A celebration of the iconic PBS series originally called Masterpiece Theatre — the riveting stories, fabulous performances, magnificent costumes and astonishing ability to transport viewers to another time and place. From Upstairs Downstairs and I, Claudius to The Jewel in the Crown and Downton Abbey, MASTERPIECE has stood the test of time and introduced generations of PBS viewers to the delights of British drama. Hosted by award-winning actor and author Alan Cumming. Airs 11/29 @ 8pm
Birthdays
11/23 - Kristian Berg
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
BookMark: "Teachable Moments" By Sandra Miller
Sandra Miller's "Teachable Moments: A Woman's Journey of Self-Discovery" is a memoir that is also a love letter from the author to her mother, Barbara Hauck. Kara Rose's whimsical drawings provide a welcome touch. Sandra tells her story from childhood to the present in a series of vignettes divided into five sections. The reviewer is Diane Johnston Leos from State College. She's a retired academic adviser. Listen here.
Take Note: Cristina Chipriano on Understanding and Supporting Children's Grief
Cristina Chipriano, LLCSW-S, is the director of Spanish Programs and Outreach at Bo’s Place, a bereavement center in Houston. She’s developed trainings and workshops for peer bereavement centers across the country that are seeking to provide culturally competent, bilingual grief support for bereaved families. Cristina is a board member for the National Alliance for Grieving Children, a leading non-profit in the space of children’s grief. Listen here.
Route 322 Widening Through Potters Mills Complete After Six Years WPSU’s Andrew Destin reports on the opening of a six-year project and a celebratory ribbon-cutting along State Route 322 east of State College. The Potters Mills Gap Project to widen the road there from two to four lanes is finished.
Take Note: NPR's Hansi Lo Wang On The 2020 Census
Hansi Lo Wang is a national correspondent for NPR and an award-winning journalist. He has been reporting on the 2020 census for NPR since 2017. He discussed the issues surrounding the 2020 census, and, now that counting is over, the next steps in the process. This interview is from the Democracy Works podcast, a collaboration between WPSU and the McCourtney Institute for Democracy at Penn State. The Institute’s Jenna Spinelle interviewed Hansi Lo Wang.
WPSU Television Highlights
Secrets of the Dead “Gangster’s Gold” — Wednesday, November 18 at 10:00 pm
Join three groups of treasure hunters, armed with modern technology and newly uncovered clues, as they set out to find the lost treasure of notorious Prohibition-era gangster Dutch Schultz and solve an 85-year-old mystery.
Conversations Live! - Children’s Grief - Thursday, November 19 at 8:00 pm
How do children grieve? Is it different from the way adults grieve? And how does grieving change as children grow? On our next episode of Conversations Live, we’ll answer these questions and more. We'll also take your calls. Join us as we talk about Children’s Grief.
Frontline “Supreme Revenge” - Tuesday, November 24 at 10:00 pm
How a partisan war for the Supreme Court culminated in Amy Coney Barrett's controversial nomination. An investigation of how a 30-year-old grievance sparked an epic and bitter political struggle for control of the country's highest court.
NOVA “Saving Notre Dame” - Wednesday, November 25 at 9:00 pm
When the Notre Dame cathedral caught fire in April 2019, Paris came perilously close to losing over 800 years of history. As engineers rebuild, researchers use cutting-edge technology to piece together what happened and restore the cathedral.
Dolly Parton: I Will Always Love You - Saturday, November 28 at 6:30 pm
Celebrate the beloved singer-songwriter's career from her early days to her success as a crossover pop superstar. Performances include "Coat of Many Colors," "Here You Come Again," "Islands in the Stream" (with Kenny Rogers) and "9 to 5.”
Johnny Cash: A Night to Remember - Saturday, November 28 at 9:30 pm
Discover a never-before-seen concert from 1973, recently found in Sony's vault. Songs include "Big River," "A Boy Named Sue," "If I were a Carpenter" and "Folsom Prison Blues." June Carter Cash also performs.
Masterpiece “50 Fabulous Years” - Sunday, November 29 at 8:00 pm
Join Alan Cumming to celebrate the iconic series that introduced generations of viewers to the delights of British drama. From Upstairs Downstairs to I, Claudius to The Jewel in the Crown and Downton Abbey, MASTERPIECE has stood the test of time.
Thou Shalt Not Kill - Sunday, November 29 at 11:00 pm
(Season two premiere.) As she battles her own demons, Chief Inspector Valeria Ferro seeks to find truth and justice by solving the puzzles behind crimes motivated by jealousy, vendettas and repressed anger. From Walter Presents, in Italian with English subtitles.
John Denver: Country Roads - Live in England — Monday, November 30 at 8:00 pm
Join one of the best-loved recording artists of the 20th century at a concert filmed in 1986 in the UK. The concert showcases Denver's fine voice and easygoing manner on fan favorites including "Sunshine on My Shoulders" and "Rocky Mountain High."
