WGBY will preempt some of its regularly scheduled programming this weekend in order to broadcast special content in the wake of last Friday’s school shooting in Newtown, Connecticut. On Friday, December 21, Gwen Ifill hosts After Newtown, a PBS prime-time special produced by WNET, with contributions from FRONTLINE, NOVA, PBS NewsHour and Washington Week, from 8-9pm. The show provides an overview of issues, both social and political, that have re-emerged in the past week since the tragedy occurred.
On Saturday, viewers can learn additional information about those issues as they are more closely examined in What Next After Newtown: What Our Country and Communities Can Do. This three-hour special will include both national and local programming divided into the following six half-hour segments: The Mind of a Killer, Public Policy and Mental Illness, School Security, Talking to Children/Finding a Path to Healing, Violence in the Media and Accessibility of Weapons. What Next After Newtown airs from 3-6pm on WGBY.
WGBY’s Connecting Point will re-broadcast three of this week’s segments within that time period: Watch to see host Carrie Saldo’s conversation with a psychologist about societal factors he believes cultivate this type of horrific behavior; her interview with Chicopee School Superintendent Richard Rege that covered student safety within the district; and Saldo’s talk with a local psychiatrist who suggested ways to talk with young children who may be afraid and reluctant to go to school.
Viewers are encouraged to share their comments and ideas on WGBY’s Facebook page during and after each program. As part of its commitment to improving local communities through lifelong learning, WGBY plans to participate in a long-term effort, both on-air and off, to improve child safety in our region.