A Capitol Fourth 2020 Saturday, July 4, 8pm & 9:30pm
This year’s show is co-hosted by two-time Emmy Award-nominated actor and producer John Stamos and multi-platinum recording artist and star of television, film and the Broadway stage Vanessa Williams. The nation’s 244th birthday celebration will feature new performances from iconic locations across the country, including Washington, D.C, New York, Nashville, Los Angeles and Philadelphia, as well as highlights from the concert’s forty-year history and the stirring patriotic favorites viewers enjoy on the Fourth of July. Due to the COVID-19 pandemic, the traditional live A Capitol Fourth will not be held on the West Lawn of the U.S. Capitol; instead, to ensure the health and safety of all involved, this year’s concert performances were pre-taped without a live audience, as was the case with the recent broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert.
From The GM's Desk
Happy Independence Day!! hope you all had a chance to watch the town hall and round table presentations about anti-racism and equity. If you haven't, I encourage you to watch them at liveevents.psu.edu As a public media station, it is our imperative that we engage our viewers and listeners in education and conversation about anti-racism and equity. Discussions have already begun in several meetings about what WPSU can produce locally to contribute to the dialogue. I look forward to hearing the ideas that our wonderfully talented employees develop. In the meantime, Jeff and Cheraine are reviewing content from PBS, NPR, NETA and other sources to release now. If you have not yet engaged in this conversation but would like to, please let me know. I hope everyone has a safe and relaxing holiday!
All my best,
Birthdays
(No birthdays this time! :-(
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
Members Of New Penn State Commission On Race, Bias Begin To Share Plans In Town Hall
In an online town hall on Monday, Penn State President Eric Barron talked with the co-chairs of the university’s new Select Presidential Commission on Racism, Bias and Community Safety about their plans for the commission. WPSU’s Emily Reddy reports.
Penn State Plans To Share COVID-19 Numbers, But Concerns Remain In Borough About Student Behavior
In keeping with federal Centers for Disease Control guidelines, college students in Pennsylvania will be counted where they’re actually living and plan to live for most of the year — not their permanent home addresses. That will help towns like Lock Haven, Bradford and State College — where Penn State’s main campus is — see if COVID-19 cases are climbing. WPSU’s Anne Danahy has the story.
Democracy Works: How To End Democracy's Doom Loop
As we bring this season of Democracy Works to a close, the program ends in a place similar to where it began — discussing the role of political parties in American democracy. We started the season discussing the Tea Party and the Resistance with Theda Skocpol and Dana Fisher, then discussed presidential primaries with David Karol and the role of parties in Congress with Frances Lee. Guest Lee Drutman is a senior fellow in the Political Reform program at New America. He is the author of "Breaking the Two-Party Doom Loop: The Case for Multiparty Democracy in America" and "The Business of America is Lobbying," and winner of the 2016 American Political Science Association's Robert A. Dahl Award. Jenna Spinelle hosts.
WPSU Television Highlights
Midsomer Murders - Thursday, July 2 at 8:00 pm
A woman is crushed to death with a giant round of cheese at the home of the famous Midsomer Blue.
A Capitol Fourth 2020 - Saturday, July 4 at 8:00 pm and 9:30 pm
Celebrate America's 244th birthday with an all-star musical extravaganza and amazing fireworks. Grantchester on Masterpiece - Sunday, July 5 at 9:00 pm
A streaker is found dead on the Fens, sparking an unusual case for Will and Geordie that draws them into the world of experimental psychotherapy and hallucinogens.
American Experience “The Vote” - Monday, July 6 and Tuesday, July 7 at 9:00 pm
Meet the unsung heroes of the movement and relive the fiery, dramatic and unrelenting campaign that led to the passage of the 19th Amendment, granting American women the vote and ushering in the largest expansion of voting rights in U.S. history.
