PBS SoCal Telethon airs in the wake of Trump’s public broadcaster cuts

In the wake of the Trump administration’s cut of government funding, local stations PBS SoCal (KOCE and KCET) are planning a telethon next week from the PBS outfit’s home at Burbank Studios. “We ❤ Public Television!” is billed as a live, three-hour telethon “celebrating 55 remarkable years of Public Television – America’s trusted, free public media service reaching every city, town and rural community across the country. This program celebrates the extraordinary musical artists and personalities who have graced PBS stages and screens, and showcases the cultural wealth that public media and local PBS stations all Americans offer.”

Rickey Minor will take place on Saturday, November 8 at 4pm PT and will serve as music director for the broadcast. Current guests include Josh Groban, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ken Burns, Ziggy Marley, Lily Tomlin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Marlee Matlin, Nicholas Ralph, Noel Paul Stookey, Rick Steves, David Foster and Katharine McPhee, Adam Arkin, Courtney Vance, Martha Plimpton, Joe Bonamassa, Sheléa, Jesse Cook, Judy Blume, Celtic Woman, Sarah Silverman, Mychal the Librarian, Lindsey Stirling and more.

The telethon will also feature performances from Nashville PBS, including Kathy Mattea, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor.

After its initial broadcast on PBS SoCal, “We ❤ Public Television” will air on Thursday, November 27 (Thanksgiving evening) on ​​PBS stations nationwide. It will also be available on the PBS app from November 27 to December 24. Additionally, PBS SoCal will rebroadcast the event on Thanksgiving evening at 7pm PT.

“This telethon will be a huge love fest in celebration of public television,” said Maura Daly Phinney, who serves as executive producer of the telethon for PBS SoCal. “We will feature great music, some classic segments from viewers’ favorite PBS series and a few surprises. Every contribution viewers make will go to their local public television station and help them fill the gap left by the loss of our federal funding.”

In addition to the live musical performances and celebrity appearances, “We ❤ Public Television!” features viewer testimonials and archival footage from public television programs including “Masterpiece,” “Austin City Limits,” “Great Performances” and “Sesame Street.”