This Month on "Story in the Public Square" - October 2026
"Story in the Public Square" is a national broadcast that unpacks narratives with outside impact on public understanding and public policy. Hosted by Jim Ludes, the show can be seen each week on public television stations across the United States and seeks to study, celebrate and tell stories that matter.
Eric Deggans: Oct. 5-11, 2026
They come into our homes regularly: people we think we know because we see them on television all the time. Author and journalist Carol Lin reveals a complex personal backstory to the familiar faces we watch on television—even as she remembers 9/11 and one of the moments that made her a household name.
Gil Durán: Oct. 12-18, 2026
Most people cannot fathom just how much money one billion dollars actually is. Author Gil Durán says we also don’t understand just how dangerous the extreme political ideas coming from a group of billionaires is to American democracy.
Ali Breland: Oct. 19-25, 2026
We expect that the people posting passionately about American politics are actually Americans. But journalist Ali Breland documents the role of foreign business entities hiring people from all over the world to post content aimed at affecting the outcome of November’s elections.
Micki McElya: Oct. 26-Nov. 1, 2026
The summer of 1968 has long been associated with protest and counterculture. Historian Micki McElya takes us to one particular moment in September of that year when feminism, the civil rights movement, and conservative politics all began to change with results we’re still navigating today.
In Rhode Island and southeastern New England, the show is broadcast on Rhode Island PBS on Sundays at 11:00 a.m. and is rebroadcast on Thursdays at 7:30 p.m. Check your local public television listings for air times near you!
An audio version of the program airs Saturdays at 8:30 a.m. and 8:30 p.m. ET, Sundays at 3:30 a.m. and 10:30 p.m. and Mondays at 5:30 a.m. ET on SiriusXM’s popular P.O.T.U.S. (Politics of the United States), channel 124.