Roots Television | Og Blog

Have you had a chance to explore yet? Have you poked around in all the nooks and crannies of Roots Television? There's lots to see -- and lots more coming.

You may have noticed that we have some of our own shows here. It's easy to tell because our original programs have the Roots Television logo on them.

Probably the first one you spotted is Roots Books, hosted by Sharon DeBartolo Carmack. Sharon's the perfect host for this show because -- in addition to being a well-known genealogist who's written about countless books in Family Tree Magazine -- she's also the author of a bunch herself. 14, I think.

The first episode of Roots Books features Hank Jones. If you're a genealogist, Hank needs no introduction, and if you're a TV or music fan, there's a good chance you're familiar with Hank's work in those areas, too.

Sharon and Hank talk about his books, Psychic Roots and More Psychic Roots, as well as his Palatine series. If you've ever had one of those weird coincidences while digging for your roots -- say, you randomly pluck a book off a shelf in a library and open right to your own family -- you're going to want to hear this conversation. Hank tells some great stories! And he's a hero to anyone with Palatine roots.

You can find Hank's books in the non-fiction part of our book store, but if you want to find all of his books and CDs -- and learn about his music and his days on The Tennessee Ernie Ford Show -- not to mention, Mork & Mindy, The Love Boat, The Jeffersons, and a gazillion other shows and movies -- check out www.hankjones.com. While you're there, be sure to stroll down his memory lane. I bet it sparks a few memories of your own!

By the way, if you want to keep up on what's going on here at Roots Television, be sure to visit me at the Og Blog often. But don't forget -- you can subscribe by entering your email address (see that box over in the right column? yeah, that's the place). If you do that, you'll receive an email once a day with any news about new shows or episodes or whatever. And if I don't blog on some days, you just won't get an email. Easy way to stay current about what's new here, right?

If you have Hispanic roots, you're definitely going to want to check out Sharon DeBartolo Carmack's interview with Professor George R. Ryskamp, author of Finding Your Hispanic Roots.

Since it's our latest show, you'll find it featured on the NEW! tab under the Roots Living category (this means it's the show that will come on automatically when you watch www.rootstelevision.com), but you'll also be able to find it under the Roots Books tab -- now and when it's no longer the newest show.

Og was delighted to run into Diane Haddad, Managing Editor of Family Tree Magazine, at the 2007 FGS Conference. Our good friend Chris Haley (you'll remember him as the Director of the Study of the Legacy of Slavery in Maryland, and as Roots author Alex Haley's nephew) had the chance to sit down with Diane for a little chat. Take a peek at this great interview and learn more about what inspires Diane and her colleagues to get out of bed every morning. Not only is Family Tree Magazine the top-selling genealogical mag in the U.S., it makes the conscious effort to appeal to genealogists of all research levels. So if you're a newbie still learning how to spell "microfiche," or you're an old pro ready to dive headlong into 18th century Cyrillic vital records, Diane and her team have something for you.

Og from Roots Television