System/Policy
CapRadio alleges theft in lawsuit against former GM Jun Reina
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The lawsuit against Reina and other unknown defendants seeks at least $900,000 in damages.
GBH, community group reach tentative agreement on sale of CAI home
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The Woods Hole Community Association plans to close on the GBH-owned building Thursday.
Development
Sharp staff cuts at Pacifica’s WBAI aim to save station
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Pacifica has laid off the entire news department of WBAI-FM and almost all paid staff effective Monday in an effort to keep the cash-strapped New York outlet solvent. Pacifica Interim Executive Director Summer Reese made the announcement on WBAI’s air Friday afternoon. Reese told listeners that she had arrived at the station by cab directly from negotiations with the Screen Actors Guild–American Federation of Television and Radio Artists, which represents WBAI staff. “We have not been able to fully recover . .
Quick Takes
Pacifica’s WBAI lays off news staff, most on-air talent
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This item has been updated and reposted with additional information. Pacifica’s WBAI-FM is laying off its entire news department and almost all paid staff effective Monday as the cash-strapped New York outlet fights to stay solvent. Pacifica interim executive director Summer Reese made the announcement on-air on Friday afternoon. Reese told the audience that she came to the station by cab directly from negotiations with the SAG-AFTRA union. “We have not been able to fully recover, not only from the hurricane, but from many years of financial stress at this radio station,” Reese said, on Friday.
Programs/Content
Head programmer looking for “PBS twist” in scripted drama on Civil War
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PBS is commissioning a second scripted drama, Chief Programming Executive Beth Hoppe told Current at the Television Critics Association Summer Press Tour this week in Los Angeles. The latest script request is for a Civil War period piece, Hoppe said. “We’re really focusing on things that have historical accuracy and untold stories at their core, as we try to select what to bet on in the drama space,” she noted. “The Civil War is territory that PBS has a great track record for, so it’s a matter of finding that PBS twist.” She declined to discuss further details. In May, Variety reported that PBS had ordered a pilot script for Alta California, set in the 1800s and centering on an arranged marriage between two families, one Mexican-Californian and the other European American.
Quick Takes
Citizen Koch ends Kickstarter campaign with more than double its goal
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Citizen Koch, a documentary about the influence of money in politics, closed its 30-day Kickstarter campaign with more than double its initial fundraising goal.
Quick Takes
PBS looking strong among younger viewers, entertainment news site reports
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PBS is the only broadcast network that is “dramatically up” in viewers 18 to 34 years old, as well as up in total viewers and holding steady in the 18- to 49-year-old demographic, reports The Wrap, a digital news organization covering entertainment and media. Perhaps one explanation could be that PBS is putting as much content as possible online on YouTube, Netflix and Amazon. “It seems to act as a marketing tool for us to drive more television tune-in,” said Jason Seikin, PBS’s digital guru.
Programs/Content
Upcoming Genealogy Roadshow spotlights family histories of average Americans
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A new reality series tracing the ancestral roots of Americans is coming to PBS directly from Ireland. The format for Genealogy Roadshow was created by an Irish production company, Big Mountain Productions.
People
Dann Tucker, influential fundraising consultant, dies at 60
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Dann Tucker, a fundraising consultant who trained PBS employees in underwriter outreach and organized donor cruises for PBS and NPR, died Aug. 2 in Portland, Ore., of a stroke during open-heart surgery. He was 60.
Programs/Content
PBS Kids Go! goes bye-bye as colorful branding revamp rolls out to stations
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PBS is dropping its PBS Kids Go! graphics and interstitial materials, as part of a revamp of the on-air branding materials surrounding PBS’s children’s programs.
Quick Takes
Penn State pubcaster WPSU part of university media rebranding effort
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Penn State Public Broadcasting is now Penn State Public Media, its licensee announced today. “We will continue to operate as a broadcasting service but have expanded to online content development and we wanted our name to reflect that,” said Kate Domico, executive director of public media at the university, which includes WPSU-TV/FM.
Gwen Ifill
NewsHour promotes Ifill and Woodruff to helm show, as TV’s first female co-anchor team
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The PBS NewsHour is reassigning its senior journalists to new roles by tapping Gwen Ifill and Judy Woodruff as co-anchors and managing editors of the weeknightly broadcasts. The change, announced today during the Television Critics Association Press Tour in Los Angeles, drops the system of rotating anchor duties among six different NewsHour journalists. It takes effect next month. Jim Lehrer, longtime anchor and co-owner of the show through MacNeil/Lehrer Productions, retains the title of executive editor, but Ifill and Woodruff will lead editorial and strategic planning of PBS’s flagship news show. “Gwen and Judy have been the heart and soul of NewsHour for years,” said Linda Winslow, executive producer, “so it’s wonderful to formalize these new roles and give them an opportunity to provide even more input on the content and direction of the show.”