A new wind of change is blowing through public media organizations of all shapes and sizes, sweeping through executive offices as top managers opt to move on to their next jobs or retire. More than 50 public media outlets are searching for a new chief executive or general manager or have completed such a search within the last 10 months.
After public safety agencies transmit wireless emergency alert (WEA) messages to the Federal Emergency Management Agency, the PBS WARN system automatically reformats the messages for transmission to local stations through the public TV interconnection system. The networking technology establishes a redundant, over-the-air path for the WEAs to reach commercial mobile service providers (CMSPs) and their individual clients.
Exclusives
WYES Ends On-Air Auctions, Lays Off 8
Eight staffers at the New Orleans PBS station lost their jobs Thursday as a decades-old tradition at the station — on-air auctions — ended. GM Allan Pizzato said the station’s regular auctions of art, merchandise and wine were no longer the powerhouse fundraisers they had once been for the station.
Unfettered by competitive pressures and fortified by trust in their brand, local public broadcasters are finding new ways to engage in more local news — especially more investigative and enterprise journalism — than ever before. From unprecedented mergers to unique partnerships, from shared workspace to shared reporters, creative approaches are positioning public radio and television stations to step up to new roles in their local news ecosystems. In the process, some are becoming critical linchpins for state and metro-wide news networks.
Wick Rowland Retiring As Head Of KBDI
Willard “Wick” Rowland is stepping down after 13 years at the helm of Colorado Public Television’ Denver station in March. But don’t expect him to sail quietly into the sunset. Rowland promises his usual flow of journal articles, prominent academic speeches and lobbying in Washington for public broadcasting after he retires.
Political Ad Court Decision Raises Questions
Yesterday’s federal appeals court dicision that hat the long-standing prohibition on the carriage of paid political and issue advertising by noncommercial TV and radio stations is unconstitutional and may no longer be enforced by the FCC leaves open many important questions as to how to implement it.
The pull of economic strains and push of technical advancements continue to spark collaborations among public TV stations. The CPB Board on March 27 unanimously approved a $7 million grant for a centralcasting facility in Jacksonville, Fla., that will serve six stations in Florida and one in Georgia.
The University of Houston’s noncommercial station made the move as part of cost-cutting by the new general manager. Affected were personnel in production, programming, development, technology and administration.
Tears welled in longtime journalist Michael Aron’s eyes as he and colleague Jim Hooker said their goodbye on New Jersey Network’s final evening newscast from Trenton.The broadcast cut to a small room of empty cubicles. The lights turned off, and a small, blue NJN sign glowed on the back wall. The screen faded to black. “New Jersey Network. April 5, 1971 – June 30, 2011.”
NPR President-CEO Vivian Schiller may have hoped her departure would help placate budget cutters and public radio’s critics on Capitol Hill, but instead they stepped up calls to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
New Jersey Gov. Chris Christie signed legislation that paves the way for the transition of the state-run New Jersey Network into a private independent entity. The governor suspended the planned layoffs of 130 NJN staffers, saying the actions will allow for “New Jersey-focused programming to continue uninterrupted” as a transition is completed.
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on Wednesday proposed ending state taxpayer funding of public broadcasting in Virginia by asking legislators to slash $4 million over the next two years as part of $35 million in budget cuts.
Virginia Gov. Robert F. McDonnell on Wednesday proposed ending state taxpayer funding of public broadcasting in Virginia by asking legislators to slash $4 million over the next two years as part of $35 million in budget cuts.
The American University School of Communication has agreed to buy Current, the trade newspaper and website that covers public broadcasting.
Public Media Needs Funding, Focus Changes
Barbara Cochran, in a new paper, says that increasing local staff to include a more diversified and digital-savvy workforce is one key to improving public media’s draw, along with taking advantage of digital opportunities.
