The new year brings about programming at Mississippi Public Broadcasting that starts 2017 off in an exciting way. First, we’ll introduce you to one-minute weekly segments as we begin the countdown to Mississippi’s 200th birthday. The short segments this month will explore everything from Mississippi’s early history, to our place in medical advances, to our outstanding sports heroes.
The best way to describe the programming this month is variety. Of course, we will give plenty of coverage to the change in the White House. PBS will have extensive coverage of festivities involving President Trump’s inauguration, and MPB will supplement with opinions from local experts.
While we will have coverage of activities in the nation’s Capitol, we’ll also gear up for a busy time at home, as the Mississippi Legislature goes into session. As we have done for several years, MPB will provide extensive coverage of Gov. Phil Bryant’s State-of-the-State address, as well as bring you important issues that will be debated by lawmakers on Mississippi Edition and our television show, @issue.
And there’s plenty more:
- When Downton Abbey ended its six-year run last year, we knew it would be difficult to replace the biggest show in PBS history. But PBS has found a winner in Masterpiece’s Victoria, an 8-hour miniseries that follows the queen from the early days of her reign until the end. When it was unveiled last year at PBS’s annual meeting, fellow general managers gave it rave reviews.
- We are also excited to bring you the highly anticipated Season 4 of Sherlock, which has captivated audiences ever since its debut season. Also, the PBS original drama Mercy Street begins its second season after developing a devoted audience in its inaugural year.
- Locally, we know you won’t want to miss our “Bluesmen” series. MPB partnered with our friends at Ground Zero blues club in Clarksdale several years ago to produce segments on some of the greatest bluesmen ever to grace a stage. Initially, we compiled the production into one show. But we knew audiences would love it if we pulled out the individual segments to give the artists, some of them now deceased, a full half-hour to show their gifts.
One of my favorite things to do each month is to tell you what we’ve got coming up in a particular month. But it’s also becoming one of the most difficult things to do because our news, radio, television and education departments are working hard to produce content that resonates with you. We appreciate all of you for tuning in.
