrous investments that put his family into bankruptcy and the tragic deaths of his wife and two daughters.

Masters of Production
Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: fundraising. Major funders: various foundations. Executive producer: Cecilia DeMille Presley. Producer: Keith Lawrence. Co-producer: Elaina Archer. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org, or 323-953-5246. • Examines visual artistry inside feature film production, presenting an exclusive look at the Cecil B. DeMille collection, one of Hollywood’s great unknown treasure troves of motion picture art.

National Edition
Producing organizations: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, New York Times, WNET and WETA. Episodes: 260 x 30. Budget: $14 million. Status: fundraising. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, or 212-560-2715; or Rob Flynn, rflynn@newshour.org, 703-998-2174. • A weeknightly hard news, take-on-tomorrow newscast that brings content, context and range to late-night viewing.

Poor Richard’s Almanac
Producing organizations: DIC Entertainment, L.P. Episodes: 40 x 30. Status: scripting. Contact: Kaaren Brown at 818-955-5421. • An animated series that shows the American Revolution through the eyes of Sarah and Gregory, two teenage apprentices at Ben Franklin’s print shop.

The Procrastinator’s Guide to . . .
Producing station: WTTW, Chicago. Distributor: PBS Plus. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $2 million. Executive producers: Mary Beth Hughes, Frederick Schneider with WTTW. Series producer: Tony Greco. Contact: Mary Beth Hughes at mbhughes@wttw.com or 773-509-5589. • Combines real-life examples and irreverent humor to convey the consequences of procrastinating, including legal, lifestyle, health and financial issues. Hosted by Jamie Farr. Other media: companion books, website, and home videos.

Sagwa, the Chinese Siamese Cat
Producing organizations: Cinégroupe in association with Sesame Workshop and IF/X Productions. Episodes: 40 x 30. Status: production. Major funder: PBS. Executive producers: Jacques Pettigrew, George Daugherty, Michel Lemire. Contact: Lynn Chwatsky at lynn.chwatsky@sesameworkshop.org. • Targeted for 6- to 8-year-olds, this series follows the adventures of a spirited and curious young cat in ancient China. Adapted from the book by Amy Tan. Website: www.sagwa.com.

Sam Clemens: My Life and Loves, w.t.
Producing organization: Espiritruth Films Inc. Episodes: 3 x 90. Status: post-production. Major funders: NEH, CPB, Espiritruth Films. Executive producer: Sandra Wentworth Bradley. Contact: Sandra Wentworth Bradley at 75442.1143@compuserve.com or 301-365-5900. • Mark Twain’s autobiography, recounted as an historical docudrama using Twain’s own words to describe his great loves and extreme losses. As Huck Finn said, " . . . he told the truth, mainly."

Seasoned with Spirit
Producing organization: NAPT. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $400,000. Major funder: CPB. Executive producers: Frank Blythe, Bill Pierce. Producer: Melanie Kosaka. Director: Robert Bates. Host/co-creator: Loretta Barrett Oden. Contact: Melanie Kosaka at melanie@digitaldaughter.com. • A gourmet tour of indigenous cuisine with Loretta Barrett Oden, executive chef at the Hotel Santa Fe’s Corn Dance Café.

Senior Year
Producing organization: Displaced Films, Los Angeles. Episodes: number and length of episodes TBD. Status: post-production. Budget: $1.65 million. Major Funders: CPB, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, NAATA. Executive producer and producer: David Zeiger. Co-producer: Eric Mofford. Associate producer: Marina Goldovskaya. Line producer: Aaron Zarrow. Contact: Aaron Zarrow, displaced@mindspring.com, or 323-906-9249. • A multipart series following 15 seniors through the 1999/2000 school year at Fairfax High, the most diverse high school in L.A. and a microcosm for an emerging urban culture of blurred ethnic boundaries. A planned national outreach campaign includes an extensive website, a student-produced online media literacy guide for teens, and an electronic "toolbox" to support participation in the campaign by various audiences. Other ancillaries include a soundtrack CD, video and DVD releases.

Summer of Love/Days of Rage, w.t.
Producing station: OPB. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $300,000. Major funder: PBS. Executive producer: David Davis. Producer: Steve Talbot. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Examines the turbulent late 1960s and how the events of this era shaped a generation—from the Summer of Love in 1967 through the assassinations and protests of 1968, to the days of rage that culminated in the 1970 shootings at Kent State.

Tell About the South: Voices in Black and White
Producing organization: James Agee Film Project, Charlottesville, Va. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: post-production. Budget: $700,000. Major funders: NEH, CPB. Producer: Ross Spears. • Examines the history of modern literature from the American South. William Styron, Eudora Welty, Toni Morrison, Shelby Foote, Alice Walker, Rita Dove, Pat Conroy and Maya Angelou are among the Southern writers participating in this project.

This Far By Faith: Stories of the African-American Religious Experience
Producing organization: Blackside Inc. Presenting station: WGBH. Episodes: 6 x 60. Budget: $4.9 million. Major funders: Annie E. Casey Foundation, PBS/CPB Challenge Fund, Pew Charitable Trusts, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Lilly Endowment Inc., Ford Foundation, NEH, NBPT. Executive producer: Dante James. Series senior producers: June Cross and Callie Crossley. Contact: Dante James, 617-292-0671. • Traces the African-American religious experience from 1776 to the present, and examines the role the church and its leaders have played in the social, spiritual, political, economic and cultural development of this nation.

Warship, w.t.
Producing organizations: A WNET production by Granada Television. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production. Major funders: Sloan Foundation and PBS. Executive producer: Beth C. Hoppe, WNET. Executive in charge: Bill Jones, Granada. Series producer: John Farren. Producers: Tony Bulley and Sol Popadapolus. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, or 212-560-2715. • Explores the role of technology and naval history in the balance of world power. Each episode focuses on a pivotal technological advance that transformed warfare on the seas—from Trafalgar to the torpedo in just over 100 years.

