CW in PBS telethon (11/08/25)

CW is supposed to participate (IDK specifics) in a fundraiser (I think) for PBS. It will be shown on in SoCal in Nov and available on the PBS app later. It is related to the federal govt cutting funding for PBS.

https://www.pbssocal.org/press-room/we-public-television

PBS SoCal announced WE ❤️ PUBLIC TELEVISION! – a three-hour program recorded LIVE from PBS SoCal’s Burbank Studios featuring a star-studded cast honoring 55 remarkable years of public television - America’s trusted, free public media service that reaches every city, town and rural community across the nation. Talent featured (subject to change) includes music director Rickey Minor and appearances by Josh Groban, Jamie Lee Curtis, Ken Burns, Ziggy Marley, Lily Tomlin, Henry Louis Gates, Jr., Marlee Matlin, 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 many more. The telethon will include three special performances from the Nashville PBS studios featuring Kathy Mattea, Sierra Hull, Molly Tuttle and Ketch Secor. This program celebrates the extraordinary musical artists and personalities who have graced PBS stages and screens, showcasing the cultural richness that public media and local PBS stations offer all Americans. The three-hour LIVE telecast will take place on Sat., Nov. 8 from 4-7pm on PBS SoCal and will encore on Thurs., Nov. 27 (Thanksgiving night) from 7-10pm on PBS SoCal.

Following the broadcast, WE ❤️ PUBLIC TELEVISION!  will be available on the free PBS App from Nov. 27 – Dec. 24, 2025.

From their FB page, a note to the rest of the country.

Please note: Stations outside of Southern California will air this on Thanksgiving.

My first exposure to CW was via PBS.  I was simply running thru the TV channels on night.  I think this was late in 2006.  This was the pledge drive.  During the pledge break, they said they were coming to my town.  So, bought tickets.  Over the years, I bought a lot of tickets from PBS, primarily because you got really good seats and a M&G! 

Some years later, it seemed like a lot of the venues were not allowing PBS to have the good seats.  At one point, I was like 20 rows back.  The venues figured out that they could sell the tickets to their premium members instead.

Then, going back to COVID, we know everything went down the tubes.  The last M&G (tour) I went to was in 2020, a couple days before they stopped.  I did do a M&G last year in Washington for the Christmas tour.

I think PBS had a lot to do with CW's success.  Too bad they haven't been able to film a show for PBS recently.  I was probably a member of maybe 6 PBS stations all over the country when I was going all over to see shows.  If I counted right, I've been to 33 different cities to see the show.