Makers Quest 2.0 has unveiled the eight audio-centric new media projects that received backing to complete production by August. The Association of Independents in Radio, which is managing the CPB-backed initiative, paired each of the producers with public radio stations or networks that will “incubate” the projects for broadcast and other distribution. The initiative began last fall with a nomination round in which 30 independent producers were invited to submit proposals.

Alberto Ibarguen, former PBS chairman and now president of the Knight Foundation, testified on Capitol Hill today. The hearing, on the future of journalism, was before the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications, Technology, and the Internet. Ibarguen challenged lawmakers to consider that broadcast and print media could indeed join forces. “I think it is at least worth a fresh look under current circumstances to see if a resulting combination, perhaps combined with stronger use of new and social media, can help to survive traditional news operations that still have such great expertise in reporting,” his written testimony said. Read the full, expanded transcript of his remarks here.

The American Experience series “We Shall Remain” on Native American history has inspired a drive in Massachusetts to help residents of the Pine Ridge Reservation in South Dakota, according to The Concord Journal. The Many Nations Trading Post in Concord, Mass., is collecting toys and clothing, and taking cash donations to ship the goods. “The reservations get overlooked and are almost invisible to people,” said Carole Ann Baer, heading up the effort. “It’s a spirit, a strong nation that has been broken, but they are still fighting for survival. That’s why the title of the PBS series is so poignant, it’s showing that the spirit of the people shall remain despite the poverty and hardship.”

PubTV stations Channel 13 and WLIW21 in New York are debuting new identification spots featuring music created by a Juilliard student. Have a listen here to the new tunes performed by the Juilliard orchestra.

Two new studies examining the PBS Kids series Super WHY! provide proof of the show’s effectiveness on literacy skills, according to a joint statement from PBS and CPB. The studies, funded by CPB through a Department of Education Ready to Learn grant, were conducted by the Annenberg School for Communication at the University of Pennsylvania and Florida State University’s Center for Reading Research. Deborah L. Linebarger, director of the Annenberg Children’s Media Lab, commented in the statement that “an impressive indicator of the power of Super WHY! is that meaningful changes in preschoolers’ early literacy skills were found with exposure to as few as two or three episodes.”

The FCC may soon announce rules for new replacement digital translator service, which will let stations use translators to fill DTV signal coverage gaps in their current digital coverage areas and replicate their former analog reach, according to Broadcasting & Cable. The construction deadline is expected to be extended from the currently proposed six months to three years.

KCPW, the pubradio station in Salt Lake City, has laid off two employees and cut salaries following lax fund-raising drives. CEO and President Ed Sweeney told the Salt Lake Crawler blog that underwriting is fine but individual donations are down. One of the station’s two reporters was let go. Sweeney told Current that he now cleans the station himself–including the bathrooms–saving $400 a month.

Public Radio International laid off three employees, dropped two vacant positions and reassigned about 10 of its 55-member staff in a restructuring that took effect Monday. The restructuring aims to raise resources needed to strengthen programming and marketing within the tightened budget of the Minneapolis-based program distributor/producer, says Julia Yager, v.p. of brand management and marketing strategy. PRI has “aggressively” watched costs and expects only a “very slight” operating loss this fiscal year, she says. The three lost positions were spread among the marketing , communications and programming units. One of PRI’s major initiatives, The Takeaway morning news program coproduced with WNYC, has just passed its first year on the air and is now heard on 36 main-channel pubradio stations (plus five HD Radio multicast channels), she said.

NPR’s Melissa Block and Andrea Hsu, key members of the All Things Considered team that delivered award-winning coverage when an earthquake devastated China’s Sichuan province last May, have returned to the region to report on its recovery. They’re posting updates on the Chengdu Diary blog that generated so much interest last year, and are hosting a live chat on NPR.org right now. Their follow-up reports, which began airing on Monday, are here.

First lady Michelle Obama paid a visit to Sesame Street on Tuesday to tape a public service announcement as part of Sesame Workshop’s Healthy Habits For Life initiative. Mrs. Obama and Elmo talked about eating right, exercising regularly and being a healthy and positive role model for children. (Photo: Richard Termine)

Public broadcasting supporters and viewers–including teachers, station employees and even toddlers–protested at the Pennsylvania state capitol in Harrisburg Tuesday in an attempt to persuade the legislature to restore funding for the state’s eight pubTV stations. Gov. Ed Rendell’s proposed budget would zero-out $8 million in grants to stations including WQED in Pittsburgh. “Dozens of moms with kids in strollers, costumed characters, music groups, all the GMs from our stations, community leaders and even legislators joined us to rally to get the funding restored,” Rosemary Martinelli, WQED spokeswoman told Current. “We need to communicate that it is not just a cut but a total elimination.”

Add West Virginia PBS to the growing list of stations receiving calls from viewers upset that they suddenly can’t receive their favorite channel via their current Comcast cable subscription. This time it’s customers in the Northern and Eastern Panhandles of West Virginia, and Morgantown. A Comcast spokesman explained that viewers now need a digital converter box to receive the station under a new agreement between Comcast and West Virginia Public Broadcasting. But in a statement, station Executive Director Dennis Adkins said: “We were not aware that Comcast customers would be required to have special equipment or of the significant number of Comcast subscribers who would not have the appropriate equipment to take advantage of this expanded service.”

An Internet site featuring a Web camera installed in Decorah, Iowa, last summer for the Nature episode “American Eagle” continues to draw visitors from some 70 countries, according to the Decorah Public Opinion newspaper. Bob Anderson, director of the local nonprofit Raptor Resource Project, says its DSL service has been scrambling to keep up with the high viewing demand for the site. Milwaukee Public TV also featured an eagle cam on one of its multicast channels in 2002.

WEDU in West Central Florida has launched the Blue Sky Project, gathering a “volunteer consortium of creative professionals” to assist the station, according to a statement (PDF). The PBS station is hoping to develop initiatives drawing on the experience of volunteers who are currently without full-time employment. Tasks include advertising, communications, graphic design, public relations, special event planning and Web design. In return for assisting the station, the work will help volunteers hone professional skills, contribute to their resumes and “provide stimulating projects in an invigorating environment,” the statement adds.

NPR led pubcasters in the 2009 Webby Awards honoring the best of the Internet. It won a total of seven awards, three of which were determined by votes cast in the “People’s Voice” competition. NPR Music and NPR.org received Webbys and People’s Voice Awards in the categories of music and radio websites, respectively. Awards also went to NPR Mobile, the network’s news site optimized for mobile phones (m.npr.org), NPR Podcasts, and Project Song, a video series presented by NPR Music’s All Songs Considered. Three of the four awards credited to PBS were for Frontline/World programs nominated in the online film and video division.