Quick Takes

NewsHour, KPBS-TV honored for political coverage

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The PBS NewsHour and KPBS-TV in San Diego won 2011 Walter Cronkite Awards for Television Political Journalism from the University of Southern California’s Annenberg School for Communications. The NewsHour was honored among national network programs for its “thorough and balanced” coverage of key races in Nevada, Wisconsin and Florida. Judges praised correspondents Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff for “focusing on the issues, talking with real voters and letting the candidates explain themselves.”KPBS topped the category for public stations with its profile of the County Board of Supervisors, lauded by judges as “an excellent explanation of how government works and doesn’t work.” The awards are presented on a biennial basis as proof that “thoughtful, informative political coverage that can also make for gripping television.”

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Sen. DeMint lays out his case for defunding CPB

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“The best way to stop the ‘partisan meddling’ in public broadcasting that MoveOn.org complains about is by ending the taxpayers’ obligation to pay for it,” writes Republican Sen. Jim DeMint in a March 4 op-ed for the Wall Street Journal. “The politics will be out of public broadcasting as soon as the government gets out of the business of paying for it.” The South Carolina lawmaker points to the 170 Million Americans campaign to defend public broadcasting’s federal funding and the “massive salaries” of executives at PBS, CPB, NPR and Sesame Workshop to make the case that the field is well-financed enough to survive with out taxpayer subsidies.

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“Information Stories” site documents challenges created by lack of local news

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Information Stories is a website that asks and answers the questions: What’s at stake when local news and information flow doesn’t serve all members of a community equally well? And how can people respond? The series of short digital narratives was conceived by Ohio State University law professor Peter M. Shane and filmmaker Liv Gjestvang. The two recruited storytellers from around the United States, who shared their personal experiences in a July 2010 Digital Storytelling Workshop. Information Stories “reveals the loss when local information flows leave stories uncovered, concerns unaddressed, or voices left out — and the gain when these exclusions don’t happen,” according to a release on the project by the Knight Foundation.

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FCC looks to improve services to Tribal areas

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The Federal Communications Commission is meeting with several Tribal leaders today (March 3) as it prepares to take steps to boost communications on Tribal lands, reports Broadcasting & Cable. The FCC hopes to improve radio service, deploy more broadband, and improve public safety communications and services. Geoffrey Blackwell, chief of the federal office of Native American Affairs and Policy, said there was an “alarming lack of service in Indian country.” The meeting comes in the wake of Native Public Media’s announcement that it is leaving the National Federation of Community Broadcasters (Current, Feb. 22, 2011) to realign itself with the New America Foundation in Washington, D.C., its partner for the last several years in communications research, policy analysis and advocacy.

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Vocalo switching format, still targeting young users

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After nearly four years of “trying to make user-generated content a viable concept” on Vocalo.org’s FM radio station website (Current, Jan. 11, 2010), it is adopting a more traditional radio programming approach for young listeners, according to the Chicago Sun-Times. Vocalo.org managing director Silvia Rivera told the paper her staff spent a lot of time trying to turn user contributions into broadcast-worthy content. The music emphasis will include jazz, funk, soul, reggae and hip-hop. Jesse De La Pena is the new music curator, with roots in break-dancing and graffiti movements on the city’s southwest side in the mid-1980s.But a traditional radio approach is exactly what Torey Malatia, Vocalo creator and Chicago Public Media/WBEZ c.e.o., wanted to avoid.

Quick Takes

“NPR letter-writers are the stodgiest, whiniest, most self-importantly insufferable snobs”

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Letters time on NPR is not one of the high points of Farad Manjoo’s week.”Oh, I hate them, hate them, hate them,” the Slate writer says in a column today (March 2). “Every time one of their narrow-minded, classist letters makes it on the air, I contemplate burning my tote bag in protest. The problem, for me, isn’t just that some people don’t like some things NPR covers. It’s that these reflexively snobby pseudo-intellectuals see NPR as their own — a refuge from the mad world outside, a ‘safe,’ high-minded palace that should never be sullied by anything more outré than James Taylor (whom, of course, they love). Not only do these letter-writers perpetuate the worst caricature of public radio, but their views don’t track with what you actually hear on the air.”After speaking about all this with folks who work in pubradio, Majoo has decided that “the letter-writers’ views don’t represent most of us who listen to public radio.

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Nevada’s KNPB back on the air after fire ruined transmitter filter system

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KNPB in northern Nevada has restored all its signals after a weekend fire damaged a transmitter filter system, the station said today (March 2). With the assistance of the filter manufacturer, KNPB engineers were able to rebuild the system. KNPB Vice President of Technology Fred Ihlow said the process was “sort of like open heart surgery with very large wrenches.” A dangerous mixture of snow and ice storms contributed to the cause of an equipment fire that ruined the filter on the transmitter on Red Peak. On Sunday (Feb. 27) around 9 p.m., viewers had lost KNPB 5.1 HD, the standard digital channel, KNPB Create on 5.2, and KNPB V-me on 5.3.

