Local PBS station WTTW-Channel 11 will air the March episode of In the Life, a one-hour television newsmagazine created by members of the LGBT community, but the station is not broadcasting the February episode.
'It's sort of a case by case,' said WTTW programming director Dan Soles. 'We thought we needed to air In the Life in March because it includes a Chicago-area school. I have no idea about April. It's really a month-by-month thing.'
'I had a lot of people asking me about it; I don't think we've aired it since, like, November,' said Jerry, a WTTW customer service representative who said he has taken many calls from viewers regarding the absence of In the Life from the Channel 11 schedule.
'The ( programming office ) finally got back to me and said it's scheduled to air in March.'
In its 12th year, this ever-evolving television program generally includes five or six segments, ranging from a Howard Dean interview to homeless queer kids in Minneapolis to a behind-the-scenes look at circuit parties. ITL is broadcast on more than 130 public TV stations in the U.S., including Bloomington and Indianapolis, Ind., and Peoria, Ill., which will air the February episode Sunday, Feb. 8 ( 2 a.m. WTVP-Channel 47 ) .
'Often it comes down to one program director and whether they decide to air the show,' said Andrea Swift, ITL executive producer and former independent filmmaker who is beginning her fourth year with the series.
'The last episode ( WTTW ) aired was our Pride episode in June ( 2003 ) ,' said David Martin, ITL director of membership and community relations, who joined the staff in October 2000. 'When we went monthly ( in year 2000-'01 ) , they aired eight episodes the first year, eight in the second year and six in the 2003 season. I didn't know until today ( Feb. 2 ) why they weren't airing the show. Dan ( Soles ) said he didn't have the information about which of the episodes were new or repeats or repackaged.'
Six new episodes are produced each season, Martin explained, and are distributed by American Public Television along with three repeats and three episodes that are repackaged, all aimed to fill a 12-month calendar. The April episode is slated to be a repeat, though it would be new to Chicago-area residents because they have not had an opportunity to see any of this season's shows.
The March episode ( set to air at 12:01 a.m. Monday, March 29 ) includes a segment on Lincolnshire's Adlai E. Stevenson High School where a group of students are hoping to start a gay-straight alliance, even though the school already has a diversity club.
'ITL is produced by In the Life Media, Inc., a not-for-profit 501 ( c ) ( 3 ) member-supported educational project dedicated to presenting positive images and accurate information about the gay and lesbian community,' its mission statement reads on the inthelifetv.org Web site. Along with nearly 5,000 pledging members, the project also is supported by high-profile funding sources such as the Ford Foundation and B.W. Bastian Foundation.
Last February, the newsmagazine received two Emmy Award nominations from the New York Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences, recognizing ITL's '10th Anniversary Edition' ( June 2002 ) and 'Victims of 9/11' ( broadcast in April 2002 ) .
Eileen Durkin, president and CEO of the Victor C. Neumann Association and former executive director of Howard Brown Health Center, chairs the WTTW Community Advisory Board, whose objective is to assist the station 'in fulfilling its mission to inform, inspire, educate and entertain its viewing audience by providing distinctive television and radio programming for diverse audiences in Chicago and the nation.' The board does so by 'representing diverse constituencies, monitoring and evaluating programs, giving voice to underserved populations, serving as a sounding board for ideas presented by WTTW staff and bringing issues of community concern to the attention of station management.' The board's next meeting is Tuesday, Feb. 10.
