Local PBS series returns for 29th season with new slate of stories highlighting compelling Virginians.
For information: VPM.org/VirginiaCurrents
Richmond, Va. - Locally-produced, Emmy Award-winning Virginia Currents kicks off its 29th season October 3 at 8:00 p.m. on VPM PBS. Hosted by award-winning journalist Amy Lacey, the series profiles people and organizations making a difference in communities across Virginia. The show includes both long-form, people-focused features as well as shorter vignettes highlighting all that the region has to offer.
“We begin with a powerful episode focused on Williamsburg resident Frank Shatz, a Holocaust survivor and Nazi fighter,” said Virginia Currents managing producer Patty Nevadomski. “At 93, he still walks three miles a day, writes a newspaper column and hosts daily discussion groups at the college bookstore. On ‘Virginia Currents,’ our aim, in part, is to share compelling stories of people who have faced, endured and chosen to rise above challenges.”
New this season is the segment “Against the Grain,” focused on people and groups in the community representing interests, careers and cultures outside the mainstream. Among the stories are a doctor who only makes house calls, a blood drive for dogs, dumpster diving for sustainable living, a nudist resort, and a group for aging gay men that allows many of them to be open and true to themselves for the first time in their lives.
“Current Conversations,” a segment which premiered to great success last season, will have a new look, with Lacey interviewing local experts about topics impacting communities while on location, rather than in the studio.
Lacey, Nevadomski, and crew find value in sharing stories and tackling issues. “As a team, our goal is to empower the people we interview and ultimately leave our viewers with a greater sense of understanding and hope,” said Lacey.
Produced by VPM, Virginia’s home for Public Media, Virginia Currents reaches local VPM PBS viewers in Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg. The series also airs on public television stations in Norfolk, Roanoke, West Virginia and Washington, D.C. Viewers should check local listings.
Watch Season 29 of Virginia Currents on Thursdays at 8:00 p.m. and Saturdays at 5:30 p.m. on VPM PBS, beginning October 3.
For more information about VPM, visit VPM.org. Follow VPM on social media @myVPM.
About VPM
VPM is the largest locally owned and operated public media company in Central Virginia. As Virginia’s home for public media, VPM provides the best of PBS and NPR programming coupled with a strong set of community-based programs and services designed to make an important impact in the areas of arts, news, history, science and education. Each week, the stations in Richmond, Charlottesville and Harrisonburg are accessible to nearly 2 million people across Central Virginia and the Shenandoah Valley.
VPM includes public television stations VPM PBS, VPM Plus, VPM PBS KIDS, lifestyle channel VPM Create and international program channel VPM Worldview.
VPM also includes Richmond public radio stations VPM News (88.9 FM) and VPM Music (107.3 FM, 93.1 FM and 88.9-HD2). In the Northern Neck (89.1 FM) and Southside Virginia (90.1 FM), listeners receive a combination of the news and music stations.
More information can be found at VPM.org.
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