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Terry Gross plays Terry Gross in Jodie Foster/Mel Gibson flick

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Fresh Air pubradio host Terry Gross has a cameo in “The Beaver,” a film opening in May directed by Jodie Foster and co-starring Foster and Mel Gibson, reports Dave Davies, senior reporter at WHYY. Gross told Davies that she took the role as a learning experience. “I thought, I’ve talked to so many actors and directors, it would be so interesting not only to observe, but to be part of the process,” she said. Gross had no lines to memorize, but improvised her dialogue in a scene in which Gibson’s character appears on Fresh Air.

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Government shutdown avoided — for now

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As of today (March 2) the Senate and House have each approved a measure to keep the government open through March 18. Still ahead: The continuing battle over the Continuing Resolution, with CPB funding at stake.

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Ebert show premieres at 2.7 rating, now leveling off

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Ratings for movie critic Roger Ebert’s new show, Ebert Presents at the Movies, scored a 2.7 for its debut Jan. 21 and 22 on WTTW in Chicago, but have since tapered, according to Nielsen Media Research figures obtained by Chicago media critic Robert Feder. Weekends subsequent to its premiere garnered at 1.5 and 1.3. “Those are good ratings,” Ebert told Feder. Ebert’s wife, Chaz, also noted: “Our preliminary feedback is that WTTW and APT [syndicator American Public Television] have been very pleased so far since our beginning ratings exceeded all projections and also seem to expand the demographics picture.” And yes, you’re correct, apparently Ebert has dropped his first name from the show’s title.

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Broadcasters face uphill spectrum battle on Capitol Hill

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Hundreds of state broadcasting association officials and other broadcasters are on Capitol Hill today (March 2) in an effort to convince members of Congress to remember them, and the spectrum they use, in the upcoming fight to reclaim bandwidth for wireless use, reports TVNewsCheck. They’re up against powerful Washington lobbyists for AT&T, Verizon, Sprint Nextel, T-Mobile, Google, Intel, Cisco Systems and Microsoft, all hungry for spectrum for their mobile devices. The news site pointed out that AT&T’s political action committee donations from 1989 to 2010 were more than $46 million; the National Association of Broadcasters, $8.2 million. “This is a very much David versus Goliath,” says John Hane, a broadcast attorney who has been following the action on spectrum closely since the FCC released its broadband plan in 2009. “The broadcast industry is very small in comparison to the wireless industry and its vendors.”Also, Congress is hungry for revenue from a voluntary auction to go toward the federal deficit.

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PBS “sells product” like nobody else, Philly columnist says

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Aging rockers are happy to participate as PBS goes after Baby Boomer bucks with classic rock specials, notes columnist Jonathan Takiff in today’s (March 2) Philadelphia Daily News. Why? “Because PBS still sells product — CDs and DVDs — like nothing else on the boob tube except Glee and American Idol,” he writes. “Hang in to the closing credits for this month’s top PBS concert specials and you’ll note that most have been produced by the artists’ companies and record labels. No surprise, then, that extended CD and DVD packages of the [Carole King/James Taylor] documentary and [Harry] Connick, ‘[David] Foster and Friends’ and Billy Joel specials are hitting stores this week or next, and that they’ll be the primary premium offered during the fundraising breaks.”

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WGBH management issues final offer to Communications Workers union

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After what one union rep termed “contentious” negotiations, WGBH management has presented its final proposal for a new agreement with its largest union, reports the Boston Globe in today’s (March 2) edition. Managers of the pubcasting producing powerhouse and officials of the Association of Employees of the Educational Foundation, Communications Workers of America, Local 1300, have been talking since August 2010 on a three-year contract to replace an agreement that expired at the end of October 2010. WGBH employs 850 people, and the Local represents 280 writers, editors, production workers and marketing employees. Management wants concessions including cuts in the company’s match for employee retirement plans and authority to redefine job descriptions, which would allow WGBH to assign employees to work across various media platforms. Union officials agree on the retirement plan cuts, but oppose allowing WGBH to outsource work without negotiations, terminate on-air talent without cause, or assign members to perform work outside their job description. Jordan Weinstein, president of the AEEF/CWA, Local 1300, and local host of All Things Considered, said negotiations have been contentious.

