After this season, the desert will no longer speak.
So to speak.
Producer Tom Kleespie, 52, who has worked on KUAT-TV's show "The Desert Speaks" since it started in 1989, is putting the program to rest.
Hosted by David Yetman, the series is seen on PBS stations across the nation. After the final episode airs in May, reruns will continue to air for at least four more years, he said.
Kleespie, who graduated from Rincon High School in 1976 and the University of Arizona in 1980 with a degree in radio and television, is moving on to new projects.
Why is this the last season?
"We've had a great run with the series, which has lasted longer than most national television series that started around the same time, with the exception of 'The Simpsons.' I'm looking forward to developing new programs and series that tell meaningful stories about our region and the people who live here."
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What have you got lined up next?
"I'm currently working on a documentary with Dustinn Craig, an independent Native American filmmaker, about the use of solar energy for water purification on the Navajo Reservation."
Anything else?
"With Martin Rubio of Arizona Public Media, we've begun filming some current affairs, including the civil-rights movement in Tucson in the 1950s and 1960s, and health documentaries, including one on cancer."
What is your favorite moment from "The Desert Speaks?"
"In the more than 20 years of working on the 19 seasons of 'The Desert Speaks,' we've been to some of the most beautiful places on three continents and lived to tell of great adventures. However, I think the one thing that has impressed me the most is the people we have been privileged to meet and work with."
What does "The Desert Speaks" mean to you?
" 'The Desert Speaks' has shaped my professional life for two decades. The technological advances during this series have been astounding. Producing the hundreds of episodes has allowed me to hone my storytelling skills."
What can viewers look forward to this season?
"Traveling the entire length of the Gadsden Purchase allows for a perspective of the Mexican border most people would never see on their own. The two programs in Utah will tell the stories of desert landscapes and locations rarely visited even by the hardiest of modern-day explorers. We also return to our roots, so to speak, with several shows in or on the edges of the Sonoran Desert."
On TV
The final season of "The Desert Speaks," hosted by David Yetman, airs at 9 p.m. Thursdays, with repeats most Sundays at 6 p.m. on KUAT-TV, Channel 6.
If you're involved in filmmaking and would like to be featured in a Q&A, write to pvillarreal@azstarnet.com
