Buffalo Toronto Public Media Blog
Explore the latest stories, innovations, and community voices shaping public media. From behind-the-scenes looks at groundbreaking productions to in-depth features on local culture and initiatives, the BTPM Blog keeps you connected to the heart of public storytelling. Dive into inspiring narratives that amplify the power of media to inform and engage.
BTPM Blog
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in October
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in September
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in August
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in July
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in June
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in May
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in April
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in March
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
NYC Theater Trip 2026: Five Shows, Endless Applause
Explore the BTPM Travel Club’s NYC Theater Adventure, featuring five unforgettable shows, behind-the-scenes access, iconic New York landmarks, and meals worth their own standing ovation in this BTPM Blog with Heather Hare.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in February
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in December
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
Kathryn's Must-Sees on BTPM PBS in November
Kathryn’s Must-Sees is your guide for the most compelling and thought-provoking programs on BTPM PBS. Curated monthly by Kathryn Larsen, our Vice President of Content Distribution with over 40 years of programming experience, these standout programs entertain, inspire, and spark conversation.
The BTPM Classical Blog is presented by the Toronto Symphony Orchestra
BTPM Classical Blog
A Most Autumnal Composer
Lately, I’ve been listening to a lot of Charles Ives. He’s one of my favorite composers. And, to me, there’s something of fall about his music.
The Power of Lore
Explore the lore of classical music with Marty Wimmer in this BTPM Classical blog.
It’s just one note. How hard can it be?
It’s just one note. How hard can it be? Ah, easier said than done on the horn – the instrument formerly known as the “French horn,” but I digress. We’ll get to that another day.
Classical Mysteries: The Curse of the Ninth Symphony in Four Movements
Have you ever seen the classic films The Curse of Frankenstein starring Christopher Lee, and The Curse of the Black Pearl starring Johnny Depp? Great titles – the kind that promise mystery, danger, and a good story. Well, I think it’s time for another one.
Marty's Classical Mysteries: Why do conductors use batons?
Taking a closer look at the curious details behind the sounds, traditions, and people that make classical music extraordinary.
More Than a Playlist
Whether you're listening over the air or streaming online, BTPM Classical provides a living, breathing sense of flow, discovery, context, and community that goes beyond anything a personal playlist can offer.
Opera to Opry: It’s All Good!
There’s one thing I learned quickly when I started teaching music appreciation at the college level: if I want students to open their minds to “my music,” classical music, then I need to open my mind to “their music” first. BTPM Classical host Marty Wimmer reflects in this Classical Blog.
Reflections on Toscanini
Arturo Toscanini was... Well, there’s really no modern equivalent. In this blog, BTPM Classical host Ed. Simone reflects on Toscanini during a trip to Parma.
March Birthday Madness!
BTPM Classical loves March too, not only for basketball, but for birthdays!
Music to Recharge Your Batteries
Music doesn’t always have to bring you to tears, or motivate you to shoot off fireworks in victory over something. It can also just be respite.
The School Piano: A Salute
Do you remember your elementary school music teacher’s name? What was it? I’ll never forget mine. BTPM Classical Host Marty Wimmer reflects on his school piano memories.
Five Classical Music New Year’s Resolutions
Have you ever made a classical music New Year’s resolution? I know. Odd. But I’ve found that classical music New Year’s resolutions are easy to keep – and a heck of a lot easier than dieting or going to the gym!
BTPM The Bridge Blog
Las Vegas | Shrimp Cocktail and Hush Hush Cocktail
The Buffalo Bills are sitting at 3-1 and headed to Las Vegas. I have to admit, when I started thinking about foods of Las Vegas I was a little stumped. Even after quite a bit of research there were very few things that people agreed on except for: shrimp cocktails, prime rib and fancy drinks.
Los Angeles | Danger Dogs
Week 4 and we’re back in L.A. *cue Randy Newman* We did Philippe’s French Dip when we played the Chargers and while I was very tempted to try to replicate the magic that is In-N-Out burger, I decided to tap into LA Street foods instead.
New England | Lobster Rolls
Week 4 vs New England. It’s not time for chowder yet, although it is easily one of my favorite foods of the season. We will hold off until our December meeting for that, and while there’s still some warmth in the air, let's dive into lobster rolls.
BTPM The Bridge Basks in the Beauty of the Borderlands Festival
Relive the music, food, and family aspect of this year's Borderlands Festival in East Aurora, NY, at Knox Farm State Park in this BTPM The Bridge blog!
Los Angeles | Philippe’s French Dip
Week 3 Food of the Opposing Team brings us to Los Angeles, where my research told me I had to do one of three things: In-N-Out Burger, street tacos, or Philippe’s French Dip. I went with the French dip not just because it’s a delicious sandwich that can certainly support a day of sports fandom, but because it’s got a lot of history as well.
