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KSMQ expands its Connections series with Family Connections, a new 52-week local production. The program is designed to help parents, caregivers, teachers, and others nurture and grow children’s learning skills. Guests and viewers will be engaged with topics such as education, child development, health care and parental concerns. We welcome your calls, questions and experiences to share with our studio hosts and expert guests so as to help support and strengthen the family. The number to call in is: 877-469-5767. Hosted each week by one of the rotating hosts: Lynn Spainhower, Alice Englin, Carolyn Osmanson, Vicki Langrell, Kim Otten and David Larson.

Family Connections airs Thursdays at 6:30pm.

Tonight’s episode of Fitness Connections talked about the many kinds of food that we put in our bodies every day. Here are some links to good websites that were mentioned during the show.

MyPyramid.gov

This is a site from the United States Department of Agriculture. Be sure to check out the new Food Pyramid! Also, make sure to look at all of the resources on the left side under the headline “Subjects.”

Nutrition Facts Labels

One of the important things about watching our weight is to remember to look at the ingredients of the food we eat daily. Here’s a link to the Food and Drug Administration’s “How to Understand and Use the Nutrition Facts Label.” This will make it easier to find out about your food!

Local Resources
The Austin Public Schools and their Life Long Learning initiative have classes about healthy eating. Check it out at:

Austin Public Schools
Scroll down the page and click “Life Long Learning” on the right side of the web page.

Be sure to stay tuned to Fitness Connections for more information and inspiration to change your lifestyle for the better!

You’ve probably never seen jungle expeditions like this. In NATURE “Deep Jungle,“ viewers see a world that Tarzan never could have imagined. We all have a picture in our mind’s eye of what Earth’s great jungles look like. But you’ve never seen tropical forests like this before.

“What we’re learning today about jungles and how we’re learning it are almost equally fascinating,” says executive producer Fred Kaufman. “These three films reveal as much about the boundless quality of human ingenuity as they do about the living components of the jungle itself.”Filmed in the rainforests of Borneo, Peru, Cambodia, the Central African Republic and elsewhere, “Deep Jungle“ follows researchers as they climb nearly 200-foot-high jungle canopies, confront unknown species, unravel mysteries of animal behavior and explore hidden archeological sites that harbor clues about lost civilizations.

“It’s all accomplished with a remarkable element of fearlessness and the inventive use of cutting-edge technology,” says Kaufman.

The companion PBS website for Nature, Deep Jungle contains video previews, resources for educators and information for you to explore.

Many times we find ourselves unable to allot time for exercise. Work, meetings, family responsibilities and the many parts of our increasingly hectic lives distract us from something that can greatly improve the quality of our own lives: exercise.

Greg Lappin, host of Fitness Connections, has come up with a great resource for our viewers to overcome those pesky barriers to exercise.

Click here to download the PDF.

Airing on Thursday, February 21 and Thursday, February 28 at 8:00pm.

The critically acclaimed PBS broadcasts AFRICAN AMERICAN LIVES (2006) and OPRAH’S ROOTS (2007) shone a national spotlight on the powerful process of discovering one’s family history. Now, Harvard scholar Henry Louis Gates Jr. guides an all-new group — poet Maya Angelou, author Bliss Broyard, actor Don Cheadle, actor Morgan Freeman, theologian Peter Gomes, college administrator Kathleen Henderson, publisher Linda Johnson Rice, radio host Tom Joyner, athlete Jackie Joyner-Kersee, comedian Chris Rock and rock ’n’ roll legend Tina Turner — on a journey to discover their ancestry in African American Lives 2. The series draws on DNA analysis, genealogical research and family oral tradition to trace the lineages of the participants down through U.S. history and back to Africa.

Learn more… Building on the program’s theme of searching for lost history, the website for African American Lives 2 provides information about the series, background on the research, scholarship, and science, and resources for people to learn more about their own family history and genealogy.

Don’t miss the first episode of Fitness Connections—Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30pm.

