In July 2022, NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope released its first images, looking further back in time than ever before to show our universe in stunningly beautiful detail. But that was just the beginning: With tons of new data and spectacular images flooding in, Webb is allowing scientists to peer deep in time to try to answer some of astronomy’s biggest questions. When – and how – did the first stars and galaxies form? And can we see the fingerprints of life in the atmospheres of distant worlds–or even within our own solar system? Premiering February 22 at 9 pm on WPSU.
Picture: The James Webb Space Telescope's view of the spectacular Phantom Galaxy (Image credit: ESA/Webb, NASA & CSA, J. Lee and the PHANGS-JWST Team)
From The GM's Desk
Happy February! Just had a wonderful evening of exceptional food, wine and conversation at our 31st annual Connoisseur’s Dinner. A HUGE thank you to everyone who made this possible! We now head into a busy few weeks of productions, radio reporting, a TV pledge drive and a WPSU Board of Representatives meeting. I hope everyone has completed their DEIB training and our staff members are ready to complete their performance reviews. It’s been a great start to the year and I greatly appreciate everyone’s contributions.
All my best ...
Birthdays
Jeff Luck - 2/23
Chris Kugler - 2/26
WPSU Radio Highlights
In Case You Missed It . . .
Pennsylvania Food Banks Brace For Increase In Demand As Extra Federal Food Benefits End
WPSU’s Anne Danny reports that the extra payments that participants in the Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program have been getting during the COVID-19 pandemic are ending this month in Pennsylvania, leaving food banks bracing for a surge in demand. Listen here.
Residents Allowed Back Home Near Ohio Train Derailment After Air Declared Safe
Julie Grant of The Allegheny Front reports that evacuated residents of East Palestine, Ohio and Beaver County, Pennsylvania are being allowed to return home, five days after a massive train derailment near the Pennsylvania border. The derailment caused huge chemical fires and toxic fumes. Full story.
Democracy Works: What Will It Take To Make Democracy More Representative?
Why has the underrepresentation of women and racial minorities in elected office proved so persistent? Some experts suggest that women lack sufficient ambition to run for office relative to men, while others say that districts with majority white populations do not provide adequate resources or opportunities for minority candidates to succeed. In her book, "Nowhere to Run," Christian Dyogi Phillips introduces the intersectional model of electoral opportunity, which argues that descriptive representation in elections is shaped by intersecting processes related to race and gender. Listen here.
WPSU Television Highlights
Conversations Live! “Making Sense of the Economy” - Thursday, February 16 at 8:00 pm
Unemployment is low, and wages are rising. But the cost of living, from groceries to paying for a home, has gone up. And the possibility of a recession or economic slow down looms. On WPSU’s Conversations Live, we’ll talk with experts about changes in the economy, and what they mean for everyday people.
All Creatures Great and Small on Masterpiece (Season 3 Finale) - Sunday, February 19 at 9:00 pm
It’s Christmas at Skeldale and Siegfried has to decide whether to protect Tristan at the cost of River’s welfare. Mrs. Hall realizes she has to face her feelings for Gerald.
American Experience “Ruthless: Monopoly’s Secret History” - Monday, February 20 at 9:00 pm
For generations, Monopoly has been America's favorite board game. But behind its creation is a tale of greed, obsession, and corporate duplicity, revealing the true nature of America's no-holds-barred economic system-a story of unbridled power and wealth with only one winner in the end.
NOVA “New Eye on the Universe” - Wednesday, February 22 at 9:00 pm
With tons of new data and spectacular images flooding in from NASA’s James Webb Space Telescope, scientists peer deep in time to answer some of astronomy’s biggest questions. How did the first stars and galaxies form? What role did supermassive black holes and dark matter play? And can we see the fingerprints of life in the atmospheres of distant exoplanets?
Great Performances “The Magic of Spirituals” - Friday, February 24 at 9:00 pm
Glimpse behind the curtain at opera legends Kathleen Battle and Jessye Norman's famed concert at Carnegie Hall on March 18, 1990, featuring performance clips and new interviews with opera star Angel Blue, Met Opera General Manager Peter Gelb and more.
John Denver’s Rocky Mountain High - Saturday, February 25 at 7:30 pm
To celebrate the 50th anniversary of John Denver's “Rocky Mountain High”, this 1974 concert features Denver performing in his prime at the stunning Red Rocks Amphitheater in Colorado.
Bob Dylan - Live in Newport 1963-1965 - Saturday, February 25 at 9:00 pm
This film features previously unseen footage and full-length performances, which document the changes in Dylan’s style when he appeared at Newport in three successive years. Songs include “Blowin’ in the Wind,” “Mr. Tambourine Man,” “Like a Rolling Stone,” and “Chimes of Freedom."
Elvis Presley: ’68 Comeback Special - Monday, February 27 at 8:00 pm
In June of 1968, Elvis Presley taped his first television special in Burbank, California. It aired on December 3 of that same year and accomplished two things: it saved his career, and showcased some of the best music of his life. It stands today as one of the great moments in rock music history and as a stunningly brilliant milestone in Elvis’ career.
Industry News
Yamiche Alcindor Is Stepping Down As Moderator Of ‘Washington Week’
Yamiche Alcindor announced that she’s stepping down from her position as moderator of Washington Week, the Friday-night political roundtable that airs on PBS stations nationally. Alcindor’s last day with the program will be Feb. 24, according to a news release.
She said on Twitter that the move “will allow me to focus full time on my commitments to NBC News & to finish my upcoming memoir.” Washington Week is produced by NewsHour Productions, a subsidiary of WETA in Washington, D.C. In a staff memo, WETA CEO Sharon Rockefeller said the organization is “very grateful to Yamiche for her commitment to the highest standards of journalism during her years in public media” and wished Alcindor for “continued career success.” A new anchor has not been named yet.
Streaming Exclusivity Lowers NFL ratings, VAB reports
Amazon's exclusive distribution of "Thursday Night Football" on its Prime streaming platform resulted in average audience size declining by 37% and weekly reach dropping 49%, compared to the previous year when the games aired on multiple platforms, the Video Advertising Bureau reports. Games available on broadcast and cable television had a significantly higher overall reach, the VAB adds.
Podcast Growth, Advertising Slow As Medium Matures
TV sold $70 billion of ads last year, dramatically outpacing the $1.5 billion podcasting brought in. Fewer podcasts made their debuts last year, and insiders attribute the trend to a decline in low-quality podcasts created by people experimenting with the medium during the pandemic. Full story here.
To Err is Human. To Moo is Bovine.
New Delhi — India’s government-run animal welfare department has appealed to citizens to mark Valentine’s Day this year not as a celebration of romance but as “Cow Hug Day” to better promote Hindu values.
The Animal Welfare Board of India said Wednesday that “hugging cows will bring emotional richness and increase individual and collective happiness.” Devout Hindus, who worship cows as holy, say the Western holiday goes against traditional Indian values.
In recent years, Hindu hardliners have raided shops in Indian cities, burned cards and gifts, and chased hand-holding couples out of restaurants and parks, saying that Valentine’s Day promotes promiscuity. Hardline political groups like Shiv Sena and Bajrang Dal say such actions pave the way to reassert Hindu identity.
Young educated Indians irrespective of their religion typically spend the holiday crowding parks and restaurants, exchanging gifts and holding parties to celebrate like any other Indian festival, especially since India began the process of economic liberalization in the early 1990s. [AP - 2/9/23]
Delicious!
"All you need is love. But a little chocolate now and then doesn’t hurt.” — Charles M. Schulz
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