Quick Takes

Sen. Udall praises free, over-the-air programming

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Sen. Tom Udall (D-N.M.) spoke about the value of free, over-the-air programming, as well as public broadcasting, at the National Association of Broadcasters State Leadership Conference today (March 1) in Washington, D.C. Broadcasting & Cable reports that Udall drew “repeated applause” as he talked of the necessity of free TV and radio for those who cannot afford it, and those who need emergency information. He said while Americans pay “top dollar” for TV, “many cannot afford cable or satellite TV,” and “not everyone has access to the Internet at home.” He also called for an emergency communications network, which he said will be a priority of his on the Commerce Committee, as will getting broadband to rural areas.UPDATE: More coverage, from The Hill. Udall said he will “fight for this critical funding as the budget process continues.” The cuts could also hurt broadcasters who don’t take federal dollars, Udall said.

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NPR Music to mount three SXSW showcases

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NPR Music announced line-ups for three South by Southwest Music showcases, each of which will be webcast and broadcast live from Austin, Texas, March 16 – 19. The first, originating from Stubb’s on the evening of March 16, will headlined by soul singer Raphael Saadiq. A March 17 afternoon showcase features a “first listen live” performance of the indie rock trio The Antlers as they unveil their forthcoming, as yet untitled, record. The final showcase, scheduled for Saturday, March 19, is headlined by Bright Eyes, the indie/folk band fronted by Conor Oberst.Each showcase includes at least three additional musical acts, and one spotlights NPR Music veteran Carrie Brownstein in a new way. Instead of co-hosting NPR’s live shows from SXSW, Brownstein will perform in the March 17 showcase with her new punk band, Wild Flag.

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INPUT selects pubcasting projects for international showcase

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Eight American public broadcasting projects have been selected for inclusion in INPUT (International Public Television), an annual weeklong public media showcase. It’s the only international conference strictly for media produced by noncommercial broadcasters.Projects scheduled to be presented at the event, May 9-12 in Seoul, South Korea, are Story Corps, American Documentary/POV; “Food, Inc.,” Robert Kenner Films/POV; FUTURESTATES.tv, season one, ITVS Interactive; “Nora – AfroPop: The Ultimate Cultural Exchange,” Movement Revolution Productions; “Reel Injun: On the Trail of the Hollywood Indian,” ITVS/Canadian Broadcasting Corp.; “Telling Amy’s Story,” Penn State Public Broadcasting; “The Most Dangerous Man in America: Daniel Ellsberg and the Pentagon Papers,” American Documentary/POV/ITVS; and “The Parking Lot Movie,” Independent Lens/Redhouse Productions.Amy Shumaker, executive producer at Carolina ETV and the U.S. Input national coordinator, said this is the most pubTV entries since 2005, when the conference was in San Francisco.For more about INPUT, visit input2011.org.

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Washington Post editorial calls pubcasting a “nice-to-have,” but not a priority

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In case you missed it, the Washington Post, a paper traditionally seen as being in public broadcasting’s corner, now views the system as a “nice-to-have” as opposed to a vital service. In an unsigned editorial in Saturday’s (Feb. 26) edition, titled “What government is for,” it said in part: “Public radio and television provide levels of serious news and cultural coverage and of civility that are otherwise not prevalent in today’s media. . .

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FCC adviser says nonprofits need to “rise up” to meet news coverage challenges

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Steve Waldman, a Federal Communications Commission senior adviser, gave a preview of his upcoming report, “The Future of Media and the Information Needs of Communities in a Digital Age” Monday (Feb. 28) for around 300 community foundation leaders at the Knight Foundation’s annual Media Learning Seminar in Miami. First, public media should not count on any federal support. “Government is not going to step in to fund this,” he said. “The nonprofit sector is going to have to rise up” to fill news coverage voids, he said.

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Vermont Public Television finishes digital studio improvements

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Vermont Public Television has completed upgrades to its Colchester, Vt., broadcast studios with four new digital HDTV cameras. Joseph Tymecki, chief technical officer, said in a statement that because the four older analog cameras had lasted nearly 20 years, “we wanted to be sure we were ordering studio cameras that would serve us well into the future.” The Hitachi SK-HD1000 cameras are outfitted with Hitachi TU-HD1000 camera control units, VF-HP840 8-inch color LCD viewfinders, RU-1200JY remote control units and Fujinon ZA-22×7.6BERM HD telephoto zoom lenses with 2X extenders. VPT also bought a Ross Vision multi-format production switcher, Chyron LEX3 live HD graphics system, Omneon server and Miranda router. The purchases were the final step of a four-phase upgrade that also included four DTV transmitters, a master control room, and a shift to nonlinear editing workflow.

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Smiley says his PBS show is “doing the Lord’s work” by challenging assumptions

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PBS host Tavis Smiley has posted a transcript on his Facebook page of his chat with Memphis broadcaster Myron Mays. “PBS is a network that is watched by movers and shakers and by people who run the country, power players and other influencers,” Smiley told Mays. “It’s a great platform for us to try to empower them and try to enlighten them and quite frankly try to expand their inventory of ideas. It’s a great platform to try to get them to reexamine the assumptions they hold. I think we’re doing the Lord’s work.”