Highlights Archive

PBS KIDS Special: The Day You Begin & Read-Aloud

On their first day of school, four imaginative kids feel like they don’t belong, until they learn that everyone has a unique story to share. “The Day You Begin” is a journey of self-acceptance, courage, and the magic that comes when we connect with others. Bursting with color, laughs, and compassion, this animated adaptation brings Jacqueline Woodson’s beloved book to life, reminding kids that every voice matters and every difference is a strength. Premieres August 7th on WXXI-TV and WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7 as well as the livestream for each channel. Find More Back To School Resources

WXXI-TV or Livestream
August 7th at 8am
August 12th at 1pm
August 16th at 7:30am
August 23rd at 10am

WXXI PBS KIDS 24/7 or Livestream
August 7th at 2:30pm
August 8th at 7pm
August 9th at 7pm
August 14th at 11:30am
August 18th at 1pm
August 27th at 7:30pm
August 30th at 6:30am

The animated special is based on a book by Jacqueline Woodson: The Day You Begin. Here is a read aloud by the author.

Walkable USA • WXXI-TV

Walkable USA explores the impact of city planning on our society, and the film uses Hammond as an in-progress case study of a possible solution to years of car-centric design

“Walkable USA” Sunday, August 23 at 2:30 pm. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

During the 20th century, many cities in the United States saw their centers turn to veritable ghost towns. One such community is Hammond, Indiana. Recently, the city partnered with noted planner Jeff Speck to create a new vision for the city through the eyes of a person walking. Through the lens of Hammond, the film examines the history and concepts behind contemporary urban design.

Photo Credit: PBS

Al Creatures Great and Small: Chapter Six • WXXI-TV

Join the cast and creators as they provide behind-the-scenes insights into Season 6.

“Al Creatures Great and Small: Chapter Six” Saturday, August 15 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Go behind the scenes of the popular MASTERPIECE series as the cast and creators share insights into the making of Season 6, which returns to the rolling hills of the Yorkshire Dales where life in Darrowby is finding its rhythm again as the war winds down. It’s 1945 and the Skeldale family is stepping into a new chapter shaped by change, hope, and the opportunities that come with a more peaceful future.

Photo Credit: Playground Entertainment and MASTERPIECE / Photographer: Helen Williams

Rick Steves Hunger & Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala • WXXI-TV

Travel host Rick Steves’ concern with world hunger relief leads him on a rare journey outside of Europe

“Rick Steves Hunger & Hope: Lessons from Ethiopia and Guatemala” Sunday, August 16 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Rick meets struggling farmers in Ethiopia and Guatemala, and discovers what life is like for the 700 million people living on under $2 per day. Then, the optimistic travel host learns from locals and experts about innovative solutions which have decreased hunger rates by half in the last generation, and promise to make further improvements in the developing world.

Photo Credit: APT

American Masters “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” • WXXI-TV

Shaped by a solitary childhood and rising literary fame, Oliver published more than 30 collections of poetry and essays on nature, beauty, and love.

American Masters “Mary Oliver: Saved by the Beauty of the World” Tuesday, August 25 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Mary Oliver, known for her insightful writing on nature, beauty and love, inspired many creative minds with more than 30 collections of poems and essays. Shaped by a solitary childhood, her love of nature, and a passion for writers like Ralph Waldo Emerson and Walt Whitman, Oliver solidified her place in the American poetry canon with notable poems like “Wild Geese” and “The Journey.”

Photo Credit: PBS

Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America • WXXI-TV

Chronicling the riveting history and personal experiences of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond.

Driving While Black: Race, Space and Mobility in America airs Tuesday, August 11 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the PBS and WXXI apps.

The ground-breaking, two-hour documentary film by acclaimed historian Dr. Gretchen Sorin and Emmy–winning director Ric Burns chronicles the riveting history and personal experiences of African Americans on the road from the advent of the automobile through the seismic changes of the 1960s and beyond. It explores the deep background of a recent phrase rooted in realities that have been an indelible part of the African American experience for hundreds of years – told in large part through the stories of the men, women and children who lived through it.

Drawing on a wealth of recent scholarship – and based on and inspired in large part by Gretchen Sorin’s recently published study of the way the automobile and highways transformed African American life across the 20^th century – the film examines the history of African Americans on the road from the depths of the Depression to the height of the Civil Rights movement and beyond, exploring along the way the deeply embedded dynamics of race, space and mobility in America during one of the most turbulent and transformative periods in American history.

