ARLINGTON, Va., July 28, 2020 /PRNewswire/ -- With many traditional summer events going virtual to reduce the spread of COVID-19, PBS will present a virtual summer press tour from July 28-30. Below are new programming announcements spanning Fall 2020 - Winter 2021.  A brief synopsis of each is listed below.

PBS and PBS NEWSHOUR Announce Intimate Series with New York Times Bestselling Author Kelly Corrigan

TELL ME MORE WITH KELLY CORRIGAN is an intimate and heartfelt interview series hosted by four-time New York Times bestselling author Kelly Corrigan. The first episode will premiere on PBS stations nationwide on Monday, October 5, 2020, 9:00-10:00 p.m. ET (check local listings).  

Corrigan will conduct candid conversations with influential leaders in their fields, including acclaimed public interest lawyer Bryan Stevenson. In each one-hour episode, Corrigan will explore her guests' universal humanity and passions. Throughout the series, the audience will learn revealing insights that will place her guests in a new light. The conversations with Corrigan and her guests will reveal the experiences we all have in common and how we can use those experiences to make a difference. Featured guests profiled in the series will be announced this fall.

New "PBS KIDS TALK ABOUT: RACE AND RACISM" Special to Debut On October 9

The half-hour program will feature authentic conversations between real children and their parents, and will include content from PBS KIDS series DANIEL TIGER'S NEIGHBORHOOD, ARTHUR and XAVIER RIDDLE AND THE SECRET MUSEUM. The show will feature kids and their parents talking about race and racial justice-related topics in an age-appropriate way, such as noticing differences in race, understanding what racism can look like, and embracing the role we all have to play in standing up for ourselves and each other -- offering viewers ideas to build on as they continue these important conversations at home.

PBS and WETA Announce New Documentary Series from Dr. Henry Louis Gates, Jr.
THE BLACK CHURCH: THIS IS OUR STORY, THIS IS OUR SONG
to Air February 16 and 23, 2021 at 9:00 p.m. ET 

Two-part series reveals the broad history and culture of the Black church and explores African American faith communities on the frontlines of hope and change 

This moving four-hour, two-part series from executive producer, host and writer Henry Louis Gates, Jr., the Alphonse Fletcher University Professor at Harvard University and director of the Hutchins Center for African and African American Research, traces the 400-year-old story of the Black church in America, all the way down to its bedrock role as the site of African American survival and grace, organizing and resilience, thriving and testifying, autonomy and freedom, solidarity and speaking truth to power. The documentary reveals how Black people have worshipped and, through their spiritual journeys, improvised ways to bring their faith traditions from Africa to the New World, while translating them into a form of Christianity that was not only truly their own, but a redemptive force for a nation whose original sin was found in their ancestors' enslavement across the Middle Passage.

Featuring interviews with Oprah Winfrey, John Legend, Jennifer Hudson, Bishop Michael Curry, Cornel West, Pastor Shirley Caesar, Rev. Al Sharpton, Yolanda Adams, Rev. William Barber II, BeBe Winans, Bishop Vashti McKenzie and more

How It Feels To Be Free, New American Masters Documentary About Trailblazing Black Female Entertainers Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Diahann Carroll, Nina Simone, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier, Premieres Winter 2021 on PBS

 Executive produced by 15-Time Grammy Winner Alicia Keys 
and produced by Yap Films

PBS and THIRTEEN announced American Masters: How It Feels To Be Free, an upcoming documentary that tells the inspiring story of how six iconic African American female entertainers – Lena Horne, Abbey Lincoln, Nina Simone, Diahann Carroll, Cicely Tyson and Pam Grier – challenged an entertainment industry deeply complicit in perpetuating racist stereotypes, and transformed themselves and their audiences in the process. The film, which is slated to premiere in early 2021 on PBS and on documentary Channel in Canada, features interviews and archival performances with all six women, as well as original conversations with contemporary artists influenced by them, including Alicia Keys, an executive producer on the project, Halle Berry, Lena Waithe, Meagan Good, LaTanya Richardson Jackson, Samuel L. Jackson and other luminaries, as well as family members, including Horne's daughter Gail Lumet Buckley.

PBS's Independent Lens To Premiere Mr. SOUL! in Its Upcoming Season, Bringing America's First Black Variety Show Back to Public Television 

Documentary Illuminates Groundbreaking Show SOUL! and Its Trailblazing Producer and Host Ellis Haizlip 

In 1968, America's first Black variety show, SOUL!, helmed by producer and eventual host Ellis Haizlip, premiered on public television. The pioneering series ran for six years, cementing itself as not only a vehicle to celebrate Black artistry, community and culture but also as a platform for political expression and a powerful force in the fight for social justice. In Mr. SOUL!, award-winning filmmaker Melissa Haizlip—the niece of Ellis—portrays in exquisite detail a revolutionary time in American culture and entertainment through vibrant archival footage and interviews with numerous Black luminaires who appeared on SOUL!, or were impacted by it.  Premieres in Winter 2021.

PBS Distribution Announces New Prime Video Channel: PBS Documentaries

KEN BURNS, NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE Among the Programs Featured on the Prime Video Channel  

Entire Ken Burns Collection Will Also be Available to Stream Via PBS Passport, A Member Benefit From Participating Local PBS Stations

On August 4, 2020 PBS Distribution will launch a new documentary focused Prime Video Channel –PBS Documentaries. 

For 50 years, PBS has been America's trusted home for documentaries. The PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel is another way for curious viewers to access PBS content outside the PBS Video App. The PBS Documentaries Prime Video Channel will include a robust library of critically acclaimed, thought-provoking programs including the entire Ken Burns collection as well as films from NOVA, FRONTLINE, AMERICAN MASTERS, NATURE, AMERICAN EXPERIENCE, INDEPENDENT LENS, POV and many independent producers. Subscribers will be able to explore various topics or take an in-depth look at the people, traditions and events that mold our world—all carefully curated for "viewers like you" by America's most trusted home of documentaries: PBS.

The entire Ken Burns collection will also be available via PBS Passport, a member benefit available within the PBS Video App that gives viewers extended access to high-quality content. The PBS Passport library is also full of public television's acclaimed drama, arts, science, history and lifestyle programs (contact your local PBS station for details).

About PBS

PBS, with more than 330 member stations, offers all Americans the opportunity to explore new ideas and new worlds through television and digital content. Each month, PBS reaches over 120 million people through television and 26 million people online, inviting them to experience the worlds of science, history, nature and public affairs; to hear diverse viewpoints; and to take front row seats to world-class drama and performances. PBS's broad array of programs has been consistently honored by the industry's most coveted award competitions. Teachers of children from pre-K through 12th grade turn to PBS for digital content and services that help bring classroom lessons to life. Decades of research confirms that PBS's premier children's media service, PBS KIDS, helps children build critical literacy, math and social-emotional skills, enabling them to find success in school and life. Delivered through member stations, PBS KIDS offers high-quality educational content on TV— including a 24/7 channel, online at pbskids.org, via an array of mobile apps and in communities across America. More information about PBS is available at www.pbs.org, one of the leading dot-org websites on the internet, or by following PBS on Twitter, Facebook or through our apps for mobile and connected devices. Specific program information and updates for press are available at pbs.org/pressroom or by following PBS Pressroom on Twitter.

For images and additional up-to-date information on PBS programs and announcements, visit PBS PressRoom at pbs.org/pressroom.

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