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

What on Earth? Climate Change Partnership Show & Tell

What on Earth? Climate Change Partnership Show & Tell

Laura Hunter, Utah Education Network

Fiona McIntyre, CPB

Debbie Vickers, MPT

Terry Dugas, NET Nebraska

CPB

Goal of the project is to increase the inventory of resources for stations about climate change. The project is all online and digital with no broadcast component.

They also wanted to figure out what it takes to produce this content versus a 30 or 60 minute program.

MPT

changingthebalance.thinkport.org

Partnered with NOAA

The site is designed to give the user access to the resources and providing a instructional assets. Focused on the changing climate in Kenya and how it is increasing the mosquitoes.

They created a fictional blogger to have educational adventures. With each blog post there are linked in videos and interactive resources. Vary the type of assets that teachers could use in the classroom. 

Carbon footprint counter

Podcast about how fossil fuels impact the environment

Tool to manipulate carbon dioxide and show the effects on the environment.

Video that shows what happens when a mosquito bites someone

All resources are aligned with national and local standards. They provide teachers with tips and techniques on how to introduce the subject and how to finish out the project. It also provides details for all assets that are provided.

All resources are provided in two formats so that teachers can customize the assets for their classes.

When putting together the site, they make sure to involve teachers so that it fulfills their needs. It is important to continue to cultivate these relationships that they teachers provide this important feedback.

Utah Education Network

UEN Climate Science – uen.org/climate

This is a safe place to learn about climate change.

Partnered with Mountain West Digital Library (contributed 500 resources), Earthsky.org (contributed 500 resources) and UEN and Planet Nutshell Videos.

Mountain West Digital Library records sound of nature like glaciers melting and cracking

Earth Sky has videos discussing scientific concepts and issues in a way that lay people understand.

Planet Nutshell produced videos to explain complex climate change concepts in a simple way.

Having no paper assets added to the credibility of the site with teachers.

Stations are strongly encouraged to partner with other organizations because there other people who probably want to do the same thing. This will help you best use the time and funds that you have.

NET Nebraska

All universities have scientists that are trying to get federal grants. All of these grants include a dissemination clause. Instead of traveling to conferences to disseminate their information they use public media. Public broadcasting can also provide promotion for this research.

University of Nebraska is leading research in arctic climate studies. NET has created a program and learning objects around the research that can be shared with teachers.

All stations need to be in touch with their local universities science to get a piece of grants that they are awarded.

With the CPB grant allowed NET to create resources for teachers. They were able to go to the Antarctic three times for drilling expeditions. All of this is now available for use in the classroom.

These assets have been added to the DLL.

WPT

Climatewisconsin.org

How climate change affects our lifestyle. Stories are photography and a little video.

The site was released in cooperation with Consortium on Climate Impact.

Within 18 hours of website launch with no promotion, a video was picked up by Orvis and posted on their homepage. Within a week the LA Times talked about it in an article as being an example of excellence in educating about climate change

Community Engagement - What Is It and How Do You Do It?

(download)

Community Engagement - What Is It and How Do You Do It?
Introductions -
Presenter - John Creighton, The Harwood Institute for Public Innovation
John asks group to outline what and engagement/outreach paln at station
currently looks like Then asks how it differs from the following engagement strategy * Will your strategy or initiative improve the civil health of
your community - on a small or larger scale?
* Spur people to talk to and learn from each other?
* Help people discover ways to act on their aspiration and
concerns
* Inspire

