The highlight of my Super Bowl Sunday in 2025 was not the lopsided game, but was instead an afternoon program on Pioneer PBS.

I watched a travel program on Iceland. I tuned in because I wanted to know more about it. I’m Polish, German, English, Swedish, Belgian and Dutch and therefore hadn’t heard about many of Iceland’s details.

The late author Bill Holm of Minneota described it as a majestic place. I have several friends who’ve been to Iceland and said the same thing.

After seeing it depicted in a travel documentary, I know for a fact that all of those interpretations are completely correct.

Iceland’s landscape has it all; glaciers, geysers, volcanoes and waterfalls. Its seafaring industries include herring and shark meat. The sheep industry is also a big part of the economy.

Tourism is also very important. Iceland has the traditions of a rural nation, but its 21st century tourism has gained widespread popularity.

The travel programs are one of several different things I enjoy on PBS. I like the polka dances because it’s music that was enjoyed by my grandparents. I take an interest in “Antiques Roadshow.” It always has a combination of incredible finds and other more modest items that I could afford.

I also like the Wednesday night “Nova” programs. They’re educational and entertaining both, with a wide variety of interesting topics.

In an age when many cable channels aren’t worth watching, PBS consistently produces high quality programs. There’s a limit to how much people can afford to donate, but it would be nice to see memberships increase. It would be good if station revenue could at least double in the next few years.

Many of the very best shows are found through public broadcasting. It’s a valuable educational resource for families, senior citizens, teachers and anyone who wants to learn.

Funding comes from a combination of corporate sponsorships, contributions from viewers and appropriations from agencies. It’s something that deserves the support of cities, counties and school districts. Even a small appropriation can go a long way toward making sure that the public broadcast tradition continues.

One of the nicest things is the limited commercials. I don’t watch movies on cable very much because commercials continually interrupt the show. They’re distracting. They’re something to tune out.

We’re very fortunate in Marshall to be served by two PBS stations, Pioneer and the Twin Cities. Minnesota has one of the better networks of public stations. I read that there are six of them altogether.

They prove that learning can be fun. It’s sad when a young person grows up not liking school. They have their entire lives to work. School is an opportunity to look ahead and think of possibilities for the future.

Some of the best learning opportunities are self guided. Books from home or from the library are part of it. So are the best television programs and the best online web sites.

We should look for ways to sustain the learning opportunities we have and to create new ones. They’re great ways to expand horizons. They also offer interesting things to talk about with family members and friends.

I believe the future looks bright for learning resources. The demand exists. People are interested in enriching their leisure time with resources that are meaningful.

— Jim Muchlinski is a longtime reporter and

contributor to the Marshall Independent