No local airings for Stax program

Southern California TV viewers were left soul-less Wednesday night.

Many PBS stations elsewhere aired “Respect Yourself: The Stax Records Story,” an acclaimed documentary about the Memphis record label that promoted classic soul artists such as Otis Redding, the Staples Singers and Isaac Hayes. National program listings and reviews indicated the program would start at 9 p.m.

But Los Angeles-based KCET-TV Channel 28, the major local PBS outlet here, didn’t air the Stax program, choosing instead a concert program called “Anuna: Celtic Origins,” interspersed with fund-raising appeals from station officials.

“KCET did not air [‘Respect Yourself’] on Aug. 1 because it had already begun its pledge-drive program lineup and decided to save this program until a more suitable time in September,” Laurel Lambert, a station spokeswoman, said Thursday. The station will air the Stax show on Sept. 6 at 8 p.m., she said.

KOCE-TV Channel 50 in Huntington Beach, which also preempted “Respect Yourself,” will air the program Sept. 1 at 8 p.m., according to a spokeswoman. San Bernardino-based KVCR-TV Channel 24 likewise didn’t run the Stax documentary, but station officials didn’t immediately return a call seeking comment.

-- Scott Collins