I am not sure what is going to happen to some of my TV passions. Yes, I have a TV in my office and just might have a TV in other rooms. I love to watch HGTV and the Food Network. Antiques Roadshow is an important part of each week. But history and genealogy seem to be winning out in the last year or two. PBS has called with History Detectives, African American Lives, shows on Native American, towns in the Midwest, the underground railroad, gold rush, Donner Party and the PBS list could go on. BYU television has The Generations Project which those of us who don’t get BYU TV can watch some episodes online. I am guessing that these shows will be coming to other PBS stations.
Cable has The Locator, ABC had Find My Family and we have genealogists doing their own thing publicly such as The Genealogy Guys, Genealogy Gems TV, and RootsTelevision.Other genealogists have had local shows on cable tv.
On Wednesday of this week, Faces of America debuts on PBS. It’s on at 7:00 p.m. my time.Then on Friday, March 5th, the U.S. edition of Who Do You Think You Are? commences on NBC.
Genealogists and research results have been on the Today Show, Good Morning America, broadcast evening newscasts, The View, cable news, Oprah, and many other outlets.Learning more about genealogy is growing today. Other countries have had shows about genealogy for years. Genealogists in the U.S. and other countries have had regular radio shows about genealogy. I have been interviewed by the press in the U.S. and Canada for print, radio, and television as have many other genealogists. Ancestry.com runs commercials on broadcast and cable television. My late father used to call and tell me that he had “heard another commercial for that company you write for.”
And all we had in the early 1990s was the Ancestors series on PBS. I remember sitting in some planning meetings at the Family History Library for that show and being so excited. Compare that to today’s offerings. Be sure to let the broadcast, cable, and public televsion stations know you are watching these shows. We need them to continue. An understanding of where we all came from, the trials and tribulations of our ancestors, and how closely related we just might be could be a great contributor to peace, courtesy, and realizing that people are people and we all deserve to be treated kindly.
It’s an exciting time to be involved in the pursuit of family history, the education of genealogists, and in sharing the excitement with others who are not quite hooked but may be soon!
© 2010 – 2014, Paula Stuart-Warren. All rights reserved.
Do you suppose the day will come when we have to TiVo one genealogy show because another is on at the same time? Maybe? Hopefully? 🙂