Washington Women
Producing stations: WNET in association with WETA. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: R&D. Executive producer: Stephen Segaller. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, or 212-560-2715. • Enters the inner circle of women who have reached the top in American politics, are in the process of achieving power and influence, or operate in the concentric circles of media, publishing, public relations and lobbying. Interviews with members of Congress, cabinet secretaries, government officers, journalists, staff members and interns, hostesses, military women, public relations agents, talk show bookers and women ministers of the church.

West 47th Street
Producing Organization: Lichtenstein Creative Media, New York. Episodes: 1 x 181. Status: post-production. Budget: $1.1 million. Major funders: van Ameringen Foundation Inc., National Institute of Mental Health, Sihler Mental Health Foundation, Constance E. Lieber, Hemmerling Foundation, Marion E. Kenworthy/Sarah H. Swift Foundation Inc., Stocker Foundation, Dammann Fund Inc., Penelope Johnston, Wellspring Foundation, Telecare Corporation, Peterson Foundation Inc., and Brian A. Bass Memorial Fund. Executive producers: Bill Lichtenstein and June Peoples. Contact: Lisa Bell at lisabell@lcmedia.com or 212-765-6600. • A feature documentary film following six people with mental illness, off the streets and out of homeless shelters, in and out of the hospital, at home and at work over three years. Shot cinéma vérité without interviews or narration. Theatrical release will precede broadcast. Website: www.w47th.com.

Whispers of Angels
Producing organization: Teleduction Inc., Wilmington, Del. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: pre-production, production. Budget: $960,000. Director/screenwriter: Sharon K. Baker. Contact: Sharon Baker at teleduct@aol.com or 302-429-0303. • Ed Asner plays the role of abolitionist Thomas Garrett in this historical documentary and drama about the Underground Railroad.

Sometime in 2001

New York, episodes six and seven
A co-production of Steeplechase Films, WGBH and WNET. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: in production while seeking additional funding. Major funders: PBS, CPB, NEH, Ford Foundation, Chase, Henry Luce Foundation Inc., Arthur Vining Davis, The Starr Foundation, Rosalind P. Walter, American Experience. Directed by Ric Burns. Written by Ric Burns and James Sanders. Produced by Steve Rivo and Ric Burns. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • The conclusion of Ric Burns’ history of New York City. Episode six: "City of Tomorrow," (1913-45) traces the changes that overtook New York during the the Great Depression and World War II. Episode seven "The City and the World," (1945 to present), chronicles the city’s history from the end of World War II to today. Also explores the complexities of the post-modern city, and the turbulent years of physical, social and cultural change in the decades following the war.

Sometime in 2001 or 2002

Entrada: Journeys In Latin American Cuisine.
Producing organization: Catalyst Entertain-ment Inc. Distributor: APT for Gullane Entertainment LLC. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: preproduction. Executive producer: Charles Falzon. Contact: Cindy Bernstein at Gullane Entertainment, cindy.bernstein@gullane.com, or 212-645-3555. • Explores Latin American cuisines. Other media: companion book and website, www.entradatv.com.

In Search of Ancient Ireland
Producing organizations: Café Productions Inc., Little Bird Television, WNET and RTE. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: post-production. Budget: $1.4 million. Major funders: PBS, WNET, RTE. Executive producers: Bill Grant for WNET, Andre Singer for Café Productions, James Mitchell for Little Bird. Series producer: Leo Eaton. Contact: Leo Eaton at leoftv@aol.com or 410-876-9843. • Explores the history of ancient Ireland during the critical period between the coming of the Celts and the Norman Conquest by examining its stories, myths, legends and archeological evidence.

Picasso’s Women
Co-producing organizations: WNET, ZCZ Film and Channel 4. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: scripting. Executive producer: Jac Venza. Producers: Waldemar Januszczak, Margaret Smilow for WNET. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • Draws on a wealth of new information and visits to key locations from Picasso’s life to describe his artistic journey, the succession of remarkable women he loved, and their impact on his art.

The Sound of the Century: When the Music Went Round
Producing station: WNET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: R&D completed. Executive producer: John Adams. Series project director: Barry J. Pavelec. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • Details the story of the invention and development of the phonograph record and the industry and cultural revolution it created.

Winter/spring 2002

American Attic
Producing organizations: OPB and Lion Television. Episodes: 10 x 60. Status: fund-raising. Budget: $2.75 million for TV. Major funder: PBS. Executive producers: Nick Catliff, John Lindsay. Contact: John Lindsay at lindsayopb@aol.com or 609-924-8686. • Follows high-profile senior managers as they take junior positions in their companies for a week. How do they cope? What do they learn? What changes do they make?

American Holidays, w.t.
Producing organizations: Stoner Productions Inc. and WYES, New Orleans. Episodes: 6 x 60, formatted for pledge. Status: research. Budget: $2.4 million. Executive producers: Barry Stoner, Randall Feldman. Contact: Randall Feldman at Randall_Feldman@ wyes.pbs.org or 504-587-9421. • A series of specials that search for the traditions, stories and personalities that shaped celebrations of our national holidays.

America’s River: Life on the Hudson, w.t.
Producing organization: Public Affairs Television Inc. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: production. Major funders: Mutual of America, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, Laurence S. Rockefeller Fund, Surdna Foundation. Executive producers: Bill Moyers, Judith Davidson Moyers. Producers/ directors: Tom Casciato, Kathleen Hughes, Tom Spain. Producer: Monica Lange. Contact: Judy Doctoroff at doctor@thirteen.org or 212-560-6930. • From the Adirondacks to the Statue of Liberty, the series explores historic treasures and environmental challenges of the Hudson, "America’s first river."

And Thou Shalt Honor . . . , w.t.
Producing organizations: Wiland/Bell Productions and OPB. Episodes: 2 x 90. Status: pre-production. Budget: $2.5 million. Major funders: AXA Foundation, Carethere.com, Silverman Charitable Trust, Northwest Health Foundation. Executive producers: Dale Bell, Harry Wiland. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Examines the problems associated with caring for elderly and disabled family members. The project will include extensive outreach and promotion efforts designed to provide resources to caregivers.

