KQED Celebrates Women’s History Month in March

Over 70 Women’s history related television and radio programs to air

Four local heroes to be honored in annual awards ceremony on March 22 sponsored by Wells Fargo

 San Francisco, CA, March 1, 2012 – KQED, the public media organization that serves Northern California, proudly celebrates the culture, experience and history of women in the United States and around the world.  This month-long commemoration includes special programming and an event honoring a group of four unsung local leaders for their outstanding accomplishments and exemplary service within their communities.

KQED and Wells Fargo will celebrate this year’s local heroes on Thursday, March 22, 2012 at 6pm at the KQED Studios (2601 Mariposa Street, San Francisco). The event will feature live entertainment and an awards ceremony. The event is free and open to the public.

The 2012 Women’s History Month honorees are Kemba Shakur (Founder and Director, Urban Releaf), Raye Mitchell (Founder, New Reality Foundation – formerly I C HOPE), Marily Mondejar (President, Filipina Women’s Network) and Rhodessa Jones (Coartistic Director, Cultural Odyssey).

Also in honor of Women’s History Month, KQED Public Media will offer over 70 programs that focus on themes and culture related to women’s history.  Some of the month’s highlights include:

 KQED Public Radio  - 88.5FM San Francisco and 89.3FM Sacramento

 The Hidden World of Girls, hosted by Tina Fey

This two-hour long special tells the stories of coming of age, rites of passage, secret identities of women who crossed a line, broke a trail and changed the tide. Hour One: Saturday, March 3, at 1pm and Wednesday, March 7, at 8pm. Hour Two: Saturday March 10, at 1pm and Wednesday, March 14, at 8pm

KQED Public Television 

Independent Lens: Lioness
Saturday, March 3 at 2pm on KQED World
In Iraq, a group of women became the first in American history to be sent into direct ground combat.

Idina Menzel Live: Barefoot at the Symphony

Saturday, March 3 at 7pm on KQED Plus; Join the award–winning Broadway, television and recording artist as she journeys through the American songbook with an orchestra led by legendary composer/conductor Marvin Hamlisch.

Our Summer in Tehran
Sunday, March 11 at 7pm on KQED World

Filmmaker and long-time Globe Trekker host Justine Shapiro and her six-year-old son share daily life in Iran with three very different families.

Masterpiece Classic: Sense and Sensibility

Part 1: Monday, March 19 at 8pm on KQED Plus; Part 2: Monday, March 19 at 9:30pm on KQED Plus. Sisters Elinor and Marianne Dashwood enter the marriage market virtually penniless. But then three handsome and apparently well-heeled men come courting.

Tina Fey: The Mark Twain Prize

Monday, March 19 at 10pm on KQED 9 - Steve Carell, Betty White, Jon Hamm, Steve Martin and others pay tribute to the humor of acclaimed writer, actress, producer and comedienne Tina Fey.

Marie Antoinette

Friday, March 23 at 9pm on KQED 9; This documentary examines the life of one of the most controversial monarchs from her childhoods to her final hours.

Nancy Reagan: The Role of a Lifetime
Sunday, March 28 at 2:30pm on KQED World
This documentary examines this First Lady and her marriage and partnership with Ronald Reagan.

Program listings and descriptions for March can be found in the KQED Women’s History Month Guide, online at www.kqed.org/heritage.

About KQED:

KQED (kqed.org) has served Northern California for more than 50 years and is affiliated with NPR and PBS. KQED owns and operates public television stations KQED 9 (San Francisco/Bay Area), KQED Plus (San Jose/Bay Area) and KQET 25 (Watsonville/Monterey); KQED Public Radio (88.5 FM San Francisco and 89.3 FM Sacramento); the interactive platforms kqed.org and KQEDnews.org; and KQED Education. KQED Public Television is the producer of local and national series such as QUEST; Check, Please! Bay Area; This Week in Northern California; Truly CA; and Essential Pépin. KQED’s digital television stations include KQED 9, KQED Plus, KQED Life, KQED World, KQED Kids and KQED V-me, and are available 24/7 on Comcast. KQED Public Radio, home of Forum and The California Report, is one of the most-listened-to public radio stations in the nation with an award-winning news and public affairs program service delivering more than eighteen local weekday newscasts and news features. KQED Interactive provides KQED’s cross-platform news service, KQEDnews.org, as well as several popular local blogs, video and audio podcasts and a live radio stream at kqed.org. KQED Education brings the impact of KQED to thousands of teachers, students, parents and the general public through workshops, community screenings and multimedia resources.

About Wells Fargo

Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with more than 20,000 team members in the Bay Area and is ranked the #1 corporate giver among financial institutions by the San Francisco Business Times. In 2008, Wells Fargo contributed $16.7 million to non-profits in the Bay Area. Wells Fargo & Company is a diversified financial services company with $1.2 trillion in assets, providing banking, insurance, investments, mortgage and consumer finance through more than 10,000 stores and 12,000 ATMs and the internet (wellsfargo.com) across North America and internationally.