WNET/Thirteen’s two-day Celebration of Teaching & Learning kicks off today (March 16) in New York City. Some 10,000 educators are expected to participate. It’s the seventh annual event, which this year expands into a global conference, with officials, advocates and experts from around the world tackling pressing issues surrounding education.

Dennis Brouse, host of the pubTV show Saddle Up with Dennis Brouse, was convicted of fraudulent practices in Polk County, Iowa, on Thursday (March 15), in connection with a state filmmaking tax-incentive program, according to the Des Moines Register. Brouse, who had been charged in January, also was acquitted on charges of theft and ongoing criminal conduct. Brouse’s Changing Horses Productions had been awarded $9.27 million in tax credits for five projects, but a state audit last year reportedly found discrepancies including $2.18 million in expenditures claimed by Changing Horses paid to companies outside Iowa, which wasn’t allowed, and $1 million in expenses not supported by documentation.

John Barth, managing director of the Public Radio Exchange, dropped in on Marfa Public Radio in Marfa, Texas, and wrote an account of his visit for the PRX blog. The station proved to be a lifeline for listeners after wildfires swept the area last year. Now it’s looking to expand its service vastly as it starts a station in Odessa. Marfa Public Radio’s founder told Barth that he expects the new station will reflect the “conservative, faith-based community” it will serve. You can read more about Marfa Public Radio in this article from Current, published last August.

Independent producer Kartemquin Films posted this petition online to arrange more favorable scheduling than Thursday nights for the indie showcases POV and Independent Lens. See also <Current coverage. Taking Action: PBS Needs Independents March 15, 2012 The following is an open letter to PBS. We encourage all independent filmmakers and fans of public media to join us as signatories by commenting below, or emailing us at PBSNeedsIndies@kartemquin.com, or tweet #PBSNeedsIndies to us on Twitter. Kartemquin has a long history of supporting public broadcasting, and we feel we must again rise to the challenge in raising our concern, and hopefully awareness and action, over the issues below.

American Journalism Review profiles Kinsey Wilson, NPR’s first chief content officer. In his position, Wilson oversees the distribution of all of NPR’s content through its many channels. NPR and its stations have expanded their audience throughout a challenging time of digital disruption to media, which puts the system in ”a position of tremendous strength as we adapt to these technology changes,” says Wilson. The new CCO started out in journalism at Chicago’s City News Bureau: “You got a very quick education in a sort of gritty, boots-on-the-ground neighborhood reporting.” He later went on to get an introduction to digital journalism at Congressional Quarterly in the ’90s.

The Oregon Republican Party has canceled the GOP presidential debate that had been scheduled for Monday (March 19) at Oregon Public Broadcasting, the station is reporting. While former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich had accepted the invitation, candidates Mitt Romney and Rick Santorum both declined. The debate would have been a first for a public broadcasting station, with OPB producing and feeding the program to the nation. See the next issue of Current on March 26 for the backstory on how the debate was sanctioned, and the partnership behind the event: OPB, the Oregon Republican Party and the Washington Times newspaper.

Public Radio International has released its first book for the iPad, the Studio 360 Teacher Redesign multi-touch book, available free via the iBookstore. For the last five years, PRI’s culture show Studio 360 with Kurt Andersen, produced at WNYC, has hired graphic design teams to rethink the images of things as diverse as Uncle Sam, the gay-pride flag, the Monopoly board game and Valentine’s Day. Last fall teacher Kate Ahearn of Haverhill, Mass., suggested a revamp of the image of teachers. Studio 360 recruited New York design firm Hyperakt, which created new campaigns to recruit teachers, designed new bathroom signage — even temporary tattoos.

The fate of 47-year-old PBS member station WTVI-TV in Charlotte, N.C., could be decided by Mecklenburg County commissioners next Tuesday (March 20), reports the Charlotte Observer. Commissioners “appear to be split” on support the station needs for a merger with Central Piedmont Community College. At this week’s meeting, commissioner Bill James said he felt WTVI has no chance to succeed, as public broadcasters UNC-TV and SCETV also serve Mecklenburg. Commissioner Karen Bentley said Charlotte is a tough market to support three stations. “I don’t think bringing WTVI to CPCC is going to change that,” she said. Elsie Garner, WTVI executive director, said the station has “by far” more viewers in Mecklenburg than the other two stations, little overlap in programs, and 75 percent of WTVI’s programs are locally produced.

