Marines and their supporters refuted criticism of the Feb. 21 program that PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler recently described as a “very well done testimonial and recruiting film masquerading as a documentary.” Getler’s critique was lost on one viewer who wrote: “Documentary or recruiting — whatever you want to call it, it was a pretty good show. I want to say ‘thank you’ in advance for the new ones who might sign with the Marine Corps just because they saw this show.”

NPR has launched a blog for Talk of the Nation. (Via Andy Carvin.)

Jesse Thorn promotes the Public Radio Talent Quest and comments on public radio’s approach to creating shows and cultivating talent. “New programming in public media is largely driven by pre-existing funding, which turns the development process backwards,” he writes. “Instead of having a great idea, or a great host, or a great producer and feeding it resources, we find a need or niche we decide to fill, then look for money, then actually build the creative elements. It’s anti-entrepreneurial and rewards sameness”

The Pacifica Radio Archives will donate digital copies of recorded speeches by Malcolm X, Langston Hughes and others to Texas Southern University, reports Diverse. The Archives is donating recordings to universities as part of its Save Our Sound tour. (Via Rolas de Aztlan.)

Dennis Haarsager lays out his plea for a unified content delivery network in this blog post, which follows the February release of the Digital Distribution Committee report and commentary on that effort.

Los Angeles Times media columnist Tim Rutten reacts to the third installment of Frontline‘s “News War,” which examined the ongoing turmoil at his newspaper.

The public stations in Austin, Texas, honored public broadcasting pioneer Robert Schenkkan over the weekend with a celebration of his 90th birthday, reports the Austin American-Statesman. Schenkkan helped to create Austin’s KUT-FM and KLRU-TV, and also defended public broadcasting against a defunding threat from President Nixon in the 1970s. “Bob Schenkkan is a hero to me and everybody else in public broadcasting,” said Jim Lehrer. “He gave us life and then he saved us.”

Longtime Pacifica host and reporter Larry Bensky announced last week that he will retire from the network at the end of April. In his farewell letter, he cites frustration with the state of the network: “As I see it, the so-called ‘democratization’ of our local and national governance structure has not enhanced our effectiveness as a media outlet, or as a force for peace and social justice. In fact, despite the best intentions of a few people involved, Pacifica’s current governance and administration is a wasteful, counterproductive, and far from transparent distraction.”

Public radio’s Open Source has received a $250,000 grant from the John D. and Catherine T. MacArthur Foundation to support its integration of radio and the Web. “If you’re not familiar with Radio Open Source, this is an approach worth at least serious consideration, and perhaps outright emulation, by broadcasters elsewhere,” writes Poynter blogger Amy Gahran.

The Public Radio Program Directors Association has started a blog.

Media consultant Amy Gahran asks why most public broadcasters don’t allow their web visitors to donate via PayPal: “Seems to me that Paypal [is] a friendlier, less intrusive way to start and build a donor relationship than forcing people to labor through a form and immediately become a member.”

A longtime volunteer host on Maine Public Radio has silenced himself after network execs disapproved of his politically flavored commentary, reports Village Soup. “The guidelines set me up so I have to fail,” the host says. “If I don’t say anything, they can’t get rid of me.”

The Public Radio Exchange has launched the website for its Public Radio Talent Quest. (More on the Talent Quest.)

In a memo to his newsroom, Los Angeles Times Editor Jim O’Shea describes this week’s installment of Frontline‘s “News War” as “simplistic and excessively negative.” The documentary, which aired on Tuesday, examined the newspaper’s struggle to continue covering national news as shareholders press for lower costs and higher profits. [Via Romenesko]

PBS Teachers, a web portal serving up educational content from both PBS and local stations, went live today. The site includes a new guest-hosted blog, Media Infusion.