Muhammad Ali
In a new documentary by Ken Burns, Sarah Burns and David McMahon, Muhammad Ali brings to life one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who captivated millions of fans throughout the world with his mesmerizing combination of speed, grace, and power in the ring, and charm and playful boasting outside of it. Ali insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere. The 4-part series airs Sunday, 9/19 - Wednesday, 9/22 at 8:00pm.
From The GM's Desk
Happy Fall! We continue to do excellent work during this extraordinary time. The production teams are busy with client work, ramping up the magazine show and the digital initiative. The radio team is busy reporting on Fall happenings and the Poetry Moment. The technology team is wrapping up the transmitter installation, remediating findings from our internal IT audit and helping get a new tenant on our Clearfield tower. Finance folks are preparing for our annual audit. And the Community Engagement and Education team is strategizing how to build on last year’s work with a potential new round of funding. Thank you all for your many contributions, we could not do it without you! I hope you are well and finding time to unwind with friends and family..
All my best ...
Birthdays
9/16 - Joel Watkins
9/26 - Jen Bortz
9/28 - Russ Rockwell
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
Penn State Professors On How 9/11 Changed Their Teaching
WPSU intern Brendan Morgan talked with professors on how the events of 9/11 changed their approach to teaching and content. Listen here.
Take Note: Shara McCallum On Poetry and Cultural Identity
WPSU’s Cheraine Stanford talked with Shara McCallum. McCallum is an author, public speaker, and Penn State professor whose poems and essays have been published in journals, anthologies, and textbooks nationally and internationally. Listen here.
Thinking About Going Solar?
A Centre County co-op forms to shed light on the issue, bring people together for group purchase. WPSU’s Anne Danahy talks with Betsy Whitman, chair of the Centre Region’s Climate Action and Sustainability Committee, who said that local government guides development and provides services. “Once in a blue moon, local government can actually make a difference in, I’m going to call it 'our Earth.” Read the story here.
WPSU Television Highlights
Big Ben: Saving the World’s Most Famous Clock (part 3 of 3) - Thursday, September 16 at 8:00 pm
BIG BEN: SAVING THE WORLD'S MOST FAMOUS CLOCK documents the massive restoration of London’s iconic clock tower in progress since 2017. Every step of the repair revealed new discoveries and new challenges, perhaps none more formidable than proceeding under Covid protocols.
Muhammad Ali (4-part series from Ken Burns) - Sunday, 9/19 - Wednesday, 9/22 at 8:00 pm
A portrait of one of the best-known and most indelible figures of the 20th century, a three-time heavyweight boxing champion who insisted on being himself unconditionally and became a global icon and inspiration to people everywhere.
How the Monuments Came Down - Thursday, September 23 at 9:00 pm
A timely and searing look at the history of white supremacy and Black resistance in Richmond, Virginia—the former capital of the Confederacy. Through stories of descendants and activists, the film reveals how monuments to Confederate leaders stood for more than a century—and why they fell.
Citizen Hearst: An American Experience Special - Monday, 9/27 and Tuesday, 9/28 at 9:00 pm
Explore the life of William Randolph Hearst. The model for Orson Welles’s Citizen Kane, he controlled a vast media empire, wielded unprecedented power and influence, and forever transformed the media’s role in American life and politics.
Sounds of Nature (3-part series) - Wednesdays at 8:00 pm, starting 9/29
Unless you pay attention, you hardly ever realize the amazing variety of sounds the wild has to offer. In this 3-part series, viewers join world experts as they seek out the sounds of life from underwater animals, birds and other animals or insects living across five continents, from the forests of Borneo to the Alps.
NOVA “The Cannabis Question” - Wednesday, September 29 at 9:00 pm
Cannabis contains chemicals which mimic ones found in our brain. One is THC, which produces the high associated with pot use. Another, called CBD, shows promise for treating seizures, addiction, and insomnia. NOVA joins scientists and experts around the country. What risks does cannabis pose to the developing adolescent brain? Does heavy cannabis use impair intelligence, increase psychosis, or even put future generations at risk for addiction? As cannabis becomes socially accepted, scientists are racing to understand the long-term health consequences.
Governmental Relations
Federal Appropriations Update
Our public media lobbyists, APTS (American Public Television Station) continue to work on the following requests that are pending approval from the Senate in the as part of the overall Fiscal Year (FY) 2022 Appropriations Bill:
• $565 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) in FY 2024 representing a $90 million increase.
