Parker Posey to Narrate Thirteen's THE '80'S TRUSTED VOICE, 9/10

In the 1980s, 100 million Americans were tuning into public television every week, and over a third of that Primetime programming was being created by New York's THIRTEEN, the PBS flagship station. THIRTEEN's programming was original and groundbreaking introducing many firsts including Style Wars(1983), the first portrait of hip hop culture with a soundtrack featuring music by early rap artist Grandmaster Flash; Longtime Companion (1989) on American Playhouse, the first feature-length film to deal with the subject of AIDS and its impact on the gay community; the documentary Brooklyn Bridge (1981) which helped to launch the career of now legendary PBS filmmaker Ken Burns; the debut of two of the station's signature series American Masters (1986) and Nature (1982); the premiere of the first films by award-winning directors Jim Jarmusch, Ang Lee and Spike Lee, and more. Throughout the decade, THIRTEEN was the bold, innovative, and trusted voice of PBS.

Watch a sneak peek here!

Narrated by actress Parker Posey, whose role in the PBS miniseries Armistead Maupin's Tales of the City (1993) kick started her career, Pioneers of THIRTEEN The'80s - Trusted Voices airs Tuesday, September 10, 2013 at 9:30 p.m. on THIRTEEN.

Through rarely-seen clips and interviews with actors, directors, producers, journalists and writers, the 90-minute documentary recounts the output of the 1980s, programs that are now classics in the annals of public television. Below is a list of the clips and interviewees featured in the program:

Featured clips include:
Adam Smith's Money World
o Interview with Warren Buffett
American Masters
o "Martin Scorsese Directs"
o "Unknown Chaplin"
American Playhouse
o "For Colored Girls Who Have Considered Suicide When the Rainbow is Enuf" starring Alfre Woodard
o "Longtime Companion" starring Bruce Davison
o "Tales of the City" starring Laura Linney and Parker Posey
o "True West" starring John Malkovich and Gary Sinise
Art of the Western World
The Brain
Brideshead Revisited
o Starring Claire Bloom, John Gielgud, Jeremy Irons, Laurence Olivier
Brooklyn Bridge
Childhood
Ethics in America
Good Morning, Mr. Orwell
o Hosted by George Plimpton
o Oingo Boingo performing "Wake Up (It's 1984)"
Great Performances
o "Baryshnikov by Tharp" with Mikhail Baryshnikov
o "Tap Dance in America" featuring Gregory Hines and Savion Glover
Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
o Hosted by Abba Eban
Independent Focus
o Jim Jarmusch's "Permanent Vacation"
o Ang Lee's "Fine Line"
o Spike Lee's "Joe's Bed-Stuy Barbershop: We Cut Heads"
Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth with Bill Moyers
Koyaanisqatsi
The Lathe of Heaven
Life on Earth
o Hosted by Sir David Attenborough
MacNeil/Lehrer Newshour
o Interview with Ayatollah Khomeini
o Interview with Fidel Castro
Nature
o "The Flight of the Condor"
o "Sexual Encounters of the Floral Kind"
The Secret Government: The Constitution in Crisis
o Interview with then-Senator John Kerry
Sesame Street
o Introduction of Elmo
o "Monsterpiece Theater"
o "Special Report: The Missing Cookies Affair"
Shining Time Station
o Hosted by Ringo Starr
Style Wars
The Times of Harvey Milk
Tony Brown's Journal
o Interview with President Ronald Reagan
o Interview with Tamalge Hayer, one of the assassins of Malcolm X
o Performance by Eubie Blake
Wrap Around the World
o Performance by David Bowie
o Comedy skit by Al Franken and Tom Davis

Featured interviews include:

Perry Miller Adato, executive producer, Art of the Western World
Erna Akuginow, independent filmmaker
Dr. William Baker, president, THIRTEEN 1987-2008
Stephen Battaglio, television historian & author
Richard I. Beattie, Vice chairman emeritus, THIRTEEN Board of Trustees
Tony Brown, host & creator, Tony Brown's Journal
Ken Burns, Oscar-nominated filmmaker
Bill Chase, production manager, Good Morning, Mr. Orwell; and director of production management, THIRTEEN 1979-1988
Roslyn Davis, general manager, THIRTEEN
William M. Ellinghaus, chairman emeritus, THIRTEEN Board of Trustees
Harvey Fierstein, award-winning actor & playwright
Savion Glover, award-winning choreographer
Geoffrey Haines-Stiles, independent filmmaker
David Horn, executive producer, Great Performances
Charlayne Hunter-Gault, national correspondent, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report
Fred Kaufman, executive producer, Nature
Gary Knell, senior vp & general counsel, THIRTEEN 1982-1989
Joan Konner, executive producer, Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
Robert Kotlowitz, senior vp for programming, THIRTEEN, 1971-1990
Jeremy Irons, Oscar-winning actor
Arnold Labaton, executive producer , THIRTEEN & Heritage: Civilization and the Jews
Susan Lacy, creator & executive producer, American Masters
Lindsay Law, executive producer, American Playhouse
Ursula K. Le Guin, author, The Lathe of Heaven
Ang Lee, Oscar-winning director
Jim Lehrer, creator & anchor, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report
George Lucas, Oscar-winning director
Robert MacNeil, creator & anchor, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report
Don Mischer, director, Baryshnikov by Tharp and Tap Dance in America
Bill Moyers, host, The Secret Government and Joseph Campbell and the Power of Myth
Al Perlmutter, executive producer, The Secret Government and Adam Smith's Money World
Sam Pollard, editor, Style Wars
Hudson Stoddard, director of development, THIRTEEN 1965-1987
Stuart Sucherman, senior editorial consultant, Ethics in America
Jac Venza, culture & arts executive producer, THIRTEEN 1962-2005

Pioneers of THIRTEEN is a production of THIRTEEN Productions LLC in association with WNET. WNET is the parent company of public television stations THIRTEEN and WLIW21and operator of NJTV. Julie Anderson is executive producer. Charlotte Mangin is producer. Sue Ding is associate producer.
Funding for Pioneers of THIRTEEN is provided by Rosalind P. Walter and the members of THIRTEEN.

About WNET
In 2013, WNET is celebrating the 50th Anniversary of THIRTEEN, New York's flagship public media provider. As the parent company of THIRTEEN and WLIW21 and operator of NJTV, WNET brings quality arts, education and public affairs programming to over 5 million viewers each week. WNET produces and presents such acclaimed PBS series as Nature, Great Performances, American Masters, Need to Know, Charlie Rose and a range of documentaries, children's programs, and local news and cultural offerings available on air and online. Pioneers in educational programming, WNET has created such groundbreaking series as Get the Math, Oh Noah! and Cyberchase and provides tools for educators that bring compelling content to life in the classroom and at home. WNET highlights the tri-state's unique culture and diverse communities through NYC-ARTS, Reel 13, NJ Today and MetroFocus, the multi-platform news magazine focusing on the New York region. WNET is also a leader in connecting with viewers on emerging platforms, including theTHIRTEEN Explore iPad App where users can stream PBS content for free.

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