Breaking the Maya Code
Producing organization: Night Fire Films. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: fundraising for production. Budget: $1.25 million. Major funder: NEH for research and scripting. Executive producer: David Lebrun. Associate producers: Karen Olender, Rebecca Hartzell. Contact: David Lebrun at lebrun@ix.netcom. com or 310-821-9133. • The story of deciphering the complex and beautiful Maya hieroglyphic script, from its 16th-century beginnings to the latest discoveries. Based on the book of the same title by Michael D. Coe.

The Chautauqua Experience, w.t.
Producing station: WNED, Buffalo. Episodes: 10 x 60. Status: research. Executive producers: David C. Rotterman, Stratton Rawson. Contact: David Rotterman, drotterman@wned.org, 716-845-7003. • The Chautauqua Institution in New York brings many of the world’s leading artists, scholars, musicians, writers, politicians and performers to its grounds each summer. This series will feature these leading figures and how they impact our world today.

Ciao Italia in Italia
Producing organization: Mary Ann Esposito Inc. Distributor: NETA. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: funding/pre-production. Budget: $750,000. Major funders: Kitchenetc.com, Colavita Pasta, Waring Division. Executive producers: Paul M. Lally, Mary Ann Espos-ito. Contact: Paul M. Lally at plally@ttlc.net or 603-743-3855. • Chef Mary Ann Esposito returns to the land of her ancestors to discover the artistic, cultural and family traditions that gave birth to the regional Italian dishes that she re-creates in her television kitchen. Website: www.ciaoitalia.com.

Cory the Clown Show
Producing organization: Funny Productions, a division of Corlin Productions LLC. Presenting station: WYES, New Orleans. Episodes: 20 x 30. Status: scripting. Budget: $2.5 million. Executive producer: Linda Ann Watt. Producer: Cory Riback. Contact: Randall Feldman at Randall_Feldman@ wyes.pbs.org or 504-587-9421. • Live action, robotic puppets and 3-D animation will be part of this series that focuses on preschoolers’ learning and creative sides. Website: www.corytheclown.com.

Cyberchase
Producing organization: WNET and Nelvana Limited. Episodes: 26 x 30 in season one. Status: production. Major funders: NSF, PBS, Picower Foundation and Kettering Family Foundation, with funding from CPB for an online prototype. Executive producers: Sandra Sheppard, Kristin Laskas Martin. Executive in charge: Tamara E. Robinson. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • An on-air and online animated adventure series that promises to engage children 8-11 in the challenge of math and logic. Three Earth kids are summoned into cyberspace on a mission to use their brain power to defeat the evil fiend Hacker. In each episode, the heroes embark on adventures to such sites as mythological Greece, a volcanic island and Fairy Tale Land. Visitors to the website will experience new adventures, play games and solve puzzles. The project will also create extensive outreach and print materials.

Frontier House
Producing organizations: WNET and Wall to Wall Television. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: pre-production. Major funders: PBS/CPB Challenge Fund. Executive producer: Beth Hoppe. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • Based on The 1900 House, this series explores the myth of the American West with three modern families who experience life on the frontier as it really was in Montana in the 1880s. Other media: production of an ambitious website will parallel production of the television series. The site will launch and remain active from the process of finding the families through their experience on the frontier, until the series broadcast.

Great Lodges of the National Parks
Producing station: OPB. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $1.1 million. Major funders: PBS, Arthur Vining Davis, Murdoch Family Foundation. Executive producer: John Grant. Producers: John Booth, Mark Mitchell. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Explores the architectural treasures of our national parks, and recounts how these wilderness landmarks were designed and built amidst some of the world’s most spectacular scenery.

Great Projects: The Building of America.
Producing organization: Great Projects Film Co. Presenting station: South Carolina ETV. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: post-production. Budget: $4.5 million. Major funders: Alfred P. Sloan Foundation, NSF, U.S. Dept. of Transportation. Executive producers: Kenneth Mandel, Daniel B. Polin. Contact: Ken Mandel at kmendel@greatproject.com or 212-581-1700. • How America’s public works were created. Website: www.greatprojects.com

The Harriman Alaska Expedition Retraced: A Century of Change, w.t.
Producing organizations: Florentine Films/Hott Productions Inc. Presenting station: KTOO, Juneau. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $1.5 million. Major funders: Arthur Vining Davis Foundations, Andreas Foundation, Town Creek Foundation, ARCO/Alaska, Paul Allen Foundation, Mary H. Rumsey Foundation. Executive producers: Lawrence Hott, Tom Litwin. Producer/director: Lawrence Hott. Contact: Lawrence Hott at hott@florentinefilms.com or 413-268-7934. • It has been 100 years since Edward Harriman and an elite crew of scientists and artists went on a two-month survey of the Alaskan coast. This project retraces Harriman’s route with a crew that parallels the original members of the expedition. Website: www.florentinefilms.com.

Hindsight, w.t.
Producing organizations: WYES, New Orleans, and Easting Down Productions. Episodes: 52 x 30. Status: research. Budget: $4 million. Executive producers: Randall Feldman, Peter Golden, Paul Block. Contact: Randall Feldman at Randall_Feldman@ wyes.pbs.org or 504-587-9421. • Reviews expert news predictions after the fact. Blending in-depth analysis with wry humor, this series looks at how experts form their opinions.

Have You Heard of Johannesburg, w.t.
Producing organization: Clarity Film Productions Inc., Berkeley. Status: post-production. Episodes: 3 x 120. Budget: $3 million. Major funders: Ford Foundation, MacArthur Foundation, NEH. Executive producer/director: Connie Field. Director of photography: Tom Hurwitz. Writer: Zakes Mda. Contact: Connie Field, confield@aol.com, 510-841-3469. • Tells the story of the most globalized human rights struggle in history, when the actions of ordinary people around the world contributed to the demise of apartheid in South Africa.

