Milwaukee PBS
Press Release

Milwaukee PBS to Broadcast New John Gurda Documentary

People of the Port: A Jones Island Documentary

By - Nov 1st, 2022 09:20 am

MILWAUKEE; November 1, 2022Milwaukee PBS is partnering once again with the filmmakers who brought you the Making of Milwaukee and Milwaukee: A City Built on Water to bring you another eye-opening documentary, People of the Port: A Jones Island Documentary, premiering on November 17 at 7:00 p.m. on Milwaukee PBS 10.1.

The 30-minute documentary tells the tale of an oft-ignored part of the city. Few places in any American city have packed so many layers of change into such a small area. From Indian village to French-Canadian trading post, Yankee shipyard, Polish fishing colony, and urban infrastructure hub, Jones Island has supported five distinct cultures through five stages of economic development on one narrowly circumscribed piece of land.

Filmmaker/Historian John Gurda, director Claudia Looze, and videographer Anders Gurda have teamed up to produce another look at a fascinating part of Milwaukee’s history. Milwaukee PBS is honored to collaborate with this award-winning team and share the tradition of storytelling with our viewers.

“Milwaukee PBS is delighted to bring this new documentary to the people of southeastern Wisconsin as part of our 65th anniversary celebration,” said VP and General Manager Bohdan Zachary. “This team’s work teaches us something new and significant with each documentary.”

Milwaukee PBS and Milwaukee Film invite the community to a special in-person preview on Monday, November 14 at 6:30 p.m. at the Oriental Theatre. The event is free and open to the public, but registration is required. Reserve your seat at milwaukeepbs.org/events. Attendees will have a chance to learn more about the making of the documentary directly from the filmmakers and ask questions.

NOTE: This press release was submitted to Urban Milwaukee and was not written by an Urban Milwaukee writer. While it is believed to be reliable, Urban Milwaukee does not guarantee its accuracy or completeness.

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Violent Femmes 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony to Air Nationally on PBS December, 2024

MILWAUKEE; October 30, 2024 – On December 13, 2024, the Milwaukee PBS production of the Emmy nominated Violent Femmes 40th Anniversary with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra will air nationally on PBS stations across the country. This concert is a celebration of the Violent Femmes iconic debut self-titled album and greatest hits including “Blister in the Sun,” “Kiss Off,” “Add It Up” and “Gone Daddy Gone” along with the Milwaukee Symphony Orchestra. The Violent Femmes are an American folk punk band who began playing acoustic punk on the streets of Milwaukee. They were discovered in 1981 while busking outside the Oriental Theatre where the Pretenders were playing later that evening. The lead singer, Chrissie Hynde invited them to play a brief acoustic set after the opening act. Gordon Gano, the lead vocalist & guitar player was still in high school when he wrote all of the songs for the Violent Femmes’ first album. Today, the Violent Femmes consist of founding members Gordon Gano and Brian Ritchie, joined by multi-instrumentalist Blaise Garza and drummer John Sparrow. This concert with the Violent Femmes and the Milwaukee Symphony was produced and recorded by Milwaukee PBS at the Bradley Symphony Center on October 3, 2023. It will air on Milwaukee PBS on Friday, December 13, 2024 at 8pm, with an encore broadcast the same evening at 9:15pm on Milwaukee PBS Channel 10. “We’re excited to share this incredible concert with our audience as well as PBS stations around the country” said Debbie Hamlett, General Manager of Milwaukee PBS. “Listening to this amazing music with a “backup” symphony is an experience I hope you’ll never forget!” There will be a public sneak preview at the Oriental Theatre, where it all began, in Milwaukee on December 3rd.  The screening is free and open to the public but you must reserve your seat, register at MilwaukeePBS.org/events. Doors open at 6:30pm About Milwaukee PBS Milwaukee PBS is southeastern Wisconsin’s premier non-commercial media organization. It consists of two high-definition television stations, WMVS and WMVT, and four additional digital television services. Milwaukee PBS is one of the most-watched public television stations in the nation. For more information, visit www.MilwaukeePBS.org.

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