Brownsville topic again
Brownsville will figure prominently in WQED television programming over the next several days, first with repeat showings of the Emmy Award winning “One Year in Brownsville” program, and then with a new On Q production featuring the Frank L. Melega Art Museum. The On Q special report features historic footage shot by the late Brownsville Mayor and county Commissioner Marion “Slugger” Klingensmith, showing Brownsville in its heyday, as well as current footage, showing the town as it struggles to make a comeback. It looks at the town’s fight against blight in the downtown area, including the intervention of the governor’s office.
“We felt very strongly about that program. It touched just about everyone who watched it,” said producer/writer Dave Solomon. “You didn’t have to be from Brownsville. It touched people who grew up in small towns.”
Solomon said the On Q special report has not been offered for sale because of licensing issues with some of the historic images, but because of numerous requests it has aired on the station several times.
It was aired this past Friday and will be rebroadcast today at 6 a.m., Monday at 12:30 p.m. and Monday, Oct. 24, at 10:30 p.m.
Even though the program has only aired on WQED, Solomon said he has received calls from around the country about the program, often from people formerly from Brownsville or the Mon Valley.
“It generated interest for a number of reasons, not just the drama there. It’s the videos from the ’60s; people will say ‘I recognize my mother’ or ‘my aunt ‘or my grandmother,'” Solomon said.
The Brownsville special won a 2006 Mid-Atlantic Emmy for Public/Current/Community Affairs Program or Special. Solomon said Brownsville and the Mon Valley were mentioned in the acceptance speech before broadcasters from Pennsylvania, New Jersey and Delaware.
Connellsville resident Paul Ruggieri was one of two photographers and editors for “One Year in Brownsville.” In addition to his work with WQED, the Connellsville man is also teaching documentary videography this semester at St. Vincent College in Latrobe. Ruggieri’s work with WQED was nominated for nine Emmys this year. He won four of the awards.
“With my 20 years of experience in television, I’m now able to take a message and use music, natural sound and narration to pull on the heart strings or make a person feel like a participant rather than a viewer,” Ruggieri said. “The students will gain hands-on experience and will shoot a documentary as their final project.”
Solomon said he continues to watch events in Brownsville for possible future stories.
“If it looks like there’s going to be a major turn, we’ll be there to follow it,” Solomon said.
Meanwhile, the Frank L. Melega Art Museum will be featured in a segment of On Q Monday at 7:30 p.m. The program will be repeated at midnight and again Tuesday at 12:30 p.m.
“It’s a segment, roughly 10 minutes long, focusing on the museum itself, the body of work and Melega himself,” Solomon said. “You go into the museum and you realize this icon lived in the Mon Valley and few people outside the Mon Valley know the museum is there.”
Solomon said Melega’s diversity is showcased in the museum, from his commercial sign painting, to portraits, landscapes, sculptures and abstracts.
“The museum is carrying on that diversity by having the visiting artists on display,” Solomon said.
The segment features the 2006 Artist of the Pike, photographer Daniel Salitrick. Salitrick’s photos will be on display at the museum through Sunday, Oct. 22, when a closing reception will be held from 1 to 5 p.m.