Pubcasting in the News

PBS arts programming disappoints columnist

2010-03-19T23:15:00.002-04:00

In today's column Terry Teachout, the Wall Street Journal's drama critic, laments what he terms PBS's "slow but steady shrinkage of airtime devoted to the fine arts, and the increasing trivialization of such cultural programming as does manage to make it onto the network." Furthermore, "any TV network that claims to be 'public' should be offering more than the ultrasafe programming in which Great Performances specializes."

Will do-gooder pubcasters in South Dakota lose state money?

2010-03-19T15:54:00.003-04:00

Now it's South Dakota pubcasting that may face state funding reductions. The Daily Republic in Mitchell, S.D., reports that Republican state legislator Noel Hamiel suggested this week at a town forum that the state consider pulling back funding to South Dakota Public Broadcasting, which he dubbed one of the capital's "sacred cows." He added: �I would like to see public broadcasting wean itself from public funding.� But Democrat Frank Kloucek quickly countered, �I think that sometimes we lose sight of what is for the public good. SDPB does a lot of good for our communities.�

System needs evolution, not revolution, writes digital strategist Rob Bole

2010-03-19T14:04:00.004-04:00

Public broadcasting thought leader Rob Bole declares himself an evolutionist -- at least when it comes to the growth of the pubcasting system into the public media future. In a new post on his personal opinion blog, he writes: "The Rube Goldberg machine of public broadcasting is a strange creature and while it looks painful, for what we have asked of it, it has largely worked. Changing it too rapidly is a bad idea. Leaving it alone is even worse. ... My framework for governing the public broadcasting transformation is grounded in the belief that changes should be evolutionary, not revolutionary." Bole, CPB's v.p. for Digital Media Strategies, goes on to illustrate his point by referencing his father's old Buick, Scotty from Star Trek, the film "Monty Python and the Holy Grail," and a horde of barbarians that issue forth "a collective full-throated ARRRRGGGGHHHHH!!!"

Newsweek editor, Bryant Park co-host are faces of new PBS Friday-night hour

2010-03-19T10:58:00.006-04:00

WNET confirmed yesterday that Alison Stewart, former cohost of NPR�s Bryant Park Project, and Jon Meacham, editor of Newsweek, will be co-hosts of Need to Know, the new PBS newsmag that begins May 7. The program will fill 60 of the 90 minutes that PBS has allotted to Bill Moyers' Journal and Now on Friday evenings. Politically progressive fans of the two retiring shows flooded the in-box of PBS ombudsman Michael Getler with most of the past week�s 3,000 e-mails, Getler wrote yesterday. The e-mails seemed to be prompted, Getler said, by an alert from the liberal press watchdog FAIR tarring Meacham as �a consummate purveyor of middle-of-the-road conventional wisdom with a conservative slant,� judged unlikely to do the �hard-hitting� journalism of Now and Moyers. See Current's March 22 issue for more.

"Major news initiative" coming from CPB next week

2010-03-19T09:58:00.004-04:00

CPB next Thursday announces a major news initiative to help stations produce more in-depth local journalism. CPB President Pat Harrison will detail the project, joined by the PBS President Paula Kerger and NPR President Vivian Schiller (via live video feed). Following will be a panel discussion on the role of pubmedia in reporting, with Hari Sreenivasan, PBS NewsHour correspondent; Tom Rosenstiel, director of PEW's Project for Excellence in Journalism; Nishat Kurwa, news director of Youth Media International; Tom Karlo, general manager of KPBS TV-FM; and Kinsey Wilson, NPR's senior v.p. and general manager of Digital Media. The event will be streamed live from the Newseum in Washington. Public broadcasting has been working to step into the widening news gap as newspaper staffs diminish. CPB has issued several RFPs on "strengthening local journalism," and a network of five local journalism centers is part of pubradio's Grow the Audience initiative (Current, Jan. 11).

