History of Austin Documented by University of Texas at Austin Lecturer in “Austin Time Tours,” Which Airs on KLRU-TV Nov. 30

AUSTIN, Texas –– Nov. 29, 2006 –– “Austin Time Tours,” a two-hour documentary recounting Austin’s history from the age of the dinosaurs to present day, will air on KLRU-TV, Austin PBS, at 8 p.m., Thursday, Nov. 30. The film is part of “Austin Past and Present,” an interactive multimedia documentary produced by University of Texas at Austin Radio-TV-Film lecturer Karen Kocher.

“Austin Time Tours” uses photos, maps, original animation, paintings, films, audio recordings and period music to illustrate the geological formation of Central Texas, the Civil War, the founding of The University of Texas at Austin, the arrival of railroad, the Great Depression, the LBJ period, the civil rights era and the ethnic histories of Central Texans.

“The Austin History Center has an incredible collection of historical treasures, but they’re not easily accessible to the average Austinite,” said Kocher who has worked on this project for the past six years and personally raised $500,000 to cover production costs. “With so many new Austinites and such an amazing resource in the history center, I knew there was an opportunity to tell a story.”

The entire Austin Past and Present project, which will include kiosks throughout the city starting in January and a special curriculum for students in the Austin Independent School District, features voice-overs by well-known Austinites, including: Marcia Ball, Ray Benson, Tish Hinojosa, Luci Baines Johnson, Cactus Pryor, Dan Rather, Ann Richards, Neal Spelce and Will Wynn.

“Austin Past and Present” and “Austin Time Tours,” which airs on KLRU-TV, was produced by Kocher in cooperation with KLRU-TV, The Austin Film Society and The Austin History Center Association. Major funding was provided by Humanities Texas, The City of Austin, The Austin Community Foundation, the MFI Foundation and the Summerlee Foudation, Dallas. For more information, visit www.austinpastandpresent.org.

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Contact: Erin Geisler

(512) 475-8071

Erin.geisler@austin.utexas.edu

Karen Kocher

(512) 471 0932

karenkocher@mail.utexas.edu