Unladylike 2020: American Masters - Friday, July 10 at 9:00 pm
Explore the stories of pioneering women in American politics who advocated for suffrage and civil rights over 100 years ago, including the first women in the U.S. Congress and State Senate, and a co-founder of the NAACP.
Vintage Roads Great & Small -Monday, July 13 at 9:00 pm
Season 2 premiere - British actors Christopher Timothy and Peter Davison joyfully reunite for four more road trips, touring the beautiful English countryside within the cramped confines of a classic Morgan 44 convertible.
Frontline “Once Upon A Time In Iraq” - Tuesday, July 14 at 9:00 pm
The Iraq war as you've never seen it before told by Iraqis who lived through those dangerous times. From the fall of Saddam to the end of ISIS, now Iraqis from all backgrounds share their insight into what it meant to survive those violent years.
Industry News
PBS Cuts Jobs, Changes Up Departments
PBS reduced its staff headcount last week by about 6%, according to a memo obtained by Current Magazine. A PBS spokesperson confirmed the workforce reduction but did not specify how many positions were affected. In the memo to GMs, PBS President Paula Kerger said that though the organization took preliminary measures to reduce costs and create efficiencies, it needed to cut expenses further to manage the economic uncertainties created by the coronavirus pandemic. “To that end, last week, we reduced PBS’s overall headcount by 6%, including a combination of layoffs and elimination of open positions,” Kerger wrote. “These actions, in addition to the cost-cutting measures that have already been implemented, will help PBS navigate this challenging period. We will continue to manage our business dynamically in response to the evolving economic environment.” The reduction affected multiple departments within PBS, according to a spokesperson.
‘Wait Wait…Don’t Tell Me!’ Album Helps Stations Generate Goodwill With Donors
Public radio fundraising departments are using a free gift to build goodwill with current and former members as the pandemic threatens membership revenue. Contributor Rewards, a company that provides digital premiums for nonprofit fundraising, is offering stations complimentary codes that current and former donors to public radio stations can use to download The Best of Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me! The 20th-anniversary digital album features exclusive content available only to those who receive a code. So far, Contributor Rewards has given more than 170,000 codes to 25 stations for use as goodwill gifts or during fundraisers.
Governmental Relations
The next two weeks will be a critical decision-making time on Capitol Hill for federal funding for public media.
Senate Appropriations
Due to policy disagreements related to COVID-19 relief legislation and other issues, the Senate Appropriations Committee has delayed consideration of their Fiscal Year (FY) 2021 spending bills until July.
House Appropriations
The House Appropriations Committee released its markup schedule, and the Labor, Health and Human Services, and Education (Labor-HHS-Education) and Homeland Security Appropriations Subcommittees plan to take up their bills on July 7, 2020.
As a reminder, the Labor-HHS-Education bill contains federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), Interconnection and Ready To Learn. For the first time, public media is also requesting funding for the Next Generation Resilient Warning System in the Homeland Security bill.
Additional Relief Funding
Moreover, both chambers could also consider COVID-19 relief legislation in July. Public media continues to request $175 million in emergency funding for stations in any future COVID-19 relief package.
Least Competent, Most Ambitious Criminals
Donnovan Russell Jester, 28, of Largo, Florida, was arrested on June 18 for grand theft of a vessel -- a $900,000, 46-foot-long yacht. The Tampa Bay Times reported the theft took place March 20 at Thunder Marine, where Pinellas County deputies said the 2019 Jeanneau Leader was stolen and driven into four channel-marker pilings, doing about $60,000 worth of damage, before being abandoned to drift in an oyster bed. Investigators found Jester's thumbprint on a cabin door; he was held at the Pinellas County jail on $50,000. [Tampa Bay Times, 6/23/2020]
Quotables
"Social Distancing - I looked into her eyes, deep into the emerald green, my heart fluttered, I felt a connection, something deeper, something magical, I was transported to another place and I thought'-- 'blimey these binoculars are brilliant.' ” - Paul O’Conner on Twitter
Resources and Tips
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