National Updates
National Updates
Patrick Butler, APTS
Patricia Harrison, President & CEO, CPB
Paula Kerger, President & CEO, PBS
CPB Update
Must communicate that we are here to provide content that inspires but does not incite, that entertains but does not demean.
We provide a safe place where people can discuss and disagree while being civil. We must ensure that tax payer dollars are used for the benefit of the American people.
Focus on Digital, Diversity and Dialog so that public media is relevant in people’s lives.
Public media promotes collaboration and partnerships to strengthen communities. KOCE is now the leading affiliate in Southern California. This will strengthen public media in that area.
What public media does is even more important for Americans who are struggling in this economic climate. They rely on our services and content.
CPB must educate those who fund us about what we do and why it is so vital. We have to connect the dots between a funded public media and the services provided to our communities. We need to get our local communities involved in educating the people holding the purse strings.
APTS Update
The new GOP majority is serious about reviewing all federal funding, including public broadcasting. They are looking at every option to cut the budget.
Questions are being raised about whether the government should be in the media business at all. The Senate is not as interested in cutting public broadcasting. The White House is not as interested in cutting our funding but cutting programs that we rely on.
We all need to do our part to remind taxpayers and the people holding the purse strings of the services and content that we provide.
We provide education and entertainment in a way that paid media cannot. We are the home of civil discourse, news, diversity, culture and education.
170 million Americans participate in public media. Public media is the most trusted institution in the United States.
We are also providing the infrastructure for emergency response, amber alerts, mobile alerts and virtual learning to serve our country.
Please tell APTS about what you are doing to serve your community.
CPB is in discussion with National Archives to start Docs Teach to provide access to their vault.
We have fulfilled the mission that Congress gave to CPB in 1962 and now we need to remind them about the commitment.
170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting Campaign
A grassroots initiative to tell Congress and the administration about the importance of public broadcasting
Go to www.170millionamericans.org to find out more about the initiative.
PBS Update
We are going to need to marshal all of our services to fight the threat of a loss of funding. Our ability to provide free programming to Americans is now more important than ever.
Regardless of what is going on, Americans do count on us to provide quality programming.
Paula is proud of the programs showcased to critics at the recent Press Tour. Many critics said it was the best line-up they had seen from PBS in 10 years. We are the most American of institutions and the idea that any American has the opportunity to succeed. That is what we do. We provide that opportunity to everyone.
Upcoming Content
Masterpiece Theater – Up Stairs Downstairs and Downton Abbey
Amazing overnight numbers for Downton Abbey
American Experience – Jeff Brides – critical success
Arts – Independent Lens – four docs including Wasteland.
POV – filmmaker who follows small town kids into combat and the effect of that on their community.
Frontline is working on a piece about the Arizona shooting. It will be in depth and respectful and not like the sensational reporting that some news programs have been showing.
We are the only media source that is dedicated to educating children and not just turning them in to consumers. We are reaching children who do not have access to pre-K. This makes our work even more profoundly important.
We have been slowly and consistently improving our children’s programming. Focusing more on curriculum based programming and having children start school ready to learn.
Curious George special November garnered a 7.1 in the children’s demographic.
Children who watch Sesame, Martha Speaks and Between the Lions and Super Why drastically increase their literacy skills
For the 14th year in a row, PBS has more Daytime Emmy awards for children’s broadcasting than any other network.
Dues Review Process
Years ago PBS started looking in to changing the process. PBS looked at policies that bind us together as a system. Pulled together board members and GMs to take a look at the dues formula and they decided that it is complicated and is not always relevant. Something has to give.
The committee tried to figure out how to simplify the process. This formula is not the final formula. It has been sent out to the system so that everyone could provide their opinions.
The committee will meet tomorrow to look at all of the feedback that the system has provided. The committee will ask for more feedback from the system.
The final product will not please 100% but it will be fair and equitable. When the committee comes up with a final recommendation it will be rolled out over several years.
Funding the Vision Project
PBS is working with a group of people outside of public broadcasting to look at opportunities to bring new resources in to the system.
Some GMs and members of the station advisory group have been brought in to look at some of the opportunities.
PBSKIDS.org is the #1 kids site. We need to figure out how to spread the word about PBS KIDS on the local level and bring in more resources.
By the time the Annual Meeting comes around in May, specific ideas from this group will be presented.
E. Seton L. McIlroy
Manager, Online Communications, Education & Outreach | PBS
slmcilroy@pbs.org | 703-739-5199
