For over a decade, more than 10,000 engineers and construction workers race to build a brand-new subterranean railroad under London— the Elizabeth Line—London’s new Underground. One of Europe’s biggest engineering projects, the construction teams confront immense challenges, from building platforms and concourses the size of aircraft carriers hidden under London’s busiest shopping venue, Oxford Street, to designing, outfitting, and testing a fleet of 70 new high-speed trains from scratch in just two years. Facing delays and cost overruns worsened by the pandemic, the engineers and technicians race to create 10 new stations, learn to operate the new trains, and test out new 13-mile twin tunnels under London. Drawing on more than 1,500 hours of footage, NOVA provides intimate glimpses of the challenges, setbacks, and ingenious solutions that lead to ultimate success, as the Queen finally opens the Elizabeth Line on May 24, 2022. (Premiering February 1, 2023 at 9 pm on WPSU-TV.)
Birthdays
Kirk Kelleher - 2/4
Carly Field - 2/11
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
Pennsylvania's Gaming Board Green-Lights The License For The Nittany Mall Casino
WPSU’s Anne Danahy reported on the recent action by the Gaming Board. The Board’s unanimous vote followed a hearing with presentations by SC Gaming, the company that got the winning bid on the casino. Former Penn State trustee Ira Lubert is SC Gaming’s owner. However, the project could still face delays because of legal challenges from another company. Full story.
Tax Caps Leave Many Pennsylvania Municipalities With Few Ways To Raise Revenue
Ashad Hajela of Spotlight PA reports that town across Pennsylvania that lack home rule charters are unable to increase a variety of taxes beyond limits set by a state law from the 1960s, according to a recent report from the Pennsylvania Economy League, a good-government group. Those include the earned income tax and a per capita tax on residents. Full story.
Democracy Works: Separating News From Noise
News Over Noise co-hosts Matt Jordan and Leah Dajches join us this week to discuss how the news impacts our mental health, the future of media literacy education, and more. Jordan is an associate professor of media studies and Dajches is a post-doctoral researcher, both in the Donald P. Bellisario College of Communications at Penn State. Listen here.
WPSU Television Highlights
NOVA “London Super Tunnel” - Wednesday, February 1 at 9:00 pm
For over a decade, more than 10,000 engineers and construction workers race to build a brand-new subterranean railroad under London— the Elizabeth Line—London’s new Underground.
Independent Lens “Outta The Muck” - Monday, February 6 at 10:00 pm
Wade into the rich soil of Pahokee, Florida, a town on the banks of Lake Okeechobee. Beyond its football legacy, including sending over a dozen players to the NFL, the fiercely self-determined community tells their stories of Black achievement and resilience in the face of tragic storms and personal trauma.
Finding Your Roots “Family: Lost and Found” - Tuesday, February 7 at 8:00 pm
Henry Louis Gates uses DNA detective work to solve family mysteries for actor Joe Manganiello and football star Tony Gonzalez—uncovering close relatives whose names they’ve never heard and compelling each man to rethink his own identity.
Dogs in the Wild, A Nature Miniseries (3-part series) - Wednesdays at 8:00 pm, starting February 8
One family, 37 different faces. From the recognizable and familiar like foxes, wolves, African wild dogs and coyotes to the lesser-known ones like the Japanese raccoon dog, fennec fox, dholes and dingoes, canids have conquered every continent except Antarctica. Get to know these adaptable creatures in the three-part Dogs in the Wild, A Nature Miniseries.
Miss Scarlet and the Duke on Masterpiece (Season Finale) - Sunday, February 12 at 8:00 pm
The season comes to an explosive climax when Eliza receives a bomb in the mail. Who sent it and why? Eliza teams up with the Duke, Moses and her old enemy Patrick Nash to find out who is behind the deadly delivery.
NOVA “Ancient Builders of the Amazon” - Wednesday, February 15 at 9:00 pm
Recent discoveries in archaeology are exploding the myth of the Amazon as a primeval wilderness, revealing traces of ancient civilizations that flourished for centuries, with populations numbering in the millions.
Industry News
PBS To Launch Multiplatform Climate Initiative In April
On a morning when the rains drenching Southern California finally paused, PBS President Paula Kerger unveiled a multiplatform initiative on the climate crisis that will launch this spring. Led by Nova, Climate Across America will marshal two new documentaries from the science unit at GBH in Boston with localized content created by station partners. “We’re looking at how humans impact the environment and the planet’s ecology, but what makes our approach distinct is our focus on solutions,” Kerger said Monday during her executive session at the Television Critics Association Winter Press Tour. “Across our programs, we examine how people can make a difference, from conservation efforts to economic and technological innovations.”
With NextGen TV Transition `Stalled,' NAB Asks FCC for ATSC 3.0 Taskforce
In a meeting with FCC and in a filing with the agency, the NAB has asked FCC Chair Jessica Rosenworcel to establish a task force on ATSC 3.0 with a focus on making the transition as swift as possible, while ensuring viewers have access to free, local television signals during the transition. During the meeting with the FCC Chair and other commissioners, the broadcasters described the numerous benefits of NextGen TV/ATSC 3.0 but admitted in a subsequent letter to the FCC that “for all benefits that Next Gen TV promises to bring broadcasters and their communities, a stalled transition is threatening the future of the broadcast industry altogether.” Full story.
FCC Publishes Pirate Enforcement Database
The PIRATE Act became law three years ago. But thanks to the pandemic and delays in funding, the Federal Communications Commission has been slow in carrying out several of the law’s requirements. Now the FCC has published a database listing the people against whom it has taken pirate radio enforcement actions. It has posted field agent openings, begun sweeps of major markets and planned the purchase of a half-dozen specialized vehicles. Full story.
You’ll Relish This Story . . .
CHARLESTON, W.Va. — The owner of a West Virginia restaurant that was heavily damaged by fire has his coveted hot dog statue back. The “Wienerman” statue was stolen from the Dairy Winkle in Campbells Creek during a break-in sometime after the Jan. 11 fire, the Kanawha County Sheriff’s Office said in a news release. A tip led deputies to a location where the statue was found undamaged. It was returned to restaurant owner Kerry Ellison, the statement said. Investigators have not identified a suspect and are seeking information about the theft. The short statue depicts a hot dog licking its lips and holding a bottle of mustard while pouring a bottle of ketchup on its head. [AP - 1/19/23]
Phil’s Day
“Come on, all the long distance lines are down? What about the satellite? Is it snowing in space? Don't you have some kind of a line that you keep open for emergencies or for celebrities? I'm both. I'm a celebrity in an emergency.” — Phil Connors (Bill Murray) Groundhog Day
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