Does engagement that passes these tests look different? Obvious
difference, community has to be part of plan to meet the above criteria
* This is model is less about org needs and more about community
needs.
* More about exchange of info vs. delivery of info to viewer.
* More listening? * How would staff receive these new changes be received?
Stations currently believe they are the expert, cultural change in
station needs to occur.
The station expertise is mass communication and is less about the
individual or small community impact. Mass communication touches many
on an information level vs. personal and smaller one on one interaction
that is becoming more and more important in today's social networking
environment and varied interest. It was acknowledged that change is
difficult and internal reticence is one of the first obstacles to
overcome. So, how do you continue to maximize media as a tool but incorporate
community engagement and bring together both elements to strengthen
station capacity?
++Starts with mindset and leap of faith.
Traditional outreach * Goals involve or educates people and extends content
* Frame policy debate
* Expert panel discussion with live audience
* Audience questins with mcal calls and tweets
High Impact Engagement
* Goal change the community on a small or larger scale
* "Focus community needs and aspirations * 'Give and take conversations in the community places people
gagther
* Explicit efforts to build relationships clearly indicate you're
here to stay and are open to receiving information not just delivering
content to a consumer.
* Choose partners to leverage impact
Comment -Neighbor to Neighbor project - community need was not to
address "immigration master narrative" but to engage people on a
personal and cultural level and experience. Who is my neighbor not
policy and debate.
Comment - unique experience "lack of camera presence at many events"
Seldom before was this level of conversation achieved. Not better
journalism but more authentic because of different approach =- More
about what the story the community wants to hear and less about what the
station thinks the message should be.
In the new engagement model the best interest of heart is the community
vs. environment of mistrust of media.
Education and engagement staff are more and more a source of content and
become a contributor to the content.
With the new model of engagement the life of the programming has a far
longer life than previous How do we get there?
* Start listening and learning from community
* Know your value, what is the real role we can play in the
community beyond broadcast,. * Build relationships, station should explicitly ask what
relationships and discnering effort about choosing partners. Who can
leverage impact in the community and fill gaps of own capacity
* Turn outward
* What are the real needs and aspirations in your community
* What would it look like to impact these needs and aspirations?
* What assets do you bring to the table to accomplish this?
* What leaps of faith does the station need to take
Take a gut check
* Can you talk to people about the community and their concerns
and would they say you listen to and understand us?
* What would they say
* Do you act in ways that account for the quality of peoples lives
* Do people believe that you have their best interests at heart.
Harwood Institute has developed a Community Conversation guide
available www.harwoodinstitute.org * Start listening * Take action
* Hold community convesations
* Discover voices not demographics
* Engage people as citizens not as consumers
"Assess your knowledge of the community * Aspirations, concerns, values, sources and stereotypes
* Assess when the community is ready to discuss and issue or
concern
* Waiting place, impact, analytic
Example
TN neighbor to neighbor project -from the beginning station discussion
outlined what the station wanted to address but as time went by it was
more about what the station but more what the community wanted to talk
about.
Religious tolerance was not addressed as it was not a community concern.

Station was directing initial conversation but once got to deeper level
and understanding about the community should leave the conversations.
Media are historically the storytellers addressing, character, conflict,
change.
New media, still tells the story but engages the viewer on more levels.
More personal, how did they get here.
Aha moments: Stations are not considered safe places by our community,
(level of mistrust of media) Building trust with community is key. Go
where they are.
Content posted on Youtube developed conversation - but content on
station site did not solicit responses expected A rephrase of your
intent and questions takes you to a different level of engagent.
Just changing or phrasing the conversation differently than the "master
narrative" allows for greater content and impact Comment - The Neighbor
to Neighbor project developed through RTL immigration presentations and
immigration communities needs. The station questioned why there was
suddenly such a huge demand for RTL and literacy services. As they
listened to the community the new initiative took shape.

