The funding of a documentary on former Secretary of State George Schultz is coming under scrutiny by The New York Times as well as FAIR (Fairness and Accuracy in Reporting). It’s a three-part series titled “Turmoil and Triumph” that began on PBS Monday (July 12) and runs the next two Mondays, produced by Free to Choose Media. Sources for financial backing for what the Times dubs “this tribute” include the Stephen Bechtel Fund (where Schultz was president for seven years, as well as a board member), and Charles Schwab (Schultz was a board member on the Charles Schwab Corp.).

When Maryland Public Television invited candidates to do interviews for its website, one literally replied, “Go to hell” — because he feels that public broadcasting is on television, not on the Web. Larry Unger, MPT’s chief operating officer, said the station has done televised debates for some statewide offices in the past. This year, it is conducting short interviews with statewide and Congressional candidates to be posted on its website. “People don’t want to sit through a program and watch interviews with all of the candidates,” Unger said. “That would take a really long time. This way, they can do what they want, and all of the interviews will be available to them.”

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.

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.

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.

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.”

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.

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. And no doubt she’s the only Murrow Award winner with a carry-all named after her: The Nina Totin’ Bag. (“Due to extremely high demand … now in its second edition!”

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 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. Here’s more info from PRX.

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).

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.

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.

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.

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. 2. She’ll report to Debra Delman, senior v.p.of strategic operations and finance.