Highlights Archive

Disability Representation in the Media Virtual Panel Discussion • July 7

Join Move to Include Tuesday, July 7 at 7 p.m. for a FREE virtual panel discussion on the good and bad of disability representation in film, television, & other media.

In honor of Disability Pride Month, Move to Include is pleased to bring you this important conversation on the current state of disability representation in media and the arts. Our panel of industry experts will discuss the good, the bad, and what opportunities are ahead for disabled creatives, both in front of and behind the camera.

Joining us:

Danielle Pretsfelder Demchick, Casting Director
Markus Essien, Educator and Artist
Kristen Lopez, Entertainment journalist, EIC of The Film Maven, and author

Accessibility: Zoom auto-generated captions will be enabled for this session. If you have additional accessibility requests, please note this in the registration form. Please contact Sarah Murphy Abbamonte, Project Manager for Move to Include(TM), at sabbamonte@wxxi.org with any questions.

Click here to reserve your free spot

America’s Awesome Kids • WXXI-TV and YouTube

Discover the amazing places, cultures, and passions of children nationwide in America’s Awesome Kids! Join us as we celebrate America’s 250th.

Watch America’s Awesome Kids on America’s Awesome Kids YouTube channel.

America’s Awesome Kids is a new live-action short-form series created by PBS stations across the country — including WXXI. The series showcases kids from coast-to-coast, revealing what is special about where they live, their hobbies and passions, and how they are making a positive impact on their communities. Watch America’s Awesome Kids on America’s Awesome Kids YouTube channel and during the PBS KIDS show Alma’s Way, weekdays at 12:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and daily at 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-KIDS 24/7.

Each featured kid highlights a range of interests, activities, and experiences that celebrate what’s awesome about America. Meet Mahry from Iowa, who takes care of llamas on her family’s farm; Sahana from Georgia, who shares her love of Georgia peaches, Bollywood dancing, and helps organize a park clean up; and Jacob of Louisiana, who share his Cajun culture.

In Rochester, the series features Arwyn, a deaf dancer at the Rochester City Ballet, who performs as the lead angel in The Nutcracker. She expresses herself through dance and communicates using ASL. Watch Arwyn’s episode now.

Crossroads of a Nation • WXXI-TV

This three-part series details the history of Missouri as a crossroads of a nation.

Crossroads of a Nation airs Saturday, June 13 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams on the WXXI app.

The docu-series explores how Missouri shaped American culture, from Route 66 to blues, jazz and country music. Binge all three episodes!

Pt. 1 / Missouri’s Rhythm, Roads & Roots — Route 66 to the blues, barbecue to baseball, Missouri shaped the soul of American culture.

Pt. 2/ Missouri’s Rifts, Roads & Civil Rights — At the crossroads of progress and justice, Missouri shaped the path of a divided nation.

Pt. 3/ Missouri’s Indelible Role in American History — Tracing the indelible mark Missouri has had on American history.

Photo: Slave market in St. Louis
Credit: Mo Hist

Hochstein at High Falls 2026: Tyler Westcott & Friends

Westcott breathes new life into roots music spanning multiple genres and decades. He and his friends perform the final concert in the series, Thursday, August 6 at 12 :10 p.m.

Tyler Westcott is a poet, singer/songwriter, and multi-instrumentalist based out of Buffalo, NY. He specializes in storytelling, songwriting, folk, country blues, traditional jazz, bluegrass and old time, western swing, and more. Armed with his trusty guitar, banjo, and harmonica, & the gift of the gab, he has a knack for describing the human condition with humor and joy, Often in timely and topical songs reflecting the current state of the world. Westcott will guide you through a myriad of genres and decades of eclectic roots music while seamlessly weaving in his own original cuts.

More about the concert series:
Hosted by Hannah Maier of The Route/WRUR 88.5, the concerts begin at 12:10 pm at Granite Mills Park, near the Pont du Rennes bridge.

Concerts take place rain or shine. In the event of inclement weather, the rain location at MCC Downtown Campus will be announced by 10:30 am on Hochstein’s website and via Hochstein’s social media. Attendees are encouraged to bring their own seating and lunch. Each performance will run approximately 40 minutes.

Parking Info: Public parking is available at the High Falls Parking Garage.

Hochstein at High Falls concerts are presented by High Falls Business Association, The Hochstein School, and The Route/WRUR 88.5. Hochstein at High Falls concerts.

Photo: Tyler Westcott
Provided.

Hochstein at High Falls 2026: Public Water Supply

This Alt-Rock/Indie Americana collective that turns music into magik.

