PBS

PBS Stations in Calif., Fla., May be Acquired by National, Church Groups

Stevie Converse — Mon, 06 Feb 2012 08:19:37 -0500

Full article: USC Annenberg Center
Adam Power
Valentine's Day has been set as the date for the sale of KCSM-TV, the PBS station serving San Mateo and the counties south of San Francisco. The station is owned by the local community college and said it could no longer afford to operate the station because it is short of funds.

PBS President Punches Back at Romney

Stevie Converse — Thu, 05 Jan 2012 08:52:12 -0500

Full article: USA Today
Robert Bianco
PBS President Paula Kerger responded to presidential hopeful Mitt Romney's call to end federal funding for public broadcasting, saying only 15 percent of its budget comes from the federal government, but that percentage is vital to smaller, poorer, mostly rural stations. Changing PBS to an ad-supported network would force PBS to stop airing much of its arts and culture programming in favor of advertiser-friendly shows that already are seen on network and cable channels.

No Cuts to Public Media in the Next Budget

Stevie Converse — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 09:07:12 -0500

Full article: SavetheNews.org
Josh Stearns
President Obama recently signed next year's funding bill, which provides level funding of $445 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for fiscal year 2014 (the CPB budget is determined two years in advance). This is a huge win for the public. But the fight is not over. Snuck into the funding bill is a requirement that the CPB study alternative funding streams, signaling there may be future attacks on its federal support.

Mitt Romney Claims He'll Cut Off Funding for PBS

Stevie Converse — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:29:53 -0500

Full article: Hollywood Reporter
Paul Bond
Presidential hopeful Mitt Romney told supporters in Iowa that he'll "stop certain programs ... Close them. Turn 'em off. Even some you like," he said. "You might say, 'I like the National Endowment for the Arts.' I do," Romney said. "I like PBS. We subsidize PBS. Look, I'm going to stop that."

PBS Takes on the Premium Channels

Stevie Converse — Tue, 03 Jan 2012 07:12:00 -0500

Full article: New York Times
Amy Chozick
In an effort to freshen its image and lift revenue, the Public Broadcasting Service is trying to be more like HBO -- without the monthly cable bill. The new programming couldn't come at a more critical time: The Budget Control Act, which ended the debt-ceiling crisis in August, strips public television and others of a portion of federal financing starting as early as 2013. And states, under severe budget pressure, have cut financing for local public broadcasting stations.

Media Minutes: October 28, 2011

Candace Clement — Thu, 27 Oct 2011 16:54:47 -0400

Where commercial media are consolidating and slashing newsroom jobs, vibrant local journalism nonprofits are popping up across the country to fill the gaps. But they’ve hit one big bureaucratic snag with the IRS. And PBS talk-show host Tavis Smiley turned to the Media Mobilizing Project to help organize and document his series on poverty in America.

There Was Porn on Sesame Street's YouTube Channel This Weekend

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:21:18 -0400

Full article: Time
Erica Ho
I don't think the P in PBS stands for "porn," but for a brief time this weekend, it did. PBS' YouTube account got hacked yesterday afternoon, and for a full 20 minutes, naive youngsters were exposed to the birds and the bees as unsuspecting parents dropped their kids off in front of the computer.

PBS Boss Paula Kerger on Launching a UK Channel

Lindsy Embree — Mon, 17 Oct 2011 11:07:36 -0400

Full article: The Guardian
Dan Sabbagh
Paula Kerger wants to correct a misconception about American television. The president and chief executive officer of PBS wants "as an American citizen" to share "another perspective on the United States separate from Hollywood". Which is why, 42 years after PBS was founded, the broadcaster is finally coming to the UK.

PBS and the Arts

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 13 Oct 2011 11:10:10 -0400

Full article: New York Times
Elizabeth Jensen
PBS has long considered serious arts coverage part of its mission, given that commercial networks broadcast very little of it. But lately, dedicated viewers have had to work much harder to find it. Some viewers have even gotten the impression that PBS isn't interested in the arts.

Ken Burns Documentary to Debut on iPhone, iPad

Lindsy Embree — Thu, 22 Sep 2011 12:18:31 -0400

Full article: CNet
Lance Whitney
PBS is debuting the first episode of a new Ken Burns documentary on its iPhone and iPad app ahead of the actual launch of the series on TV.