I smell cookies?

Cookies...don't they make everyone smile? The smell of them baking, the joy of dunking them in milk, and of course, eating them with the master spokesmonster, Cookie Monster...who could ask for anything more? Luckily, we at KLRN had the opportunity to provide this type of event for children and families who really do deserve a "special" night.

Earlier this week, we held the first of several events at the Warrior and Family Support Center at Fort Sam Houston. Families were able to make an average Wednesday an extraordinary one where everyone was able to step away from their own reality to paint and personalize an apron, play games and of course munch on freshly baked cookies with Cookie Monster himself. In essence, kids were able to be kids and parents were able to be kids...again.

It sounds so cliche to say that "it's the little things that make the biggest difference" but for these families who are coping with the stress of having a parent, spouse or loved one wounded and/or hospitalized, every bit of help matters. We already look forward to our next visit...

Yet Another San Antonio First

And KLRN is there to tell you all about it. I'm talking about the opening of Morgan's Wonderland, San Antonio's brand new theme park. Every theme park has a theme, and this one's is regardless of your disability, you're welcome here.

Its creator is former neighborhood builder Gordon Hartman. If you've watched San Antonio television you've surely seen his commercials. They virtually drip with optimism and the sense that all of us can--ought--to make this world a better place.

So when we went to do a Conversations with him I had to wonder "is this guy really that nice, that optimistic?" I can report that yes, the guy you see on those commercials is the guy who showed up to tape our show.

It's a jaded world out there and many peoples' views have a hard and nasty edge to them. Delightfully not so with Gordon Hartman. Tune in tonight (Thursday) at 8PM and you'll see what I mean. If you can't be there this evening, catch the show on KLRN's spiffy new video player where you can watch it on your own schedule. In either case, I hope you'll watch. It may be the most re-affirming half-hour you've spent in a long time.

As a non-profit, we're always looking for ways to increase our income. Goodsearch is a fun way that KLRN employees have been helping raise money for the station -- and you can help too, without donating a dime. For three days only, GoodSearch is having a $5,000 Giveaway.

GoodSearch will donate a $1 for every toolbar that is downloaded between April 6 at 9:00 a.m. Eastern and April 9 at 9:00 am Eastern. You can download the toolbar by following this link - KLRN Toolbar.

Our new KLRN toolbar is free to download and allows you to raise money for public media in South Central Texas every time you search or shop online! Once added to IE or Firefox, each time you shop at more than 1,300 stores (from Amazon to Zazzle!) a percentage of your purchase will automatically be donated to KLRN — at no cost to you.

The toolbar also has a search box and each time you search the Internet, about a penny is donated to KLRN. So check out GoodSearch and be sure to select KLRN as your designated charity.

And of course, please pass this along to all of your friends. Last year we raised more than $74 from GoodSearch. I know it doesn't seem like much, but it's fun to raise money for the station while searching the internet for work related or home related needs. The two minutes it takes to add this toolbar to your browser does make a difference for your local PBS station.

Thank you!

It's Going Fast--n-Furious at Your Local PBS Station

I spent about half my career in commercial TV doing local TV News Promotion. That's a tough, fast-paced business, but I don't know that it was any more fast-paced than what we've been doing here at KLRN recently.

We've been in pledge drive, which means we had to design, build and light a pledge set. We've also worked every day the last couple of weeks because, well, that's the way pledge works. Been meaning to pledge, but haven't gotten around to it? I can make it real easy; just go here and see how quickly you can step through it.

We also shot an hour-long special on Water last week, and it's now edited for air at 8PM Thursday the 25th.

We're putting together a Conversations with Everyman Overachiever Nelson Wolff and SARF President Nick Hollis. We shot it down at Espada Mission, and Mr. Wolf waxes poetic about how the New Mission Reach is a labor of his love for the South Side.

Speaking of the San Antonio River, did you watch our River Walk Doc? Sorry for the inside-the-station terminology, but River Walk Doc is what we call Paseo Del Arte: Expanding the San Antonio River Walk. If you missed it, or if you want to see it again, for now at least, you can. All you've got to do is check out our spiffy new video player. You can see Conversations you may have missed, Wings Over the Alamo, World War II: In Our Words, and other important local programs.

Pledge is done on Sunday; here's to hoping we make goal, and that we earn your pledge dollar in the process by bringing you great local programming on our channel, and a lifetime of learning outside the box, out in the community.

The Challenge Was Accepted, and Met!

In response to your question: "How did The Tobin Endowment Challenge Grant do last night?" We're happy to report the successful results!

KLRN introduced The Tobin Endowment $10,000 Challenge Grant at the start of last night’s PBS NEWSHOUR, and the phones and web exploded in response! The Tobin Endowment provided a $10,000 grant — $1 for every $1 pledged in and around the PBS NEWSHOUR last night.

