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The U.S. public wants more news coverage of climate change, surveys find

As hurricanes, floods, wildfires, and heat waves have intensified over the past decade, public concern about climate change has grown dramatically. Today, 65% of the U.S. public is worried about the issue, up from 52% a decade ago, according to nationally representative surveys conducted by scientists at Yale University and George Mason University.

System/Policy

CPB funds will go toward helping pubTV execs make spectrum decisions

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CPB will spend $3 million to give public television executives access to expert advice on the upcoming broadcast spectrum auction. The extremely high value of spectrum as appraised by an Oct. 1 FCC report, “Incentive Auction Opportunities for Broadcasters,” created a “considerable amount of confusion” among managers, said Michael Levy, CPB e.v.p. Previous estimates had been much lower. CPB now believes, based on conversations with general managers after the report was released, that “perhaps as many as 50 to 60” of those executives now feel compelled to “revisit their thinking” about whether to participate in the auction, Levy said. The topic generated discussion at a CPB/PBS General Managers Strategy Meeting Monday and Tuesday in Washington, D.C., Levy said.

Development

With new service, DMW seeks to help stations boost mobile giving

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A new service from DMW Direct Fundraising aims to help pubmedia stations reach members and donors through cellphones and tablets, using software for creating mobile-friendly pledge forms.
According to DMW, the new service will be more effective than the text-to-give format many stations have experimented with because it doesn’t rely on cellphone carriers to collect money and allows for larger donations. It also offers more opportunities for individualized communications. Mobile giving can be an important revenue stream, but stations should view it as more than just dollars and cents, said DMW President Debbie Merlino. “It’s really important to not just think of this as another channel for revenue only,” she said. “It really needs to be about engagement.

System/Policy

New multicast channel gives Blue Ridge PBS room for afternoon kids’ shows

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Blue Ridge PBS in Roanoke, Va., launched a multicast channel Monday that returns children’s programming to its afternoon schedule. President James Baum said the station focused on afternoon educational programming until several years ago, when viewers “started constantly asking for how-to programs” during that time. Back then, the station had only its main channel and one multicast for the World Channel. The new multicast channel, called SW Virginia Public Television, will be locally programmed with do-it-yourself shows in the mornings and animated educational programs from 3 to 7 p.m. Evenings feature public affairs and lifestyle content as well as entertainment and documentaries. Meanwhile, the afternoon how-to shows continue to perform well on the main channel, Baum said.

System/Policy

KET loses bid to dismiss Libertarian candidate’s lawsuit over debate

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A U.S. District Court judge in Kentucky has denied a public television station’s request to dismiss a lawsuit from a Libertarian candidate who wants to participate in a televised debate next week. U.S. Senate candidate David Patterson, along with the state and national Libertarian parties, filed suit Sept. 28 in U.S. District Court in Frankfort, contending state licensee Kentucky Educational Television violated his First Amendment rights by excluding him from the debate. Patterson also asked the court to order KET to include him in the Oct. 13 forum, where incumbent Republican Sen. Mitch McConnell is scheduled to appear with Democratic challenger Alison Lundergan Grimes.

System/Policy

Media-watchers check in on PBS/Harper’s kerfuffle

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The dustup, or at least perceived dustup, between Harper’s and PBS is getting more attention, with the magazine’s publisher sharing more details with the Columbia Journalism Review. Last week, the New York Post first reported that PBS yanked ads from upcoming issues of Harper’s after an essay critical of the network ran in the magazine’s October issue. Today CJR reports that PBS confirmed it pulled an ad from this month’s issue, but the network declined comment on whether it yanked the other ads. “[T]o have done such a petty thing does make me suspicious,” MacArthur says. CJR’s David Uberti adds: “Pulling advertisements is an age-old tactic for businesses facing media criticism to seek retribution.

System/Policy

NPR announces new COO, departure of Chief Content Officer Kinsey Wilson

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NPR President Jarl Mohn, who stepped into the role July 1, announced today a new COO and the departure of Kinsey Wilson, executive v.p. and chief content officer since February 2012. The new COO is Loren Mayor, currently senior v.p. of strategy. Mohn also shuffled NPR Music, which formerly reported to Wilson, to report to the network’s senior v.p. of news. Eric Nuzum, v.p. of the programming division that comprises NPR’s non-news shows, will report to Chief Marketing Officer Emma Carrasco. UPDATE (Oct 6, 2:53pm): 

In an interview with Current, Mohn said the reorganization underscored the organization’s commitment to its journalism and news programming.

System/Policy

FAIR study finds strong corporate ties on public TV boards

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An “overwhelming” number of board members at five major public television stations have links to the corporate and financial sectors, a new study by Fairness & Accuracy in Reporting has found. FAIR, a progressive media-reform group, looked at occupations of current trustees at WNET in New York; WGBH, Boston; WETA, Arlington, Va.; WTTW, Chicago; and KCET, Los Angeles. Of the 182 members, 84 percent have corporate backgrounds. “Another 14 members appear to be on the board because of their families’ corporate-derived wealth,” the report said. Seventy-five board members are financial industry executives; 24 are corporate attorneys.