We're in the midst of another pledge drive, and you may have noticed a bit less music programming as a result. But never fear-- on the other side of that event you'll find some fascinating new music documentaries.  We'll be debuting films about Balkan, South Asian and Central Asian music; all of them filled with beautiful images and haunting music. And who knows, you might even be seeing some new music blocks! All of this programming is made possible by your contributions, so I hope you'll take the time to show your support.

Closer to home, I want to plug a dear colleague's debut solo CD: If you were wondering about the vivacious lady singing the Yoruba chants in our video "The Price of Silence", that was Cucu Diamantes, one of the founders of the Pan Latin pop group Yerba Buena. She really made a splash with us with her enthusiasm, professionalism and terrific pipes. And now that she is stepping out with her solo CD "Cuculand", releasing March 17, we wish her all the success she richly deserves.

In the next week or so, we will be adding interviews with Chico César (Brazil), Jorge Nasser (Uruguay) and Aterciopelados (Colombia) to our series “Music for Human Rights.” In each case we have outreached to the artists for more photos and contacts and had to do plenty of research after the actual interviewing, to make them all good television journalism. We received wonderful photos from Jorge of his rock n’ roll days complete with Telecaster, and Chico sent us a heartwarming family photo. And while one doesn’t always relish the research, sometimes it is an enriching experience all its own; looking up “Uruguayan Dictatorship,” “Landless Movement” and “Escopitarra” I found myself drawn into the multitude of Latin American historic and contemporary issues. (And the picture just gets bigger with each lead). Perhaps the most intense vector involved our interview with Emmanuel Jal, who had such an electrifying part in our “Price of Silence” video. As a Sudanese child soldier seeking refuge from the horrors of war, he was singled out by Emma McCune, a young British aid worker, who was responsible for putting him on the path to a better future. Googling her name, she emerged as a figure of extreme controversy, and in my outreach to find photos of this mysterious person I was put in touch with her mother Maggie. Not only did Maggie send me extraordinary photos of her late daughter, but she sent me a book she had written about her own journey to find herself within her daughter’s death. It’s fascinating reading, and I feel as if I now know some truths that no amount of info-surfing could ever yield.  I love this job!

This coming week we'll be kicking off our first Music and Culture mini-pledge. Link will be spotlighting our movies, documentaries and world music blocks for the next month; it'll be a great lead-in to the *Big Holidays* and New Year's Eve. In addition to that, we have two new music blocks that are debuting, plus our "Best Videos Finds of 2008" program, AND two productions in affiliation with Amnesty International coming up: a very cool special called "Music for Human Rights", and our music video "The Price of Silence." Both productions will be streamed online, as well as broadcast.  You can see "The Price of Silence" starting Friday, December 5th, and on Tuesday, December 9th, you can download both the song and the video at iTunes. Once you see the video, I predict you will want to see and hear it again!

We hope that with this barrage of great entertainment, you'll be inspired to make a contribution to Link TV. We have a goal to raise $100,000 through this mini-pledge. We know that times are tough, but in this season, when we all think back on the past year, and make our wishes for the future, remember all the great songs and stories that Link has brought into your home. In a world of tumultuous changes, Music and Culture is the Good News -- that people the world over have an instinct to communicate and create that is stronger than alienation and destruction. When you give during this mini-pledge your gift will go directly to bringing you more of this especially affirmative, uplifting and artful programming. If you're reading this, just lift your gaze to the "Pledge Now" button at the top of the page, click on it, and show your support.   Thanks!