We received 139 pledges – from $5 to $1,000 – from callers in San Antonio, New Braunfels, Schertz, Pleasanton, Boerne, Von Ormy, Converse, Helotes, Laredo, Seguin, and Uvalde.

The total pledged was $23,900. Counting the $10,000 Tobin Endowment Challenge, the activity was a $33,900 success!

Many thanks to all of you for your support and good wishes . . . and to the Tobin Endowment for its continued participation in our Membership Campaign.

It's simple: MAKE YOUR OWN COFFEE

Some of you might think "sure, it's pledge time, and I really oughtta do my part and call in a pledge...but I'm not too sure I've got that expendable cash!"

Okay, that's good logic, but I think it falls apart if you examine it more closely. Let's say you stop in every workday at a national coffee chain...let's just call it the StellarEuro. For just a plain StellarEuro coffee you're paying...what? $1.42 with tax? And those hungry, oddly-pierced and tatoo'd baristas...don't you let them keep the change?

So that's $2 you're spending every day at the StellarEuro, which for you 5-day-a-weekers is $10. There are 4 weeks in a month, which puts you at $40 twelve times a year. Do I need to extrapolate what you spend the 52 weeks each year?

So as far as not being able to afford it...while that surely applies to some of you, I'd say most of you have the wherewithall. So I'm here to encourage you to consider a viable alternative: make your own coffee. If that seems a bit Draconian, make it every other day.

If you saved just $4 a week, $16 a month that would total out to $192 a year! And you know what? I can even let you off easy here: Membership is just $60 a year. If you just didn't get coffee 1 day--that would be $2 X 4 X 12...and even at just one day a week sacrifice, where you make your own coffee instead of that StellarEuro place...you'd have PLENTY to give.

We're here at least 5 days a week, making interesting, beautiful, important local TV. And we're bringing you all the Antiques Roadshows, Austin City Limits and Masterpiece Theaters that you can watch. So pour yourself a congratulatory cup of coffee, and then call in your pledge. Thanks!

A Major Tragedy Struck

...and instead of heading the other way, these folks stuck around and did what needed doing. They're Dr. Ruth Berggren and Dr. Tyler Curiel. They're a couple of intelligent, well-known doctors, and a married couple to boot.

Besides medicine, another of life's aspects they share is an odd proximity to tragedy. They were there when dikes failed and the waters drowned much of New Orleans. The two doctors stayed with patients too sick to be moved, day after day, wondering if the world had forgotten them. Finally, Sanjay Gupta and Anderson Cooper shone the national spotlight on the hospitals that rescue efforts seem to have forgotten, and the choppers arrived to ferry patients and doctors out safely.

Ms. Berggren was raised in Haiti, and returns there often to care for the sick and teach UT Health Science Center students medical ethics. She'd only been back to San Antonio from such a trip for 36 hours when the earthquake nearly leveled Port Au-Prince. Feeling the call of duty and a tug on her heartstrings, she headed back to the tropical country, joined shortly thereafter by husband Tyler.

They sat down recently with Texas Public Radio's David Martin Davies to relive their experiences, and tell south Texans that what they know about Haiti...isn't the Haiti these doctors know at all. Their stories are fascinating and well-told, their pictures beautiful and revealing.

We invite viewers to spend an hour tonight at 8 with two of San Antonio's most interesting people. I can guarantee that you'll learn something you didn't know, and you'll feel just a little better about the world.

This Is Why You Need KLRN:

We’ve just put the finishing touches to the show we at KLRN call Politithon. It’s the marathon political program wherein we invite everyone who’s running for local, area and national office, from County Clerk to U.S. Representative. The League of Women voters collaborate with us to bring south Texas voters a two and 3/4-hour, in-depth talk with those who want your vote in the March 2nd Primary.

No other local station does this.

Millions of Americans’ identities are stolen every year, costing untold billions and heartache to its victims. With this in mind, the Texas Lyceum approached KLRN to shoot, produce and edit one in their Great Debate Series at San Antonio’s Empire Theater. Moderated by the Express-News’ Bob Rivard, the forum on Cyber Security didn’t just make for great TV. It gave viewers an hour’s worth of information they likely haven’t heard anywhere else to protect them and their families.

No other local station does this.

The KLRN production crew recently descended on the Foundry Coffee House to shoot its 5th annual College Call-In. This program helps students and parents navigate the confusing and choppy waters of getting into and paying for college. Hosts Chuck Cureau and Karen Grace invited parents and students to ask representatives from most local colleges their most pressing questions, and have them answered right then-n-there. KLRN commits to getting all calls, e-mails and tweets answered so that everyone who wants to get into college can do so!

No other local station does this.

Coming soon:
Conversations--a revealing Conversation with Dr. Ruth Berggren, the woman who stayed with her New Orleans patients after Katrina, and whose big heart took her back to Haiti after the earthquake.
Also: Judge Nelson Wolff takes us to the south side and reveals why the rebirth of the San Antonio River at the Mission Reach might even be greater than the wildly successful Museum Reach.