What role will your station play in the community?
* Connector, convener, catalyst, collaborator?
* Come up with your own ideas?
* How will you have an impact in this role?
* What does it look like to do this
* What will it take to make this happen
* Are your really committed to this project to do this?.
Comments - Amy Shaw, - KETC
Stations need to be thinking in the long term. This model of engagement
changes everything. Funding, philanthropic viability, the stations
position in the community. Engagement is now in part directing station
messaging and mission. Whereas in past outreach /engagement was often
and afterthought. Change is difficult but worth it.
New mind set, has created a new image and created a more vibrant
philanthropic arm for the station. Station programming has to have local
and community relevance to remain viable in today's environment. It's
not just about programming though-it's about the new whole-on-air,
online and in the community-think about all the pathways that the
station has to engage the community.
A realignment of internal station structure is key to change.
Production, online, engagement(outreach) marketing and development all
need to work toward the same outcomes.
Station funders need to be engaged in conversation from the beginning.
Invite them to participate in the dialogue. It engages them in the
mission message and offers the "funder" opportunity to engage at a
greater level.
Comments - Kim Kranich - Obesity campaign for kids - Mindset change,
station played role as conversation convener The station trained,
partners to facilitate conversations. This project now includes a group
of 25 partners through the growth of the 3 year project. Organizations
now bring money to the table because of the development of deeper
relationships and conversations. Impact happens but the time needs to
be taken in the beginning to listen, learn and engage.
Station mindset changed. This is not only a big station any station can
achieve these results.
Comments Elizabeth Ottinger, -working through Vermont struggled with
internal station culture shift and making listening a statewide effort.
Station department structure changed to add content officer. There was a
lot of internal work to achieve this goal but worth it. Takes time but
stick with it.
TN station concurs, Internal station changes not easy. But payoff is
authenticity and authority that is vastly improved.
You have to be open to constant shifts in community mind set, media is
still evolving on a national level and local organization need to be
open to adapting and adjusting as media continues to change.
Comment - Mary Bracken- this is the value of NETA and conferences to
learn and engage. Many stations recognize the need to adapt but need to hear about best
practices. Stations are working in the right direction but need to help
tweaking their efforts to better work with community as they change
station mindset to "stop and listen to the community."

Back to presentation
'Time - Relationships are rooted in shared understandings and common
experiences

Place
* You must go to the places that matter to the community not
always your turf.
* Frame- focus on issues that are important to your community -
not always the same
* Using your skill sets to help the community strengthen and build
on existing capacity.
Collaborate
Your assets
* What are your assets and capacities
* What can you do better than anyone else
Chose partners wisely
* What must happen that is outside your area strength?
* How critical is this to having an impact on the community
* Who could do this work?
Be a good partner
How do you need to work to ensure that there is impact?
Website resource www.mediaengage.org
www.publicmediamaps.org
Slides at info@mediaengage.org Note - Not in our Town initiative in the fall - Tolerance and hate crime
issues.
Independent producers are a resource to stations.

In closing
This new model is about repositioning your station in the community.
Choose the right subjects at the right time. The community will see you
differently and your station will be better positioned in the community
in today's media environment.
Slides for this presentation can be found at the Harwood Institute
website- www.theharwoodinstitute.org
Jacqueline Voland

Women In Public Media, Finding your Track (CEO or Otherwise) Session

Women In Public Media, Finding your Track

Panel: 
Beth Curley
Polly Anderson
Pat Harrison
Paula Kerger

Blogger/Reporter:

Patricia Harrison, President & CEO of CPB - Thoughts on Women & Leadership

Start controlling your environment and take ownership of your life. Pat attended an event to welcome Mrs. Obama's new Communication person and noted that the women in attendance had one thing in common: tenacity. Tenacity allows you to get through the embarrassment of doing things for yourself, talking about yourself, etc. 

Decide who you are, what makes you tick. What do you love doing? If someone didn't pay you, what would you still do. That's the thing you should be doing anyway. 

Don't compare your path to someone else's...own your own path. 

Go beyond the normal amount of effort. Push yourself. 

Don't get so attached to your title that when the position comes to an end, your world falls apart. 

Carry your own luggage. Be able to carry your own load, because there might not be anybody to do it for you. 

If you identify your leadership qualities and are really true to yourself, you will have a vision for your own life and end up where you are supposed to be. 

