PRESIDENT’S MEMO

In 1988, as racial tensions increased in Dallas, KERA Channel 13 and KERA 90.1 launched Project Crossroads. We envisioned the project then as a year-long effort in which all of KERA’s local resources would be devoted to TV and radio programming and outreach efforts that addressed racial and class relations in Dallas.

It was soon apparent that the project deserved more than one year; Project Crossroads activities during the ensuing 18 months ranged from “town-hall” programs and documentaries to outreach projects like last year’s citywide congregation exchange, in cooperation with the Greater Dallas Community of Churches, which was documented in All God’s People.

Tuesday, May 15, at 7 p.m. Channel 13 will air its final Project Crossroads special, Project Crossroads: The Youth Summit. This innovative show, which will be accompanied that week by special programming on KERA 90.1, will focus on how our children feel about race, racism and the future of our society. I urge you to join us for an unusual hour.

I also hope you’ll turn to 13 Wednesday, May 23, at 8 p.m. for the premiere of Frozen Music: The Making of the Meyerson. This half-hour KERA production is a celebration of Dallas’ Morton H. Meyerson Symphony Center, the new North Texas jewel that one art critic calls “an urban symphony.” Among the personalities featured in this program are architect I.M. Pei, Maestro Eduardo Mata and piano virtuoso Van Cliburn.

Finally, I invite you to take part in the 18th annual Channel 13 Auction, which begins its 11-day run Thursday, May 31, at 5 p.m. The Auction is Channel 13’s single most important fund-raiser of the year, and the 1990 edition features everything you’ve come to expect from the Channel 13 Auction, and more. It’s the most exciting way there is to shop for bargains on thousands of great items, and I bid you to enjoy!

Best wishes,

Richard J. Meyer