No other local station does this.

This is what you deserve from your local PBS station, and that’s precisely what KLRN will continue to do for you. Thanks for watching, and supporting, KLRN.

Frontline: Digital Nation

Watch Digital Nation tonight at 9:00 PM on KLRN. Want to know more? Google it!

Want to make competition fun? Bring wine into the picture.

5 panels of judges sniffed, swirled and sipped 515 different varietals of wine on Saturday for the 2010 San Antonio Wine Competition. The results of this competition help to determine which wines are served at the San Antonio Wine Festival events, but they also help the general public through the sometimes intimidating wine aisles. Our judges were fantastic, the volunteers were organized and impressive, and of course the wineries came through with quality products---and this all led to a successful competition. The results will be published in the February 14th issue of the San Antonio Express-News. See below for a sneak peek into this endeavor.





For more information on the competition or any of the San Antonio Wine Festival events, please visit http://www.sawinefest.com/. Cheers!

Laredo Speaks Up!

A team from KLRN recently visited Laredo to talk to people in the community about news, jobs, life and issues. Allow us to introduce the six people who agreed to speak with us.





Their videos, which are posted on the PBS NewsHour Patchwork Nation blog, give insight into the the issues that plague this town and other border towns, but also give these folks a chance to respond to the latest news of the closing of Laredo's only bookstore.

Volunteer Opportunity!

Do you love fine wine and delicious food? Of course you do! Who doesn't?

The 2010 Fine Wine & Cuisine Tasting is coming up on Monday, February 15, 2010 and we are looking for wine lovers to serve as "corkers."

We are specifically seeking “corkers” to pour wine at various wine stations. Volunteers need to be at the Alamodome at 4:30 PM for training. Volunteers will receive official KLRN corkscrew, official KLRN wineglass, free parking at the Alamodome and be able to enjoy half of the event!

All volunteers will be pre-assigned to alternating shifts so please indicate on your registration if you are part of a group. Because you will be able to enjoy half of the event as an attendee, there is a special volunteer ticket price of $25, which includes your parking (That’s $20 off the door ticket price). The deadline for substitutions is February 1, 2010.

Then go to http://www.sawinefest.com/10Volunteer.html today to register to be a corker for the KLRN Fine Wine & Cuisine Tasting event on Monday, February 15, 2010 at the Alamodome. This is a great event for friends or organizations that love to volunteer together.

The deadline to register is February 1, 2010.

Happy Holidays from KLRN

The PBS NewsHour

On Monday night, December 7, The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer becomes the PBS NewsHour. While you can watch the PBS NewsHour each weeknight at 7 PM on KLRN, the change also brings a robust new Web site that will be updated throughout the day.

If you missed Jim Lehrer's announcement and his rules for "MacNeil/Lehrer Journalism" on the Friday, December 4 program, you can watch it here.



And don't forget to join Jim, Gwen, Judy, Ray, Margaret, Jeffrey and newcomer, Hari Sreenivasan for the PBS NewsHour tonight!

Teachers are Over the Moon at the San Antonio Day of Discovery

This last Saturday, December 5th, KLRN School Services teamed up with TCEA Area 20 (THANK YOU! Jennifer Faulkner, Area Director) to host the first-ever San Antonio Day of Discovery for educators. Featuring KLRN Connect, the premiere digital video service from Discovery Education, the event kicked off with a fantastic keynote from award-winning education blogger, Steve Dembo of the Discovery Educator Network. Steve took the audience on a tour of the 21st Century classroom. As he did, he reminded us this is the classroom of today not the future...we are nearly 10 years into the 21st Century! Here is a podcast of Steve's keynote thanks to Miguel Guhlin of San Antonio ISD.

Throughout the day, teachers had an opportunity to learn how to use digital media and technology in the classroom including taking a virtual field trip to the Moon with Google Earth. In this session, teachers were exposed to the rich resources from this Google map tool that even includes the sky and a virtual 3D representation of the moon.

Teachers also got an overview of how to take digital media content into software such as iMovie, MovieMaker, and Animoto (featured above) that allows you to edit and create multimedia presentations. This is great way for students to do presentations as well. Long gone are the days of dioramas and tri-fold poster board.

Steve Dembo hosted a session that took on the theme of a "Day in the Life of a Discovery Educator". He gave a minute by minute overview of a technology-rich school day. All of the resources presented were easy to find and use through KLRN Connect and other online services.

Whether you are an educator, parent, or a fan of KLRN, take a look at what we do to support K-12 teachers in the classroom and beyond! All presentations are archived at Justin Karkow's DEN Blog. Thanks again to the DEN for bringing us this Day of Discovery. And, a special thanks to Steve Dembo for coming out on his birthday!

But most of all thanks to all the great educators who attended. Those teachers go above and beyond everyday and gave up a Saturday to learn even more. What can I say other than these teachers are truly the STARS in the classroom!