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Cyndi Lauper Live… At Last • WXXI-TV

Experience one of Cyndi Lauper’s most intimate and iconic performances from the comfort of your home with this PBS special.

Cyndi Lauper Live… At Last airs Sunday, June 30 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Twenty years after her debut album She’s So Unusual made her an icon, singer Cyndi Lauper performed an intimate concert at New York’s Town Hall. Filmed in 2004, this special features dramatic renditions of her greatest hits including “Girls Just Want To Have Fun,” “Money Changes Everything,” “Time After Time,” and “True Colors.”

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution – “Stayin’ Alive” • WXXI-TV

This three-part series Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution airs its final episode “Stayin’ Alive,” showcasing how Disco stayed alive despites the strong backlash it received from Middle America, who opposed the genres hedonism, femininity, and queerness.

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution – “Stayin’ Alive” airs Tuesday, July 2 at 9 p.m. on WXX-TV

This must-see final episode of the three-part “Disco Soundtrack of a Lifetime” docuseries documents the wellspring of resentment from white, straight, male-dominated, rock-loving middle Americans, as they targeted disco for its hedonism, femininity, and queerness. A vocal “Disco Sucks” movement began to gain momentum, culminating in the “Disco Demolition Derby” at Comiskey Park Stadium in Chicago, where organizers destroyed thousands of disco records in front of a baying audience of baseball fans. In addition, the hedonism and sexual liberation embodied by disco found itself stopped in its tracks by the AIDS crisis. Pushed out of the mainstream, but not forgotten, the pioneers of disco retreated and regrouped. Cult disco DJ Frankie Knuckles left New York for Chicago, where he remixed disco breaks with R&B to produce a new genre of dance music – house. Discover how he and other disco pioneers kept disco alive in the world of electronic dance music.

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution- “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” • WXXI-TV

This three-part series, Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution, airs its second enticing episode “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now,” highlighting the empowerment of Black and gay icons during the influential Disco era.

Disco: Soundtrack of a Revolution – “Ain’t No Stoppin’ Us Now” airs Saturday, June 29 at 4 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Set against the backdrop of Black power and sexual liberation, the second episode of Disco: Sound of a Revolution takes viewers to the high watermark of disco in the mid ’70s. As disco conquers the mainstream, it turns Black women and gay men into superstars and icons. It is a world where the drag queen Sylvester was king, and Black women found a powerful new voice – one that fused Black Power with a call for sexual freedom. It was the birth of the “disco diva” from Gloria Gaynor and Candi Staton to Donna Summer and Thelma Houston. However, mainstream success by The Bee Gees’ soundtrack album “Saturday Night Fever,” The Rolling Stones’ “Miss You,”Rod Stewart’s “Da Ya Think I’m Sexy,” and Studio 54 took disco further and further from its roots of inclusivity and freedom, as straight, white men started to embrace and repackage the sound.

Bee Gees: One Night Only • WXXI-TV

The group’s 1997 concert at the Las Vegas MGM Grand showcases many of their greatest hit.

Bee Gees: One Night Only airs Sunday, June 23 at 2:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

One of the very few Bee Gees performances ever filmed, this music special showcases many of their greatest disco and pop hits, including “How Deep Is Your Love,” “To Love Somebody,” “Massachusetts,” “You Should Be Dancing/Alone,” and many more.

Eastman at 100: A Centennial Celebration • WXXI-TV

Take a look back at the story of Eastman School of Music and how George Eastman’s vision for a school dedicated to scholarship, musicianship, and an inclusive community campus came to be.

Eastman at 100: A Centennial Celebration airs Sunday, November 17 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV

Filmed over the course of three years, Eastman at 100 follows individual students throughout their academic year, offering a firsthand look at their transformational experiences. Eastman’s story is told through intimate interviews with professors, administrators, staff, community partners, and high-profile alumni, including:

World-renowned, Grammy-winning soprano Renée Fleming ’83 (MM), ’11 (Honorary)
Pulitzer Prize-winning composer Kevin Puts ’94, ’99E (DMA)
Grammy-winning drummer Steve Gadd ’68, ’17 (Honorary)
Grammy-nominated jazz composer and conductor Maria Schneider ’85 (MM)
Retired “Voice of the Met” and former WXXI Classical host Mary Jo Heath ’88 (Ph.D.)

Emmy award-winning composer and conductor Mark Watters, who is Director of the Beal Institute for Film Music and Contemporary Media, wrote and composed the score for the documentary. Support for this documentary was provided by Dawn F. Lipson.

PBS News Special: CNN Presidential Debate Simulcast • WXXI-TV + WXXI News

PBS provides live coverage and analysis of the debate between President Joe Biden and former President Donald Trump.

PBS News Special: CNN Presidential Debate Simulcast airs Thursday, June 27 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV.

The broadcast will begin with a simulcast of The CNN Presidential Debate, followed immediately by PBS News special coverage co-anchored by Amna Nawaz and Geoff Bennett, with reporting from White House correspondent Laura Barrón-López and Capitol Hill correspondent Lisa Desjardins, and expert analysis from additional guests.

Live coverage from NPR will also air on WXXI News and stream at WXXINews.org.

Ringside Stories: The Heart and Hustle of Pro Wrestling • WXXI-TV

This documentary produced by Rochester’s Cordell Cordaro and Gabe Del Vecchio delves into the lives of local wrestlers in the Flower City.

Ringside Stories: The Heart and Hustle of Pro Wrestling airs Saturday, June 15 at 11:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV

It reveals the passion and dedication these athletes have for their craft. Wrestling gives them a sense of purpose and community, helping them overcome personal struggles and adversity. These wrestlers aren’t yet household names; they work at the grassroots level, traveling from town to town. Their commitment and love for wrestling shine through, offering a universal story of finding fulfillment in following one’s passion, even when it’s not widely accepted. Their journey embodies the universal yearning to pursue one’s passion, even in the face of doubt or rejection.

POV: King Coal • WXXI-TV

Exploring coal’s legacy with the Sundance sensation King Coal.

POV: King Coal airs Monday, June 24 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV

KING COAL, the 2023 Sundance Film Festival breakout hit, follows the personal memories of a 4th generation coal miner’s daughter to meditate on the complex history and future of the coal industry, the communities it has shaped, and the myths it has created.

American Documentary’s Oscar®, Emmy® and Peabody Award-winning signature series, POV, has acquired the 2023 Sundance Film Festival feature documentary, King Coal, directed by Oscar®-nominated filmmaker Elaine McMillion Sheldon (Heroin(e)) and produced by Academy Award®-winners Shane Boris and Diane Becker (Navalny) and Peabody Award-winner Peggy Drexler (My Name is Pauli Murray). King Coal will make its national broadcast premiere as part of POV’s upcoming 37th season launching summer 2024. POV is America’s longest running non-fiction series on television