Huell Howser Takes Over Presidents Day on KCET With Eight Solid Hours of Rarely Seen Episodes of CALIFORNIA’S GOLD and VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER
Emily Merkley
emerkley@kcet.org
747.201.5298
Feb. 20 Also Kicks Off KCET’S New Weekday Primetime Programming Lineup Featuring Two Back-To-Back Howser Episodes Starting at 7 p.m.
Special Programming Event To Feature Howser’s Cameraman Luis Fuerte
https://www.kcet.org/huellhowser
Burbank, Calif. – Jan. 24, 2017 –KCET, the nation’s largest independent public television station, announced today that on Mon., Feb. 20, beloved KCET host, Huell Howser, will return with a special “Sea and Shore” Presidents Day Marathon highlighting the best of Huell Howser‘s CALIFORNIA’S GOLD and VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER. The marathon will follow Howser up and down the California coast visiting popular locations such as Venice Beach, Carpinteria State Beach, Upper Newport Bay, Catalina Casino, the Coastal Cactus Garden and many, many more. The marathon will air from 8 a.m. to 4 p.m. PT only on Southern California’s KCET.
Additionally, KCET announced a major primetime scheduling change that will feature two back-to-back episodes every weekday that will highlight the best of Huell Howser through the years featuring some of the most rarely seen episodes from both CALIFORNIA’S GOLD and VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER. This programming block will air every Mon.- Fri., at 7 p.m. and 7:30 p.m. PT.
Howser produced more than 1,000 episodes of various public television series (including CALIFORNIA’S GOLD and VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER) over the course of 30 years. Working in partnership with Chapman University, which owns the rights to the Huell Howser Archive since the time of Howser’s death in 2013, KCET will treat Southern Californians to this binge-worthy event to ensure that Howser is forever immortalized through his television series dedicated to preserving the culturally diverse and rich history of California.
To celebrate the new block of programming, KCET will air a special programming event titled “Huell’s California Adventures” on Sat., March 11 at 7 p.m. PT featuring longtime Huell Howser cameraman, Luis Fuerte (aka “Louie”). Fuerte’s new book, Louie, Take a Look at This!: My Time With Huell Howser, will chronicle Fuerte and Howser’s adventures throughout California. Fuerte began working at KCET in May of 1972 and served as Howser’s cameraman from 1991 to 2001, forming a close bond with the host. As a thank you for supporting KCET, viewers who donate during the special featuring select episodes of CALIFORNIA’S GOLD can receive a copy of Fuerte’s memoir, set to be released in April, and a DVD set of his favorite episodes as mentioned in his memoir.
A new and improved Huell Howser online destination has been created at kcet.org/huellhowser that includes a schedule of programs, more episodes, clips, articles and news about the legendary host. Secondly, an extensive Facebook initiative will launch at Facebook.com/KCET28 featuring a live chat with Fuerte as well as weekly updated promos, and excerpts from rare episodes. Finally, KCET will launch an exciting Instagram campaign starting Feb. 17 called “Where's Huell in This Video?" resulting in a special 3’ x 3’ image of Huell. Join the conversation on social media using #Huell
The Presidents Day marathon will be telecast as follows:
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Kelp” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 8 a.m. PT:
Huell explores one of California’s biggest and most beautiful forests– the incredible kelp forests off our coast. Travel from Monterey to San Diego to see how kelp grows, how it is harvested and how it finds its way into the common foods we eat.
VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER “Coastal Cactus Garden” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 8:30 a.m. PT:
Tucked away behind the Hamlet at Moonstone Gardens Restaurant in Cambria is an expansive cactus garden. Join Huell as he strolls through this Central Coast gem filled with indigenous and exotic plants.
VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER “Venice Beach” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 9 a.m. PT:
Huell explores Venice Beach and finds out why it is such a popular attraction for both tourists and locals alike. He watches paddle tennis, volleyball and meets the “tree man.”
