Amidst details of the Civil Rights Movement, Vietnam, Watergate, the Iran hostage crisis and the Gulf War, KET offers the gripping stories of six modern presidents and their paths – and obstacles – to power. During a special, two-week event, KET will air 10 award-winning documentaries profiling the lives and careers of JFK, LBJ, Nixon, Carter, Reagan and GHW Bush.

Scheduled American Experience profiles include:

JFK: American Experience
The Camelot myth persists 53 years after his assassination, but what is the reality of JFK’s achievements?
KET: Monday, Aug. 8 at 9/8 pm (part 1) and Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 9/8 pm (part 2)

LBJ: American Experience
Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Civil Rights Act into law, but the war in Vietnam overshadowed his achievements.
KET: Wednesday, Aug. 10 at 8/7 pm

Nixon: American Experience
From farm boy to commander-in-chief, follow Richard M. Nixon’s rise and subsequent fall from grace.
KET: Thursday, Aug .11 at 8/7 pm

Jimmy Carter: American Experience
Gas lines and the Iran hostage crisis marred Jimmy Carter’s presidency, but his post-Oval Office career has offered redemption.
KET: Monday, Aug. 15 at 9/8 pm

Reagan: American Experience
As president, Ronald Reagan crusaded to rescue America from general malaise, but his actions divided the country and his family.
KET: Tuesday, Aug. 16 (part one) and Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 9/8 pm (part two)

George H.W. Bush: American Experience
A look at the life and career of the 41st president, from his service in World War II to his involvement in the Gulf War.
KET: Thursday, Aug. 18 at 8/7 pm

Additionally, four more documentaries shed further light on the presidencies of JFK, LBJ and Nixon:

JFK & LBJ: A Time for Greatness
Lyndon Johnson engineered two of the most important laws Congress ever passed: the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act. This documentary examines how he worked behind the scenes to ensure Kennedy’s legacy – and in doing so, transformed America.
KET: Tuesday, Aug. 9 at 8/7 pm

Dick Cavett’s Watergate
From 1972 to 1974, the Watergate scandal was frequently a part of The Dick Cavett Show, with nearly every major Watergate figure appearing as the crisis unfolded.
KET: Tuesday, Aug. 16 at 8/7 pm

 Nova: Cold Case JFK
State-of-the-art forensic tools are applied to investigate the assassination of John F. Kennedy. But are the forensic tools foolproof, or more art than science?
KET: Wednesday, Aug. 17 at 8/7 pm
KET2: Sunday, Aug. 21 at 7/6 pm

 1964: The Fight for a Right
Offering context to LBJ’s work to sign the 1964 Civil Rights Act and the 1965 Voting Rights Act into law, this documentary profiles the efforts of the “Freedom Summer” workers, hundreds of young white volunteers who converged in Mississippi during the summer of 1964 in order to help black residents register to vote.
KET: Monday, Aug. 29 at 9/8 pm

KET is Kentucky’s largest classroom, serving more than one million people each week via television, online and mobile. Learn more about Kentucky’s preeminent public media organization on Twitter @KET and facebook.com/KET and at KET.org.

Contact:

Todd Piccirilli
Senior Director, Marketing and Communications
859-258-7242
tpiccirilli@ket.org