Witness the story of an extraordinary ecosystem – larger than the state of Texas, and more precious than oil. The heartbeat of this remarkable water world is Niagara Falls. Through the eyes of passionate scientists and naturalists, uncover a complex world forged by stone and powered by water. In this realm, tiny shrews hunt in freezing cold rivers, spectacular shorebird migration unfolds over thundering falls, snowy owls stalk their prey from ice flows, and prehistoric snapping turtles brave a perilous overland journey. All these creatures and many more are part of a remarkable narrative unfolding in one of the most unique ecosystems in North America – Niagara. Airs Wednesday, April 19 at 9:00 pm.
From The GM's Desk
Great news to share - we recently received a grant from EQT to continue and expand our Science-U activities! We have a number of other proposals in process so here’s hoping we receive a few more too. 😊 We are welcoming our new Finance Manager this month and have active searches open for our Community Engagement Manager, Radio Reporter and Asst Director of Broadcast Operations. Hope we find some great new employees. Radio pledge begins and Culinary Connections premieres this weekend as well. It’s great to have so many community minded activities in the works. Thank you all for making WPSU the wonderful organization that it is. .
Violation At A Pennsylvania Drilling Site Raises Questions About Lack Of Bitcoin Regulation
WPSU’s Anne Danahy reports on a gas and oil company mining for cryptocurrency in Elk County, Pennsylvania, who were found to be in violation of state regulations when it installed equipment before getting approval from the state Department of Environmental Protection, but the company says it is following the rules. Read here.
Pa. Primary Election 2023: A Complete Guide To The Candidates For Commonwealth And Superior Courts
Stephen Caruso and Kate Huangpu of Spotlight PA have provided an excellent guide for the upcoming election. Read here.
WPSU Television Highlights
Nature “Niagara Falls” - Wednesday, April 19 at 8:00 pm
Embark to this geological wonder and witness its stunning beauty and a wide variety of wildlife mammals, birds, and reptiles that call it home. Three separate waterfalls combine to form the second largest waterfall in the world.
Changing Planet - Wednesday, April 19 at 9:00 pm
Join conservation scientist Dr. M. Sanjayan as he explores efforts to confront climate change in Australia, Brazil, California and Kenya. Knowledge from Indigenous communities and the latest science combine to create innovative and inspiring solutions.
Conversations Live! “Get Your Garden On” - Thursday, April 20 at 8:00 pm
Gardening season has arrived. Whether you're growing cool season crops or getting ready to plant tomatoes, now is the perfect time to get tips to help your garden grow. Penn State Extension educators share their expertise.
Story of the D-Day Forecast: Three Days in June - Thursday, April 20 at 9:00 pm
For a few tense days in June 1944, the success of the D-Day military invasion was completely reliant on weather readings taken by a young woman at a remote weather station on Ireland's west coast. Maureen Sweeney's data, which pointed out an impending storm, threw General Dwight D. Eisenhower's meticulously planned invasion strategy into chaos, forcing him to make one of the most difficult decisions in the entire war.
Sanditon on Masterpiece (Series Finale) - Sunday, April 23 at 9:00 pm
DESCRIPTION:Charlotte desperately wants to tell Colbourne the truth about her feelings, but a shocking revelation stops her in her tracks. Having opened her heart, Georgiana's worst fears are realized when she discovers she has been abandoned.
Culinary Connections “Everything Comes from Mama” - Saturday, April 29 at 7:30 pm
From Sicily to Altoona, the Randazzo family has been cooking up Italian staples for years. Experience the family-run restaurant and learn how to make one of their signature dishes.
Tom Jones on Masterpiece “Episode 1” (Series Premiere) - Sunday, April 30 at 9:00 pm
One of the greatest novels in the English language comes to Masterpiece in a four-part adaptation of Henry Fielding’s Tom Jones, giving a new twist to the tale of an illegitimate young man’s love for a beautiful heiress.
Industry News
NPR Stops Using Twitter, Claims That Platform Is Undermining It’s Credibility
NPR will no longer use any of its Twitter accounts, the network announced Wednesday. In an email to staff Wednesday shared with Current, CEO John Lansing said NPR will “no longer be active on Twitter” because the social media platform “is taking actions that undermine our credibility by falsely implying that we are not editorially independent.” Prior to a tweet today promoting other ways to get NPR content, the network had not tweeted since last week after Twitter added the inaccurate label “state-affiliated media” to NPR’s main Twitter account, which has nearly 9 million followers. Over the weekend, Twitter changed the label to “government-funded media,” though less than 1% of NPR’s annual operating budget on average comes from federal sources. Twitter’s definition of “government-funded media” says such outlets “may have varying degrees of government involvement over editorial content.” NPR does not. Full story here.
PBS Proposes Hike In Station Dues And Strategic Investments For FY24
PBS is proposing a 3% station dues increase in its draft budget for fiscal year 2024. If approved, the budget presented to the PBS board Wednesday would generate a total of $218.3 million in station dues, an increase of $6.4 million from FY23. The proposal will be distributed to station leaders for feedback before the board votes to adopt the final budget in June. PBS projects that its total FY24 budget will break even at $372.2 million, according to Maxine Clark, chair of the board’s finance committee. The FY23 budget that the board approved last June totaled $359.4 million. PBS plans to “leverage” some of its reserve funds to make strategic investments, President Paula Kerger told the board. The draft budget invests in data security and privacy and upgrades to the user interface for the membership streaming platform PBS Passport, Clark said. PBS also wants to allocate resources into finding more ways to spotlight local content and introducing more live local linear feeds. “PBS will invest $14.4 million of its own funds,” she said.
German Officials Seize Cooked Bats Near Belgian Border
Berlin— German officials seized cooked bats and nearly a ton of unrefrigerated fish after police stopped a van that had entered the country from Belgium, authorities said Wednesday. Federal police said a patrol on Monday stopped the vehicle at a highway exit on the edge of the border city of Aachen, and found the bats under the fish. A vet from the local consumer protection office was sent to the scene and ordered the bats and fish confiscated. [AP - 4/12/23]
It's Springtime?
"In the Spring, I have counted 136 different kinds of weather inside of 24 hours.” - Mark Twain
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