No matter who you are speaking to, 1 person or 30,000, prepare, prepare, prepare! You owe it to the people you are presenting to be prepared. If you've done your best, and your audience doesn't get it, that's all you can do. 

Value System- You won't have all of these every single day, but you must have some of them some of the time
1) High drive/High energy, Get excited about what you are doing...you can't fake this!
2) Self-Confidence....gives you the ability to say "I can do this" This grows as you put more into your own bag of tools
3) Power is a ladder....you have to own it. Don't think of power as being over another person, think of it as being over yourself (Draw a ladder with things you are afraid of on each rung....and then knock them down! When you get to the top, start another ladder of things)
4) Step out there and take a risk. Leave your comfort zone. 
5) What is that one thing that you've been putting off because you're afraid, do that thing and you'll feel like you can do anything!

Build up a club of people who have a vested interest in your success

"Nothing great was ever achieved without enthusiasm" Ralph Waldo Emerson

New program called CPB University that offers courses that deal with leadership, management, etc.

When asking for help, don't say "Can I pick your brain?" Instead ask for a specific window of time with a purpose "Can I have 30 minutes of your time to discuss xyz?" 

What does a roadblock tell you? It tells you there is a road on the other side. The important thing is to figure out how do we get to that road on the other side? 

Act as if you have a secret. As if you have a huge job offer that is coming down the pike. 

Develop a 3-month plan for yourself before you go and present your ideas to a superior. Be organized and professional. 

Paula Kerger, President & CEO of PBS- Thoughts on Women & Leadership

"Part of finding your track is figuring out what brings you joy." It's important to think about your role, what is required of that role and what you are going to be comfortable doing in that role. Figure out how all the different aspects of your lives intersect. Think about your path. Find the right mentors. It can be scary to admit that you don't know something, especially when you take on a new position or role. Look at some of the leadership programs. 

The leadership we pursue is not always in a pay capacity. Leadership is about trying to help an org. articulate a vision and a mission, and building a team around that to make that possible. 

Surround yourself with people you trust who know a lot of things. Pass your knowledge on to others. Look around for up and coming talent and help them to get into the leadership programs. Remember that sometimes it's hard to step forward when you're afraid your voice isn't being heard, but it's worth it when you do. 

Delegation is hugely important. It helps the people around you to grow when they are given more responsibility. It is not a sign of weakness to admit you need help. 

Develop different skill-sets. Work with different groups. 

1) Strong communication skills, writing, presentation, communicating with others
2) Interpersonal, listening skills
3) Adapt how you treat people to their different personalities to find how they best respond
4) Be Clear and articulate where you are trying to go

Polly Anderson, NETA Chair - Thoughts on Women & Leadership

Visualize where you want to go in your career
Be honest with yourself about what your strengths are and in the areas where you feel weaker, get some training
Build a team of really talented people that you trust

Focus internally and make yourself valuable

The speed of the leader is the speed of the team. The ones who set the bad example give everyone else in the organization permission by default to do whatever they are doing. 

Beth Curley, NPT - Thoughts on Women & Leadership

Never aspired to be a CEO
Got into public television because she had a passion for changing the world and doing something that mattered. Feels she took a huge risk to come to Nashville, but it was worth it. Her passion was for what she wanted to accomplish, not for making a certain amount of money or achieving a certain status. Be willing to take a risk. Considers mentorships important. 

Posted by email

NETA Honors Public TV's Best

PUBLIC TELEVISION’S BEST HONORED AT 2011 NETA CONFERENCE

(January 13, 2010 – Nashville, Tenn.)  The National Educational Telecommunications Association (NETA) honored 23 public broadcasters with awards Thursday on stage at the Loews Vanderbilt hotel. In all, thirty-one trophies in the areas of content production, promotion, community engagement, and instructional media were awarded.  The presentation was part of NETA’s annual conference, held this year in Nashville, Tennessee.

