The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and independent producers have agreed to an 11-member board of directors to head the Independent Television Service. The two organizations announced the formation Sept. 15 [1989].
Called the independent production service during negotiations, the board was renamed. During the talks, participants said the new agency would not be confused with the Interregional Program Service, which has the same acronym.
CPB and members of the National Coalition of Independent Public Broadcasting Producers have been negotiating the makeup of the board and other details of the new organization since late November 1988.
The Public Telecommunications Act of 1988 ordered CPB to distribute $6 million for independent television productions. NCIPBP has represented independent producers in the negotiations over the allocation of the money and the formation of the service. Congress set aside the money in response to complaints by film and video producers about perceived inflexibility at CPB, the Public Broadcasting Service and public stations for funding and presentation of films produced by independents.
Members of the governing board are Linda Blackaby, director of the Neighborhood Film and Video Project, and vice president of NCIPBP; Lawrence Daressa, co-director of California Newsreel and chairman of NCIPBP; Julie Dash, independent producer; David M. Davis, president of American Playhouse and The American Documentary Inc.; Eduardo Diaz, director of arts and cultural affairs for the city of San Antonio, Texas; Ed Emshwiller, dean of the California Institute of Arts’ School of Film and Video; Virginia Fox, executive vice president of Kentucky Educational Television; Lawrence S. Hall, legislative affairs coordinator of NCIPBP; Cheryl Head, vice president of production and community development at WTVS-TV in Detroit, Mich.; Lawrence M. Sapadin, executive director of the Association of Independent Video and Filmmakers and president of NCIPBP; and Joan Shigekawa, production executive, The Program for Art on Film.