12:00: Behind the scenes of 'Antiques Roadshow'
1:00: Special rebroadcast: American history as the country turns 250 years old
"Antiques Roadshow" is coming to the Rochester area! The popular PBS series will visit Genesee Country Village & Museum in Mumford on Wednesday.* Three episodes from the event will air on PBS in 2027. But first, the "Roadshow" team joins us for a special "Connections" episode with a live audience at WXXI. Our guests take us behind the scenes to explain how the show is made and why there's so much to learn from the antiques, art, and collectibles we treasure. Our guests:
- Marsha Bemko, executive producer of "Antiques Roadshow"
- Sam Farrell, senior producer of "Antiques Roadshow"
- Leigh Keno, appraiser for "Antiques Roadshow"
- Arlie Sulka, appraiser for "Antiques Roadshow"
- Becky Wehle, president and CEO of Genesee Country Village & Museum
*Please note that the "Antiques Roadshow" event in Mumford requires tickets, and all of the tickets have been distributed.
Then in our second hour, we bring you a special rebroadcast about the value of studying local history. Only 18% of four-year colleges require a foundational course in U.S. history or government. That could help explain why American students fare so poorly on history exams. With the country turning 250 years old, Geneseo history professor Michael Oberg is helping launch a new project: it pairs college students with historians to study both New York State history and the meaning of American independence. Can it work? More ominously, what are the costs of a poorly educated society? We discuss it with our guests:
- Michael Oberg, Ph.D., distinguished professor in the Department of History at SUNY Geneseo
- Beth Thomas, historian for the town of Bristol
- Myah LaFave, recipient of the 2026 Robert Gardiner Fellowship
- Liam DeBono, undergraduate at SUNY Geneseo and recipient of the 2024 Robert Gardiner Fellowship
"Connections" is livestreamed each day on the WXXI News YouTube channel. Watch here.
