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.”

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.

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.

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.

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.

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. . . . It’s true that if Washington got the bigger, harder things right — controlling health-care costs and aiming entitlement programs at those who really need the help — there’d be enough left over for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

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. He broadly defines nonprofit news as including not only public broadcasters but also media centers, public access channels, low-power FM radio stations and schools running local news operations.

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.

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.”

PBS-commissioned research shows “overwhelming public opposition” to proposals to eliminate public broadcasting government funding, the network said in a statement today (March 1). Two firms on opposite ends of the political spectrum did the polling: Hart Research Associates, which has worked for several major Democratic organizations, and American Viewpoint, whose clients have included the Bush-Cheney campaign and former House Speaker Newt Gingrich. In the telephone polling of 804 registered voters, a total of 79 percent think PBS should get “the same amount of government funding” or “more government funding” than it currently does. Fifty-six percent said they would be concerned “a great deal” if PBS was forced to significantly cut back on children’s educational shows.

Weekend snow and ice storms contributed to the cause of a fire that knocked out several channels from KNPB in northern Nevada. Viewers still can’t access 5.1 HD, the standard digital channel, Create on 5.2 or V-me on 5.3. The blaze, which destroyed a filter system in the transmitter, was discovered at 9 p.m. local time Sunday, during the premiere of Stewards of the Rangeland, a new KNPB production focusing on livestock management strategies. “KNPB engineering staff are working with the transmitter manufacturer to replace damaged parts, returning the signal as soon as possible,” a Monday (Feb. 28) release from the station said.

Gary Hustwit, director of “Helvetica” and “Objectified” on Independent Lens, is crowdfunding his latest project, “Urbanized.” He’s launched the funding drive on Kickstarter with a goal of $85,000 by March 23; as of Feb. 28, he has about $42,000. Hustwit and a his team are now editing, with post-production this summer on the documentary examining urban design. Donors can fork over from $10 to $5,000 for nifty perks: At the $2,000 level, it’s two VIP tickets to the world premiere, dinner that evening with Hustwit and members of the cast and crew, a “special thanks” in the film’s credits, 10 DVDs, two DVD box sets, two T-shirts and a set of the limited-edition prints.

The threat of a government shutdown apparently has been avoided until at least March 18, reports the Washington Post. Senate Democrats on Friday (Feb. 25) tentatively accepted a Republican plan to cut $4 billion in federal spending that President Obama has already targeted for elimination. CPB funding was zeroed out in the Continuing Resolution the House passed along to the Senate earlier this month (Current, Feb. 22).

Alaska public broadcasting stations could merge as soon as next month, according to today’s (Feb. 28) Fairbanks Daily News-Miner. The stations, including KUAC in Fairbanks, KTOO in Juneau, KYUK in Bethel and Alaska Public Telecommunications in Anchorage, have been in talks for two years. Those discussions were sparked by mounting financial problems that prompted layoffs and reductions in local programming starting in 2009. A committee has been hearing input from residents in communities that would be affected. General managers are not involved in discussions, “since their jobs or those of their employees could be affected,” the paper says. CPB supplied an $88,000 consulting grant.

Susanna Capelouto, Georgia Public Broadcasting’s news director, has left to join CNN. She’s been with GPB a total of 19 years, the first two part-time. She’ll be a producer for CNN Radio working with another GPB alum, John Supulvedo, producing long-form audio stories. Capelouto said last week she now plans to become “a loyal GPB volunteer,” network spokesperson Nancy Zintak told Current. Also last week, she was honored at the Georgia State Capitol by lawmakers with a House Resolution for her years of service to GPB; guests nibbled on a cake featuring her likeness on the icing. She reports to CNN on March 7.