System/Policy
Stanley Nelson, John Oliver among WGA members petitioning stations for fair freelancer contracts
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The petition accuses GBH, WNET Group and PBS SoCal of delaying their response to the union’s demands.
The potential of AI voices: transforming news delivery and engagement
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With advancements from OpenAI and Meta, newsrooms may adapt and build new features to enhance the reader and listener experience.
Ethics
NPR to update ethics code, define when personal becomes political for show hosts
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NPR is clarifying ambiguities in its ethics code about the role of talk show hosts after a flap over Diane Rehm’s participation in fundraising activities for a right-to-die organization.
Quick Takes
Friday roundup: Spot.us, Radiolab’s Austin tour, lessons from Sesame Workshop and more
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What we’ve been reading this week.
Television programs
Masterpiece revives literary tradition with Wolf Hall, a complex tale of Thomas Cromwell’s rise
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This miniseries is no Downton Abbey — heads are rolled, not pie dough.
People
Danny Schechter, filmmaker and outspoken media critic, dies at 72
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Schechter, known when he began his career in 1970 as “The News Dissector” on WBCN-FM in Boston, went on to become an award-winning producer.
SXSW
Our Storify of public media tweets from SXSW Interactive
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A roundup of insights and comments from several public media sessions at the annual conference.
Development
Pilot stations are beta-testing MVOD, PBS’s premium content service
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Once up and running, Membership Video on Demand will give stations a hook to draw new members with a perk of exclusive access to certain PBS programs.
People
NPR’s new news chief will seek to boost partnerships with member stations
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“The result we need is more robust local reporting for national audiences.”
Television programs
On public TV, scientists chart path to celebrity, influence
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Public television played a crucial role in helping several personalities construct their scientific fame.
"The Pub" Podcast
The Pub #10: Pronunciation matters, techies leaving public media, SXSW and reporting on your employer
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Why are public media’s tech-savvy workers leaving?
People
Susan Keese, journalist with Vermont Public Radio, dies at 67
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Keese “went out of her way to find the human element of any story.”