TV Nets Pay Tribute To Aretha Franklin

Broadcast and cable networks will sing the praises of Aretha Franklin this weekend with special programming honoring the "Queen of Soul," who passed away Thursday.

Tonight (Aug. 17), PBS will air a special, Aretha! Queen Of Soul, which will feature archival footage from Franklin's career, along with interviews that will highlight her legacy, according to network officials.

Saturday, OWN re-air Oprah Winfrey’s 1999 television interview with Franklin from The Oprah Winfrey Show, while TV One will run an encore of two Franklin specials, TV One on One: Aretha Franklin and Aretha: Frankly Speaking.

Digital multicast TV network getTV on Sunday will pay its respects to Franklin with a rarely seen December 1967 episode of The Kraft Music Hall music variety series, featuring Franklin performing two of the biggest hits of her career, Respect and Chain Of Fools.

BET’s BET Her network on Monday will air a morning marathon of the prolific artist’s many music videos. BET Networks president Scott Mills said in a statement that Franklin’s extraordinary talents laid the groundwork for so many of today’s artists. 

“Aretha Franklin was a musical phenomenon and an iconic figure in black culture,” Mills said. “We will remember and miss her dearly.”

R. Thomas Umstead

R. Thomas Umstead serves as senior content producer, programming for Multichannel News, Broadcasting + Cable and Next TV. During his more than 30-year career as a print and online journalist, Umstead has written articles on a variety of subjects ranging from TV technology, marketing and sports production to content distribution and development. He has provided expert commentary on television issues and trends for such TV, print, radio and streaming outlets as Fox News, CNBC, the Today show, USA Today, The New York Times and National Public Radio. Umstead has also filmed, produced and edited more than 100 original video interviews, profiles and news reports featuring key cable television executives as well as entertainers and celebrity personalities.