Roadkill is a riveting four-episode political thriller written by David Hare and starring Hugh Laurie (House, Veep, The Night Manager) as Conservative government minister Peter Laurence. Laurie plays a charismatic politician with working-class roots who is put through his paces by ambitious staffers, unscrupulous rivals, and the women of his family as he climbs what Laurie describes as “the greasy pole” of the administration.
From The GM's Desk
Happy November! We have accomplished so much already this year thanks to the fantastic efforts of everyone! To name just a few of our many activities - We continue with fact-based radio reporting on the pandemic, elections and community happenings. Our production team has not missed a beat in providing professional virtual streaming services. Our education team has continued to develop relationships with educators across our coverage area while providing Learning at Home resources. Our technology team just set up datacasting capabilities, is in the process of transferring a petabyte of historic files to Athletics and are soon to be installing new television transmitters. Our development team continues to bring in the resources we need to continue all of this great work. Amidst all this activity we also just finished our strategic plan through 2025. Wow! Every day I am amazed and humbled by the wonderful team of creative, resilient professionals with whom I work. Thank you for all you do! Don't forget to vote and I hope you have a healthy and safe Thanksgiving holiday!
All my best,
Birthdays
11/3 - Chrissy Moyer
11/3 - Laura Miller
11/5 - Sarah Caterson
11/8 - Michele Chernega
11/9 - Toni Irvin
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
Democracy Works: News Deserts Are Democracy Deserts, Too
More than 2,000 local newspapers have closed over the past 20 years, leaving some parts of the country in what's known as a "news desert." This week, we examine what impact that's had on civic engagement and democratic participation — and look at ways people are trying to make local news great again. Jenna Spinelle talks with Jennifer Lawless, Commonwealth professor of politics at the University of Virginia and co-author with Danny Hayes of the forthcoming book "News Hole: The Decline of Newspapers and the Future of American Democracy.”
Take Note: Tierra Williams on Fighting for Racial Justice WPSU’s Cheranie Stanford talks with Tierra Williams — mother, artist, performer and activist who joined the social justice movements in Central Pennsylvania after moving here from Mississippi. She talks about why she uses her voice to speak up against injustices and what she wants her son to know about the importance of fighting for equality.
Democracy Works: The Supreme Court's Politics And Power
The Supreme Court has always been political, despite what recent history may lead us to believe. However, things may feel different now because the Court is more powerful now. Historian Rachel Shelden takes on a trip back to the Civil War era and we discuss the lessons from that era the might apply today. In addition to our discussion of the Supreme Court, we talk about both of these things with Rachel Shelden, associate professor of history at Penn State and director of the George and Ann Richards Civil War Era Center. Listen here.
WPSU Television Highlights
Roadkill on Masterpiece - Sunday, November 1 at 9:00 pm
Series Premiere - Ambition knows no bounds, nor does corruption, in a political thriller starring Hugh Laurie as a scheming U.K. government minister. Crime may not pay, but politics sure does.
Wonderful World of Baby Animals - Monday nights at 9:00 pm starting November 2 (Repeats Saturdays at 6:00 pm)
Premiere of 6 part series - Cute baby hedgehogs. Curious penguin chicks. Playful seal pups. Take an inside look at the most important and experimental months of newborn animals’ lives. A world of drama, love and courage, where baby animals take bold new steps and explore the world around them for the first time.
PBS NewsHour Special: Election 2020 -Tuesday, November 3 starting at 6:00 pm
Judy Woodruff anchors special election coverage from the NewsHour studio with a team of correspondents and extensive reporting from several PBS reporters around the country in battleground states and key senate race locations.
Nature - Primates: Secrets of Survival - Wednesday, November 4 at 8:00 pm
Discover the survival strategies used by primates, often in the most unexpected places.
