Photo courtesy of Nine Network
The attics, garages, and basements of St. Louis are about to get seriously decluttered as residents dig through everything from family mementos, memorabilia, and forgotten souvenirs to Aunt Fern’s box of junk with hopes of making some serious cash.
This kind of fervor has a unique cause: a visit from Antiques Roadshow. Airing locally on Mondays on the Nine Network at 7 p.m., the program returns to St. Louis on July 8 for a day of onsite appraisals from independent dealers and specialists. The event will be broadcast as three separate programs for the 2018 season.
Jack Galmiche, President and CEO of the Nine Network, St. Louis’ PBS affiliate, says the program is returning to the city after 15 years. He says, “Its last visit [to St. Louis] was a tremendous success and very well-received by the public.” The trend is reflected in local ratings, as well: Antiques Roadshow “is consistently one the highest-rated shows airing on the Nine Network,” and, says Galmiche, “Ultimately, I think the same things that have made the show popular with [national] audiences for 21 seasons and earned it 14 Emmy nominations are the same qualities that make St. Louisans want to participate in the series.”
The show’s producers have also sent out a call to our community for furniture submissions for their visit. They are seeking furniture to display on the set; Antiques Roadshow will pay for the pieces’ transportation to and from the event.
Equal parts history lesson and treasure hunt, the stories revealed about the antique objects make for compelling reality television without the high drama and theatrics.
Galmiche says that St. Louis can expect to receive national exposure, as the show often depicts its locations people and places just as often as furniture. “It’s sure to show the city off in a positive light, something that’s too often missing from the national conversation,” says Galmiche.
“On top of that, we hope that some real treasures are discovered by the show this visit,” says Galmiche. “St. Louis is a city steeped in history, so it stands to reason that some of this history should be on display in these episodes.”
Admission to Antiques Roadshow is free, but a limited number of tickets are available for admittance. For more information and to apply for tickets, visit www.pbs.org/wgbh/roadshow or call toll-free 888-762-3749.
