A premiere screening of the Masterpiece hit Victoria will be held Thursday
WTCI will host a special premiere screening of the Masterpiece hit Victoria on Thursday, Dec. 14, as a part of the ‘PBS at the Palace’ screening series hosted by the station. More than 16.2 million viewers tuned in for Victoria’s premiere season, making it the highest-rated drama on PBS in 20 years – second only to Downton Abbey.
Doors will open for this free screening at 6 p.m. and tickets can be reserved online at www.wtcitv.org/palace.
Sponsored by the Tennessee Valley Federal Credit Union, Allied Eye, Brody Jewelers and Southern Adventist University, “PBS at the Palace” is made possible through a partnership between WTCI and the Chattanooga Film Festival. The Palace Picture House is in the Tomorrow Building at 818 Georgia Ave. in downtown Chattanooga and guests have enjoyed preview screenings of exciting PBS programs since September, including Poldark, Swim Team and a powerful documentary about jazz great John Coltrane.
WTCI’s members and guests will enjoy a special film experience as Jenna Coleman returns for a new season as the young queen who wants it all – romance, power, an heir and personal freedom. Doors will open and concessions will be available at 6 p.m. before the film begins at 6:30 p.m.
Victoria, a new mother, is impatient to return to the business of ruling a nation while Albert attempts to protect her from the increasingly desperate news from Afghanistan. Thrown into turmoil by the realization that she is pregnant again, Victoria’s equilibrium is further threatened by Albert’s burgeoning friendship with the lady mathematician, Ada Lovelace as this all-new season begins.
The Palace Picture House will open concessions at 6 p.m. with beer, wine and snacks available for purchase during a mixer before the 6:30 p.m. feature presentation in the unique, restored space.
"We are thrilled with this opportunity to partner with WTCI to offer Chattanoogans these quality experiences,” says Chris Dortch, director of the Chattanooga Film Festival. The high-definition screen is nine feet tall and 16 feet wide in this beautifully-restored film house, an ideal setting for WTCI’s members and guests to enjoy their favorite programs from PBS and beyond, celebrating public media and its vital rose in providing quality, trusted programming that educates, engages and inspires a lifetime of learning and exploration, said officials.
New sustaining members who register during the Victoria screening will receive special Masterpiece gift baskets as a pledge thank you from the PBS station. Community PBS stations like WTCI rely on support from members for over 50 percent of annual operating budgets. WTCI Passport members, sustaining members who contribute small monthly amounts, receive online access to local and national PBS programming, priority seating at WTCI screenings and subscriptions to the Chattanooga Magazine.
Members of WTCI can visit www.wtciTV.org to register for upcoming screenings and people interested in membership and member benefits can contact Member Services Manager Jessica Summerour, at 702-7819 or jsummerour@wtciTV.org. Richard Johnson, vice president of Development at WTCI, says “Our members are at the heart of the station’s mission and this opportunity to add an event series to our benefits is exciting. We’re grateful to our partners and sponsors that we can share these premiere experiences with our Chattanooga audience.”