Governmental Relations
Federal
FY 2021 Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education Draft Bill
APTS (Federal Lobbying group) is pleased that the draft FY 2021 Senate Labor-HHS-Education bill included level funding for public media programs:
• $465 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) for FY 2023
• $20 million for Interconnection
• $29 million for Ready To Learn
APTS now working to ensure final finding levels on the House bill that passed earlier this year. It would boost CPB funding by $50 million and Ready To Learn by $1 million. Congress needs to take action on FY 2021 funding before the Continuing Resolution (CR) currently funding the government expires on December 11, 2020.
Invitation from APTS
APTS (our federal Lobbying group) and their Leadership Council are inviting you to attend their upcoming program – a recap of the 2020 election results and what they mean for public broadcasting with the APTS team and their special guest, Amna Nawaz from the PBS NewsHour. This program, open to all station employees and board members, will be Thursday, November 19, at 1:00 p.m. ET.
Amna Nawaz has been with the PBS NewsHour since 2018, where she is senior national correspondent and primary substitute anchor. Her reporting covers a wide array of issues and she was part of the PBS NewsHour's election night coverage this year. Learn more about Amna Nawaz here.
Register for the call on November 19 at 1:00 p.m. ET, by clicking here.
Once you are registered, you will receive a confirmation email with details on how to join the call.
State
Earlier this week, the PA House Republicans voted to elect their new leadership team for the 2021-2022 legislative session. The following leaders were selected (those bolded are in WPSU service area):
• Bryan Cutler (Lancaster) - Speaker of the House
• Kerry Benninghoff (Centre) - Majority Leader
• Donna Oberlander (Clarion) - Majority Whip
• Stan Saylor (York) - Majority Appropriations Chair
• Kurt Masser (Northumberland) - Majority Caucus Administrator
• Mike Reese (Westmoreland) - Majority Caucus Chair
• Martina White (Philadelphia) - Majority Caucus Secretary
• Martin Causer (McKean) - Majority Policy Committee Chair
The PA Senate Republicans Leadership includes:
• Senator Jake Corman (Centre) - President Pro Tempore
• Senator Kim Ward (Westmoreland) - Majority Leader
• Senator Pat Browne (Lehigh) - Majority Appropriations Committee
• Senator John Gordner (Columbia) - Majority Whip
•Senator Bob Mensch (Montgomery) - Majority Caucus Chairman
• Senator Ryan Aument (Lancaster) - Majority Caucus Secretary
There are no state House or Senate leadership positions held by electors from the WPSU service area.
Industry News
Pipeline 2021: Current’s Annual Survey Of Shows Coming To Public TV
The list includes limited series and specials from PBS signature series, independent filmmakers and distributors, minority consortia and public TV stations. With the exception of one pledge show from APT, all programs are intended for prime time or weekly broadcasts in January 2021 and beyond, though most aim to debut sometime next year.
Among the highlights:
• Frontline will deliver Pandemic (working title) from producer/director James Bluemel next spring. The two-part, three-hour documentary examines the international response to the coronavirus pandemic by focusing on first-person accounts from countries such as Kenya, Colombia and Italy.
• A documentary about Soul!, the public TV variety show that made a profound impact on television. Ten years in the making by producer, writer and director Melissa Haizlip, Mr. Soul! also profiles her uncle, the late Ellis Haizlip, who created and hosted Soul!
• American Masters is preparing a biography of Rita Moreno, combining contemporary footage of the actor’s current roles with interviews, archival footage, animation and Moreno’s own stories of the obstacles she surmounted throughout her life.
Judge Dismisses Trump Campaign’s Libel Suit Against CNN
Michael Brown, a judge for the US District Court in Georgia, has ruled that an opinion piece by CNN contributor Larry Noble does not constitute libel. President Donald Trump's reelection campaign brought the allegations in March, but Brown said there was no evidence that Noble had written the piece with malicious intent.
Biden Likely To Steer New Regulatory Course
Cable, broadband and broadcast companies are facing the potential return of stronger regulatory policies under President-Elect Joe Biden. A Democratic Federal Communications Commission could mean the return of a number of regulations, including network neutrality rules, and reconsideration of the FCC's push to deregulate broadcast ownership. Full story here.
Not Finger Lickin' Good
Kimberly Ragsdale's apparent plan to get free food at a Chick-Fil-A in Rockmart, Georgia, ended in her arrest on charges of impersonating a public officer on Nov. 5. According to police, Ragsdale, 47, of Dallas, had repeatedly visited the restaurant, telling workers she was an FBI agent and threatening to arrest them if they didn't serve her a complimentary meal. Ragsdale continued her charade, the Associated Press reported, telling arresting officers her credentials were electronic and talking "into her shirt like she was talking into a radio," the arrest report noted. Rockmart Police Chief Randy Turner said in a statement to news outlets, "You will not hear a real officer demand a meal anywhere." [Associated Press, 11/9/2020]
Quotables
“Always vote for principle, though you may vote alone, and you may cherish the sweetest reflection that your vote is never lost.” — President John Quincy Adams.
Resources and Tips
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