What is it about a new year? On the one hand, it’s really just another day—midnight comes and goes as it always does. On the other hand, the start of a new year can feel so full of possibility. I notice that many of us fall into opposing camps on the topic. There are the “what’s the big deal?” folks who can’t imagine staying up late just to watch the clock change. Then there are people—like me—who choose to see it as an auspicious time. We like to celebrate, set intentions, and envision the year ahead. We embrace the wonder.

If you need a little convincing that the new year brings its own kind of magic, perhaps OPT’s January schedule can help. We’ll warm our hearts with a new season of All Creatures Great and Small. We’ll brave the dreary midwinter with new episodes of Miss Scarlet. We’ll be whisked away to the Cambodian jungle to explore the ruins of the ancient metropolis and once-mighty Khmer Empire in Angkor: Hidden Jungle Empire. And we’ll have a whole new crop of shows on PBS Passport to binge on those frosty nights.

Whether you choose to tuck in early this December 31 or join me in ringing in 2026, I wish you and yours a very bright new year. I hope you know how much you’ve brightened our year at OPT. Thank you—truly—for your support of public television in the Ozarks.

Happy New Year! 

Rachel Knight
General Manager