Quick Takes

Indiana pubcaster’s new home more than triples its space

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WNIT staffers are no doubt pretty thrilled about their new digs in South Bend, Ind.,considering their old offices were in “a cluster of manufactured homes,” points out local CBS affiliate WSBT. The Michiana (that’s Michigan/Indiana, to you non-Midwesterners) pubcaster is moving into WSBT’s former studios, complete with two massive screens broadcasting to the street from a glass corner of the building. WNIT President Mary Pruess said, “It’s the kind of public television station this region deserves, a true community resource.” The station is going from 8,500 square feet to 30,000. Schurz Communications, which owns WSBT and the South Bend Tribune, donated the property and some equipment.

Quick Takes

Catholic multichannel programming plan falls through in Texas

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KMBH, owned by the Catholic archdiocese in Harlingen, Texas, won’t get permanent all-Catholic programming on one of its digital channels after all — a deal it had been planning for years (Current, April 21, 2008). The Brownsville Herald reports that the agreement between the station and GospaTV, which began broadcasting on a KMBH multichannel in June 2009, has fallen apart and its broadcasts probably will end July 24. The paper said that GospaTV missed two $60,000 payments to the station, most recently on June 1. GospaTV’s owner Fiat Communications counters that KMBH didn’t provide certain benefits and services as stated in the contract. Fiat and RGV Educational Services, parent of KMBH, came to a mutual agreement to terminate GospaTV.

Quick Takes

Writer’s Guild suggests big-media funding for pubTV public affairs programs

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The Writers Guild of America East (WGAE) has put forth an interesting idea: If the FCC allows more big media company mergers, it should require the companies to pay for public affairs programming on pubTV. The suggestion was part of WGAE’s comments to the commission Thursday (July 8) during its quadrennial review of media ownership rules, according to Broadcasting & Cable. “[I]f media conglomerates insist on being permitted to consolidate their hold on the media marketplace, in exchange they can be required to contribute assets to public programming,” said WGAE. The Guild represents thousands of TV writers, editors and producers in entertainment and news.

Quick Takes

WAMU starts up broadcast as WRAU in Ocean City, Md.

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WAMU, 88.5 FM in Washington, D.C., last week began broadcasting in Ocean City, Md., as WRAU 88.3 FM, Ocean City Today reported today (July 9). The new channel will carry WAMU’s programming as well as local news, traffic and weather. Caryn Mathes, WAMU g.m., called WRAU “a great opportunity to build and grow the audience.”

Quick Takes

APTS interim CEO meets with FCC officials to discuss spectrum

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The board chairman and the interim head of the Association of Public Television Stations met with the FCC Wednesday (July 7) to talk spectrum. In an interview with Broadcasting & Cable, Lonna Thompson, APTS temporary CEO and general counsel, said she told officials that pubcasters were “open to ideas” and dialogue about maximizing the use of the spectrum, but not at the expense of the service stations provide. “[M]erely saying ‘let’s transition them all to broadband’ isn’t the answer because many of the audiences we serve don’t have access to broadband,” she said. APTS Board Chairman Rod Bates, g.m. of Nebraska Educational TV, “provided a first-hand pitch on the value of his spectrum,” B&C said.

Quick Takes

NPR’s Nina Totenberg wins this year’s Murrow Award

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NPR legal affairs correspondent Nina Totenberg is the recipient of this year’s prestigious Edward R. Murrow Award, CPB announced today (July 8). CPB has presented the honor since 1977 to individuals who “foster public radio’s quality and service and shape its direction.” It’s named for the legendary newsman who championed high-quality journalism during his three-decade career. Totenberg has been with NPR for 35 years. Her reports air regularly on All Things Considered, Morning Edition, and Weekend Edition.

Quick Takes

UNC-TV turns over subpoenaed footage, data and records to state Senate

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About a dozen North Carolina Senators on Tuesday (July 6) watched unaired news footage that the state’s public TV network had been ordered to provide, reports Bloomberg Business Week. The subpoena from the Senate Judiciary Committee was part of its ongoing investigation into Alocoa’s efforts to secure a new federal license for hydroelectric dams. UNC-TV on July 5 turned over news report footage, data and records on the issue, prior to broadcast. Steve Volstad, a spokesman for UNC-TV, told local TV station WRAL that the network decided not to fight the subpoena because state law requires public agencies to turn over information sought by any legislative committee, and UNC-TV attorneys weren’t sure the footage would fall under the state’s 1999 press shield law. The move to subpoena UNC-TV — as well as the network’s response — was widely criticized locally, including editorials in the Winston-Salem Journal and the News & Record, as well as a column in the News & Observer.

Quick Takes

PRX/WBUR local station app now on iTunes

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The local pubcasting station iPhone app, announced in January, has been okayed by Apple and is now available in its iTunes store, says the Nieman Journalism Lab. It’s a free download from PRX and WBUR in Boston. One cool feature: There’s also an alarm clock that will play WBUR to wake you up. That idea was suggested by a listener. Although this one is WBUR-centric, its developers hope other stations develop similar apps using its open-source license.

Quick Takes

PBS earns 32 Primetime Emmy Award nominations; “Cranford” scores seven

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Primetime Emmy nods are out and PBS was the fifth most-honored network with 32. Topping the list was HBO with 101, then ABC with 63, CBS with 57 and NBC with 48. Masterpiece’s “Return to Cranford” (above) received seven nominations, The National Parks: America’s Best Idea from Ken Burns had five, and “Emma” on Masterpiece scored four. A total of 512 nominations were announced early today (July 8). Visit the Academy of Television Arts and Sciences site for this complete list (PDF).

