The PBS Newshour and NPR will provide comprehensive coverage of the Democratic and Republican national conventoions. The Democratic convention runs August 17- 20 and the Republican Convention is slated for August 24 - 27. PBS Newshour will be on from 8pm - 11pm each night and NPR will provide coverage from 9pm - 11pm each night.
Birthdays
8/20 ~ Pat Baxter
8/21 ~ Sam Newhouse
8/24 ~ Diane Herr
WPSU Radio Highlights
BookMark 8/20 & 8/23 – “American Dirt” by Jeanine Cummins
On BookMark, the community book review show, WPSU listeners talk about the books they’ve recently enjoyed. This week — the novel "American Dirt,” a thriller about escaping from Mexican drug lords. Reviewer Cheryl Bazzoui is a retired registered nurse and author from Bradford.
In Case You Missed It . . .
Take Note: State College School District Officials On Returning To School In Time Of COVID-19 WPSU’s Anne Danahy talks with State College Area School District Superintendent Bob O'Donnell, and school board President Amber Concepcion about how classes are being handled in State College with respect to the COVID-19 pandemic.
Students At Penn State Forced To Sign COVID-19 Liability Waiver To Participate In Fall Semester
Some students and faculty have started speaking out against Penn State’s plans, saying the university’s decision to bring students back to campus — and hold half of all classes with at least some in-person instruction — both disregards the well-being of the Penn State community and threatens the sparse health-care resources available to local residents. The compact students are being forced to sign are causing concerns. Full story here.
State College Borough Council Approves Ordinance Requiring Masks, Limiting Social Gatherings WPSU’s Andrew Destin reports on State College Borough Council vote to approve an ordinance requiring mask-wearing in public and limiting most gatherings to 10 people in an effort to keep the COVID-19 pandemic in check after Penn State's fall semester starts. Someone who violates the ordinance can face a $300 fine.
WPSU Television Highlights
Endeavour on Masterpiece - Sunday, 8/16 at 9pm
“Oracle” - As Morse sees in the new year at an opera house in Venice, a murder in Oxford puts Thursday on a quest to find the man responsible.
Shakespeare & Hathaway: Private Investigators - Saturday, 8/22 at 8pm
"O Thou Invisible Spirit of Wine” - When paranormal activity is reported in a Tudor pub, old family feuds are brought to a head.
Speaking Grief - Sunday, 8/23 at 8pm
This WPSU original production seeks to validate and support the experience of death and loss in a grief-avoidant society
Endeavour on Masterpiece - Sunday, 8/23 at 9pm
“Zenana” - An investigation at Lady Matilda’s College uncovers a potential link to a series of crimes.
American Experience: Woodstock: Three Days That Defined a Generation - Friday, August 28 at 10pm
Celebrate the 50th anniversary of the concert that became a touchstone for a generation
ABBA Forever: A Celebration - Saturday, August 29 at 8pm
Celebrate the supergroup with Neil Sedaka, Donny Osmond, Tim Rice, and the band members themselves.
Ken Burns: America’s Storyteller - Sunday, August 30 at 6pm
Join Tom Hanks, Meryl Streep, George Lucas, and more for a tribute to the acclaimed filmmaker.
Independent Lens: Won’t You Be My Neighbor? - Monday, August 31 at 8pm
This documentary tells the story of Fred Rogers -- the soft-spoken minister, puppeteer, writer, and producer whose show was beamed daily into homes across America for more than 30 years.
Industry News
NPR, Stations Respond To Blackbaud Ransomware Attack
NPR and at least seven public media stations are assuring donors that their most sensitive financial information was not exposed in a hack of a third-party fundraising vendor. Officials with Blackbaud, a vendor that works with thousands of nonprofits, informed NPR and the stations that it discovered and stopped a ransomware attack in May. In a statement posted on its website last month, Blackbaud said credit card details, bank account information and Social Security numbers were not accessed. But the “cybercriminals” attempted to “disrupt the business by locking companies out of their own data and servers” between February and May. After discovering the attack on the company’s ResearchPoint and DonorCentrics products, Blackbaud officials worked with independent forensics experts and law enforcement to expel the hackers from the system. But hackers were able to remove a copy of a subset of data before they were locked out.
NPR’s ‘Hidden Brain’ Goes Independent
The host and founder of NPR’s Hidden Brain is leaving the network to produce the show and related projects through an independent production company. Shankar Vedantam announced his departure in an email to NPR staff Aug. 3. He said his nine years with NPR was the “highlight” of his career. After leaving the network, he is planning to expand beyond podcasting and radio to look into apps, television and a publication imprint In this new vision for Hidden Brain, being an independent entity and being able to chart my own course will be valuable,” Vedantam wrote. “NPR will always have my gratitude and respect, and I am hoping there will be many opportunities for collaboration in the future.”
Trump Withdraws Nomination Of Republican FCC Commissioner To Serve New Term
The White House said it was withdrawing the nomination of Federal Communications Commission member Mike O’Rielly to serve another term, a surprising development that came after his nomination was approved by a Senate panel in July. The announcement came less than a week after Senate Armed Services Committee chairman Jim Inhofe said he would block the nomination of O’Rielly, a Republican, over the five-member FCC’s unanimous decision to allow Ligado Networks to deploy a low-power nationwide mobile broadband network. O’Rielly’s withdrawal came after President Trump in May demanded the Commerce Department petition the FCC asking the commission to impose new regulations on social media moderation practices.
These Things Happen
A $64,000 glass replica of a Disney castle on display at the Shanghai Museum of Glass in China was shattered in July after two kids "hit the exhibit counter when they were chasing each other," a museum spokesperson posted on Weibo. The Today Show reported Spanish glassblower Miguel Arribas spent 500 hours creating The Fantasy Castle in 2016, but "luckily it's not destroyed," said Arribas Brothers company spokesman Rudy Arribas. When COVID-19 restrictions are lifted, Miguel will go to Shanghai to repair the castle. "We're used to kids and this kind of stuff happening," said Rudy. "Glass breaks." [Today, 7/27/2020]
Quotables
"I hate it when people text me 'K.' I'm rarely in the mood to talk about Potassium." - Anonymous
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