Powered by university-trained musicians, PWS blends fearless songwriting, spellbinding vocals, and virtuosic musicianship into a sound that feels both timeless and electrifyingly new. PWS has enchanted festival crowds and sold-out rooms alike all across the country including The Waterhole, Borderland Festival, GrassRoots and the Rochester International Jazz festival. As they continue to tour in preparation for their third studio album Public Water Supply continues to gather momentum and believers. PWS will be making waves with their genre bending 3rd studio record Cartoons in 2025 Lend us your soul for the night.

Parking Info: Public parking is available at the High Falls Parking Garage.

Hochstein at High Falls concerts are presented by High Falls Business Association, The Hochstein School, and The Route/WRUR 88.5. Hochstein at High Falls concerts.

Photo: Public Water Supply
Provided.

The American Revolution Series • WXXI-TV

A patriotic binge for the July 4th weekend.

The American Revolution airs Friday, July 3 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m. and concluding Saturday, July 4 from 9:30 a.m. to 8 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

The American Revolution, a film series by Ken Burns, Sarah Botstein, and David Schmidt, explores the journey of the thirteen American colonies as they unite in rebellion, win an eight-year war to secure their independence, and establish a new form of government that would inspire democratic movements at home and around the globe. What begins as a political clash between colonists and the British government grows into a bloody struggle that will engage more than two dozen nations and forever change the world.

The American Revolution brings an expansive look at the virtues and contradictions of the war and the birth of the United States of America, the film series follows dozens of figures from a wide variety of backgrounds. Through their individual stories, viewers experience the war through the memories of the men and women who experienced it: the rank-and-file Continental soldiers and American militiamen (some of them teenagers), Patriot political and military leaders, British Army officers, American Loyalists, Native soldiers and civilians, enslaved and free African Americans, German soldiers in the British service, French and Spanish allies, and various civilians living in North America, Loyalist as well as Patriot, including many made refugees by the war.

Episodes:

Episode 1: In Order To Be Free, airing Friday, July 3 from 9 p.m. to 11 p.m: The American Revolution In Order to Be Free Opposition in colonial North America to British policies over taxes, land, and sovereignty escalates into violent confrontation. Fighting in Massachusetts.

Episode 2: An Asylum For Mankind, airing Saturday, July 4 at 9:30 a.m.: As New Englanders work to force the British Army from Boston, Congress puts George Washington in command of a new Continental Army. In July 1776, Congress declares American independence, insisting on the people’s right to resist tyranny..

Episode 3: The Times That Try Men’s Souls, airing Saturday, July 4 at 11:39 a.m.: British General Howe soundly defeats General Washington at Long Island and in Manhattan, forcing the Americans to abandon New York City. After fleeing across New Jersey, Washington’s army regroups before attacking an outpost at Trenton.

Episode 4: Conquer by a Drawn Game, airing Saturday, July 4 at 1:39 p.m.: After beating General Washington in battle, General Howe takes Philadelphia, forcing Congress to flee the city. But the Americans’ surprising victory over General Burgoyne at Saratoga encourages France to openly support the United States.

Episode 5: The Soul of All America, airing Saturday, July 4 at 3:39 p.m.: After Valley Forge and Monmouth, the French American alliance changes the war and moves it to other theaters. Navies battle off England and in the Caribbean, while armies advance in Indian Country and the South. The British take Charleston.

Episode 6: The Most Sacred Thing, airing Saturday, July 4 at 5:39 p.m.: British General Cornwallis struggles to pacify the southern states. Supported by the French, Washington wins the decisive victory at Yorktown. With independence secured, Americans aspire for a more perfect union

Josh Groban: An Intimate Evening at The Union Chapel • WXXI-TV

Josh Groban returns to PBS in a special, personal concert staged in the intimate and historic setting of London’s Union Chapel.

Josh Groban: An Intimate Evening at The Union Chapel airs Sunday, June 7 at 3:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.

Recorded in October 2025, the concert captures the acclaimed vocalist showcasing his most beloved songs alongside new material, all reimagined within the chapel’s acoustics. Between songs, Groban speaks about what makes these songs personal to him, even recounting the transformative moment when he met Celine Dion.

Billy Joel: The 100th: Live at Madison Square Garden • WXXI-TV

Billy Joel’s record-breaking 100th residency performance at Madison Square Garden.

Billy Joel: The 100th: Live at Madison Square Garden airs Friday, June 5 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams on the WXXI app.

Recorded on March 28, 2024, this special celebrates Joel’s record-breaking 100th consecutive residency performance at Madison Square Garden. The special features many of Joel’s most beloved songs, including “Piano Man,” “Uptown Girl,” “My Life” and “Scenes from an Italian Restaurant,” concluding with “You May Be Right.”

Episodes:

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