The History of California
Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Major funder: PBS. Executive producer: Tom Cook. Contact: Laurel Lambert, Llambert@kcet.pbs.org, 323-953-5246. • With the seventh-largest economy in the world and export industries as diverse as entertainment, agriculture and aerospace, California has always moved to its own rhythms. This series takes a non-linear approach to storytelling and uses historical archives and contemporary production to bring the history of the state to a national audience.

The Islam Project, w.t.
Producing organizations: Independent Production Fund and Alvin H. Perlmutter Inc. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: scripting, fundraising. Budget: $2.4 million. Major funders: Pew Charitable Trusts, William and Mary Greve Foundation, Carnegie Corp. of New York. Executive producer: Alvin H. Perlmutter. Contact: Alvin H. Perlmutter at ipf45@aol.com or 212-221-6310. • This documentary, with accompanying educational outreach print and internet components, is designed to provide information and understanding of contemporary Islam worldwide.

Kingdom of David
Producing organizations: OPB and Red Hill Productions in association with PBS and DDE. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: pre-production. Executive producers: Ron Devillier and Brian Donegan. Producers: Carl Byker, Mitch Wilson. Contact: Ken O’Keefe at kenneth.a.o’keefe@abc.com or 202-686-3980. • Recounts the development of the Jewish faith, the world’s first monotheistic religion. Website: www.pbs.org/empires.

Mama Africa
Producing organizations: Winstar Productions and Zimmedia. Presented by ITVS. Episodes: 6 x 30. Status: production. Budget: $1.4 million. Major funders: M-Net, ITVS, European Union. Executive producers: Simon Bright, Julie Goldman, Letebele Masomela Jones. Contact: Nancy Fishman at Nancy_Fishman @itvs.org or 415-356-8383, ext. 226. • Narratives about women in Africa, directed by African women, with each story set in a different African country. Website: www.zimmedia.com/Mama_Africa.

Marriage: Just a Piece of Paper, w.t.
Producing organizations: Satellite Produc-tions Ltd. and University of Chicago. Presenting station: WTTW. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: post-production. Budget: $1 million. Major funder: Lilly Foundation. Executive producer: Brian Boyer. Senior producer: Brian Zises. Producer: Kathy Anderson. Contact: Mary Beth Hughes at mghughes@wttw.com or 773-509-5589. • Combines the voices of leading scholars with powerful personal stories of men and women negotiating the complex realities of relationships, marriage and divorce.

Matters of Race, w.t.
Producing organization: Roja Productions, New York. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: production. Major funders: National Minority Consortia, CPB, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation. Executive producer: Orlando Bagwell. Senior producer: Jacquie Jones. Producers: Lulie Haddad, John Valadez, Felicia Lowe. Associate producers: Bernardo Ruiz, Malinda Campbell. Contact: Michelle Materre, 212-426-2700. • Uses personal memoirs, autobiographies, interviews and letters of America’s leading writers in the 1990s to explore the complex demands of our rapidly changing multiracial, multicultural society. Challenges viewers to reconsider the black/white paradigm that influenced American social movements during the 20th century, and explores how ethnic and cultural diversity will define the nation’s identity in the next century. Other media: educational materials, discussion guides, interactive website, and online college and high school courses.

Reporting America at War
Producing organizations: Insignia Films and WETA. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: pre-production. Budget: $1.9 million. Major funder: PBS/CPB Challenge Fund. Producer/director: Stephen Ives. • Traces the lives and work of a select group of American war correspondents who together span the 20th century.

The Secret Life of the Brain
Coproducing organizations: David Grubin Productions and WNET. Episodes: 5 x 60. Status: production. Major funders: NSF, Pfizer, CPB/PBS Challenge Fund, Dana Foundation, Medtronic, Park Foundation. Executive producers: David Grubin and Beth C. Hoppe. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • Follows the normal stages of brain development from conception through advanced age, and looks at knowledge gained from dysfunctional brain activity and the ongoing revolution in neuroscience. Comprehensive outreach campaign to include print materials, training workshops and a website.

United Nations—Center of the Storm
Co-producing organizations: David Grubin Productions with WNET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer for WNET: Stephen Segaller. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • A contemporary portrait of the world’s most influential and controversial organization. The series presents the role of the Secretary General, and UN involvement in peacekeeping, development and human rights.

Woodrow Wilson and the Birth of the American Century
A presentation of American Experience. Producing station: KCET. Episodes: 2 x 90. Status: fundraising. Major funders: NEH, American Experience, and various foundations. Executive producer: Carl Byker. Producer: David Mrazek. Contact: Laurel Lambert, Llambert@kcet.pbs.org, 323-953-5246. • Follows the rise and fall of Woodrow Wilson and presents his moral vision within the context of ideas and emotions expressed by his generation.

Yak’s Corner, w.t.
Producing organizations: Detroit Public Television and Big Head Entertainment. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: fundraising. Budget: $5.1 million. Executive producer: Elizabeth Brock. Contact: Jay Nelson at jnelson@dptv.org or 313-876-8324. • Combining tightly scripted storylines with real-world investigations, this series encourages adolescent viewers to explore their interests, develop their talents and make good personal decisions. A spin-off of a syndicated newspaper series running in over fifty newspapers nationwide and a companion website, www.yakscorner.com.

Fall 2002

And Crown Thy Good: Varian Fry in Marseille
Producing organization: Chambon Founda-tion. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: post-production. Major funders: CPB, Chambon Founda-tion. Producer: Pierre Sauvage. Contact: Pierre Sauvage at sauvage@chambon.org. • An account of the most successful private American-led rescue effort of World War II. In 1940-41, Varian Fry and colleagues helped save 2,000 artists, intellectuals and anti-Nazi refugees in Marseille, France. Website: www.chambon.org.

Becoming Americans: The Chinese Experience, w.t.
Producing organization: Public Affairs Television Inc. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: fundraising. Executive producers: Bill Moyers, Judith Davidson Moyers. Contact: Judy Doctoroff at doctor@thirteen.org or 212-560-6930. • Unfolds the dramatic saga of the Chinese who came to this country from its earliest settlement until the present, and how they enriched the American culture, economy and experience.

