Hemingway
Hemingway, a three-part, six-hour documentary film by Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, examines the visionary work and the turbulent life of Ernest Hemingway, one of the greatest and most influential writers America has ever produced. Interweaving his eventful biography — a life lived at the ultimately treacherous nexus of art, fame, and celebrity — with carefully selected excerpts from his iconic short stories, novels, and non-fiction, the series reveals the brilliant, ambitious, charismatic, and complicated man behind the myth, and the art he created. Premieres April 5 at 8pm.
From The GM's Desk
Happy Spring! I hope everyone is enjoying this lovely weather. We’ve been busy in 2021 thus far and this month it continues. We welcomed two new employees contributing to our educational and project development efforts, our radio team is busy reporting on important topics, we are airing some wonderful programming, our production services team is remaining busy serving our University clients, our education team is planning a summer full of fun and our new transmitters will be installed early next month. WOW – great work everyone! We are thrilled that the latest COVID relief bill (American Rescue Plan of 2021) includes additional funding for public media. This funding will be distributed by CPB and we are waiting to see what amount we will receive as a rural station. Thank you for everything you do.
All my best ...
Birthdays
4/3 Holly Lowe
4/5 Dave Gailey
4/7 Mike DiPasquale
WPSU Radio Highlights
BookMark 4/01 & 4/04 – "In the Midst of Winter" by Isabel Allende
On BookMark, the community book review show, WPSU listeners talk about the books they’ve recently enjoyed. This week—the story of an unlikely trio. Today's book is about the immigrant experience in America. Reviewer Tamra Fatemi-Badi is the event coordinator at WPSU.
In Case You Missed It . . .
Canada To Purchase Arizona
In what amounts to a major international land deal, the country of Canada has agreed to purchase the state of Arizona for the convenience of this citizens. Listen to the NPR report here.
Pandemic, Year One: Melissa Dibble Of Marshburg: A Nurse On The Front Lines
In the past couple of weeks, we’ve brought you thoughts on the pandemic year from residents of central and northern Pennsylvania To end the series, WPSU’s Kristine Allen spoke with Melissa Dibble, a travel nurse from McKean county, who worked in the heart of the crisis, at a New Jersey hospital.
Democracy Works: Danielle Allen On Achieving Democracy's Ideals Jenna Spinelle speaks with Danielle Allen who is a leader of two large-scale efforts to make democracy truly inclusive and reimagine the way we teach new generations of democratic citizens. She discusses both initiatives and how to build coalitions for effective change. Allen is the James Bryant Conant University Professor at Harvard University and Director of Harvard's Edmond J. Safra Center for Ethics.
Lock Haven University Workers Protest Job Outsourcing
Members of a Lock Haven University labor union are protesting over plans from the Pennsylvania State System of Higher Education, or PASSHE, to outsource more than 50 jobs. The cuts would be to clerical, custodial and maintenance workers. Listen here.
WPSU Television Highlights
American Masters “Never Too Late: The Doc Severinsen Story” - Friday, April 2 at 9:00 pm
Explore the groundbreaking career of master trumpeter Doc Severinsen, from his three decades as the colorful bandleader to "The Tonight Show Starring Johnny Carson" to his relentless schedule of touring and performing into his nineties.
My Grandparents’ War (4-part series) - Sundays at 8:00 pm starting April 4
Follow leading Hollywood actors as they re-trace the footsteps of their grandparents and learn how World War II changed the lives of their families and the world.
Samantha Brown’s Places to Detest - Sunday, April 4 - 2:30pm
Flipping the script (literally) from her “Places To Love” travel series, Brown lets viewers know of the absolutely horrible places to avoid including L.A.’s Route 405, Russian raves in Moscow with watered-down vodka and the newly-opened “Anthrax Experience” theme park at Atlanta’s CDC.
Atlantic Crossing on Masterpiece (8-part series) - Sundays at 9:00 pm starting April 4
See how a princess steals the heart of the president of the United States in this epic drama based on the World War II relationship of Franklin Delano Roosevelt and Norwegian Crown Princess Martha.
No Second Chance (6-part series) - Sundays at 11:00 pm starting April 4
A doctor finds herself trapped in a web of ruthless criminals when she hunts for her kidnapped infant daughter in this French thriller based on a novel by author Harlan Coben.
NOVA: Experiments You Can Try at Home - Wednesday, April 5, 9pm
The long-running science series rolls up its sleeves and asks viewers to “play along” with in home activities that include experiments in thermo-nuclear explosions, accelerated mold growth and how electricity can be your friend. (Parental guidance recommended.)
Hemingway - April 5-7 at 8:00 pm (repeats at 10:00 pm)
Hemingway, a three part, six-hour series directed by acclaimed filmmakers Ken Burns and Lynn Novick, examines the visionary work and turbulent life of one of the greatest and most influential American writers — Ernest Hemingway.
