SPONSORED

query

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.

Tech

NPR factors ‘mixed response’ from client stations into plans for Digital Services

By |

With contract negotiations looming this fall, leaders at NPR member stations are getting increasingly vocal about what they see as shortcomings of the products offered by NPR Digital Services. In 2011, NPR leaders convinced the majority of stations large and small to sign a three-year agreement for the newly formed unit to provide a fixed slate of tools and services for online streaming, website design and donation management. With the contract term ending Sept. 30, station leaders are raising questions and concerns about the offerings and whether to renew the contract as-is. A recent informal survey of heads of 30 stations gathered mixed reviews of the package of technology tools and services designed to help stations distribute and publish news reports and other online content.

Programs/Content

PBS’s Sepulveda: Stations can do more to engage Latinos, broader communities

By |

PBS stations need to share more information among themselves as they work to increase their community impact, PBS’s new senior v.p. of station services Juan Sepulveda said at the two-day “Understanding Impact” symposium, convened by the Public Media Futures Forum and the Center for Investigative Reporting April 17 and 18. The forum, which took place at American University, explored how public media organizations can measure and analyze the impact of their work. Sepulveda, who started at PBS in January, said he was still trying to get a sense of how actively stations are working on issues of impact and how much information they’re sharing. So far, he’s concluded that a small number of stations are “doing it right,” he said, adding that “if we’re honest, a big chunk of the system is not.”

Sepulveda saw firsthand the success of digital outreach and community-organizing tactics when he worked to mobilize Texans and Latinos for President Obama’s campaigns. Public TV can apply those strategies to get stations “more directly involved in what’s happening with each other,” he said.

Quick Takes

Monday roundup: NYC mayor taps POV‘s Lopez, controversial Rogers out at GPB

By |

• Cynthia Lopez, who has helped shape POV for the past 14 years as its executive vice president and co-executive producer, is the new commissioner of the New York City Office of Film, Theater and Broadcasting. The agency markets the city as a prime location for production and assists production companies throughout the five boroughs. Mayor Bill de Blasio announced the appointment at a Friday afternoon press conference, calling Lopez “a remarkable media professional.” He noted that this is the first time the office will be led by a person of color and that Lopez has long been “a force for greater inclusion in this industry.”

Simon Kilmurry, POV executive director, told Current that the appointment is “fantastic for Cynthia, and it’s very exciting for us to have a public media person — and a documentary person — in that job.” He said POV has “a deep bench,” with many experienced candidates in-house. “We’ll take our time to find the right person” as Lopez’s replacement, he added. Watch video of the announcement here:

• Controversial politician Chip Rogers is out at Georgia Public Broadcasting, just over a year after he landed a six-figure job there, reports the Atlanta Journal-Constitution.

Quick Takes

PBS, NPR compete for Webby Awards in multiple categories

By |

Websites affiliated with PBS and NPR have been nominated for Webby Awards in more than 20 categories. PBS Video and NPR’s Responsive Design Project are contenders for top recognition for best practices on the Web, one of the most high-profile awards to be presented by the International Academy of Digital Arts & Sciences later this spring. PBS led public media organizations in garnering the most nominations. PBS Video received a nomination in the general website media streaming category, and The PBS Idea Channel is vying for two Webbys in categories for first-person online film and video and best web personality/host. Additional nominees include PBS Kids Digital, in the youth category, and Shanks FX and PBS Food, nominated in categories of how-to and DIY content.