WGBH and NHPTV Partner to Offer Maximum Regional Airings of “Freedom Riders”

In a first-time collaboration, public media providers WGBH Boston and New Hampshire Public Television (NHPTV) are coordinating their television broadcast schedules for an upcoming documentary commemorating the 50th anniversary of the Freedom Rides.Premiering May 16, “Freedom Riders” documents the extraordinary experience of 400 black and white Americans who challenged segregation in 1961 by riding together on buses through the deep South. The film by Stanley Nelson is a presentation of WGBH’s history series American Experience on PBS.“This is the first feature-length film about the Freedom Rides, a pivotal moment in the American civil rights movement, and we wanted to maximize viewers’ opportunity to see it,” said Maria Bruno-Ruiz, WGBH Associate Director of Programming. “By coordinating the WGBH and NHPTV schedules, we better serve audiences in our region.” Dawn DeAngelis, NHPTV Chief Content Officer added, “Our stations reach viewers in both states, so we’re essentially creating a joint schedule that is complementary and extends the broadcast of this powerful film.” The stations will alternate airing the film on their respective channels: WGBH 2, 44 and World; and NHPTV Prime and Explore. The two-hour documentary features testimony from the original Riders, as well as state and government officials, and journalists who witnessed the rides firsthand.“Freedom Riders” Broadcast Schedule:May 16 9pm WGBH 211pm WGBH 2May 17 7pm WGBH World8pm NHPTV Explore May 18 1pm NHPTV Explore9pm NHPTV PrimeMay 19 9pm WGBH 2May 20 9pm WGBH 44May 21 7pm WGBH 449pm WGBH WorldMay 22 3pm NHPTV Prime7pm WGBH 449pm WGBH 44About WGBHWGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster, producing such award-winning PBS series as Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2/HD and 44, and digital channels World and Create. Local TV productions that focus on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, and María Hinojosa: One-on-One. WGBH Radio serves listeners from Cape Cod to New Hampshire with WGBH 89.7, Boston’s NPR Station for News and Culture; 99.5 All Classical; WCAI Cape and Islands NPR Station; WNCK on Nantucket; and the All-Classical WGBH HD channel. WGBH also produces the national radio news program The World. WGBH is a leading producer of online content and a pioneer in developing educational multimedia and new technologies that make media accessible for people with disabilities. Find more information at www.wgbh.org.

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Pressroom Contact

Carla Gordon Russell
Director of Communications
crussell@nhpbs.org
(603) 868-4339