PRESS RELEASE:

Nearly 100 stars from television's formative years bring their stories to PBS this month in "PIONEERS OF TELEVISION" -- a revealing four-part documentary series airing Wednesdays, January 2 – 23, at 8 p.m. on KUED-Channel 7.  Each special, featuring sitcoms, late-night variety and game shows - melds compelling new HD interviews with archival clips to offer a fresh take on television's first celebrities.  These landmark one-hour specials tell fascinating stories, reveal never-before-seen images and showcase timeless clips that still entertain decades later.

"SITCOMS," airing Wednesday, January 2, at 8 p.m., focuses on five key sitcoms: "I Love Lucy," "The Honeymooners," "Make Room for Daddy," "The Andy Griffith Show" and "The Dick Van Dyke Show."

"LATE NIGHT," airing Wednesday, January 9, at 8 p.m., looks at the formative years of late-night television, with the stories of Steve Allen, Jack Paar and Johnny Carson.

"VARIETY," airing Wednesday, January 16, at 8 p.m., begins with Ed Sullivan's "Toast of the Town," and Milton Berle's "Texaco Star Theater" and progresses through "The Carol Burnett Show," "Smothers Brothers" and "Laugh-In," among others.

"GAME SHOWS," airing Wednesday, January 23, at 8 p.m., traces one of broadcasting's strongest genres' from its beginnings in radio through its heyday in the late '60s.  Bob Barker talks about his earliest work and Merv Griffin details his creation of game shows.

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