The most documented elephant in the world...

Echo, the elephant matriarch, was the subject of many NATURE films and the leader of a carefully studied herd of elephants in Africa. Last year, she died of natural causes. NATURE looks back at this remarkable animal through extraordinary footage and interviews with the researchers that cared for and studied this amazing herd....7pm

The March 11th earthquake was the world's fourth largest earthquake since record keeping began in 1900 and the worst ever to shake Japan. The seismic shock wave released over 4,000 times the energy of the largest nuclear test ever conducted; it shifted the earth's axis by 6 inches and shortened the day by a few millionths of a second. The tsunami slammed Japan's coast with 30 feet-high waves that traveled 6 miles inland, obliterating entire towns in a matter of minutes. JAPAN'S KILLER QUAKE...8pm

Really big barns will surely be raised...

Part history, part observational documentary, THE AMISH: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE examines the beliefs, lifestyle and history of the insular religious community and their complex relationship to mainstream American culture. Beautifully and lyrically photographed, we get a closer look at the 400 year old traditions that have captivated and baffled Americans for more than a century...7pm

Rockin' the Lincoln bedroom...

The White House gets down and funky tonight with performances by B.B. King, Jeff Beck, Buddy Guy, Mick Jagger and Keb Mo...along with many others. House band led by none other than Booker T. Jones. In Performance at the White House: Red, White and Blues...8pm

You know you have to see it again...

Winner of the 2010 Tony Award for Best New Musical, "Memphis" turns the radio dial back to the 1950s to tell a love story with the golden era of early rock & roll as a background...tonight at 8pm

On Saturday Independent Lens presents "More Than a Month", a documentary directed by an African-American film maker on his quest to give more meaning to Black History Month...11pm

And on Sunday we have a rebroadcast of the last episode of PBS's award winning Downton Abbey...will have to hold you over 'till next year...6pm

There's a lot of hungry kids in Texas...

It's finally here...after a year of planning, writing, shooting, producing and wrangling the other 12 Texas PBS stations to participate, we're finally going to air our 60 minute doc about the link between hunger and obesity, and the efforts that Texas communities are making to combat it. There are a lot of poor folks and hungry kids in our state...and even though obesity is running rampant, a full belly does not a healthy body make. Find out why, tonight at 8pm...watch TEXAS TAKES ON HUNGER AND OBESITY: FEEDING MINDS...

We always called ours Flipper...

Whales and dolphins may appear to be totally alien to us - but with their mental ability, group communication and the recent discovery that dolphins have individual names, they are closer to us than we ever imagined. This series provides new insights into the lives of whales and dolphins in a visually powerful, engaging and entertaining format.Teams of intrepid scientists equipped with the latest technology are making extraordinary breakthroughs in their understanding of these intelligent life forms...OCEAN GIANTS: GIANT LIVES TONIGHT ON NATURE...7pm

Just what is "shaken baby syndrome"

Tonight is the conclusion of PBS's documentary of Bill Clinton and his rise to the presidency...Bill Clinton: American Experience...7pm

And on FRONTLINE a Texas judge has moved to overturn the conviction of Amarillo local Ernie Lopez. He was sent to prison for 60 years for what was seen as a "clearcut and classic" case of child abuse, in the death of 6-month-old Isis Vas. Are death investigators being properly trained for child cases? FRONTLINE investigates...9pm

From Lewinsky to a balanced budget, American Experience does Clinton...

This film explores the story of an American president who rose from a broken childhood in Arkansas to become one of the most successful politicians in modern American history and one of the most complex and conflicted characters to ever stride across the public stage. Featuring unprecedented access to Clinton insiders like White House Press Secretary Dee Dee Myers, White House Chief of Staff Leon Panetta, interviews with foreign leaders, members of the Republican opposition, childhood friends, staffers, biographers and journalists. American Experience 8pm

If only I could dance like Mr. Bates...

This is the final episode in season 2 of Downton Abbey. Christmas reunites most of the Grantham family as Rosamund, her gossipy maid Shore in tow, arrives eager to introduce her new suitor to the family. But neither the Granthams nor the servants can escape into the season's merriment when they are forced to turn against one of their own. Thomas and O'Brien are up to their old tricks, Daisy tries to make sense of her future, and Anna holds tight to endure the present. Join us along with most of the country as Downton Abbey comes to a close...until next year...6pm

due to technical difficulties beyond our control...

After installing a new transmitter and antenna a few months ago, it's now time for the work crew to get their equipment off our tower...and today is the day. That means that for those of you who receive your signal over the air, we're off for now...sorry for the inconvenience...but check back later - hopefully we'll be back in time for Charlie Rose...

What exactly is a "food desert"...

In advance of KACV's upcoming latest production, tonight's episode with Jeremy Everett helps set the stage on the subject of hunger and obesity in Texas. As the Director of the Texas Hunger Initiative, he shares with Ellen Robertson Green the many problems we face educating our citizens about the importance of good nutrition, the role it plays in education and the workforce, and the impact it has in our communities...FACE TO FACE...8pm

From the highest mountains, to the deepest caves...

