‘City Centric’ TV Series to Spotlight Warren, New Castle
KENT, Ohio – “City Centric,” the PBS Western Reserve documentary series that spotlights city leaders in the TV station’s viewership area, will return for a second season that will include episodes about Warren and New Castle, Pa.
Each episode includes interviews with six changemakers who exemplify their city. They are selected from six categories: business leader, revitalizer, artist, humanitarian, historian, educator and visionary.
Each show is 30 minutes long and premieres on a Friday at 8:30 p.m., with repeat airings the following day at 1:30 a.m. and 6 p.m.
The New Castle episode will premiere Sept. 13 and will include interviews with:
- Andrew Henley, director of the New Castle Public Library.
- Nicole Amabile, executive director of Arise.
- Kimberly Koller-Jones, executive director of Hoyt Art Center.
- Chris Frye, city administrator.
- Don Kemerer, executive director of Cray Youth and Family Services.
- Damon Blackshear, kitchen manager of City Rescue Mission.
The Warren episode will premiere Oct. 4 and will include interviews with:
- Bill Mullane, chair of the Trumbull Art Gallery Board of Directors.
- Jennifer Roller, president of the Wean Foundation.
- Meghan Reed, director of the Trumbull County Historical Society.
- Steve Arnold, the first Black head coach at Warren G. Harding High School.
- Rick Stockburger, president and CEO of Brite Energy Innovators.
- Doug Franklin, mayor.
The other episodes are:
- Aug. 30: Cuyahoga Falls.
- Sept. 6: Wooster.
- Sept. 20: Chagrin Falls.
- Sept. 27: Medina.
“The passion this cast of guests has for their community has been so inspiring for me to see,” said Sophia Gillespie, PBS Western Reserve associate producer of content. “We hope that anyone who watches feels the same way I do listening to these stories of authenticity, courage and kindness.”
Each episode is hosted by Sthephanie Marie, a native Puerto Rican who later moved with her family to Campbell. Marie, a 2018 graduate of Youngstown State University, represented Ohio in the 2020 Miss USA contest. She placed in the top five in the 2021 Miss Puerto Rico Universe pageant and was third runner-up as the U.S. representative in the 2023 Miss Grand International pageant.
“City Centric” is the flagship series for PBS Western Reserve’s LuminUS: Stories About Us collection, which focuses on northeastern Ohio and western Pennsylvania.
It is produced by the station in collaboration with Skully Media Co. of Youngstown.
In its first season, “City Centric” included episodes on Youngstown and Sharon, Pa.
Pictured at top: Downtown Warren.
Published by The Business Journal, Youngstown, Ohio.