Looks like the upcoming companion program to Antiques Roadshow (Current, Nov. 7, 2011) might get a new name. Its working title has been Market Wars, but PBS is now asking Facebook fans to vote. An early fave: Flea Marketeers. Catchy!

A former unpaid intern for pubcasting talk show Charlie Rose has filed a lawsuit against Rose and his production company, the New York Times is reporting. Lucy Bickerton contends New York State wage laws were violated because the show’s interns were not paid. Bickerton and the law firm representing her, Outten & Golden, told the paper they were seeking to bring the lawsuit as a class action on behalf of all unpaid interns working for the show since March 2006. Paul C. Curnin, a lawyer for Charlie Rose Inc., told the Times, “We will review the complaint and respond.

Maine Gov. Paul LePage has presented lawmakers with a supplemental budget that includes further spending cuts, such as eliminating all support for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network, reports the Bangor Daily News. The move took MPBN President Mark Vogelzang by surprise. In a story on the station’s website, Vogelzang said he has been unsuccessful in attempts to meet with the governor. “MPBN has taken our fair share of cuts in response to the challenges that this state faces,” he said. “But this looks like it’s punitive, it looks like it’s political rather than financial.” Some elements of the supplemental budget, including the zeroing out of MPBN, were initially included in the governor’s biennial budget proposal, but were restored in a subsequent spending plan.

Becky Chinn, senior director of membership and marketing at Oregon Public Broadcasting, is leaving the station to become a partner with Portland-based Lewis Kennedy Associates, effective May 1. Chinn has worked in fundraising, marketing and communications for more than 20 years, 17 of those at OPB. At LKA, “she will focus her energies on helping clients remain at the leading edge of fundraising and communications while effectively maximizing results,” the firm said in a press release. She joins partner Nova Hamar, and founding partners Helen Kennedy and Jim Lewis at the company, which provides fundraising and direct marketing services to organizations in public broadcasting, healthcare, arts and culture, education, social services and conservation.

Republican presidential hopeful Mitt Romney has pulled out of the debate this coming Monday (March 19) at Oregon Public Broadcasting, the network has announced. The debate sponsors — OPB, the Oregon Republican Party and the Washington Times — said that a Romney campaign aide confirmed the candidate will be in Illinois on March 19, the eve of that state’s primary. Organizers are still talking with the other candidates. The only confirmed debate participant so far is former Speaker of the House Newt Gingrich. The debate, which would be the first produced at a public broadcasting station, was sanctioned by the Republican National Committee in October 2011.

Five suspects, considered among the “most sophisticated hackers in the world” by authorities, were arrested and charged Tuesday (March 6) in Manhattan federal court with conspiracy in connection with computer attacks last year against PBS, Fox Broadcasting Co. and Sony Pictures Entertainment, reports CNN. A sixth suspect pleaded guilty in August to computer hacking and other crimes and has been cooperating with government investigators. On May 29, 2011, techs at PBS.org as well as the NewsHour and Frontline websites spent hours regaining control during the cyberattack (Current, June 13, 2011). The hack exposed contact information for hundreds of PBS staffers, stations, producers and press, as well as several internal PBS databases.

NPR has hired Todd Mundt as editorial director for NPR Digital Services In his new position, Mundt will help stations develop digital content strategies and oversee news training offered to them. He now serves as v.p. and chief content officer at Louisville Public Media in Kentucky, p.d. of the licensee’s news/talk station and its local host for Morning Edition. Before joining Louisville’s three-station complex, he was director of content and media at Iowa Public Radio, chief content officer for Michigan Public Media in Ann Arbor and host of an NPR-distributed talk program, The Todd Mundt Show. Mundt is chair of the Public Radio Program Directors Association and has served on the Public Media Platform advisory council.