If it's March, it's Muppet Madness time

2010-03-18T16:53:00.006-04:00

This month the bracket brouhaha emerges once again, but forget all that March Madness b-ball boredom. This year, try a little Muppet Madness. It's brought to you by MuppetCast, the weekly podcast of all things Jim Henson and Muppets. Who will win in Miss Piggy vs. Pepe? Oscar vs. Big Bird? Bert & Ernie vs. The Count? (Hey, that's two against one ...) You may vote in all the matches each 12 hours until April 5.

Mobile DTV superior to broadband, coalition says

2010-03-18T16:23:00.003-04:00

In reaction to the new National Broadband Plan, the Open Mobile Video Coalition told a teleconference of reporters today that mobile DTV is superior to broadband to deliver mobile video, reports TVNewsCheck. Brandon Burgess, CEO of Ion Media and coalition chair, said broadcasting can simultaneously deliver video to millions of viewers without overworking Internet and cellphone networks. "No other solution out there can really do that," he said. The coalition is made up of more than 800 private and public television stations in America, as well as PBS, CPB and APTS.

Leading Gen! series garners attention

2010-03-18T14:17:00.002-04:00

The Leading Gen!, currently carried by some 120 PBS affiliates, seems to be on a publicity roll. Last month Daily Variety TV critic Brian Lowry described the 13-part series on aging, introducing readers to neurosurgeon James Ausman and wife Carolyn, producers, and adding that for PBS, " ... catering to those over 50 -- the people who are predominantly watching public TV anyway -- isn't just good business; it's a no-brainer." Last week the Desert Sun in Palm Springs, Calif., wrote that producing station KVCR-DT in San Bernardino calls it �the ultimate reality show,� and it's won two Telly Awards. And today, on the wildly popular blog the Daily Beast, gossip columnist Liz Smith talks about it in a piece headlined, "The great untapped 80-something market."

California's KOCE partnering with web news network

2010-03-18T13:50:00.004-04:00

KOCE in Huntington Beach, Calif., is joining the Orange County Local News Network (OCLNN), owned by the for-profit web journalism chain United States Local News Network. OCLNN reporters will file stories for KOCE�s Real Orange news program, and its digital OC Channel. Some KOCE-produced content will also be at OCLNN.com. The two will also work together on local public affairs projects.

SXSW showcase a "plum gig" for Spoon & a coming out party for NPR Music

2010-03-18T10:06:00.006-04:00

As the South by Southwest Music festival keeps getting bigger and bigger, the potential for bands to break through to commercial success diminish, observes New York Times ArtsBeat blogger Ben Sisario. He points to last night's opening showcase, sponsored by NPR Music and headlined by Austin's own Spoon, as a case in point: "It was a plum gig, reflecting not only Spoon�s preeminence but also the emergence of NPR as a major force in independent music. . . . [T]he band was received as heroes, symbolizing the best of what South by Southwest is about: artistic credibility, insouciant cool, left-of-the-dial independence. The implicit message was that Spoon are the top of the heap, the highest that a South by Southwest band can aspire to. But by the numbers, Spoon is still a startup: its new album, 'Transference' (Merge), has been out for eight weeks and sold 121,000 copies. And there are lots of Spoons out there, famous to small slivers of an audience but unknown to everybody else, and probably pretty comfortable that way, or at least used to it." Details and links to more SXSW music coverage from NPR and public radio stations are here.

Fellowship named in honor of reporter's sons

2010-03-17T12:43:00.003-04:00

NPR and the Washington Post are offering an unusual joint fellowship honoring two sons of an NPR journalist. The six-month program, split between the two newsrooms, is seeking applicants by April 30 and will begin in the fall [more information]. The Stone & Holt Weeks Fellowship was created in memory of Stone Weeks, 24, and his brother Holt, 20, sons of Linton Weeks, an NPR reporter who formerly wrote for the Post, and Jan Taylor Weeks, an artist and teacher. The young men were both research assistants at Rice University in Houston. They were returning to their parents� home in the Washington area July 23 when their car was struck by a truck in Virginia.