KSMQ continues its Connection series with Fitness Connections. Hosted by Greg Lappin, this new series is designed to bring you ideas on how to be happier and healthier by making small improvements in your fitness level. Greg welcomes guests into our studio to share their knowledge and expertise, and answer your calls and questions. We will also get tips every week from Bill Villarreal, program director at the Albert Lea YMCA, on how to keep your exercise experience fun! Personal fitness—it’s all about you! The series begins Wednesday, February 13 at 6:30pm. and continues for 12 weeks. Learn more about Fitness Connections. We invite you to share your questions and comments about the program, right here on our blog.

The communities that KSMQ serves continue to grow at a fast pace and economic development is a topic we must all consider. Most people want to see their community grow. Economic development provides new jobs for our children, increased services for residents and perceived prosperity for all. But at what cost are communities laying out the welcome mat and are those efforts being rewarded?

KSMQ is proud to present the fourth Regional Town Hall as part of the series, Cities on the Move. A panel of concerned community leaders will present the facts – and their opinions. Is it really necessary for communities to expand in order to be successful? Who determines how our community’s growth is defined? Do prospective businesses have the upper hand in negotiating with our communities?

Read the perspectives of members of our panel on February 5th as we invite you to share your own opinions with others, here on our blog.

Dan Dorman - ALBDC
Sian Muir, St. Olaf College
Bruce Schwartau - University of Minnesota

Learn more about Cities on the Move and our Regional Town Hall.

Motorweek airs on KSMQ Fridays at 9:30pm. and Saturdays at 10:30am.

As the first place to see new vehicle road tests, Motorweek puts viewers in the driver’s seat with timely delivery of vehicle comparisons, fuel-efficient options and consumer-oriented news and feature stories. Hosted by nationally acclaimed car expert John Davis, Motorweek travels America and the world, bringing viewers the latest on automotive technologies and new car and truck models. Motorweek is television’s leading source for auto news and entertainment, empowering drivers of all ages and inspiring enthusiasts in all lifestyles.

With car “personalization” on the rise, more vehicle fuel choices and industry changes the likes which have not been seen since Ford implemented the assembly line, Americans will be a weekly witness to it all when Motorweek takes viewers through the industry evolution. Car reviews, fuel economy comparisons and behind-the-scenes stories are fresher than ever this season on Motorweek.

Curious George is a little monkey with an insatiable curiosity. Like George, children are intrigued by new things. They’re natural explorers and scientists, and they’re anxious to know how things work.

The series takes full advantage of this natural curiosity, using George to motivate children to expand their own investigations of the world. George’s memorable adventures — from dismantling clocks to rounding up errant bunnies — offer the perfect vehicles for introducing preschoolers to key concepts in science, engineering, and math. George is nurturing children’s innate tendencies toward inquiry and hands-on exploration, he is also motivating parents and caregivers to do the same.

Did we mention that the show is funny? This isn’t a series of lectures (ever try to get a monkey to sit still for a lecture?). These are comic adventures. When each adventure ends, kids will have gained some knowledge, and had plenty of laughs along the way.

Curious George airs weekdays at 8:00am and at 5:00pm. Plus Saturdays at 7:00am. Check out all of our outstanding programs for kids (and parents & caregivers, too).

Super Why! With a breakthrough interactive approach to reading education, classic fairytales with an innovative preschool twist and colorful and empowering young heroes, Super Why! is the only preschool property created to help kids learn the fundamentals of reading through interactive storybook adventures.

The standout, imagination-stimulating series focuses on the adventures of four fairytale friends who transform into reading-powered superheroes: Alpha Pig with Alphabet Power, Wonder Red with Word Power, Princess Presto with Spelling Power, Super Why! with the Power to Read and Super YOU with the Power to Help. Together, they are the “Super Readers”! The Super Readers jump into books (literally) to find answers to everyday preschool challenges and embark on exciting adventures, where they play interactive reading games to overcome obstacles and save the day.

In every fantastical episode of Super Why!, young viewers dive directly into a pop-up story to experience a brightly-illustrated children’s tale brought to magical life. Super Why! airs weekdays at 9:00am.

KSMQ’s Connections is back with a look at what we are eating.