Secrets of the Dead “Abandoning the Titanic” - Wednesday, November 4 at 10:00 pm
Join a team of investigators as they search for the identity of the captain of a "mystery ship" that turned away from the "unsinkable" Titanic in its darkest hour, abandoning thousands of lives to the icy waters and their deaths.
Great Performances “One Man, Two Guvnors” - Friday, November 6 at 9:00 pm
Revel in this 1960s-era comedy featuring a Tony-winning performance by James Corden. Adapted from a 1743 farce, Corden plays a musician-turned-bodyguard trying to keep his two mobster clients apart, a tricky predicament resulting in comic mayhem.
Rise of the Nazis - Tuesdays at 9:00 pm starting November 10
Part 1 of 3 - See how Adolf Hitler and the Nazis rise to power. In 1930, Germany is a liberal democracy. Just four years later, democracy is dead, Germany’s leader is a dictator and the government is in the hand of the Nazis.
Great Performances “Fiddler: A Miracle of Miracles” - Friday, November 13 at 9:00 pm
Travel through the history of the iconic musical exploring its reach across time and cultures featuring Bock and Sheldon Harnick as well as famous fans including Lin-Manuel Miranda, Topol and more.
Industry News
Sylvia Bugg Promoted To PBS Chief Programming Exec
Sylvia Bugg was promoted Tuesday to chief programming executive and GM for general audience programming for PBS. Bugg replaces Perry Simon, who told the organization he was stepping down this summer to move to the West Coast. Bugg previously reported to Simon. Bugg, who will report to CEO Paula Kerger, will oversee all non-children’s content and lead PBS’ programming strategy across broadcast and digital platforms. She will also lead acquisitions and development for PBS and member stations “with a particular focus on sharing important stories that reflect the diversity of our country,” according to a news release
FCC Approves Rule Approving All-Digital AM
The Federal Communications Commission says it will permit AM radio outlets to voluntarily broadcast entirely digital programming, provided each offers a minimum of one over-the-air stream that matches or exceeds analog quality. Gordon Smith, CEO of the National Association of Broadcasters, welcomed the move, noting that it "provides AM stations with essential flexibility to provide interference-free broadcasts and attract new listeners.”
Trump Appointee Rescinds Rule Shielding Government News Outlets From Federal Tampering
The chief of the U.S. Agency for Global Media on Monday rescinded a rule that protects news outlets funded by the government, including Voice of America, from federal tampering. The official, Michael Pack, defended the move as a way to improve management, but critics have expressed concerns that he is turning news outlets under his purview into a pro-Trump public relations arm. Mr. Pack said the provision, called a firewall, made his agency “difficult to manage.” He added that the news outlets he oversees — which include Voice of America, Radio Free Europe/Radio Liberty, the Middle East Broadcasting Networks, Radio Free Asia and the Office of Cuba Broadcasting — “are not commercial news companies.” He said the firewall rule, which prevented him from providing editorial oversight for those outlets, “threatened constitutional values.” More here.
I'll Drink To That!
Architect Nick Drummond loves to renovate old houses and was told the century-old home he purchased last year in Ames, New York, had been built by a German baron who turned to bootlegging in the 1920s, but he was still surprised to find evidence within the walls on Oct. 9: dozens of bottles labeled Old Smuggler Gaelic Whisky. "We discovered multiple false walls and secret compartments under the floor in our mudroom," he told Lite 98.7. "The foundation walls and floors in the mudroom are lined with intact cases of 1920s whiskey." he said. Drummond said auction houses and collectors have contacted him, speculating that the value on the some of the bottles might range between $500 and $1,200. [Lite 98.7, 10/13/2020]
Quotables
"Thomas Jefferson once said, 'We should never judge a president by his age, only by his works.' And ever since he told me that, I stopped worrying." — Ronald Reagan
Resources and Tips
Subscribe to WPSU Connect, our outbound communication emails to members and fans, and stay up to date with the latest news, programming, and events from WPSU-TV and WPSU-FM.