• $20 million for Interconnection — level funding that matches our request.
• $31.78 million for Ready to Learn — a $2.28 million increase.
The House passed their version that included the above funding earlier this summer.
It’s unclear when or if the Senate Appropriations Committee will be able to mark up the remaining FY 2022 funding bills. A Continuing Resolution (CR) will be needed to fund the government beyond the end of the fiscal year on September 30, 2021. There is a good chance that FY 2022 funding levels will not be finalized until close to the end of the calendar year.
WPSU receives federal funding through CPB. We will keep you updated on funding news as the Appropriations Bill moves forward.
National Public Media DEI Webinar Invitation
All interested public media stakeholders are invited to join APTS on Thursday, September 23, 2021 at 2:30 p.m. ET for their What Works webinar in the series focused on how public television stations are enhancing their role as community conveners, on issues ranging from the racial reckoning to remote learning and beyond.
This webinar will feature leaders in our public broadcasting system who are successfully advancing diversity, equity, and inclusion (DEI) at their stations.
GBH in Boston has been engaging in a cultural assessment at every level of their station, with a commitment to a diverse staff and ensuring it represents the diverse community the station serves. Jon Abbott, President and CEO of GBH, will discuss why DEI is so important to the station, and why hiring a DEI officer was a critical component.
Ed Ulman, President & CEO of Alaska Public Media, has been focusing on DEI at his station for well over a year. Ed will explain what small stations can do to make big organizational changes -- from involving his board and a consultant, to creating a staff-driven ideas council, to engaging in a source audit, and more.
DeAnne Hamilton, Executive Director and General Manager of KBTC Public Television in Tacoma, Washington, and Chair of the APTS Board DEI Task Force, will discuss how she is addressing diversity, equity and inclusion at her station, and the special circumstances of a university licensee in pursuing this objective.
Ad Industry Seeks Alternatives After Nielsen Loses Seal of Approval
The TV industry is trying to figure out how it will do business in a world where Nielsen is no longer the dominant measurement company .On Sept. 1, the Media Rating Council stripped its seal of approval from Nielsen’s national TV measurement product, long the industry’s gold standard. The MRC’s historic move capped a year in which revelations about Nielsen brought decades of complaints about the ratings leader to a head and created fresh opportunities for a legion of rivals.
“The only thing we know for sure is how dissatisfied a lot of the networks are and how serious they are about advancing measurement,” said Sean Muller, CEO of iSpot.TV, one of the companies hoping to move into any void created by Nielsen’s issues.
The revelation that Nielsen undercounted viewers during the pandemic, potentially costing TV networks hundreds of millions of dollars — a charge made public by the industry trade group VAB and confirmed by the MRC — brought a new focus to the constant criticism Nielsen has historically received as the industry’s umpire. [Broadcasting & Cable - 9/9/21]
EAS Test Fails To Air on Philadelphia Radio Stations
Radio hosts at stations in Philadelphia were forced to improvise on Aug. 11 when the Federal Emergency Management Agency's test of the federal Emergency Alert System failed to reach their airwaves. Broadcasters are required to file post-test reports by today, which will help determine how widespread issues with the test were. Full story here.
When Life Hands You Bananas
A man fed up with a private road in poor condition near his southwest Florida business has a novel solution: plant a banana tree in a pothole to warn motorists away. Last week, Bryan Raymond planted the tree in a stubborn pothole along Honda Drive just off U.S. 41 in south Fort Myers. Raymond, who owns Progress and Pride Fitness Group, said the idea of planting a banana tree ripened in his mind after having to fill holes in the street with cement multiple times. Because Honda Drive is a private street, county officials said, it’s up to the business owners to maintain the street. For Raymond, the banana tree is an attention-grabbing repair.
“If we have to maintain it and make sure nobody gets hurt, we are going to put something obvious there to make sure nobody gets in the hole,” Raymond told television station WBBH.For some time, Raymond’s security cameras have caputured problems along the street, including a pothole damaging cars and floodwaters causing his trash bin to float away. [AP - 9/8/21]
All In A Day's Work
"Doing nothing is very hard to do… you never know when you’re finished." ~ Leslie Nielsen
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