Highlights Archive

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

Connections on the Road • Ibero-American Action League

“Connections with Evan Dawson” is back “on the road.”

Connections on the Road airs Tuesday, August 11 at 12 p.m. on WXXI News (FM 105.9), streaming on WXXINews.org, and on WXXI. News’ YouTube channel.

“Connections with Evan Dawson” will broadcast live from Ibero-American Action League, where Evan and community leaders will explore how social, economic, and environmental disparities affect health outcomes. You can join the conversation on radio, streaming, and YouTube Live.

Want to be part of the live audience at Ibero?

Click here to reserve your free seat!

Capturing American: The Carol Highsmith Story • WXXI-TV

80-year old Carol Highsmith, America’s visual documentarian, completes her photographic study of the country for a massive, copyright-free collection of more than 75,000 images for the Library of Congress.

Capturing American: The Carol Highsmith Story airing Sunday, July 26 at 7 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

The film follows Carol in Alaska, Louisiana, New York City, Utah, and Arizona as she reflects on what drove her to document everything from sweeping landscapes to Mardi Gras celebrations to the grandeur of the Grand Canyon for more than 40 years.

Photo Credit: PBS

Webinar: How to involve NY State K-12 students in the NY250: Tapestry of New York Project

Who Should Attend: New York State Teachers, Public Librarians, School Librarians & Media Specialists, Out of School Practitioners and Staff, Museum Outreach and Education Staff, Arts Organizations, Teen and Youth Organization Staff, Home School Parents and others interested in the involving students in this digital quilt project through December, 2026 to mark the 250th anniversary of the founding of the U.S.

When: Tuesday, July 14, 2026 10am-11am ET (Register to attend and/or receive the recording)

Description:

Looking for a way to engage your K-12 students with America at 250 here in New York State? Uplift youth voice through project-based learning while contributing their work to a new digital platform! Find out about the Tapestry of New York project submissions by K-12 students which will run from June, 2026-December, 2026.

Join the NYS Library as we welcome special guests from WNET, New York City’s public media station. Learn about the Tapestry of New York—a new online platform showcasing the creative work of New York students in honor of America’s 250th anniversary. This webinar will provide a full project overview, explore examples of student work, and outline strategies to implement this exciting program within the library which can also supply ideas for other educational and community settings to implement with their K-12 students.

More About the Presenters:

Susan Buttaccio is the Manager of Special Collections at the Buffalo & Erie County Public Library’s Grosvenor Room, where she oversees Local History, Genealogy, Map, Music, and Rare Book collections. She has worked across multiple library roles, including Teen Services, Children’s Services, Cataloging, and Digital Resources, bringing a broad public service and technical background to her current work in special collections management.

In her current role, she leads a team focused on expanding access to historical materials through digitization and public programming. She also provides leadership in public reference and research services, ensuring support for patrons engaging with local and regional history collections. She works closely with community and institutional partners on regional history projects, including collaborative efforts connected to America 250 commemorations and local heritage initiatives.

Her work emphasizes connecting people with primary sources, strengthening preservation practices, and making local history more accessible through both in-person and digital experiences.

Sandy Goldberg is the Education Director in the Kids’ Media & Education department at The WNET Group, the nonprofit parent company of Thirteen PBS – the flagship public television station of the New York City tri-state area – and WLIW PBS on Long Island. In that capacity, she oversees the department’s preK-12 classroom content production, teacher professional development, and outreach efforts and helps to create a vision for the department’s future growth and development. Ms. Goldberg has worked in the education field for over 30 years and is an experienced classroom teacher, technology staff developer, and educational software producer. Since joining WNET in November 2002, she has produced numerous media-rich learning experiences for K-12 classrooms drawn from PBS productions. A key focus of her work has been inclusion of underrepresented groups in K-12 teaching and learning to help promote understanding, awareness, and self-esteem.

This public program is offered by the New York State Library and made possible by federal Library Service and Technology Act funds from the Institute of Museum and Library Services, which enable the New York State Library to champion lifelong learning.

Mr. Bates vs the Post Office • WXXI-TV

Four-part British drama that recounts a major miscarriage of justice in which hundreds of sub postmasters were wrongly accused of theft, fraud, and false accounting due to a faulty IT system.

“Mr. Bates vs the Post Office” airs Sunday, August 30th at 7pm-10pm on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI and PBS apps.

“Episode 1”: After the rollout of the Horizon computer system, village Post Office tills show unexplained cash shortfalls. Airs at 7pm.

“Edisode 2”: Alan and Jo meet Sam Kaur, another accused subpostmaster, and Michael Rudkin, an insider with Horizon knowledge. Airs at 8pm.

“Episode 3”: Alan and Paula set up a mediation scheme for compensation, but Martin Griffiths’ case collapses after his death by suicide. Airs at 9pm.

“Episode 4”: At the Royal Courts of Justice, Alan and his allies give evidence for 555 subpostmasters. Airs at 10pm.

Photo Credit: THE TVBD