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Oil Islands” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 9:30 a.m. PT:
In Long Beach, Calif., there’s a 42-acre oilfield offshore, in plain view of tourists, port traffic and beach lovers – with 175-foot high drilling towers and 1,100 wells that penetrate a vast underground. It may well be the most unique and beautiful oil drill sites in America.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Upper Newport Bay” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 10 a.m. PT:
Huell visits the upper Newport Bay to see what is being done to keep this area green for everyone to enjoy.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Abalone” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 10:30 a.m. PT:
Once a mainstay on menus throughout California, Abalone is almost extinct in California. Follow Huell as he visits Pt. Lobos State Reserve to learn about Native Americans use of both the meat and the shell of the Abalone and visits a Japanese Abalone cannery.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Carpinteria State Beach” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 11 a.m. PT:
Carpinteria State Beach is a great family destination that offers a mile of beach for swimming, surfing, fishing, camping and tide pool exploring. Huell learns about all of this, plus how Carpinteria got its name as well as the role that naturally occurring tar played in its history.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Catalina Casino” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 11:30 a.m. PT:
Huell gets a special tour of a California icon: the Catalina Casino. It has been the focal point of Santa Catalina since it opened over 80 years ago on May 29, 1929. Completely restored just a few years ago, the ballroom retains its original romantic style – with beautiful rose-hued walls, an arching, 50-foot ceiling and five Tiffany chandeliers.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Guadalupe Dunes” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 12 p.m. PT:
Huell tours the Guadalupe-Nipomo Dunes preserve with a representative of the Dunes Center, an agency that works to balance public use and resource protection of the largest, most biodiverse, coastal dune-lagoon ecosystem on earth.
VISITING WITH HUELL HOWSER “Maritime Museum” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 12:30 p.m. PT:
Huell takes a look at the Maritime Museum in San Pedro, filled with Southern California Maritime history.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Tall Ship Californian” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 1 p.m. PT:
Huell sails aboard the state’s official tall ship to see just how hard it was for our early settlers to get here. He also enjoys some sea shanties.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “San Onofre Beach” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 1:30 p.m. PT:
Huell meets and reminisces with several members of the San Onofre Surfing Club and gets an inside look at California surfing history and beach culture. We’ll meet the old timers and the new breed who call San Onofre home.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Hidden Alcatraz” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 2 p.m. PT:
Join Huell and cameraman, Luis Fuerte, as they go under Alcatraz and discover the labyrinth of tunnels and caves that honeycomb “The Rock.”
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Point Sur Lighthouse” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 2:30 p.m. PT:
Jutting out into the Pacific Ocean from the spectacular Big Sur Coast, the Point Sur Lightstation stands as a silent sentinel to a bygone era.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Santa Cruz Island” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 3 p.m. PT:
Huell travels out to Santa Cruz Island to explore its famous sea caves by kayak, and spends a day paddling way back into these sometimes very narrow and always very dark and wet caves.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Devil’s Jaw” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 3:30 p.m. PT:
Watch Huell as he embarks on a journey to the most dangerous spot on the California coast and find out why it is called “Devil’s Jaw”; then visit the jewel of California missions: La Purisima Mission in Lompoc, now a state historic park.
And in primetime:
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “San Miguel Island” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 7:00 p.m. PT:
Huell visits San Miguel Island, with a group of history buffs who recreate the 1542 landing of Juan Rodriguez Cabrillo - the 1st European explorer of the California Coast.
CALIFORNIA’S GOLD “Lost Sierra” – Mon., Feb. 20 at 7:30 p.m. PT:
Huell travels to Downieville, nestled high in the Sierra Nevada mountains, where gold miners organized the first ski races in the country and meets the staff of the state's oldest weekly newspaper.
About KCET
On-air, online and in the community, KCET plays a vital role in the cultural and educational enrichment of Southern and Central California. KCET offers a wide range of award-winning local programming as well as the finest public television programs from around the world. Throughout its 50-year history, KCET has won hundreds of major awards for its local and regional news and public affairs programming, its national drama and documentary productions, its quality educational family and children's programs, its outreach and community services and its website, kcet.org. KCET is a donor-supported community institution. For additional information about KCET productions, web-exclusive content, programming schedules and community events, please visit kcet.org. KCET is a part of the KCETLink Media Group. Select original programming from KCET is also available for streaming on Hulu, Apple TV and Roku platforms.
About CALIFORNIA’S GOLD WITH HUELL HOWSER
Huell Howser’s CALIFORNIA’S GOLD series features the state's rich history, cultural diversity, natural wonders and amazing people produced over a span of 20 years. The series is owned by Chapman University and can be accessed for free at www.chapman.edu/huellhowser.
The joy that the late TV legend Huell Howser shared with generations of Californians infuses a permanent exhibit, sponsored by the Automobile Club of Southern California, housed in Chapman University’s Leatherby Libraries in Orange, Calif. The exhibit includes images and artifacts that outline Howser’s career and legacy in California. Chapman is also home to the Huell Howser Archive, which houses the broadcaster's television shows, papers and research materials, and offers free viewing online of hundreds of Huell's TV episodes.The CALIFORNIA’S GOLD exhibit is open to the public, with free admission, Tues-Sat., 10 a.m. to 5 p.m. (closed Sundays and Mondays). For more information please visit https://blogs.chapman.edu/huell-howser-archives