Detroit | Coney Island Hot Dogs
Week 2 means Detroit, which is known for a few different foods. Recently, Detroit-style pizza has been gaining popularity, but we went with the classic “Coney’s,” as they are known.
The Scene Playlist for Sept. 13
Check out the playlist from The Scene with Chelsea O, and learn about the artists and their music, including Skye Wallace, Passed Out, and Estyr.
Houston | Breakfast Tacos
One of my favorite parts of the football season is just a reason to get together with a bunch of people every week and have a party. A few years back my group of friends thought it would be fun, and maybe even educational, to research and make recipes from the regions of our weekly opponents.
The Scene Playlist for Sept. 6
Check out the playlist from The Scene with Chelsea O, and learn about the artists and their music, including Ace of Wands, Soyfruit, and VANCAMP.
Upcoming Local Shows for 9/5 - 9/10
Check out upcoming shows happening in Western New York and Southern Ontario, including Paper Tigers, Tsavo Highway, Black Budget.
Heritage Moments
Heritage Moments: Rick James and ‘the City That Has Led Me to My Thang’
Rick James belongs to the world: the hit funk anthems, infectious grooves, lyrics celebrating sex and drugs, wildly entertaining videos and stage act,…
Heritage Moments: Cotter Fireboat Comes to the Rescue in Port Colborne
On Oct. 5, 1960, an enormous explosion and fire broke out in the Maple Leaf Mills grain elevator, the largest in Canada, at the entrance to the Welland…
Heritage Moments: Buffalo, Founded as a Refugee Camp
When we hear about the founding of Buffalo, we usually hear about Joseph "Black Joe" Hodge, Cornelius Winney, Captain William Johnston, Martin Middaugh or Ezekiel Lane---all fascinating men who settled here in the late 1780s or early 1790s. But they were all settlers or “Indian traders”---i.e., non-Indigenous merchants living among the Senecas already inhabiting the banks of Buffalo Creek.
Heritage Moments: Frederick Law Olmsted and the Stroll that Saved Niagara
Niagara Falls in the 1800s was an industrialist’s dreamland and a huckster’s paradise. Cheap waterpower abounded — all you had to do was build a channel…
Heritage Moments: The Attica Prison Uprising — 43 Dead and a Four-Decade Cover-Up
The Attica Prison Uprising of 1971 is one of the most disturbing episodes in the history of New York State and, indeed, the nation as a whole. It lasted…
Heritage Moments: Lucille Clifton, the Lyric Voice of Cold Spring
Buffalo has produced a number of prominent poets. But when Langston Hughes chose the work of Lucille Clifton, a then little-known poet from the East Side, for inclusion in his influential 1970 anthology “The Poetry of the Negro, 1746-1970”, it kicked off Clifton’s long career as one of America’s most beloved bards.
Heritage Moments: In Niagara County, the Manhattan Project’s Radioactive Legacy
The first atomic bombs exploded more than 80 years ago, and their destructive impact has been receding from the world’s collective memory for decades now. But not in Niagara County, where the aftereffects of building the first atomic bomb still fester today. It all began with the Manhattan Project, the massive, top-secret World War II effort to beat the Germans, and later the Russians, in the race to create the first atomic weapons.
Heritage Moments: An Ode to Bridges
The first bridge across the Niagara River was begun by a boy who won five dollars in 1847 by coaxing a kite he flew on the Canadian side of the gorge to land on the American side.
Heritage Moments: In an ocean of horror, Father Conway’s courage
The sinking of the U.S.S. Indianapolis in the early morning hours of July 30, 1945, is the worst disaster to befall a single ship in the history of the US Navy. One of the men in the water was Father Thomas Conway. But his compassion and bravery during those last, nightmarish nights and days stand as a testament to the human spirit in the midst of absolute horror.
Heritage Moments: John Lewis’ Boyhood Trip to Buffalo, and How It Changed America
When John Lewis, the last of the great figures of the Civil Rights era, died at age 80 in 2020, Americans reflected with near-universal admiration on a life well lived. And, thanks to Lewis himself, they knew of the pivotal role that Buffalo played in molding this national icon.
Heritage Moments: The Night the Veterans Chased the Nazis Out of Buffalo
On Feb. 13, 1938, Harugari Hall at 1257 Genesee Street near Kehr was jam-packed. An SRO crowd of 700 was on hand for a rally staged by the German-American Bund, a pro-Nazi group. But not everyone at the hall that night was there to listen to the speakers’ message of hate.
Heritage Moments: W.E.B. Du Bois, the Niagara Movement and the ‘Mighty Current’ of Black Protest
The educator Booker T. Washington advocated accommodation rather than a direct challenge to Jim Crow laws, in the hope that white America would gradually change. But a few other black leaders espoused a more confrontational strategy, one that called for an immediate end to racial prejudice. They were led by a young Harvard- and Berlin-educated author and intellectual from Western Massachusetts named W.E.B. Du Bois.