PBS NewsHour Special - Thursday, April 8, 7pm
Judy Woodruff leads a team of reporters with an in-depth look at the U.S. “Lockdown Year” with reports including “Too Much Sourdough?;” “Did I Adopt Too Many Pets?;” “Things to Do With The 50+ Cloth Masks I Now Have.”
Clifford The Big Red Dog: A Hound-Done-It? - Saturday, April 10, 10am
Emily Elizabeth and Clifford are on the case as they try to find “who let the dogs out” on their home of Birdwell Island, leading to a devastating natural disaster with two-feet of dog hair covering much of the island.
When My Time Comes - Tuesday, April 13 at 9:00 pm
When My Time Comes chronicles the investigation of NPR’s Diane Rehm into the right-to-die movement in America. Spurred on by the death of her husband, the journalist crosses the country to take an in-depth look at medical aid in dying.
NOVA “Picture a Scientist” - Wednesday, April 14 at 9:00 pm
Women make up less than a quarter of STEM professionals in the United States, and numbers are even lower for women of color. But a growing group of researchers is exposing longstanding discrimination and making science more inclusive.
Governmental Relations
FEDERAL NEWS
In mid-March, the House Appropriations Committee deadlines were announced, with requests to the Labor, Health and Human Services Subcommittee due on April 14th and requests to the Homeland Security Subcommittee due on April 16th.
The following funding requests from CPB are included:
Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Bill Requests
CPB's Two-Year Advance Funded Appropriation:
FY 2021 appropriated for FY 2023: $475 million
FY 2022 APTS Request for FY 2024: up to $565 million
Interconnection Funding
FY 2021 Appropriated: $20 million
FY 2022 APTS Request: $20 million
Ready To Learn
FY 2021 Appropriated: $29.5 million
FY 2022 APTS Request: $30 million
Homeland Security Appropriations Bill Request
Next Generation Warning System
FY 2022 APTS Request: $20 million
Next step, APTS, public media’s federal lobbying group, expect the annual public media support “Dear Colleague” letters to be in circulation by the beginning of April. WPSU, working through our Penn State federal lobbyist in Washington will get those letters to our elected officials.
Historically, Congressman Thompson and Senator Casey have signed these letters before the subcommittee deadlines to help support our efforts to increase public media funding in the annual appropriations bills. WPSU has met virtually with our 3 Members of Congress requesting funding support.
Once the letters are in circulation, the grassroots effort led by Protect my Public Media will be requesting supporters to follow up with our 3 Members of Congress and ask them to sign on.
Please sign up today HERE to learn more and advocate for this critical federal funding.
Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Video Series Just Released
WPSU is delighted to have collaborated with the Hubert H. Humphrey Fellows Office at Penn State to create a video series presented by the 2021 Humphrey Fellows. These educational videos, suited for classroom and community viewing, feature each fellow talking about their home country, its culture, history, and people. Watch now at: http://wpsu.psu.edu/hhhfellows/
Industry News
‘I...I Am The Mainstream Media,’ Realizes Horrified Tucker Carlson Spiraling Live On Air
WASHINGTON—Coming to the realization in front of millions of viewers during the broadcast of his show, a horrified Tucker Carlson stated, ‘I…I am the mainstream media’ Wednesday as he began spiraling live on air. “We’ve discovered evidence of rampant voter fraud, and the president has every right to call for an investigation even if the mainstream media thinks...” said Carlson, who trailed off, stared down at his shaking hands, and felt a sudden ringing in his ears as he looked back up and zeroed in on the production crew surrounding him. “The media says…wait. Those liars on TV will try to tell you…oh God. We’re the number-one program on cable news, aren’t we? Fox News…Fox ‘News.’ It’s the media. It’s me. This can’t be. No, no, no, no. Jesus Christ, I make $6 million a year. Get that camera off me!” At press time, Carlson had torn the microphone from his lapel and fled the set in panic. [The Onion - 11/2020]
Lawmakers Eye Media Diversity With New Legislation
Resolutions introduced by federal lawmakers from both sides of the aisle cite the value of diversity in media and pledge cooperation with media outlets to help develop diverse and inclusive environments. The proposals do not include concrete steps officials might take to encourage media diversity, instead focusing on highlighting its importance. More here.
Only 15% of Viewers Say They'll Pay To Avoid Ads
Consumers may not like commercials, based on the popularity of Netflix, but in a new survey by LoopMe just 15% said they would rather pay for programming to avoid ads.
Good Fortune Burger in Toronto has renamed some if its menu items as office supplies as a not-so-underhanded way to help customers get reimbursed for lunch, the National Post reported, and perhaps boost sales. The restaurant's Fortune Burger is now the Basic Steel Stapler, and Parm Fries will appear on a receipt as CPU Wireless Mouse. Director of operations Jon Purdy said the restaurant "just wanted an opportunity to put a smile on some people's faces and have them have a little bit of a giggle." [National Post, 3/4/2021]
Quotables
"Fool me once, shame on you. Fool me twice ... look dude, it's still on you. Quit messing with me."
Resources and Tips
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