Tonight NATURE explores the planet's highest mountain system, and the home of the mysterious snow leopard..7pm

NOVA dives into Blue Holes -- underwater caves that formed during the last ice age when sea level was nearly 400 feet below what it is today, and investigates the hidden history of Earth's climate as revealed by finds in this spectacularly beautiful "alternate universe."...8pm

Join archaeologists and 7-time Everest climber Pete Athansdangles as they rappel into caves set within the world's highest mountains, to find ancient mummies and uncover secrets that have been hidden in these cliff-top graves for thousands of years...CAVE PEOPLE OF THE HIMALAYA...9pm

Should have won an Oscar...

From the director of 1994's "Hoop Dreams" comes a documentary of such import that FRONTLINE felt compelled to help it go nationwide. "The Interrupters" follows the lives of three former street criminals today as they intervene in disputes to prevent violence on the streets of Chicago...gripping is an understatement...8pm

That was a dollar well spent...

In Pittsburgh, Pennsylvania we feature one of the best flea market finds of all time: a 17th-century Chinese rhinoceros horn cup, purchased for $1 and valued at $350,000 to $450,000!

Did slavery really end with Abraham Lincoln's Emancipation Proclamation of 1863? Slavery by Another Name is a documentary that tells the harrowing story of how in the South, even as chattel slavery came to an end, new forms of involuntary servitude, debt slavery and peonage, took its place with shocking force -- tonight at 8pm

From Downton Abbey to the swinging Hamptons...

We're still voting for your favorite British Comedies...be sure to watch Saturday night and Sunday afternoon, then register your top two choices with a phone call, email, or our website!

This weekend features more music from Michael Feinstein's American Songbook,
Friday night at 8pm...

Jimmy Cliff on Austin City Limits Saturday at 10...

And Downton Abbey continues Sunday night at 7, followed by the Unforgettable Hampton Family, a documentary exploring how Deacon Clark Hampton, a son of slaves, lifted his twelve children out of poverty by making them into successful musicians...10:30

From dumpster diving to a doctorate...

Donna Beegle grew up poor - really poor. She was married at 15 and by 25 was struggling as a single mother. That was then. Now after a long climb out, Beegle has a doctorate degree and works to move other people out of poverty...Ellen Robertson Green gets her fascinating story tonight on Face to Face...8pm

They really like to dissect things on this show...

Last week it was a great white shark...tonight the experts dissect a lion and a tiger. From the outside, the two look very different, but once their skins are removed, even the experts find it hard to tell them apart.Among other experiments, biologists investigate their ability to roar, by delving into the lion's throat to find the voicebox...and makes a discovery that helps explain the way the vocal apparatus works....they also explain what a "liger" is...INSIDE NATURE'S GIANTS: THE BIG CATS...9pm

Six months in 1961, that changed America forever...

From May until November 1961, more than 400 black and white Americans risked their lives for simply traveling together on buses and trains as they journeyed through the Deep South. Veteran filmmaker Stanley Nelson's documentary is the first feature-length film about this courageous band of civil-rights activists, and their experiences flaunting the Jim Crow laws of the deep south...FREEDOM RIDERS: AMERICAN EXPERIENCE...7pm

Antiques and NASA? Doesn't seem possible...

To celebrate the 50th anniversary of NASA...ANTIQUES ROADSHOW's final episode from Houston features host Mark L. Walberg at the Houston Space Center for a briefing on NASA collectibles. Highlights include a magical collection of Wedgwood Fairyland Lustreware; a gold charm that once belonged to Lucille Ball; and a romantic English Regency rosewood settee that makes the appraiser swoon as he declares an estimated value of $9,500...8PM

Blimey...it's a British Invasion!

Did you know that all the programs on KACV have to be purchased? And money spent on programs leaves less money for other purposes, like community outreach or operating expenses? Here's the challenge...how best to spend limited programming dollars versus a rabid britcom fanbase. So we've put together a total of 24 episodes of 8 different British programs, 4 old & 4 newer, and on Saturday night and Sunday afternoon we're rotating all of them so our viewers can see what they're about. Then we're asking for you to call or email with your top 2 favorite programs...and we'll make our purchasing decision based on the vote. Every weekend in February, 9 on Saturday and 2 on Sunday. Let us know what you think!

The things you learn when dissecting a shark...

Inside Nature's Giants sends the experts to South Africa to dissect a 15-foot-long great white shark, uncovering an amazing array of a sharks senses, including the ability to detect the electro-magnetic field given off by other creatures. We also get up close and personal with the shark's infamous killing bite, and learn how sharks' teeth and jaws evolved from their outer skin and gill arches. There's even a warning disclaimer before the show - I wonder what else they found? Inside Nature's Giants: Great White Shark...9pm.