Beatlemania Invades WGBH Throughout February
WGBH 2 to feature Fab Four every Thursday night in February
Innovation Hub goes national with exploration of Beatles’ innovations
WCRB 99.5 celebrates the classical music that inspired and was inspired by The Beatles
BOSTON, Mass. (February 6, 2014) – It’s been 50 years since The Beatles first appeared on The Ed Sullivan Show, and five decades later, their music continues to influence musicians and other creative innovators. To commemorate this anniversary, WGBH – Boston’s only multi-platform public broadcaster – will showcase special television and radio content all February long celebrating John, Paul, George and Ringo’s lasting contributions to music, history and pop culture.
Every Thursday night in February, WGBH 2 will air performances, documentaries and films that profile the iconic members of the most influential and successful rock-and-roll band of all time. The Thursday night block kicks off on February 6 with two episodes of Great Performances – “Magical Mystery Tour Revisited” at 9pm and “The Beatles Magic Mystery Tour” at 10pm. On Thursday, February 13, WGBH 2 will air American Masters’ “Lennon NYC” at 9pm. The broadcast of Paul McCartney’s acceptance of The Gershwin Prize airs Thursday, February 20 at 9pm. The Beatles television programming wraps up on Thursday, February 27 with a broadcast at 9pm of “How the Beatles Rocked the Kremlin” and Great Performances’ “Paul McCartney’s Live Kisses” at 10pm.
On WGBH Radio, Kara Miller will look at The Beatles’ lasting legacy of innovation for the February 8 edition of Innovation Hub. During the program, a special broadcast that will be offered for national distribution by Public Radio International, Miller will explore the pioneering approaches The Beatles took to everything from studio sound to cover art and business practices. Innovation Hub airs Saturdays at 10am on 89.7 WGBH.
99.5 WCRB, the listener-supported classical radio station operated by WGBH, will commemorate the anniversary of the Beatles’ immortal performance on The Ed Sullivan Show on Sunday, February 9 with special broadcasts throughout James David Jacobs’ Boston Sunday Brunch program (8am to noon). The broadcasts will feature classical works that influenced and were influenced by Beatles’ hits, as well as an exclusive interview with Billy Joel, a classically trained rock and roll legend.
Anthony Rudel, WCRB’s new station director, was an eyewitness to John Lennon’s assassination in New York City. In response, Rudel – then a host for New York’s classical radio station WQXR – played The Beatles for an hour on air, the first time WQXR ever broadcast The Beatles.
About WGBH
WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur, Curious George, and more than a dozen other prime-time, lifestyle, and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black, High School Quiz Show, and Neighborhood Kitchens. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH Boston Public Radio; 99.5 WCRB; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of programs for public radio (among them, PRI’s The World®), a leader in educational multimedia (including PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content), and a pioneer in technologies and services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind, and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.
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