Quick Takes

National Public Radio is no more

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Well, it’s official. National Public Radio is now just NPR, reports the Washington Post. “Much like the corporate names KFC or AT&T, the initials now stand for the initials,” the paper notes. NPR hasn’t formally announced the rebranding but has told its staff and affiliates to use only the initials on the air or online. NPR President Vivian Schiller first publicly mentioned the change in June at D8, the Wall Street Journal’s All Things Digital conference.

Development

Sustainers: more efficiency and stability, shorter pledge drives

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After a decade, sustaining members have given four times as much, net
Everywhere you look these days, there’s a different message on the state of the economy: the Dow is up, the Dow is down, hiring is up, the recovery is jobless. If anything is certain, it’s that the outlook remains very uncertain. It’s a genuine blessing, therefore, that sustaining members can put a little more certainty into your station’s life. Since Minnesota Public Radio began its sustaining member program in 2007, it has revolutionized the way we generate financial support from our audiences. Sustaining members take a step beyond those who commit to a year of monthly gifts on their credit card or through their bank.

Quick Takes

City of Green Bay mulls paying costs for LZ Lambeau pubTV outreach

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The Green Bay (Wisc.) City Council continues its debate on assisting Wisconsin Public Television with its $350,000 deficit left over from the massive LZ Lambeau Outreach in May (Current, June 8, 2010). Members of the council’s finance committee voted July 6 to provide WPT $25,000; the issue returns to the full council July 20, according to the Green Bay Press Gazette. The council is trying to decide whether the city should donate part or all of its $48,665 in expenses for police protection and other services during the tribute to Vietnam veterans, which drew some 70,000 visitors to the city May 21-23. LZ Lambeau organizers said they could pay all the costs, but were offering Green Bay a chance to support the effort as a co-sponsor.

Quick Takes

NPR selects new chief financial officer

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Deborah A. Cowan is the new chief financial officer at NPR, the network announced today (July 7). Cowan is currently senior v.p. of finance at Radio One Inc., the nation’s largest radio broadcaster targeting African-American and urban audiences. Before joining Radio One in 2001, she held financial positions with IBM and Coopers & Lybrand. She succeeds Jim Elder, who came on as CFO in 2000. Cowan’s first day is Aug.

Quick Takes

Hughes to depart leadership of Public Interactive next month

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After what she termed a “difficult deliberation,” NPR v.p. Debra May Hughes is leaving the network and her post at the top of Public Interactive, which offers website development services to the pubcasting community. Her departure is effective Aug. 31.Hughes said in a letter to colleagues that “the time is right to step down from the helm of Public Interactive and chart a new course,” but didn’t mention what that would be. Hughes began her pubcasting career 14 years ago by launching Car Talk’s site and steered PI through transitions to new parent companies Public Radio International and NPR. Hughes headed PI since 2005, as president and COO and then as an NPR vice president.

Quick Takes

PBS to partner on upcoming package of Documentaries On-Demand

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Documentaries On-Demand, featuring PBS programming, will begin this autumn, reports Multichannel News. It’s a partnership with content distributor Gravitas Ventures. The package will offer 30 hours of PBS-distributed docs and indie titles including those from American Experience and Independent Lens. Some will debut on VOD ahead of their PBS broadcasts and before DVD release. No word on pricing.

Quick Takes

Nigerian Sesame Street to feature Muppet with HIV

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An HIV-positive Muppet will be a co-host of the new Nigerian Sesame Street, reports the international entertainment news site C21Media.com. The show is a coproduction of Sesame Workshop and Nigeria’s Ileke Media. It’ll be a three-year run funded by a grant from the United States Agency for International Development. A portion of the money also will go to outreach for the nation’s 25 million preschool children. One host of the 30-minute show will be an HIV-positive girl named Kami.

Quick Takes

Meanwhile, in France . . .

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In international pubcasting news, French President Nicolas Sarkozy has selected a new head of France’s pubTV network — after changing a law to do so, according to Expatica.com. He named Remy Pflimlin, 56, of the press distribution company Presstalis, to lead France Televisions. The move aggravated several lawmakers. “The naming of the president of public television by the chairman of the republic is the crowning of a process of putting France Televisions under political and financial control,” Socialist Senator David Assouline said. Previous leaders of France Televisions were selected by an independent regulator; last year, Sarkozy passed a reform allowing the president to choose pubmedia execs.

Quick Takes

Pennsylvania’s WVIA turns around budget after 18 percent state cut

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After losing 18 percent of its budget in state funding cuts last year, WVIA in Pittston, Pa., ended its fiscal year 2010 on June 30 with a surplus, reports the Times-Leader newspaper. “We’ve got a better station today than we had a year ago,” President and CEO Bill Kelly told the paper. “If you had told me that a year ago, I’d have told you you were nuts.” It hasn’t been an easy journey, however. More than seven positions were eliminated and the remaining 38 full-time staffers took a 5 percent pay cut and furloughs. Kelly took a 15 percent salary reduction and management took 12 percent.

System/Policy

Panel to weigh state spinoff of NJN

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The governor says the state can’t afford New Jersey Network anymore. NJN’s leaders say it would do better as a nonprofit anyway. But the NJN employees’ union predicts that a spun-off nonprofit NJN inevitably would fade away, its valuable assets and New Jersey news lost forever. Looks like the ideal time for a Legislative Task Force on Public Broadcasting, lawmakers decided June 29.