Benjamin Franklin
Producing organizations: Twin Cities Public Television and Middlemarch Films. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: scripting/production. Major funders: Northwestern Mutual, NEH, Pew Charitable Trusts, PBS/CPB Challenge Fund. Executive producer: Catherine Allan. Producers: Muffie Meyer, Ellen Houde. Contact: Catherine Allan at callan@tpt.org. • The life and times of one of America’s most celebrated historical figures. Uses on-camera actors to help bring to life both Franklin and the world in which he lived.

The Blues
Producing organizations: Clear Blue Sky Productions in association with Offline Entertainment Group and Cappa Productions. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: pre-production. Executive producers: Martin Scorsese, Jody Patton. Series producer: Alex Girney. Producer: Margaret Bonde. Co-producer: Eric Robison. Contact: Belinda Clasen at belinda@offlineoffline.com or 212-989-4495. • A documentary mini-series on blues music directed by a premiere group of feature film directors, including Michael Apted, Charles Burnett, Spike Lee, Marc Levin and Wim Wenders.

Convergence, w.t.
Producing organizations: ICAN Productions, OPB, and Palfreman Film Group. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: research, fundraising. Budget: $2.4 million for broadcast. Executive in charge of production: John Lindsay, OPB. Executive producer, science: Cynthia Needham, ICAN Productions. Series producer: Jon Palfreman, Palfreman Film Group. Contact: Paula Mason at masonopb@aol.com or 609-924-4955.• Examines the convergence of chemical and computational nanotechnologies and biotechnology to a common solution—the complex chemical reactions of life. Other media: companion radio documentary, K-12 and college level curricula, teacher development, companion book and extensive website, www.smartscience.org.

The Divided Mind: Searching for the Origins of Human Emotion, w.t.
Producing station: KERA, Dallas/Fort Worth. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: R&D. Executive producers: Sylvia Komatsu, Rob Tranchin. Contact: Rob Tranchin at rtranchin@kera.org or 214-740-9273. • Explores the role of emotion in the development of the mind’s capacity to think, communicate, imagine and care.

Eavesdropping on History: The Secret Tapes of Presidents Kennedy, Johnson and Nixon
Producing organization: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $3 million. Executive producer: Ricki Greene. Contact: Rob Flynn at rflynn@newshour.org or 703-998-2174. • Based on the audiotapes of three Presidents during the most tumultuous decade in recent history, this miniseries reveals surprising patterns of leadership, personalities and power. Hosted by presidential historian Michael Beschloss.

Foto-Novelas II
Producing organization: Echo Park Filmworks. Presented by ITVS. Episodes: 4 x 30. Status: scripting and fundraising. Budget: $1.5 million. Major funder: PBS/CPB Challenge Fund. Executive producer: Carols Avila. Contact: Nancy Fishman, ITVS, nancy_fishman@itvs.org, 415-356-8383, ext. 226. • A dramatic anthology series that uses magical realism, sci-fi and fantasy to tell Latino stories with human and social themes.

High Adventure, w.t.
A presentation of Nova. Producing station: WGBH. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: Paula Apsell. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Shot in high definition, this series takes viewers on scientific explorations to some of the world’s highest and most spectacular places—Mont Blanc, Denali, Kilimanjaro and Vinson Massif.

Inside the World of Public Defenders, w.t.
Producing station: KQED. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: production. Budget: $700,000. Major funder: KQED. Executive producer: Sue Ellen McCann. Producers: Pam Yates, Peter Kinoy. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • A pilot for a reality/documentary series that follows real lawyers from the San Francisco Public Defenders Office as they take their cases from jail cell to jury.

Journey to the Planet Earth
Producing organization: Screenscope Inc. Presenting station: South Carolina ETV. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $3 million. Major funders: NSF. Executive producers: Marilyn and Hal Weiner. Contact: Marilyn Weiner at screenscope@compuserve.com or 202-364-0055. • A continuing primetime series to help viewers understand major the environmental issues of the 21st century. These episodes address grasslands, disease and environmental security.

The Rape of Europa, w.t.
Producing organizations: Actual Films and OPB. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $1.4 million. R&D funder: NEH. Executive producers: Bonnie Cohen, Richard Berge, David Davis. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Tells the story of the looting of European art treasures by Nazi Germany during World War II and the efforts to find and restore these artworks to their rightful owners.

Utopia Revealed
Producing organizations: KQED and William Free Productions. Episodes: 5 x 60. Status: R&D. Budget: $2.5 million. Executive producer: Danny McGuire. Producer: William Free. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • A narrative history of the communist idea, from the birth of the egalitarian principles of the American and French revolutions to the collapse of the Soviet Empire in 1991.

Sometime in 2002

China in the Red, w.t.
Producing organization: Ambrica Produc-tions. Presenting station: WGBH. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: production. Budget: $1.2 million. Executive producer: Judith Vecchione. Producer/director/writer: Sue Williams. Co-producer: Kathryn Dietz. Contact: Kathryn Dietz at kdietz@mediaone.net or 781-435-0055. • Follows the lives of a dozen Chinese families over a three-year period as they try to cope with the tremendous changes sweeping China today.

Color TV, w.t.
Producing organization: National Minority Consortia. Distributor: APT. Episodes: 5 x 60. Status: research. Major funders: CPB. Contact: Tom Davison, tom_davison@aptvs.org, 617-338-4455, ext. 160. • Showcases the work of independent producers exploring ethnicity and culture in short films and video narratives. Hosted by Edward James Olmos.

C.S. Lewis and Sigmund Freud: Contrasting World Views
Producing organization: Tatge/Lasseur Productions. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: scripting. Budget: $3.6 million. Major funders: Fidelity Investments, PBS. Executive producer: Catherine Tatge and Dominique Lasseur. Contact: Dominique Lasseur at tatgeprod@aol.com or 212-222-5677. • Based on the Harvard course taught by Armand Nicholi, this series contrasts the spiritual world view of C.S. Lewis with the materialistic philosophy of Sigmund Freud, and explores the influence that our own world views have on our lives.

