Quick Takes
NPR, WNET to participate in investigative conference
Reps from nearly 30 media outlets including NPR and PBS member station WNET are attending next week’s Watchdogs at Pocantico confab, “Building ...Senate okays FCC, NTIA heads
The Senate on Thursday approved the chair of the FCC and head of the National Telecommunications & Information Administration. Julius Genachowski replaces ...Radio Bilingue, WPFW covering Smithsonian Folklife Festival
Radio Bilingue is producing special coverage of Las Americas, the Latino musical component of the Smithsonian Folklife Festival that began this week ...KCET confirms layoffs, cost cuts
KCET has detailed to Current its recent cutbacks. Station President Al Jerome said in an emailed statement that a total of 12 ...If you’re a media maker, try for a grant
New application deadlines and other details for America’s Media Makers: Development and Production grants are now available online through the National Endowment ...WPSU at Penn State ends two shows, trims eight positions
Penn State Public Broadcasting WPSU is canceling two TV programs and reducing the staff by eight positions. Gone are Scholastic Scrimmage, a ...Those %&$*@#! technical difficulties
An open mic at D.C.’s WAMU picked up an off-air conversation that included the f-word, reports DCRTV (scroll down), a website that ...Getler delves into the Three Nons
The Three Nons (nonsectarian, nonpolitical, noncommercial) of pubcasting are the subject of the latest PBS ombudsman column by Michael Getler. He’s received ...KQED chief Jeff Clarke to retire
Jeff Clarke, a leader among pubcasting station executives during his 44 years in broadcasting, announced his plans to retire next June as ...“30 Minute Music Hour” rocks on
Wisconsin Public Television’s 30 Minute Music Hour, in its second season, “seems to grow more ambitious with each episode,” according to The ...New theater coming for Austin City Limits
Austin City Limits, the KLRU-owned pubTV favorite, next year moves to a new home. The name is still being decided but may ...WashPo, CQ veteran to join NPR Digital
NPR hired Mark Stencel, a veteran of the Washington Post and Congressional Quarterly, as its new managing editor of digital news. “His ...Sesame Street coming soon to Tampa Bay’s Busch Gardens
Busch Gardens Tampa Bay (Fla.) knows how to get to Sesame Street — build it. It’s planning a Sesame children’s attraction similar ...Smiley brings 37 pizzerias to Indiana
Pubcaster Tavis Smiley, a native of Kokomo, Ind., is opening 37 Marco’s Pizza franchises during the next five years in an effort ...Ombud’s advice on the torture question: “show don’t tell”
“I recognize that it’s frustrating for some listeners to have NPR not use the word torture to describe certain practices that seem ...
Current is an editorially independent, nonprofit service of the American University School of Communication. We're funded by your subscriptions, your donations, advertising, and a generous grant from the Wyncote Foundation.