Next Season on PBS
by Leslie Fields-Cruz
As you read this, I and two of my BPM colleagues are gathered with public media professionals from across the country at this year’s PBS Annual Meeting in Las Vegas. It is an event where PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger, and PBS Board Chair Larry Irving once again invite us to re-dedicate ourselves to our shared mission of delivering content that educates, informs and entertains.
In addition to the return of fan favorites, including BPM’s AfroPoP series, the upcoming PBS programming year will include several new broadcast and digital programs featuring fresh faces and compelling stories you won’t want to miss. Among these is the long-awaited PBS SoCal & NMCA co-production, The Roots of Comedy with Jesus Trejo.
Executive producers Juan Devis and Danny Lee have created a show that is part comedy, part social commentary. It follows host Trejo as he treks across America to meet with six rising comedians. Their work is grounded in community and explores the mosaic of our nation through the lens of stand-up comedy. During the PBS Annual Meeting, Trejo and one of the show’s featured comedians, Sierra Katow, performed at a mixer hosted by PBS SoCal, the NMCA and CPB. If the response of the crowd that assembled there is any indication of how this program will be received by the viewing public, I’d say its future is bright. The Roots of Comedy begins streaming on Fri., May 24 and is scheduled for a broadcast premiere in June.
Congratulations to all who are attending the 2024 PBS Annual Meeting. I hope we all leave here feeling inspired and hopeful about the future of our industry, our democracy and our world.
— Fields-Cruz is the executive director of Black Public Media
