WXXI TV

Jeffrey’s Journey • WXXI-TV

When you’re faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life?

Jeffrey’s Journey airs Tuesday, January 13 at 3 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming live on the WXXI app.

When faced with an incurable, debilitating and progressive disease, you have a choice to make. How do you live your life? When Jeffrey McElfresh was a child, his feet and hands were gradually losing function. At age 41, he finally learned the name of his malady: Charcot-Marie-Tooth disease, a rare peripheral neuropathy that disrupts signals from the brain, causing muscles in the feet and hands to atrophy. Today, Jeffrey’s disability is apparent, yet he has adapted and built a meaningful life that eventually led him to become an adventure cyclist. Jeffrey’s Journey follows his story over 10 days as he cycles along the Ohio River from Pittsburgh to Cincinnati. As he follows the river through old steel towns, beautiful valleys and forgotten burgs, Jeffrey gains insight into the land he’s traveling across and even more about himself.

This program is presented as part of Dialogue on Disability, a partnership between WXXI and Al Sigl Community of Agencies – in conjunction with the Herman and Margaret Schwartz Community Series. Dialogue on Disability is supported by the Fred L. Emerson Foundation with additional support from The Golisano Foundation. The weeklong initiative runs January 12-18, 2026.

WXXI and Al Sigl have been hosting Dialogue on Disability since 2005. In 2014, with the support of businessman and philanthropist Tom Golisano and the Golisano Foundation, Move to Include™ was formed. This initiative enables WXXI to present and develop programming that promotes inclusion year round.

Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT

Reflections on the Erie Canal • WXXI-TV

Explore the past, present and future of the Erie Canal on its bicentennial anniversary.

Reflections on the Erie Canal airs Tuesday, October 7 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

In 1825, the state of New York inaugurated a monumental economic engine – the Erie Canal. Born from an audacious ambition to secure financial power and seal New York’s status as the Empire State, the canal was a triumph of engineering and determination. Two hundred years later, the human-made thread crossing the state of New York from West to East has a much broader legacy that deserves definition and exploration.

To commemorate the 200th anniversary of the completion of the Erie Canal, WXXI is proud to bring you additional Erie Canal programs:
America’s Stairway airs Monday, October 20 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV
15 Miles on the Erie Canal airs Friday, October 24 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV and on-demand on PBS Passport
Boom and Bust: America’s Journey on the Erie Canal airs Saturday, October 25 at 5:30pm on WXXI-TV
Canal Towns watch on-demand on PBS Passport

Frontline “Born Poor” • WXXI-TV

A look at the realities of growing up poor in America, filmed over 14 years with children from three families.

Frontline “Born Poor” airs Tuesday, October 7 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

An indelible look at the realities of growing up poor in America. Filmed over 14 years with kids from three families, from adolescents to adults with kids of their own, navigating an economy with more obstacles than opportunities.

Caption: An indelible look at the realities of growing up poor in America.
Credit: FRONTLINE (PBS)

Pathways to Invention • WXXI-TV

Inventors and inventions are all around us, proving that we all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world.

Pathways to Invention airs Monday, October 6 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Inventors and inventions are all around us, proving that we all have the power in our minds and hands to shape the world. However, even the most accomplished makers and creators often hesitate to identify as “inventors.” Pathways to Invention explores the workshops, garages, laboratories and offices of accomplished inventors in the fields of materials, software, hardware, biotech and agriculture to understand the tools and traits of both successful invention and entrepreneurship. The program follows 12 different award-winning early to mid-career inventors to understand what makes them tick and to answer the question: “Are inventors born or are they made?”

Brian and Maggie • WXXI-TV

Two old friends, politician-turned-journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sit for one of the most famous political exchanges of all time.

Brian and Maggie concludes Sunday, October 12 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

1989. Two old friends, politician-turned-journalist Brian Walden and Prime Minister Margaret Thatcher, sit for one of the most famous political exchanges of all time, one that would end a political era and a long-term friendship as it reshaped national opinion and triggered the downfall of the Iron Lady.

Cinema Nomad • WXXI-TV

Explores the world through the life and lens of filmmakers in their thirties.

Cinema Nomad airs Saturdays, October 4-November 1 at 11:30 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

Explore nations through the country’s cinematic past, present and future. Cinephile host, Stephanie Gardner, takes viewers on a journey around the world to meet directors in their thirties, delving into their hopes, dreams and desires. Viewers experience the filmmakers’ daily lives, visit their homes, neighborhoods, hangouts, and the locations that inspire their creativity.

La Recua: The Mule Pack Train • WXXI-TV

An aging vaquero who lives in the heart of Baja, guards much of the Old Californio traditional knowledge in his mind and soul.

La Recua: The Mule Pack Train airs Saturday, October 4 at 5 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

It’s all about cowboys, mules and desert trails… but it’s so much more! An aging vaquero who lives in the heart of Baja, guards much of the Old Californio traditional knowledge in his mind and soul…. and he wants to tell his story!

Broadcast in Spanish with English subtitles.

Great Performances: The Magic of Grace Bumbry • WXXI-TV

Discover Grace Bumbry’s inspiring rise to global opera fame.

Great Performances: The Magic of Grace Bumbry airs Friday, October 3 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.

The Magic of Grace Bumbry recounts the story of the African American Missouri native who rose to fame in the 1960s international opera scene. Bumbry’s rise began in the 1950s when she won a radio competition at the age of 17. Encountering racism when she was prevented from studying at the St. Louis Institute of Music, she nevertheless achieved international renown with her breakthrough performance in Wagner’s “Tannhäuser” at the 1961 Bayreuth Festival, in which she appeared for 40 performances. The film explores Grace Bumbry’s groundbreaking career, featuring performances from her early career leading up to her role in the 1966 Salzburg Festival production of “Carmen,” directed by German conductor Herbert von Karajan.

The film follows the format of previous documentaries from Great Performances’ “Magic of” series, including The Magic of Spirituals highlighting opera stars Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman and The Magic of Nureyev, which explored the career of ballet dancer and choreographer Rudolf Nureyev. Featuring interviews with singer and vocal coach David Lee Brewer, opera singer Felicia Weathers, opera singer Anna Tomowa-Sintow and La Scala general director Dominique Meyer.