PBS: Visions of Puerto Rico.

This August PBS premieres VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO, featuring aerial and ground footage of the tropical island, narrated by Puerto Rican entertainer Rita Moreno. VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO presents the island’s rich history, architecture and lush natural beauty against a soundtrack of local favorites, with stops in Ponce, Cerro Punto, the Candado district, El Yunque rainforest and more. Filmed in high definition from all angles, VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO is the seventeenth special in WLIW New York’s acclaimed VISIONS series, which provides a unique pilot’s eye-view of popular travel destinations. Program details are below.

VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO offers television viewers a visit in paradise from the timeless plazas of Old San Juan around the island and back again, using the lighthouses at the four corners of the island as transition points. The latest addition to the popular VISIONS series features aerial and ground footage shot in high definition with the latest technology; informative narration about the island’s rich history, architecture and lush natural beauty; and a soundtrack of local favorites including the omnipresent chirp of the tiny coqui frog. Rita Moreno narrates. The program premieres nationwide on PBS stations August 2006 (check pbs.org for local airdates and times).

For an island barely 35 miles wide by 100 miles long there is more natural diversity than anyone would believe, and VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO makes the ultimate tour possible, showcasing all of Puerto Rico’s many facets – whether up close with the vibrant dancers on the last day of Carnaval in Ponce, scaling the heights of Cerro Punto at 4,389 feet, gliding over the placid beauty of small mountain towns and the solitude and simplicity of the west coast beaches, or wondering at the modern glamour of hotel resorts, casinos and golf courses found in the Candado district. In the lush El Yunque rainforest, the breathtaking sights could fill an entire program of their own, from the powerful waterfalls to the view from the summit that time has not changed since the original Taíno people stood on the same ground.

Produced by WLIW New York. Executive Producer/Aerial Director: Roy A. Hammond; Producer/Writer: Sam Toperoff; Camera Operator: Grant Bieman. CC and ST.

Viewers can obtain copies of VISIONS OF PUERTO RICO, THE PUERTO RICANS: OUR AMERICAN STORY and THE MEXICAN AMERICANS at www.wliw.org or 1.800.767.2121 beginning in August by supporting PBS’ and WLIW’s decision to produce and air Hispanic cultural programming. Check www.pbs.org for local airdates and times.