A music geek's guide to pubradio SXSW coverage

2010-03-17T10:30:00.006-04:00

NPR Music's live coverage of the South by Southwest Music and Media Conference in Austin begins with tonight's showcase headlined by Spoon, a hometown favorite kicking off their U.S. tour with this SXSW performance. Tune in at 9 p.m. ET to catch the full line-up including Visqueen, the Walkmen, Sharon Jones and the Dap-Kings, and Broken Bells. Tomorrow at 1:30 pm ET, NPR Music presents a daytime showcase of six acts headlined by the Sleigh Bells. Five public radio stations--The Current, KEXP, KUT, WFUV, and WXPN--are presenting SXSW coverage in partnership with NPR; most plan to broadcast and webcast their own live shows. In fact, this afternoon at 4 Austin's KUT offers a showcase featuring Nashville rocker Bobby Bare Jr., Jason Collett of Broken Social Scene and Nigerian soul songstress Nneka. The biggest pubradio-sponsored showcase of all appears to be WFMU's "massive, 14 band, two-stage" event on Friday from 8 pm-3 am. KCRW will bring SXSW to its listeners on Morning Becomes Eclectic and during a Saturday showcase featuring Rogue Wave. And this year, for the very first time, Radio Milwaukee sent a team to produce on-air and online SXSW coverage. Many pubradio personalities are tweeting from SXSW; for the refreshing perspectives of two bonafied rock chicks, follow Rita Houston of WFUV and Carrie Brownstein of NPR Music's Monitor Mix.

NewsHour producer herding 2,000 correspondents tonight

2010-03-17T10:12:00.003-04:00

No kicking back with a green beer for PBS NewsHour Producer Linda Scott this St. Patrick's Day. She's in charge of organizing tonight's huge Radio and Television Correspondents Dinner in D.C. Some 2,000 guests are expected at the Washington Convention Center for one of the District's largest soirees. "We're going to pull out the stops and have a good time," Scott told the Washington Times. At the head table: Vice President Joe Biden, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Republican Sens. Orrin G. Hatch of Utah and Lamar Alexander of Tennessee and White House Press Secretary Robert Gibbs. They'll nosh on a menu including ravioli garnished with lobster and crayfish.

Pubcasting leaders speak out on National Broadband Plan

2010-03-16T15:34:00.005-04:00

Reactions are in from the G4-- CPB, PBS, APTS and NPR -- regarding today's historic National Broadband Plan release. Excerpts:

CPB: "In particular, we appreciate the Taskforce�s recognition of public media�s important role in serving our democracy, as well as our role in America�s broadband future. We also appreciate the Taskforce�s recognition that, if public media is to continue to fulfill our statutory responsibility to provide every American with free educational and cultural programming in the digital age, more funding will be necessary. The report presents many interesting opportunities as well as challenges, both for our country and for public media."

PBS: The plan "will make a significant contribution to ensuring a diverse, digital media landscape in which the needs of local communities and, in particular, children are well served. PBS and its stations have substantially expanded the distribution of educational, noncommercial content by transitioning to digital platforms, including free and universal digital television, streaming video on pbs.org and pbskids.org, interactive educational video games, and mobile services." It adds that the "continued development of a robust digital public media ecosystem would be enhanced by the creation of sustainable funding sources dedicated to this important work."

APTS: �APTS is grateful to FCC Chairman [Julius] Genachowski and Blair Levin, executive director of the Omnibus Broadband Initiative at the FCC, for their dedication to the National Broadband Plan, and their recognition of the importance that public television plays in the national landscape of public media,� APTS President and CEO Larry Sidman said in its statement. �As America�s public television stations evolve from broadcast-centric organizations to anchor community institutions that create and distribute digital content across all platforms, they can play a key role in driving broadband adoption and utilization.�

NPR: "Public radio is off and running in pursuit of the 'robust digital media ecosystem' the Commission references. Our launch of the API, ARGO and applications for mobile devices that ease access to public radio content are reflective of our intentions and ambitions. NPR and its partner stations are eager to work with the Commission, the Congress and others in achieving the expanded public service vision of the National Broadband Plan."