  

In addition to the NETA awards, the NETA Education Center board presented its Enterprise and Innovation Award to KET’s executive director Shae Hopkins and the KET education division for their exemplary success in delivering education services to generations of students, teachers, parents, and care providers throughout the state of Kentucky.

The 2010 NETA Awards winners are:

INSTRUCTIONAL MEDIA
KET / Lexington Kentucky
            Art to Heart (Inservice)
            Scale City: The Road to Proportional Reasoning (Instructional Content)
Blue Ridge PBS / Roanoke
            Virginia in the Civil War: A Sesquicentennial Remembrance
             (Instructional Content)
Penn State Public Broadcasting / WPSU
            Blue Ribbon Readers (Instructional Media Product)
Wyoming PBS / Riverton
            Wyoming Field Trip (Instructional Media Product)
Utah Educational Network / Salt Lake City
            Finance In The Classroom (Teacher Resource)

PROMOTION

KMOS / Warrensburg
            My Source: The Bacon Brothers – Michael’s Revenge (Corporate/Institutional)
Nashville Public Television
            Where Will NPT Take You Next?  (Corporate/Institutional)
            Children’s Health Crisis Long-lead Promo (Single Video)

Idaho Public Television / Boise
            My Source (Corporate/Institutional)
Milwaukee Public Television
            Great Circus Parade Station Carriage Promotion (Print Design)

WCTE / Cookeville
            Close-Up Program Guide Redesign (Print Design)
Wyoming PBS / Riverton
            Alan K. Simpson (Promotion Campaign)
South Carolina ETV / Columbia
            G-Man: The Rise & Fall of Melvin Purvis (Promotion Campaign)
South Dakota Public Broadcasting / Vermillion
            Neutrino Day (Single Video)
New Hampshire Public Television / Durham
            MESY- Math, Engineering, Science & You! (Single Video)
WXEL / West Palm Beach
            Forever Young (Special Event)
Thirteen/WNET.org / New York
            Spark of Learning (Special Event)

COMMUNITY ENGAGEMENT
MontanaPBS / Bozeman
            Blueprint America: Parks & Trails Montana (based on a national project)
AETN / Conway
            Arkansas State & National Parks Initiative (based on a national project)
Wisconsin Public Television / Madison
            Back in the World: Portraits of Wisconsin Vietnam Veterans (based on a local
             project)
Blue Ridge PBS / Roanoke
            JobQuest (based on a local project)
            JobQuest (Community Impact)

CONTENT  PRODUCTION
Mississippi Public Broadcasting / Jackson
            The Gulf Islands: Mississippi’s Wilderness Shore (History)
Mountain Lake PBS / Plattsburgh
            Dead Reckoning: Champlain in America (History)
WLRN / Miami
            All in the Same Boat: Stories of Breast Cancer Survivors (Information)
Blue Ridge PBS / Roanoke
            JobQuest (News and Public Affairs)
            JobQuest (Information)

Wyoming PBS / Riverton
            Wyoming Performances Presents the Cheyenne Symphony (Performance)
KUED / Salt Lake City
            Red Rock Rondo (Performance)
Nashville Public Television
            NPT Reports: Children’s Health Crisis (Science)
Vermont Public Television / Colchester
            Emerging Science, Season 3  (Science)

The NETA Awards are annual recognition of member-produced excellence in public broadcasting, a tradition established more than forty years ago by the pioneering Southern Educational Communications Association. 

NETA is a professional association founded in 1997 to serve public television licensees and affiliated educational organizations.  The organization has members in 42 states, the District of Columbia, and the Virgin Islands.  NETA is headquartered in Columbia, SC.

Posted by email

Community Engagement: Almost Rocket Science NETA Session

Thursday January 13, 2011

Rosemary Olas/KMOS
Tiffany Verkler/AETN
Lauren Prestileo/WGBH/American Experience/Freedom Riders
Blogger Reporting: Kate Spears http://www.KateSpears.com

Gary Greenberg gave some brief remarks about a project about childhood asthma "CAARE FOR CARE PROVIDERS" which helped daycare providers to prevent serious and moderate asthma episodes in underserved populations of children. 