Global Aging
Producing organizations: WNET and Brook Lapping Productions, London. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: Stephen Segaller. Contact: Lisa Braun, braun@thirteen.org, 212-560-2715. • Examines the demographic time bomb—how we soon will inhabit a world where the old outnumber the young—and the implications of global aging on the economy, the environment and global power.

Music from the Inside Out with the Philadelphia Orchestra
Producing organization: Anker Productions Inc. Episodes: 5 x 30. Status: production. Budget: $1.5 million. Executive producer: Daniel Anker. Contact: Daniel Anker at apifilms@aol.com or 212-645-2205. • Blends verité documentary and musical performances to explore the meaning of music for Philadelphia Orchestra musicians.

The New Americans, w.t.
Producing organization: Kartemquin Educational Films, Chicago. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: production. Budget: over $1 million. Major funders: John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, CPB, PBS. Executive producers: Steve James, Gordon Quinn. Series producer: Gita Saedi. Contact: Gita Saedi at kartemquin@aol.com or 773-472-4366. • Chronicles the lives of immigrants to the United States from Mexico, Nigeria, Palestine, Vietnam, the Dominican Republic and India. Website: www.kartemquin.com.

wURLd
Producing organizations: KQED and J.P. Kids. Episodes: 26 x 30. Status: R&D. Budget: $6 million. Executive producer: Sue Ellen McCann. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin at epepin@kqed.org or 415-553-2340. • An international series aimed at 8- to 10-year-olds, wURLd stimulates children’s curiosity about other peoples and cultures, puts current events in context and offers a bridge for kids to travel beyond the horizons of their familiar world.

2002 or 2003

Broadway: The American Musical
Producing organizations: Ghostlight Films and WNET. Episodes: 8 x 60. Status: scripting and fundraising. Executive producer: Jac Venza, Martin Starger. Producer/director: Michael Kantor. R&D funders: CPB, NEA. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Chronicles the history of the American musical theatre from the turn of the century to today’s multi-million-dollar high-tech extravaganzas.

The Impressionists’ Vision
Co-producing organizations: Scorer Associates, BBC and WNET. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: scripting and fundraising. Executive producers: Jac Venza and Margaret Smilow for WNET. Producer/director: Mischa Scorer. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Reconsiders the original group of impressionist masters from a contemporary perspective, and illustrates the revolutionary impact of these artists by chronicling the era in which they lived.

Winter/spring 2003

Dances of Life
Producing organizations: International Cultural Programming and PIC. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: development. Budget: $1.5 million. Major funder: PIC. Executive producer: Carlyn Tani. Director/producer: Catherine Tatge. Producer: Dominique Lasseur. Contact: Dominique Lasseur at tatgeprod @aol.com or 212-222-5677. • In response to cultural globalization, Pacific Islanders turn to dance to strengthen their bonds with their past and culture. The series explores Oceania’s rich and varied culture through its diverse dance traditions.

The Four Witnesses
Producing organization: Independent Communications Associates Inc. Productions (INCA). Presenting station: South Carolina ETV. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising/ scripting. Budget: $2.75 million. Executive producers: Polly Kosko for SCETV and David Kennard, INCA. Contact: David Kennard at kennard@inca-productions.com or 415-389-5000. • Sets out to answer the question, why are the four Christian gospels so very different? Hosted by Jeremy Irons. Set in Rome, Jerusalem, Antioch, Patmas and Ephesus.

Italians in America
Producing organization: Tatge/Lasseur Productions. Presenting station: Connecticut PTV. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: development. Budget: $2 million. Executive producers: Dominique Lasseur and Catherine Tatge. Contact: Dominique Lasseur at tatgeprod@aol.com or 212-222-5677. • The heirs of two cultures, Italian-Americans bear the enigmatic hyphen, a symbol of contradiction not unlike their experience in America. Italian-Americans share their stories, and describe their vibrant history with humor and heart.

The Kingdom of Israel
Producing organizations: OPB and Red Hill Productions for DDE and PBS. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: pre-production begins in January. Budget: $2.2 million. Major funders: $2.2 million. Executive producers: David Davis, Carl Byker. Other producers: David Mrazek and Mitch Wilson. Contact: David Davis at david_davis@opb.org or 503-293-1959. • Examines the cultural, historical and religious significance of ancient Israel as it evolved from approximately 2,000 BC to 500 AD. Features key characters and stories in the turbulent history of an influential culture.

Shakespeare: A Documentary Life
Producing organization: Maya Vision International Ltd. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: pre-production. Budget: $1.8 million. Major funders: PBS, ITEL. Executive producer: Leo Eaton. Producer: Rebecca Dobbs. Contact: Leo Eaton at leoftv@aol.com or 410-876-9843. • Michael Wood undertakes a detective search for the real William Shakespeare.

The Three Guitars
Producing station: WNED, Buffalo. Episodes: 1 x 120. Designed for pledge. Status: contract development. Funder: Frito Lay. Executive producer: Donald K. Boswell. Contact: David C. Rotterman, drotterman@wned.org, 716-845-7003. • A concert featuring three of the greatest guitarists living today—Eric Clapton, Carlos Santana and Jeff Beck. In 2003 these musicians will take the stage together for the first time in a concert to be recorded in Buffalo, New York.

Fall 2003

Adventures in Flight
Producing organizations: Nova and American Experience units at WGBH. Episodes: 15 x 60. Executive producers: Paula Apsell and Margaret Drain. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Each episode profiles one aviator from the field’s gallery of heroes, leaders, adventurers, innovators and mavericks.

Coming of Age in Appalachia, w.t.
Producing organizations: David Sutherland Productions in association with Frontline unit at WGBH. Presented by WGBH and ITVS. Episodes: 6 hours. Status: production. Budget: $3 million. Major funders: PBS, CPB, ITVS, Island Fund. Producer: David Sutherland. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • A long-form documentary portrait of four 16-year-old boys from one of the most troubled and least understood parts of the United States. The filmmaker will follow the boys over three years as they progress uncertainly through high school and into the world.