Free airfare, hotel for two attending PBS Annual Meeting

2010-03-16T14:33:00.005-04:00

Congrats to station reps Kelly McCarthy of Vegas PBS and Michelle Dillard of KTXT in Lubbock, Texas, who won goodies for the PBS Annual Meeting May 17-20 in Austin, Texas. McCarthy now has an American Airlines voucher for her flights, and Dillard scored three complimentary nights at the Hilton Austin where the meeting will take place.

FCC backs pubcasting trust fund in new National Broadband Plan

2010-03-16T12:08:00.003-04:00

The FCC's National Broadband Plan has arrived (background: Current, Sept. 21, 2009) with its advice to Congress for expanding broadband reach across America. The FCC has posted it in searchable form. It advises that 500 megahertz of spectrum be made available for broadband within 10 years, of which 300 megahertz should be made available for mobile use within five years. The much anticipated pubcasting trust fund is indeed included. Public broadcasters could give up spectrum (Current, Feb. 8) and those proceeds would endow a trust "for the production, distribution and archiving of digital public media." It continues: "There would be multiple benefits to public television stations who participate in this auction. First, it could provide significant savings in operational expenses to stations that share transmission facilities. Second, 100% of proceeds from the public television spectrum auction would be used to fund digital multimedia content. The proceeds should be distributed so that a significant portion of revenues generated by the sale of spectrum go to public media in the communities from which spectrum was contributed." Examples of successful pubmedia projects cited include WGBH for its Teachers' Domain, a free service offering digital resources for students and instructors; and WHYY radio in Philadelphia's partnership with the Philadelphia Daily News on the City Howl, a multi-media civic engagement blog.

State audit alleges Maryland PubTV didn't properly bid $2 million in contracts

2010-03-16T10:32:00.010-04:00

In a report released Monday (PDF), the Maryland Office of Legislative Audits contends that the state's Public Broadcasting Commission spent more than $2 million dollars on services without a competitive bidding process or working through the Board of Public Works, both violations of state procurement requirements, the Associated Press reports. The commission operates the six Maryland Public Television stations. MPT executive v.p. Larry Unger declined to identify the firm in question to the AP. A response from the commissioners said they consulted with Maryland's Department of Budget and Management officials about the payments and that the vendor is one of several companies that have worked for the pubcasters. "Under the circumstances, MPBC believes it acted properly," they wrote. The Baltimore City Paper ran several of the auditor's comments and commission responses from the 33-page report, quipping, "Who says there's no drama in public broadcasting?"

Retooling NPR.org for Apple's iPad

2010-03-16T10:13:00.005-04:00

NPR's web team is racing to adapt NPR.org for the technical requirements of Apple's new iPad, which launches on April 3. Kinsey Wilson, senior v.p. of digital media, reassures Apple enthusiasts that NPR.org will be "optimized" for the iPad experience: "Features like the NPR audio player have been given greater visibility and adapted for the unique technical requirements of this new platform; we've modified the navigation and made the site more 'touch' friendly; and we've improved the sponsorship experience." NPR is simultaneously developing a companion iPad app. "Until we see how everyone uses it, it's anybody's guess as to what the best experience is," Wilson tells Poynter.org. "We think the app will be more about browsing and listening...a little more relaxed, a little more serendipitous." Peter Kafka of the Wall Street Journal's All Things Digital reports that the re-engineering of NPR.org is much more comprehensive than that undertaken by other big publishers.

APTS President Larry Sidman will step down April 1

2010-03-15T15:58:00.007-04:00

Larry Sidman, president of the Association of Public Television Stations for the past year, will resign as of April 1, he told Current today.

