Popular Travel and Lifestyle Series from WGBH and Yankee Magazine WEEKENDS WITH YANKEE Returns for Fourth Season on Public Television Starting April 2020

BOSTON, MA (April 2020) – The popular travel and lifestyle television series Weekends with Yankee returns for a fourth season on public television this spring, sharing the best of New England: from the thrills of the mountains to the rugged beauty of the coast and all of the charming towns and diverse cities in between. Produced by public media powerhouse WGBH and Yankee magazine—the iconic publication of New England that inspired the series—Weekends with Yankee will premiere on public television stations nationwide with new half-hour episodes beginning April 2020. Since its premiere in 2017, Weekends with Yankee has traveled throughout New England, transporting viewers nationwide on an insider’s journey to the region’s very best. From exploring hidden gems and favorite destinations, to interviewing local artisans and the personalities who call New England home, to highlighting the best food destinations in all six states, Weekends with Yankee offers viewers instant access to the region no matter where they are. Emmy® Award–winning explorer Richard Wiese and Yankee senior food editor Amy Traverso will return as series hosts and tour guides, taking viewers on exciting adventures throughout the region and highlighting New England’s storied cuisine and modern culinary scene. In the season premiere, the hosts stop in at the four-star Weekapaug Inn in Westerly, RI, enjoying both its beautiful setting and its culinary delicacies. Amy also visits Boston’s Chinatown with celebrity chef Joanne Chang and learns to make her signature dumplings. And in Tiverton, RI, Weekends with Yankee explores the hidden region known as the Farm Coast and meets a special breed of farmers who are determined to preserve their way of life. Also featured in season four of Weekends with Yankee:

• In Maine, go digging for tourmalines, the state gemstone, and see how they are transformed into stunning jewelry.
• Tour the PEZ factory in Orange, CT, where this world-famous candy is made.
• Bake with New York Times best-selling cookbook author and James Beard Award-winner Dorie Greenspan in her Connecticut home.
• Visit Maine chef Justin Walker and his wife, Danielle, as they put a modern spin on a traditional Maine bean-hole supper at their farmhouse.
• In New Hampshire, go hunting for green crabs and see how Portsmouth chef Brendan Vesey transforms this invasive species into a tasty seafood dish.
• In Salem, MA, experience the Punto Urban Art Museum, an open-air collection of grand-scale murals that enliven a city neighborhood.
• In Portland, ME, meet chef and author Barton Seaver, who has succeeded in combining his passion for food with a commitment to sustainability and conservation.
• In Gray, Maine, get up close with moose, bears, raccoons, and more at the Maine Wildlife Park, a sanctuary for injured or orphaned wildlife.
• At Shackleton Thomas Furniture and Pottery in Bridgewater, VT, build a table by hand using sustainably sourced wood from a nearby forest.

“Each season, the Yankee editors provide us with an insider’s guide to the very best of New England,” says WGBH executive producer Laurie Donnelly. “With their help, we are able to unearth food, people, and places that are new and surprising, all with the goal of bringing New England home to our viewers.” “For 85 years, Yankee magazine readers have found comfort in our trusted and inspiring storytelling about this region we all love,” says Brook Holmberg, publisher of Yankee. “We continue that tradition with Weekends with Yankee, which inspires viewers to discover vibrant New England personalities, inspiration for future travel getaways, and the incredible gifts, comforts, and moments of beauty the region has to offer.” Weekends with Yankee is produced by WGBH Boston’s Studio Six. Executive Producer: Laurie Donnelly (Rare – Creatures of the Photo Ark, I’ll Have What Phil’s Having, Sacred Journeys). Directors: Callie Wiser and Rob Tate. Directors of Photography: Corey Hendrickson and Eric Miclette. Series funding for Weekends with Yankee is provided by State of New Hampshire Division of Travel & Tourism, Emerald Waterways, Maine Office of Tourism, and The Vermont Country Store. Find Us: @yankeemagazine#weekendswithyankeeWeekendswithYankee.comAbout Yankee Based in Dublin, New Hampshire, Yankee: New England’s Magazine was founded in 1935 and is the iconic American magazine covering the finest that New England has to offer. Covering classic New England travel destinations, food traditions, and home and lifestyle stories with stunning photography and artwork, Yankee has featured many notable American writers in its pages such as Robert Frost, John Updike, and Stephen King. With a total circulation of nearly 275,000 and a total audience of 1.3 million readers, the magazine is published by Yankee Publishing Inc. (YPI), an independent media company. Yankee has also partnered with WGBH to produce Weekends with Yankee, a 13-episode documentary series on public television that taps into Yankee’s extensive behind-the-scenes access to the region’s six states. YPI also owns the nation’s oldest continuously produced periodical, The Old Farmer’s Almanac, Family Tree, and McLean Communications. More information about Yankee is available at: https://staging.newengland.com/press-contact/About WGBH WGBH Boston is America’s preeminent public broadcaster and the largest producer of PBS content for TV and the Web, including Masterpiece, Antiques Roadshow, Frontline, Nova, American Experience, Arthur and more than a dozen other primetime, lifestyle and children’s series. WGBH’s television channels include WGBH 2, WGBX 44, and the digital channels World and Create. WGBH TV productions focusing on the region’s diverse community include Greater Boston, Basic Black and High School Quiz Show. WGBH Radio serves listeners across New England with 89.7 WGBH, Boston’s Local NPR®; 99.5 WCRB Classical Radio Boston; and WCAI, the Cape and Islands NPR® Station. WGBH also is a major source of digital content and programs for public radio through PRX, including The World and Innovation Hub, a leader in educational multimedia with PBS LearningMedia™, providing the nation’s educators with free, curriculum-based digital content, and a pioneer in services that make media accessible to deaf, hard of hearing, blind and visually impaired audiences. WGBH has been recognized with hundreds of honors: Emmys, Peabodys, duPont-Columbia Awards and Oscars. Find more information at wgbh.org.

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