Fans Say Goodbye to Downton Abbey On March 6, over 80 guests joined CPTV at the Saybrook Point Inn in Old Saybrook to celebrate the beloved series Downton Abbey on Masterpiece as it came to an end. The evening began with a special cocktail reception with Downton Abbey -inspired food and drinks. Afterwards, guests gathered to view a special screening of the series finale together. Words To Give By Recording Sessions Throughout March, Words to Give By, a storytelling project in partnership with the Hartford Foundation for Public Giving and WNPR, collected stories of everyday kindness and generosity at five locations in the Greater Hartford region. Words to Give By began in 2015, in celebration of the Foundation's 90th anniversary of serving Greater Hartford. The project aims to celebrate and encourage all forms of “philanthropy,” including small acts of kindness between friends, family, and even strangers. In its first year, 170 participants joined WNPR producers to record 154 interviews, sharing personal stories of everyday generosity. Edited versions of these recordings air on WNPR each Wednesday at 3:04 p.m. and all edited stories, plus additional information about the project, can be found at WordsToGiveBy.org. CPTV HISTORY On Saturday, March 2, 1985, CPTV aired the New England Collegiate Conference championship basketball game between the University of Bridgeport and Sacred Hart University. The game featured Manute Bol, a Sudan-born basketball player who was drafted into the NBA from the University of Bridgeport later that year. Using his NBA career to fund his sister’s travels out of the political unrest of Sudan, the athlete went on to play for the Washington Bullets, Golden State Warriors, Philadelphia 76ers, and Miami Heat. At the impressive height of seven-foot-six, Bol is considered one of the best shot-blockers in basketball history. Jerry Franklin, CEO of CPBN, commented on the broadcast in the April 1985 issue of Connecticut Magazine : “Why air that game, you might ask, when we present so little basketball? Why interrupt our popular and long-standing Saturday lineup? First, this interesting local match-up gave a boost to our channel 49 station, which is licensed to Bridgeport. Secondly, it introduced, for the first time to a significant television audience, the awesome capabilities of a seven-foot-six center, Manute Bol. CPTV was the only TV station willing to showcase this unusual talent.”