Press Contact: Teri L. Sullivan
WKNO/Channel 10
(901) 729-8735
tlsullivan@wkno.org
August 23, 2010
For Immediate Release
WKNO Launches Weekday Local Programming Initiative
‘KNO Tonite Premieres September 6
On Monday, September 6, WKNO will premiere a new local programming initiative combining the digital capabilities of the WKNO Digital Media Center with the community’s desire for more local programming. ‘KNO Tonite, as the new strip will be called, will air on WKNO/Channel 10 Monday through Friday at 6:30 p.m. and feature a different program each night. These programs will also air each weeknight at 11:00 on WKNO2, available over the air on Channel 10.2 and on Comcast Digital Cable Channel 910.
‘KNO Tonite will feature different programs with different looks, all of which will be tied together by host Mark Koonce, who will present information about each program, as well as highlight the program schedule for the rest of the evening.
On Mondays, the WKNO series Southern Routes will air in its new weekly slot. A new series taking an in-depth look at sports in the Mid-South will air Tuesdays – Sports Files with Geoff Calkins. Interviews with a variety of artists, musicians, authors and more will air Wednesdays on A Conversation With . . . Various local documentaries will air Thursdays; and a new news and information series – Behind the Headlines, hosted by Eric Barnes, publisher of The Daily News, will premiere on Fridays.
“The goal is to capitalize on the potential of the new WKNO Digital Media Center,” said WKNO President and CEO, Michael J. LaBonia. “The focus has not been about getting a new building, rather, it has been to better serve the community. The goal of ‘KNO Tonite is to keep local people informed about news, politics, sports, business, arts, culture, and entertainment in the Mid-South.”
Southern Routes (Mondays) is a WKNO-produced series hosted by Bonnie Kourvelas which visits some of the most interesting faces and places in the Mid-South. The series, which premiered on Channel 10 in 2005, has visited such places as the Duck River and the Coon Dog Cemetery in Alabama, and met such people as the Memphis Roller Derby girls and Backbeat Tours guide Memphis Jones. Recently, the series introduced a new regular segment, “Ask Vance”, featuring historical shorts by Memphis magazine’s Vance Lauderdale.
Sports Files with Geoff Calkins (Tuesdays) pairs The Commercial Appeal sports columnist with a variety of experts and guests to discuss a wide range of sports topics, beyond the scores and highlights.
A Conversation With . . . (Wednesdays) is a half-hour show featuring interviews with an eclectic group of guests. In September, the guests will be authors Hampton Sides (September 8) and Rebecca Skloot (September 15), jazz musician Breeze Cayolle (September 22), and actor Chris Ellis (September 29).
The selection of local documentaries (Thursdays) will feature WKNO-produced half-hour shows, as well as those produced by local independent filmmakers. This month will be encore presentations of The Least Among Us: The Paws Prison Project (September 9), Generation to Generation (September 16), Pork Chop Day (September 23), and Christ Community: A Ministry of Care (September 30).
Behind the Headlines (Fridays) is a new WKNO production hosted by Eric Barnes, publisher of The Daily News. Each week Barnes will talk with a variety of broadcast and print journalists about the major stories from the Mid-South. Behind the Headlines will also air Sundays at 8:30 a.m.
WKNO plans to introduce two new series to the ‘KNO Tonite lineup beginning in January, 2011. A new series on business and finance will air on Wednesdays. And on Thursdays, WKNO will present a weekly series highlighting arts, culture and entertainment in the Mid-South.
A new weekday afternoon news and information schedule will also go into effect September 6 as part of the introduction of ‘KNO Tonite. The BBC World News will air weekdays at 4:00 p.m., followed by Charlie Rose at 4:30 p.m. PBS NewsHour will air at 5:30 p.m., right after a short weather update. A local stocks update will air just before ‘KNO Tonite begins at 6:30, and the NBR Business Brief will air preceding the primetime programming, which begins at 7:00.
In addition, the half-hour Nightly Business Report will air at 5:30 p.m. on WKNO2, followed at 6:00 p.m. by PBS NewsHour. WKNO2 is available over the air on Channel 10.2 and on Comcast Digital Cable Channel 910.
WKNO is a non-profit, private foundation serving the Mid-South for more than 50 years. An important community resource, WKNO uses the power of non-commercial public broadcasting to provide the Mid-South with quality educational and cultural programs that inform, entertain, and inspire. For more information: wkno.org
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