The right to move freely and safely across the American landscape has always been unequally distributed by race and powerfully contested in the American experience. With urgent and powerful relevance to issues and dynamics at work in American society today – of race and class, gender, safety, law enforcement, automobile culture, recreation, personal freedom and national identity – this resonant and deeply moving history is at once revelatory, troubling and deeply inspiring for what it uncovers about the long road to justice in American history, and about the creativity, courage and commitment to change that makes it possible.

Driving While Black utilizes a rich archive of material from the period — including footage, photographs, advertisements, road signs, maps, letters and legal records — and weaves together oral histories and the on-camera insights of scholars, writers, musicians and ordinary American travelers. Program website.

The Big Dig: Closing the Gap • WXXI-TV

In April 2026, Ian Coss, host of the Peabody-Award winning podcast “The Big Dig,” came to WXXI Studios to record an episode in front of a live studio audience. Ian was joined by a panel of guests to unpack the issues facing Rochester’s Inner Loop. WXXI’s production crew was there to capture the conversation for this special presentation.

The Big Dig: Closing the Gap airs Tuesday, August 18 at 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI and PBS apps.

Ian’s panel included:
Erik Frisch, Acting Commissioner of Neighborhood & Business Development , City of Rochester
Shawn Dunwoody, Executive Director, Hinge Neighborhoods, Inc.
Suzanne Mayer, Co-Founder and board Chair, Hinge Neighborhoods, Inc.
Brian Sharp, Investigations and Enterprise Editor, WXXI News

More about the podcast:

In recent years, there has been a surge of interest in projects that attempt to address the harm done by urban highways – covering them up, transforming them into boulevards, or removing them entirely. But even as the problems with these structures are easy to see, the right solution for any given city is usually not obvious. Often, it’s contentious.

In the Spring of 2026 Ian Coss, host of the Peabody-Award winning podcast “The Big Dig,” took the show on the road to do live tapings in different cities facing the same issue – in Seattle, Portland, Austin, Syracuse, Baltimore and Rochester!

“The Big Dig” from GBH News explores Boston’s controversial effort to bury a downtown highway – once the most expensive public works project in American history – and the lessons that it holds for the ambitious infrastructure ideas of today. The series was named one of the best podcasts of 2023 by the New Yorker and one of the best podcasts of all time by Time Magazine.

The live tapings will be released as part of a new season of “The Big Dig” podcast, which was honored with a Peabody Award in 2024. It spent over six weeks in the top 100 shows on Apple Podcasts.

The Big Dig: Closing the Gap repeats Sunday, August 23 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

Summer in Studio E: Imani Winds • Live at WXXI Studios

Join us in-studio for a very special performance of this world-renowned quintet!

Imani Winds perform live in studio as part of WXXI Classical’s series “Summer in Studio A” on Thursday, August 6th at 12 p.m. The program will air live on WXXI Classical FM 91.5 and stream on WXXIClassical.org.

Fresh from a whirlwind tour in China, Imani Winds, the GRAMMY winning woodwind quintet closes out the 2026 season of “Summer in Studio E.” The season finale moves to Studio A to accommodate a live studio audience as Imani Winds offer a sneak preview of their performance later in the evening at the Skaneateles Festival!

Celebrating nearly three decades of transformative music-making, the GRAMMY®-winning and four-time nominated Imani Winds has led both a revolution and an evolution of the wind quintet. Known for their dynamic playing, adventurous programming, imaginative collaborations, and impactful outreach, they have inspired audiences of all ages around the globe. Their repertoire bridges the traditional and the contemporary, featuring core chamber works, reimagined arrangements, and newly commissioned pieces by both renowned and rising composers. Their programming reflects the urgency and diversity of our times, amplifying stories and voices too often left unheard.

Want to be part of the in-studio audience? Click the link below to reserve your free seat. (Please note: You must be at the station at 11:30 a.m. for this live 12 p.m. broadcast.

Click here to reserve your free seat!

More about “Summer in Studio E”
The Finger Lakes have no shortage of excellent classical music festivals. WXXI brings them straight to you from our own Studio E, an excellent recording space tucked in a corner of WXXI Studios. Join us to celebrate the rich musical culture of our region this summer!

Summer in Studio E is made possible by a gift from Louise Epstein in memory of Henry Epstein and by Terry Chrzan in memory of his late wife Susann Brown.

Photo: Titilayo Ayangade/Titilayo Ayangad/imaniwinds.com