UVa-Wise proudly presents Ken Burns' WWII epic

on Blue Ridge PBS

The University of Virginia’s College at Wise invites television viewers throughout the region to watch the Blue Ridge PBS broadcast of “The War,” the latest epic from acclaimed filmmaker Ken Burns that explores America’s experience of World War II. The documentary will be proudly presented in part by UVa-Wise.

“The War,” co-produced by Burns (creator of “The Civil War,” “Jazz” and “Baseball”), will air on Blue Ridge PBS starting Sept. 23 at 8 p.m. The series will air Sept. 23-26, Sept. 30 and Oct. 1-2.

Six years in the making, the seven-episode film relates the story of the war both in the United States and around the globe, focusing on the lives and experiences of Americans from four geographically distributed communities transformed by the war: Waterbury, Conn.; Mobile, Ala.; Sacramento, Calif.; and the small farming town of Luverne, Minn. These often harrowing personal journeys and testimonies create a vivid portrait of the war that profoundly affected American lives, communities and society.

“The Second World War brought out the worst as well as the best in a generation, and I think it may also have reflected the last time the United States of America was truly united in one single purpose,” Burns said.

In “The War,” stories are told through the personal accounts of a handful of men and women. The experience of combat is brought vividly to life as veterans describe what it was like to fight and kill. In every battle scene, dramatic historical footage and photographs are combined with realistic sound.

To honor the World War II experiences of residents in the region, Blue Ridge PBS has produced “Through Their Eyes,” a documentary based on interviews with local World War II veterans, their families, former defense industry employees, civic volunteers and others who supported the war effort. The program will be broadcast at 7 p.m. before each episode of “The War.”

Celebrating its 40th anniversary in 2007, Blue Ridge PBS is the sole public multimedia enterprise serving 2.5 million individuals in southwest Virginia and bordering counties in Kentucky, Tennessee, West Virginia and North Carolina. As the region’s storyteller, Blue Ridge PBS offers outstanding informational, educational and cultural programming, along with an award-winning local production team devoted to regional issues and interests. Further, over 200,000 schoolchildren and their teachers benefit from the station’s education services that provide a safe, trusted environment for innovative on-air and online learning. Blue Ridge PBS is comprised of WBRA-TV/DT in Roanoke, WSBN-TV/DT in Norton and WMSY-TV/DT in Marion.

The only branch campus of the University of Virginia, UVa-Wise is ranked among the nation’s top ten public liberal arts colleges by U.S. News and World Report. UVa-Wise offers Virginia's only undergraduate degree in software engineering, among 28 other degrees and professional programs in the liberal arts tradition of Thomas Jefferson.

Posted Semptember 18, 2007