Genealogy on TV

[kmgenealogy]

Just happened across a new TV genealogy program yesterday. For those of you on cable or satellite TV who have access to Brigham Young University TV (BYUTV), a new program started Saturday - "THE GENERATIONS PROJECT". I'm in Oregon so the time yesterday was 12 noon-1 pm Pacific Time. It repeats (Pacific Time) Sun. 10-11am, Mon. 11 am-12 noon & Mon. 5 pm-6 pm.

I got in on the second half so will be watching it again to see the first half. The premise seems to be that BYUTV chooses someone and helps them trace back their roots for a specific purpose. This first program was about a man named "Durrel" (the name of this episode). Not sure how many episodes there will be.

Take a look:
http://www.byub.org/programaz/program.asp?id=1791 Looks like its showing Mountain Time for the episodes
http://www.byub.org/thegenerationsproject/ This seems to be a video of next Saturday's episode

It's nice to see all the genealogy-related programs starting this year. Don't forget that "WHO DO YOU THINK YOU ARE?" premiers March 5th on NBC - 8 pm Eastern Time. This is the American version of the British program.

On Feb. 10th, PBS is starting a series called "FACES OF AMERICA". I think it is in 4-parts. Check out PBS.org for further information.

Kaye

[theKiwi]

Originally Posted by kmgenealogy

This first program was about a man named "Durrel" (the name of this episode). Not sure how many episodes there will be.

Actually the first one was on last week about a woman called Lumina (if I recall correctly) who was a descendant of Russian Jews who came in through Ellis Island. I have the one about Durrel recorded but not watched yet.

I just hope that NBC sticks by their word now and does show the "Who Do You Think You Are" series to help with awareness of genealogy.

Roger

[Michael Talibard]

Originally Posted by theKiwi

I just hope that NBC sticks by their word now and does show the "Who Do You Think You Are" series to help with awareness of genealogy.

You mean the BBC series 'Who Do You Think You Are?', I take it. I don't know how much of this you've seen, but in my view it was misconceived - too much in thrall to our dreadful 'celebrity' culture. Just as, in natural history programming, I'd rather see a film on the white rhino than a film of some allegedly-famous floozy looking for white rhinos, or in the arts, I'd rather see Monet than 'David Beckham Meets Monet', so I would prefer a series where the genealogy research itself was interesting to this exercise in pandering to the celebrities.

Typically, the star would turn up to some archive to be met by an expert who had been pre-programmed to find all the goodies for them - not how it works for the rest of us! Also, the ancestors selected for full coverage had to be newsworthy - rich, or tragic, or powerful, or somehow newsworthy. One film, centred on the chat-show host Michael Parkinson, was actually cancelled (it is said) because his forbears all turned out to be un-newsworthy regular folks in Yorkshire; he was understandably miffed.

The series gives the viewer little or no idea of how to tackle genealogy, or of what it's really like to do so. Or that's my view. But I must admit I still watched them all.

[Dennis J. Cunniff]

Originally Posted by Michael Talibard

You mean the BBC series 'Who Do You Think You Are?', I take it.

NBC will broadcast its own version of BBC's "Who Do You Think You Are?".... same basic premise, celebrity centered, but with celebrities Americans will be more familiar with.

[theKiwi]

Originally Posted by Michael Talibard

The series gives the viewer little or no idea of how to tackle genealogy, or of what it's really like to do so. Or that's my view. But I must admit I still watched them all.

I rest my case :-)

From all accounts it has led to a lot more interest in genealogy in the UK.

Roger

[Jan Powell]

Originally Posted by Michael Talibard

...Typically, the star would turn up to some archive to be met by an expert who had been pre-programmed to find all the goodies for them... Also, the ancestors selected for full coverage had to be newsworthy - rich, or tragic, or powerful, or somehow newsworthy. One film, centred on the chat-show host Michael Parkinson, was actually cancelled (it is said) because his forbears all turned out to be un-newsworthy regular folks in Yorkshire.

Michael Parkinson's forebears were just ordinary people, like most of us, and many of the earlier programmes have shown where to find archives for ordinary people, so I can understand why the programme wasn't made. Remember that the programme is trying to bring new people into the genealogy fold, as well as be interesting to those who already hunt for relatives, so needs to have people who are well-known.

The series gives the viewer little or no idea of how to tackle genealogy, or of what it's really like to do so.

I have watched all programmes of all the British series and Irish series and, whilst I understand what you mean about the "pre-programmed expert" I think that there has been plenty to learn in tackling genealogy - the experts are mostly at a range of different archives. This has been invaluable for me, as a Kiwi living in Ireland, finding out what a wide range of archives there are in UK and Ireland, what their holdings are, and where to find them. Spurs me on to visit them myself, where appropriate.