Stories by Media
Stories by Location
The War, Ken Burns’ seven-part documentary series directed and produced by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, was the most-watched PBS series of the past 10 years. It explored the history and horror of the Second World War from an American perspective by following the fortunes of so-called ordinary men and women who become caught up in one of the greatest cataclysms in human history.
WILL-TV’s Central Illinois World War II Stories was developed in conjunction with the Ken Burns’ series.
Visit The War web site on PBS.org
Share Your Story
PBS is gathering WWII stories from viewers across the United States. Upload your story to PBS for sharing with all other viewers. If you need assistance, contact Mary Barrineau or Jack Brighton at 217-333-1070.
This project supported in part by:
Clark Lindsey Village
Ecowater Systems
International Brotherhood of Electrical Workers #601
Strawberry Fields
Steamatic
WETA
Corporation for Public Broadcasting
WILL Stories
In stories on WILL radio, television and the Web, WILL looks at the war from many perspectives: men in battle on land and at sea, Japanese-American families in internment camps, conscientious objectors, women in the service, African-Americans at Chanute Air Force Base, German POWs in Hoopeston.
Radio Stories
These stories, which ran on AM 580 during 2007, were winners of a regional Edward R. Murrow Award for excellence in electronic journalism from the Radio-Television News Directors Association. News director Tom Rogers and reporters Jim Meadows and Jeff Bossert won in the News Series category in competition with other small market stations in Illinois, Indiana, Michigan and Ohio. Their winning stories become eligible for national awards, which will be presented in October.
The series also was recognized by the Illinois Associated Press Broadcasters Association Journalism Excellence Contest. The news staff placed second in the Best Series/Documentary category for their World War II: Central Illinois Stories series. Rogers placed second in the Best Light Feature category for his story on the POW camp in Hoopeston during World War II.
Volunteer Records Veterans’ Memories
WILL-AM’s Tom Rogers looks at the work of former University of Illinois professor Bob Espeseth, who is working against the clock to gather oral histories from World War II veterans. Espeseth goes out with his cassette recorder and a list of questions to record the memories of central Illinois veterans before those stories are lost to the world forever. Espeseth’s recordings join dozens of others in safekeeping at the Early American Museum in Mahomet. WILL travels along as Espeseth interviews 87-year-old Ed Gordon.
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3
WILL Outreach Coordinator Kimberlie Kranich on the World War II Stories Project
Aired on Morning Edition interview, May 25, 2007
Dan Simeone talks to WILL outreach coordinator Kimberlie Kranich about the station’s Central Illinois World War II Stories project.
Audio archives:
Play Now:RealAudio archive | downloadable MP3