The Day Kennedy Died, w.t.
Producing organization: Public Affairs Television Inc. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: research. Executive producers: Bill Moyers and Judith Davidson Moyers. Contact: Judy Doctoroff at doctor@thirteen.org or 212-560-6930. • Nov. 22, 1963—the day John F. Kennedy was assassinated and LBJ took the oath as his successor—is described through personal recollections of Bill Moyers and others who were present or affected.

Do You Speak American?
Producing organization: MacNeil/Lehrer Productions. Presenting station: KLRU, Austin. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $4 million. Executive producer: Vivian Ducat. Contact: Rob Flynn, rflynn@newshour.org, 703-998-2174. • Examines the development of American English, its influence as the global language and controversies surrounding its use. Narrated by Robert MacNeil. Other media: companion book by MacNeil, a website, viewers’ guide, and home videos.

Louisiana: A History
Producing station: Louisiana Public Broadcasting. Episodes: 1 x 90, 5 x 60. Status: production. Budget: $1.2 million. Major funder: state of Louisiana. Executive producer: Clay Fourrier. Senior producer: Tika Laudun. Producer: Al Godoy. Contact: Bob Neese, bneese@lpb.org, 1-800-272-8161. • Through historical renderings, rarely seen photographs, historical documents and powerful videography, viewers will see Louisiana from pre-historic times to the present. Actress Lynn Whitfield, a Louisiana native, narrates. Other media: companion book, online teacher guides and www.louisianahistory.org website.

Native Americans in the 21st Century
Producing organizations: NAPT and Phil Lucas Productions Inc. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget for series: $4.17 million. R&D funders: Ford Foundation, John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation, CPB. Executive producers: Frank Blythe, Carol Cornsilk, Phil Lucas. Coordinating producer: Hanay Geiogamah. Contact: Carol Cornsilk at ccornsilk1@ unl.edu or 402-472-3522. • A comprehensive communications and outreach package on how Native Americans will address issues of identity, sovereignty, economic development and cultural survival in the new millennium. Package includes a 13-part radio series, DVD, soundtrack CD, book, educational and community outreach, and website at www.na21.org.

Origins, w.t.
Producing station: WGBH. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: R&D. Executive producer: Paula Apsell. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_ storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Explores the beginnings and evolution of a process that started with the Big Bang and has continued through the emergence of complex life in the universe.

The Origins of Ancient Israel, w.t.
Producing organization: WGBH Science Unit. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: R&D. Executive producer: Paula Apsell. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@ wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Drawing on archaeology and biblical scholarship, this series explores ancient Israel and the emergence of its legacy to the world of ethical monotheism.

To Your Health, w.t.
Producing organization: WGBH Science Unit. Episodes: unspecified number of hour-long programs. Status: R&D. Executive producer: Paula Apsell. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • A continuing series on the latest advances in biomedicine and how they apply to you and your health.

Airdate to be determined

Adventures from the Book of Virtues
Producing organization: Porchlight Entertainment. Presenting station: KCET. Episodes: 13 x 30. Status: production. Major funders: Cigna, Chik-Fil-A. Executive producer: Bruce Johnson. Contact: Laurel Lambert at Llambert@kcet.pbs.org or 323-953-5246. • The third installment of the animated children’s series based on William J. Bennett’s bestselling book. Each episode uses a variety of tales, myths and fables to illustrate a single virtue.

American Novel, w.t.
Producing station: WNET. Episodes: 6 x 120. Status: program #1 in production; programs #2-5 in scripting; seeking production funding for programs #2-5. Executive producer: Susan Lacy. Major funders: NEH, NEA for program #1. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Examines the modern American novel as it reached international preeminence in the 20th century in the hands of literary masters such as Henry James and Zora Neale Hurston. Other media: print materials, videotapes and electronic media.

The Blue Diner
Producing organization: Blue Diner Film Projects. Presenting station: WGBH. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: post-production. Major funders: CPB and PBS. Executive producers: Jan Egleson, Natatcha Estebanez. • A feature-length fiction film telling the stories of four immigrants living in urban America. Narrative in structure, this drama combines 35 mm, Hi-8, Super-8 and 16 mm film and video to evoke memories and portray conflicts about language and identity.

Breaking News
Producing organizations: KQED and Stephen Talbot. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: R&D. Budget: $1.5 million. Executive producer: Jack Walsh. Producer: Stephen Talbot. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin, epepin@kqed.org, 415-553-2340. • An uncompromising look at the state of American journalism and the reasons behind increasing public distrust of media that have an ever-growing effect on our lives.

The Carl Foreman Letter
Producing organization: Whidbey Island Films. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: research. Budget: $900,000. Major funders: PBS and CPB. Executive producers: Lionel Chetwynd, Norman S. Powell. Contact: Kristi Wuttig, kwutting@islandfilms.com, 818-623-1990. • An examination of Hollywood during the Blacklist period. Recounts the experience of Carl Foreman, author of the film High Noon. Foreman was living in London as a fugitive from the Blacklist in 1952, when the New York Times published a laudatory review of the film. His letter to Times critic Ben Crowther, new interview material and clips of the motion picture, provide a startling look at Hollywood in its darkest hour. Website: www.Islandfilms.com.

Commanding Heights
Producing organizations: InVision in association with WGBH. Episodes: 6 x 60 or 3 x 120. Status: production. Budget: $6-7 million. Major funders: Cambridge Energy Research Associates, Enron, EDS, Federal Express, Smith Richardson. Executive producer: Mike Sullivan. Series producer: Bill Cran. • Based on the book of the same title by Daniel Yergin and Joseph Stanislaw, this series examines world economic trends. Other media: outreach forums and a website.

The Decalogue Project
Producing organizations: Sandra Itkoff and WGBH. Episodes: 10 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: Sandy Itkoff. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Documentary films examining the role of the Ten Commandments in modern life, and using them to encourage discussion of contemporary moral questions.

Great Jewels of the World
Producing organizations: WNET and Ardent Productions. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: R&D, pre-production. Executive producers: Jody Sheff and Edward Wessex. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Explores the unique histories, legends and superstitions that surround some of the world’s most famous and beautiful jewels. Hosted by Edward Wessex.

