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The dramatic and controversial rise of Robert F. Kennedy Jr.
Frontline “The Rise of RFK” airs Tuesday, October 21 at 10 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
How the scion of a storied dynasty endured tragedy and scandal, broke with the Democratic Party and his family, stoked conspiracy theories, and is reshaping government and public health.
This film places the historic Flight of Five locks on the Erie Canal in Lockport, New York, squarely in the American narrative as a symbol of a young and developing nation.
America’s Stairway airs Monday, October 20 at 9 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
It draws a direct line between the Erie Canal, the Flight of Five, and the birth of American tourism to today’s heritage tourism industry, which is inextricably linked to community-based, grassroots preservation efforts and a community’s sense of place. In doing so, this is a story that resonates beyond time and geographic location.
Photo: South Street Seaport : Painting by William James Bennett, “View of South Street from Maiden Lane”
Courtesy of Metropolitan Museum of New York
Meet a few of the artists featured in Getty’s 2024–25 Southern California art event, PST ART.
Art & Science Collide airs Sunday, October 19 at 11 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streams live on the WXXI app.
The new documentary weaves together compelling stories of artists participating in the Getty’s groundbreaking 2024-2025 Southern California art event Pacific Standard Time – referred to locally as PST ART, where more than 60 deeply-researched exhibitions developed by arts organizations and scientific institutions throughout Southern California featured over 800 artists in mind-expanding explorations of the intersections of art and science, both past and present. Produced by PBS SoCal in association with Actual Films (“Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore,” “The White House Effect,” “Athlete A,” “An Inconvenient Sequel,” “The Island President and The Lost Boys of Sudan.”
Photo provided by PBS
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 Sunday, October 19 at 2:30 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 by Move to IncludeTM, an award-winning national initiative to promote disability inclusion, representation, and accessibility in public media.
Photo: Jeffrey McElfresh rides through the industrial area along the Ohio River
Credit: Provided by APT
Learn about the life and career of 4-time Emmy nominee Marlee Matlin as she shares her story in her native American Sign Language.
American Masters “Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore airs Thursday, January 15 at 8:30 p.m. and again on Sunday, January 18 at 1 p.m. on WXXI-TV and streaming on the WXXI app.
The documentary takes a closer look at Marlee Matlin’s life as a groundbreaking performer, whose meteoric and tumultuous rise to fame started in 1987 when she became the first Deaf actor to win an Academy Award for her role in Children of a Lesser God. At the age of twenty-one, Matlin was thrust into the national spotlight, becoming for many Americans the first Deaf person they saw on TV and overnight becoming the de-facto representative of the Deaf community.
Marlee Matlin: Not Alone Anymore boasts never-before-seen home video filmed over the course of Matlin’s 37-year career by her longtime interpreter and producing partner Jack Jason—including footage of Matlin behind the scenes on the sets of some of her most iconic roles including Children of a Lesser God, The West Wing and Seinfeld. For the first time in her own language, Matlin will reflect on her relationship with actor William Hurt, her place in the Deaf community, her fight for roles and accessibility in Hollywood and what it means to be “the first.”
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: Marlee Matlin
Credit: Provided by PBS
Watch On-Demand to hear how people and communities are redefining what’s possible, reclaiming independence, creativity, and collective futures rooted in equity and imagination.
WXXI and Move to IncludeTM invite you to join POV for Learning Beyond the Walls: On the Frontlines of the Future — a LIVE conversation with filmmakers Samuel Habib & Dan Habib (The Ride Ahead), Kelly Anderson (Emergent City), and community leader Elizabeth Yeampierre, moderated by Ana Portnoy.
This timely discussion explores how education reaches beyond textbooks into communities, movements, and everyday acts of resistance.
Recording from Thursday, Oct 23 Time: 3 – 4PM ET
LIVE on POV’s Facebook (@povdocs) & YouTube (@povborders)
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“Connections with Evan Dawson” now available as a podcast.
Did you know that WXXI News’ live call in show, “Connections with Evan Dawson,” where Evan leads open, in-depth conversations with experts and neighbors on issues that matter most to our community, is now available as a podcast? Subscribe now and you’ll never miss a minute of what Rochester is talking about!
Ways To Subscribe:
Discover the untold story of King Records, the underdog label that transformed American music and culture.
King of Them All: The Story of King Records airs Friday, October 10 at 9 p.m. and streaming live and on the PBS App & WXXI app (iOS & Android)
This film unfolds like a listening session with history. From James Brown’s soul to the Stanley Brothers’ bluegrass, King Records shaped genres that still echo today. Guided by voices like Seymour Stein, Vince Gill, and Christian McBride, the film restores a lost legacy. It will repeat Saturday, October 11 at 5 p.m.
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