NPR’s Rick Karr is seeking funds to produce TechnoPop, a “four-part, six-hour, public-television style series” about the intersection of music and technology.

“Total subscribers at XM and its competitor, Sirius Satellite Radio, will probably surpass eight million by the end of year, making satellite radio one of the fastest-growing technologies ever — faster, for example, than cellphones,” reports the New York Times.

New York’s WNYC has compiled its podcast links on one page on its website.

Barry University intends to transfer ownership of WXEL-TV/FM in Palm Beach, Fla., to New York’s WNET and a community foundation established by WXEL’s local supporters. “WXEL is turning from being university-owned into being community-owned,” says Richard Zaretsky, president of the Community Broadcasting Foundation of Palm Beach County.

“[T]rue diversity won’t come from propping [Ed] Gordon or [Tavis] Smiley up in shows that stand as islands of black culture in a sea of white-focused programs,” writes St. Petersburg Times columnist Eric Deggans. “Public radio needs to stop transcending or targeting and integrate a little more.”

Another PBS Friday night show will sunset in June — Tucker Carlson: Unfiltered. Producing station WETA in Washington cited Carlson’s relocation to MSNBC, where he soon will host a nightly program, as the reason for the PBS show’s demise. But, during its year on the air, Unfiltered didn’t secure an underwriter. The Washington Post speculates on whether Carlson will drop his “conservative cliche” bow-tie for his new MSNBC gig (scroll down to second item).

Houston’s KUHT decided not to affiliate with the new digital cable service in which PBS holds an ownership stake. Advertising on the yet-to-be named service for preschoolers violates the noncommercial safe haven that KUHT provides for local audiences, John Hesse, station manager, tells the New York Times.

Tonight’s episode of Now, says the Washington Times, is “a heartbreaking half-hour, albeit one that could restore your faith in the ability of television — or at least PBS’ corner of it — to tell stories that matter.”

The host of this year’s Input conference plans to go ahead with the international pubTV producers’ screening conference in San Francisco, May 1-6, despite a union boycott of the SF Hilton and 13 other large hotels, the Chronicle reported yesterday. ITVS, host of the event, said it favors good treatment for hotel workers but could not afford to lose $663,000 tied up in reserving the conference space. Groups of lawyers and historians have relocated events from the boycotted hotels.

DCRTV points to MPT Mole, a blog maintained by an anonymous someone claiming to be a Maryland Public Television employee. Note that it “should be viewed as fictional musings and unfounded speculation, not official truth.”

The Washington Post previews Nova‘s tsunami special, “Wave That Shook the World,” scheduled to air tonight.

Louis Rukeyser’s Wall Street Week played a small role in the Internet speculation bubble, writes Jay Hancock, a Baltimore Sun business journalist, but its contributions were greater as originator of financial journalism on TV.

The plan was for a Public Television Act with no mention of dusty old radio. Not everyone signed on to the plan.

Iowa state senators have introduced a bill asking the nascent Iowa Public Radio network to consider playing “modern progressive musical content.”

In a new example of the creeping commercial- ization of PTV under- writing, spots plugging burrito chain Chipotle will spoof pledge drives and Masterpiece Theatre, the New York Times reports. The 15-second ads, er, credits will accompany American Public Television’s How to Cook Everything: Bittman Takes On America’s Chefs beginning in April.