MERRILLVILLE. — Lakeshore Public Media’s award-winning local series “Friends and Neighbors” is set to premiere its fifth season on Lakeshore PBS, Wednesday, June 14 at 7:30 p.m.
“At Lakeshore Public Media we share a commitment and passion for our community, which drives us to venture out to find stories that celebrate the uniqueness of our region and its people,” Lakeshore Public Media’s President and CEO, Chuck Roberts, said. “Ultimately, it’s about building and enriching our community through the work that we do.”
The half-hour program celebrates and explores life in Northwest Indiana and Chicagoland by showcasing the local lifestyle, cultural perspectives, philanthropic efforts, and more. Vice President of Production for Lakeshore Public Media, Tony Santucci, leads his production team for the fifth, consecutive, season.
“This year we continue our coverage of fun and interesting people and places in the area. We have several segments on people combining entrepreneurship with philanthropy and community building. Raymundo Garcia is well known as the owner of El Taco Real in Hammond, but he’s also a community activist whose dedication to the community is helping revive downtown Hammond,” said Santucci. “Hobart High School Sophomores Kayla Davis and Isis Fleming are best friends and Co-CEO's of Patchables. The company began as part of a national high school competition and has turned into a full-fledged business with a heart.”
These are the type of stories Santucci and the rest of his team at Lakeshore enjoy telling – ones that celebrate the good things and good people that make Northwest Indiana such a great place to live.
The Play for Jake Foundation, a nonprofit dedicated to raising awareness and educating both parents and youth about the dangers of undetected heart conditions, is among the subjects featured in the fifth season. Founder of the Play for Jake Foundation, Julie West, recounts her experience during the filming of the “Friends and Neighbors” segment.
“It didn't take long to feel a sense of family and community when working with the production crew of Lakeshore Public Media. They were welcoming and I felt at ease from the very start,” said West. “Celebrating the good things happening in our communities is a breath of fresh air. It helps bring people together, and in return, makes them proud of their community and eager to engage and contribute back to their neighbors.”
The Morton Arboretum is highlighted in the upcoming season. Kara Silver, public relations and social media specialist for the Morton Arboretum, described the time working alongside the production crew of Lakeshore Public Media as an enriching experience.
“While filming a segment featuring the Morton Arboretum's new major exhibition Of the Earth by artist Olga Ziemska, it was apparent to me that the crewmembers thoroughly researched their subject to inform their questions, resulting in a compelling interview with the artist. An enriching overall experience was brought forth by their passion for visual storytelling, attention to detail, and desire to capture the essence of a person and place,” Silver said.
Featured in the fifth season, head coach of Esports at Purdue University Northwest, Justin Bragg, views the show as a vessel for education and cultural promotion.
“I think this show is very important in being able to show the NWI community different things that are being offered that they might have never heard about before or understand. Education and promotion are two very important things, specifically with esports, to be able to get more people to understand WHY we are doing what we are doing. This isn't just to get students to come together to play video games, but to create a program where they will be building life skills such as communication, teamwork, critical thinking and volunteering in the community just to name a few things,” said Bragg. “I believe a show like ‘Friends and Neighbors’ can do this for many different programs and activities for all of NWI and is a great show for the community to showcase all of the different things offered that some of our residents might not know are going on.”
In efforts to connect people to episodes from previous seasons and community initiatives, activities, and locations, Lakeshore Public Media will launch a digitally interactive “Friends and Neighbors” map prior to the premiere of the new season. The map is marked with pins spanning across Northwest Indiana, Southwest Michigan, and Chicagoland. With each pin, users will have access to the location-specific “Friends and Neighbors” video segment, the subject’s website, and directions to the address. The FAN Map can be found online at LakeshorePublicMedia.org/fan-map.
Lakeshore is seeking sponsors for the map, and those interested can contact sponsorship@lakeshorepublicmedia.org.
The “Friends and Neighbors” series has received numerous awards for previous seasons. During last year’s 28th Annual Communicator Awards held by the Academy of Interactive and Visual Arts the series was recognized with four Awards of Distinction. “Friends and Neighbors” won six silver awards in 2022 and a gold award in 2021 from the National Telly Awards. The series was also recognized by the Indiana Broadcasters Association in 2021 with a Cardinal Community Service Award.
Local productions from Lakeshore PBS like “Friends & Neighbors” are supported by the Legacy Foundation, the John W. Anderson Foundation, Strack & Van Til, NIPSCO, and Purdue University Northwest. They are also made possible in part by viewer contributions. More information is available at LakeshorePublicMedia.org/give.
Lakeshore Public Media has been a public broadcasting entity based in Northwest Indiana for nearly 35 years. The public broadcaster operates both television and radio with a mission to enrich the lives of Chicagoland and Northwest Indiana residents through lifelong learning, the celebration of human diversity, and engagement in civic concerns.
Lakeshore PBS broadcasts on channel 56 over the air as well as on DirecTV, Dish Network and AT&T U-verse. Comcast Xfinity viewers can find Lakeshore PBS on channel 17 or 21 while RCN viewers can tune to channel 44. The live broadcast can also be streamed online at LakeshorePublicMedia.org or via the free PBS Video App on popular digital platforms.