AE to make broadcast history with Facebook premiere of "Earth Days" doc

2010-03-15T11:12:00.004-04:00

PBS will score a broadcast first when American Experience posts its "Earth Days" doc on Facebook before its broadcast premiere, reports the New York Times. Mark Samuels, American Experience e.p., said the showing -- which will include PBS underwriting credits -- is an experiment. �It�s an opportunity, we think, to engage with a new audience, an audience that we may not be bringing to PBS Monday nights at 9 o�clock,� he told the paper. It'll hit the social networking site April 11, and TV on April 18. Fans on Facebook will also be able to interact there with Samuels as well as the film's producer, Robert Stone.

Dire "State of News Media" provides in-depth look at revamped "PBS Newshour"

2010-03-15T10:40:00.003-04:00

"State of the News Media 2010," this year's annual report from the Pew Research Center�s Project for Excellence in Journalism, warns that the "the losses suffered in traditional news gathering in the last year were so severe that by any accounting they overwhelm the innovations in the world of news and journalism." The massive report includes an analysis of the revamped PBS NewsHour, which recently melded its online and on-air coverage (Current, Jan. 11). The show had a 0.8 for the 2008-09 season, flat from 'o7-08. David Sit, v.p. of NewsHour and MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, told researchers that excluding a $5.2 million grant for coverage of the 2008 presidential election, the program budget for the fiscal year ending June 30 increased 15 percent, about $3.5 million, to $27.7 million. The budget increase was primarily due to more corporate underwriting in the 2009-10 fiscal year, which went from $5.7 million in '08-09 to $10 million in '09-10. Sit also said that in February 2010, website traffic had increased about 30 percent in year-over-year comparisons. Video downloads also doubled.

Battle of the roadshows: Antiques vs. Treasure Hunters, Round 2

2010-03-15T10:21:00.003-04:00

WGBH has filed a federal lawsuit in Illinois, alleging that the Treasure Hunters Roadshow violates the Antiques Roadshow trademark and participates in unfair competition and unfair business practices. �We believe there are many people who have been confused and the things such as the prominent use of 'roadshow' and the 'treasure chest' are leading to that confusion,� Eric Brass, corporate counsel for the WGBH Educational Foundation, told the Mount Vernon Register-News. WGBH had filed a similar suit in 1999 against the International Toy Collectors Association, the precursor to Treasure Hunters Roadshow; that was settled out of court. Matt Enright, v.p. of media relations for THR & Associates, told the paper: "You can�t trademark the name roadshow. ... They don�t know anything about our business. I think they�re scared because we have a new show coming out in the fall. We have a better show and exciting event that people enjoy.�

Virginia reduces pubcasting funding 15 percent over two years

2010-03-15T09:58:00.002-04:00

Virginia's General Assembly adjourned yesterday after approving a two-year budget that slashes millions from various services in the commonwealth, including pubcasting, reports the Washington Post. Community Idea Stations, in Richmond and Charlottesville, get a 15 percent drop in funds over the next two years. States nationwide are targeting pubcasting as budgets dwindle (Current, Jan. 25).

NABET workers to protest NPR contract demands

2010-03-15T09:49:00.003-04:00

Broadcast technicians will mount a protest outside NPR headquarters in Washington, D.C., at noon today. The National Association of Broadcast Employees and Technicians-Communications Workers of America is negotiating on behalf of 65 employees whose union contract expires this month. Members of the unit agreed to deep wage and benefit cuts to help alleviate NPR's budget crisis last year. The union is objecting to NPR's demands for the next contract, which include a wage freeze, benefit reductions and proposals to remove bargaining rights over benefits and eliminate more than half of the bargaining unit's jobs, according to the NABET website.

Broadcasters may have to pay mandatory fees for keeping their spectrum

2010-03-14T10:33:00.002-04:00

Broadcasters who decline to turn over spectrum for an upcoming auction may face fees for their decision, according to Broadcasting & Cable. Citing an unnamed source who has seen the National Broadband Plan that will be presented to Congress this week, the fees would be another tactic used by the feds to encourage give back of spectrum for auction. The FCC is looking to shift 500 MHz from traditional broadcast to wireless use (Current, Feb. 8, 2010).