Independent View
Presenting station: KQED. Distributor: PBS Plus. Episodes: 20 x 30. Status: production. Budget: $478,000. Major funder: KQED. Executive producers: Jack Walsh and Tamara Gould. Producer: Xandra Castleton. Contact: Elizabeth Pepin, epepin@kqed.org, 415-553-2340. • A weekly magazine series that brings the world of independent film, video and electronic media to a broad television audience. Features interviews with leading directors, actors and writers on location in San Francisco, New York and Los Angeles. Website: www.kqed.org/inview.

Innovation, w.t.
Producing station: WNET. Episodes: 8 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: Beth Hoppe Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Explores topics such as nanotechnology, artificial intelligence, bionic replacement limbs, and spy technology in the digital age.

Latin Music
Producing station: WGBH. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Budget: $4.6 million. Executive producer: Elizabeth Deane. Series producer: Adriana Bosch. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Traces Latin music and dance as it was brought to this country—from Cuba, Puerto Rico, Mexico and elsewhere—and then was re-invented, helping to shape a new American culture. From the producers of Rock & Roll.

Latino Rhythms, w.t.
Producing organizations: New York Times Electronic Media Company and WNET. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: proposal completed; fundraising. Executive producer: William R. Grant. Producer/writer: George Rivera. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Examines Hispanic American influences on American culture, looking at various waves of migration and the cultural, economic and political power of today’s Hispanic America.

The Mexican Revolution
Co-producing organizations: KCET and Atlantic Productions. Episodes: 3 x 60. Status: development. Major funders: PBS. Executive producers: Anthony Geffen, Ray Telles. Contact: Laurel Lambert, Llambert@kcet.pbs.org, 323-953-5246. • The Mexican Revolution is the only war never chronicled on television, yet its results have ramifications in today’s foreign policy. This series tells the stories of the various camps that struggled for their places in post-colonial Mexico, and the U.S. government’s role under the administration of President Woodrow Wilson.

The National City, w.t.
Producing organizations: Florentine Films/Hott Productions and WNET, in association with WETA. Presenting station: WNET. Episodes: 1 x 120. Status: scripting and fundraising. Executive producer: William R. Grant. Series producers: Lawrence Hott, Tom Lewis. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • A special about the complex history of Washington, D.C., a city whose political, geographical, and cultural attributes are unique in American life. Other media: companion book, website, and educational outreach.

The Rise and Fall of Jim Crow, w.t.
Co-producing organizations: WNET and Videoline/Quest Productions. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: pilot production and fundraising. Major funders: NEH, Winthrop/Rockefeller. Executive producer: William R. Grant. Producer/writer: Richard Wormser. Producer/ directors: Bill Jersey, Sam Pollard. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Details the African-American struggle for freedom from the end of the civil war to the rise of the civil rights movement in the 1950s.

The Road to Peace
Co-producing organizations: WGBH and Brook Lapping Productions, London. Episodes: 2 x 120. Status: production. Budget: $3,278,255. Major funders: PBS, WGBH Venture Fund. Executive producer: Zvi Dor-Ner. Producer: Norma Percy. Contact: Marcia Storkerson, marcia_storkerson@wgbh.org, or 617-300-2420. • Follows the complicated process of achieving peace in Ireland through interviews with key insiders who tell their parts of the story.

Simple Living: A How-to Series on Escaping Affluenza
Producing organization: Affluenza Productions, Seattle. Episodes: 13 x 30. Distributor: PBS Plus. Status: fully developed; seeking new production partners. Budget: $1.1 million. Producer: Vivia Boe. Contact: Vivia Boe, ViviaB@aol.com, 206-772-3311. • A spin-off of the PBS primetime specials "Affluenza" (1997) and "Escape from Affluenza" (1998). Offers step-by-step advice on exchanging the hollow "goods life" of our manic consumer culture for a real "good life" that is simpler, less stressful, less expensive and wealthier with time to enjoy life, family and friends.

Secrets of the Dead—Season II
Producing organizations: Channel 4 and WNET. Episodes: 6 x 60. Status: production. Executive producer: Beth C. Hoppe. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • A second series of scientific detective stories where cutting-edge science techniques are used to explore myths of history. Topics range from a search for the real tomb of Christ to a theory for what caused the accusations of witchcraft in colonial Salem.

The Supreme Court Project, w.t.
Producing station: WNET. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: research, pre-production and fundraising. Executive producer: Jody Sheff. Producer: Tom Lennon. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Examines historical themes through the lens of the Supreme Court, telling the story of the nation through this unique branch of government. Outreach initiative to include educational materials and a website.

Wall Street
Producing organizations: WNET, Gabbe Lights and Bright Lights. Episodes: 4 x 60. Status: fundraising. Executive producer: William R. Grant. Series producer: Stephen Stept. Producer: James Gabbe. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Examines the history of international money.

Wild TV
Producing station: WNET. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: pre-production. R&D funders: NECET and EPA. Pilot funders: Marilyn Simpson, Lasdan, Jacob Burns, NECET, National Fish & Wildlife Foundation, NSF, and WNET. Series funders: NSF, Geraldine R. Dodge Foundation, Willard T. C. Johnson Foundation, Robert Wood Johnson Charitable Trust, EPA. Executive producer: Fred Kaufman. Producer: Susane Lee. Contact: Lisa Braun at braun@thirteen.org or 212-560-2715. • Comedy Central meets MTV in this hip, irreverent two-hour program on the outdoors for kids (8-12) and their families.

The Writing Project
Producing organizations: Equinox Films/ Ways of Knowing Inc. Episodes: 2 x 60. Status: research. Budget: $1.2 million. Major funders: NSF. Executive producer: Gene Searchinger. Contact: Gene Searchinger at searchinger@mindspring.com or 212-799-1515. • On the origins, history, and practice of writing, the greatest technology of our species. A sequel to 1995 PBS series, The Human Language.

 

 

 

Web page posted Nov. 12, 2000
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