Food Connections airs Wednesdays at 6:30pm.
I spent several weeks trying to determine the best way to handle a show about food that was not based on cooking in the studio. I knew it had to be based in facts and research; bad information is worse than no information. But I also wanted it to be watchable. Having a vivid memory of my science lectures in college, I had no desire to subject you to that experience. So, I began with a conference call with many area experts to see just what was on their radar. I was very surprised at some of the things I heard, and it solidified my resolve to do my best with this series.

From there, we winnowed out what topics could be covered in a live studio setting. Then invitations were made for guests to appear, and Dan Hernandez was selected as our host. Dan is a great guy, full of knowledge and insight, and he has really bought in to this program. What is not immediately apparent at home is all the hours that go into researching, planning and preparation, and Dan has done a superb job of all of those.

I am also very proud of the partnerships that we have grown with this program. Hy-Vee, Hormel and Restaurant Warehouse - all in Austin - really stepped up to make this show possible.

I am very encouraged by the call in response to our first show. We took questions from Albert Lea, Rochester and Austin in our first show, and for me, that is what it is all about. Getting you engaged in my show in a way that you can’t find anywhere else. There is a lot of talk about new, interactive media, but I believe this is the best way for me as a producer to connect with you as a viewer to deliver EXACTLY what you are looking for. The response is immediate and personal, and we have a lot of fun doing it.

I look forward to hearing more from you, and if you have any questions or comments, let me know!

Food Connections airs Wednesdays at 6:30pm.
Shawn Martin
Producer/Director-Food Connections

WordWorld is a colorful, word-rich place where friends have fun and meet challenges through word play. Each episode of WordWorld is a fun narrative built around a wacky troupe of WordFriends™, who are characters first and words second. Shy Sheep loves to pretend; cautious Frog is the brainiac and word “expert”; impetuous Duck is still learning his letters (and social skills); gregarious Pig lives in the moment; pragmatic Ant is always on the go; affable Dog is a WordFriend’s best friend.

WordWorld’s WordFriends invite the preschool viewer to join them on comic adventures, where problems can only be resolved by “building” the right word. Word building is a unique moment when children witness a word form and then ‘morph’ into the thing it is! Word building reinforces the pre-reading concept that letters make words, and that words have real meaning…and power.

Words come alive, words save the day, and words become a child’s best friend in this 3D animated series. Learning to form words has never been this fun!

WordWorld’s airs weekdays on KSMQ at 2:00pm. See our entire program lineup for kids.

The geographical region which KSMQ serves is a bountiful resource for agricultural products that end up on your plate. The methods for producing those goods are increasingly varied, and reflect the changing attitudes toward food safety and nutrition. Competition from other industries for basic food products like corn, such as energy, is increasing food costs.

KSMQ is proud to present the third Regional Town Hall as part of the series, Cities on the Move. A panel of concerned community leaders present the facts – and their opinions. Who is producing our food? Is it local? Is it sustainable? Does it matter? In a global economy, can we afford to produce all of our food here at home? How have production methods changed? What are the implications of the emerging energy products in agriculture? What impact do these changes have on our local economies?

Read the perspectives of members of our panel and we invite you to share your own opinions with others, here on our blog.

John Monson Ag Star Financial
David Bissonnette Minnesota State University, Mankato
Kevin Paap Farm Bureau President and farm producer
Jennifer Rupprecht Lewiston area farm producer
Ronald Collett Dairy Farmers of America

Learn more about Cities on the Move and our Regional Town Hall.

Beginning on Thursday, October 25 at 8:00pm. and continuing for the following two weeks, we invite you to tune in an watch the Mysterious Human Heart.

This in-depth, comprehensive television series from award-winning filmmaker David Grubin examines the heart: how it works, what can go wrong with it and how we treat it. The three-hour series follows the true, compelling stories of men and women, young and old alike, whose hearts have led them to a brush with mortality. Through these encounters, the series explores the most common misconceptions about this unique organ and documents the latest scientific and medical revelations — discoveries that have transformed our understanding of the heart and given us new insights into the best ways to prevent heart disease and treat it when it does occur. Learn more about Mysterious Human Heart.