On WITF for September
A brief overview of September television on WITF
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Fred Vigeant
We’ll start off with a couple of items from the mailbag. The first note comes from a parent. Their child was watching Molly of Denali on WITF on a weekday morning while getting ready for the day. The parent said to their child that “Fred put it [Molly] on,” to which the child responded, “I love Fred.” I appreciate the adoration, but credit goes where credit is due – which is to PBS. The PBS KIDS schedule, which runs from 6am to 1pm weekdays, is largely planned by PBS. I can take credit for scheduling the popular Odd Squad and Nature Cat at 6am, but otherwise, thank you PBS KIDS.
The second viewer question I’d like to share is about ever-popular British comedy. I had a nice conversation with a new viewer to WITF who was seeking Vicar of Dibley, which we just broadcast last year. This viewer previously lived in another region of the state and their former PBS station was broadcasting the series. We are just settling into our new bigger British comedy block featuring Are You Being Served, Last of the Summer Wine, Still Open All Hours and Upstart Crow – are you enjoying the additional laughs? To answer the viewer’s question, we hope to bring the Vicar back into the rotation soon. The BBC is in the process of re-issuing the series in an updated format and making the previously unavailable holiday specials with Vicar of Dibley available for broadcast. I also have requests for As Time Goes By, Waiting for God and, of course, Miranda. Each of these titles come at a cost whether new or old. I’ll work to accommodate your requests as space in the schedule and money allow – so keep the requests coming!
Check out the fantastic programs airing weekday afternoons this month. You will find a variety of documentaries from American Masters and American Experience, plus Ken Burns’ Country Music. In October, we will settle in on a longer-term plan for the afternoons to include some additional how-to programming and afternoon tea-time with British comedy.
We have some great news from MASTERPIECE. We’ll see a brand new (albeit delayed) season of Grantchester coming into the schedule next month. In 2022, we should expect a new season of All Creatures Great and Small, which was a huge hit earlier this year. Even better news, Sanditon is indeed coming back. If you remember all the way back in early 2020, we were left in the lurch with the season finale which, at the time, turned out to be the unplanned series finale. However, stars have aligned to bring the show back and the second season is being taped as you read this. However, Theo James fans should note that he has decided not to reprise his role in the second season.
Find our “At a Glance” grid available on the TV schedules page along with the full On WITF Guide.
Thank you for your ongoing support for everything you see on WITF TV.
Fred Vigeant
Director of Programming for WITF
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