WFUV in New York has introduced UKNY, a weekly broadcast mixing new and classic rock music from the United Kingdom.

Former KPCC host Madeleine Brand, who left the Los Angeles station in September 2012, will host a new midday show on competitor KCRW. Brand will join the station in mid-September to begin work on the hourlong program, which will begin airing shortly thereafter, she told Current. “I’m really excited and I love KCRW,” she said. “I’ve been a big fan for many years, so I’m really happy to work with them.” Brand’s show, yet to be named, will be a host-driven, “news-based cultural show” in the vein of the show she hosted on KPCC, she said. She’ll return to the air as a solo host, as she was before the addition of a co-host to her KPCC show.

Colorado Public Radio filed a trademark infringement and violation suit in federal court in Colorado earlier this month against Minnesota's Twin Cities Public Television over the name Open Air.

Retiring from public radio finally afforded audience analyst David Giovannoni the time to turn his hobby, collecting antique phonographs and early sound recordings, into a full-time pursuit.

The House Appropriations subcommittee with jurisdiction over CPB is pushing once more for eliminating government funding to public broadcasting in its fiscal year 2014 budget proposal, according to the New York Times.

The House Appropriations Committee has proposed cutting funding to the National Endowment for the Arts and National Endowment for the Humanities by 49 percent for fiscal year 2014.

Why did Tess Vigeland leave her Marketplace Money hosting gig back in November 2012? The reasons are complicated, she revealed in a July address to the World Domination Summit in Portland, Ore., an annual conference where the audience hears from “amazing people with big plans.” Next Avenue, Twin Cities Public Television’s resource for the over-50 crowd, posted an abbreviated version of what it called her “courageous speech.” Turns out Vigeland had been unhappy for a while at Marketplace. “Partly I was tired of the subject I covered,” she said. “It got to the point where I wanted to reach through the radio, take listeners by the shoulders and say: ‘Don’t you get it?!

The University of Wisconsin’s Board of Regents has returned a construction permit for a new Wisconsin Public Radio station in Niagara that would have extended the network’s reach to 39,000 additional people.

Miami’s WLRN confirmed that host and reporter Phil Latzman was dismissed July 16. Latzman hosted a weekly public affairs show on the station, according to his bio. Earlier this month, the station also dismissed news director Dan Grech. The blog Random Pixels first reported the news of Latzman’s dismissal. Latzman has not responded to a request for comment.

The next general manager of Idaho Public Television is Ron Pisaneschi, now its director of content. Pisaneschi takes over Aug. 5 from Peter Morrill, who announced his retirement in March. The State Board of Education announced Pisaneschi’s appointment today. “Idaho PTV is fortunate to have someone with Ron’s passion for public television and expertise in programming and operations ready to step up and lead the organization,” said Don Soltman, board president. During his 28 years at Idaho PTV, Pisaneschi has directed public information, marketing and programming. He also served on the Public Television Programmers Association Board of Directors from 2002-07, including as president in 2006.

WGBH's long-running documentary program is partnering with the Public Radio Exchange to develop a free app for iPad users.

Rick Schneider, president of WPBT in Miami, will take over as executive vice president and chief operating officer at WETA in September, the Arlington, Va., station announced today. Schneider will step into the position being vacated by longtime WETA exec Joe Bruns, who announced his retirement in April. WETA President Sharon Rockefeller said in the announcement, “I have worked alongside him in public broadcasting’s national organizations, and I know firsthand that Rick’s strong management experience is matched by his true dedication to public media. He brings with him superb knowledge of the national public broadcasting landscape and the complexities of managing a major-market station, and he shares our profound commitment to public service.”

A journalist and former employee of a Pacifica station diagnoses the network’s failure to attract listeners in an article in the Leftist Review. The election of President Barack Obama is in part to blame, writes Kellia Ramares-Watson, because it helped to mollify the network’s left-leaning audience. But she attributes much of the problem to programming. Stations, she writes, “need to stop their attempts to represent as many of the disparate groups in their audience as they can cram into 168 hours a week.” New York’s WBAI, she notes, aims to serve many audiences by programming hosts in monthly slots and narrowly targeting ethnic niches.

Nearly 85 percent of donors using mobile devices would like to be able to contribute more money using apps, according to a new survey of more than 20,000 users by the mGive Foundation, which advocates for mobile giving. Those donors would like to contribute $25 to $50 via text, up slightly (from 82 percent) in 2012. Currently, those donations are limited to $10. Respondents say they like using their mobile device to donate because it’s easy, convenient and gives them control. Also, they want more information from nonprofits via text, the survey found. In a six-point increase over last year, 17.6 percent said they would like to receive surveys about the future of the organization;  32.8 percent, a 9 percent jump, wanted information about volunteering; and 18.6 percent, a 4 percent increase, wanted program information.