The partners were the American Lung Assn of Ohio, Boonshoft School of Medicine, Univ. of Cincinnati, Dayton Area Family Child Care Assn., Regional Air Pollution Control Agency

Gary shared a clip of a spot that was distributed as well as a clip of an "Air Quality Alert" that they produced to create awareness. 

Year 1 Evaluation Highlights showed that there was an increase in numbers for awareness about asthma in the community.

Careasthma.org is a resource and Gary encourages folks to visit

Lauren Prestileo spoke next about "Freedom Riders," that it was shown at Sundance and then to some high school students who were very moved by the experience. 

Trailer for the film is available online.

The site and project helps to provide a more comprehensive resource on this complicated story, including a full stream of the film, 12 original short films, a fully-animated map of the Rides, an interactive roster of the 436 Riders, nearly 2 hours of video clips

Screenings & Forums are taking place all over the country to be a jumping off point for conversation about civic engagement today, both locally and nationally. 

Traveling Exhibit is going to 20 cities across the country (full list at the site listed above). Much community programming has been created around this exhibit. 

40 College students will join the original Freedom Riders to retrace the route of the 1961 Rides, which will coincide with the 50th anniversary of the Rides...May 6-16, 2011.

Tiffany Verkler spoke about Cause Marketing and the project that AETN did with the Arkansas State & National Parks, with local outdoor apparel and gear company Lewis & Clark Outfitters.

"finding the partner that fits you, finding out what they can do for you and working together for a similar cause" 

Co-branding partnerships are one option, decide if you want exposure or funding. The station received some funding from CPB and also much of the underwriting included in-kind gifts

Events for Marketing & Outreach: Meet me in the Parks.

The 45 minute National Park Film screener was shown at each event and everything was tied back in to push the film. 

 

Posted by email

LZ Lambeau and Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories, NETA Session Notes

Thursday January 13, 2011

LZ Lambeau & Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories

Kathy Bissen, WPT (not in attendance) 
Don Jones/Project Director for LZ Lambeau
Jon Miskowski, WPT
Blogger/Reporter: Kate Spears http://www.KateSpears.com 

(FYI: A toolkit is available that was funded by CPB)

During the listening sessions with Vietnam Veterans, they began to open up and share their stories, which then drove and inspired the question of "what to do with this project in dealing with certain limitations (reach, etc.)?

Don Jones - Within the circle of veterans, they distinguish themselves as Vietnam veterans and Vietnam "hero" veterans based on whether or not they served in the country. Some were hesitant to come because of the stigmas attached to these distinctions. There are also folks that the vets called "wanna-bes" who are known for big talk, but aren't legitimate and the true veterans can identify them very quickly. 

The panelists showed about seven minutes of the documentary, including the section entitled "All Hell Broke Loose." 

"No other group in the American populace has a higher suicide rate than Vietnam Veterans, although the rate of suicide within veterans from Iraq/Afganistan is rising." 

Veterans were extremely resistant to this project and it took much diligence in building their trust. The producers had to remain committed and keep coming back to prove themselves to the veterans, who had never told their stories before this documentary project. Public Broadcasting provided a good vehicle because of the built trust that it has as well as the ability to show the power & meaning through storytelling. 

Partners began coming on board to see how they could help make this project happen. 

Regarding public broadcasting...."At our best, we are sensitive to our audiences" 

Producers even had an issue arise for the initial screening where some folks vocalized things they were dissatisfied with, but because the producers listened and took things into consideration, it was resolved in a constructive way. 

Panelist Jon Miskowski said they have learned from teachers that more resources were needed in order to teach these topics effectively. They created curriculum for the school system to use in companion to the documentary. 

There were community screenings in partnership with the Wisc. Library Association & Univ. of Wisc. System.

A traveling portrait exhibit created by WPT Photog Jim Gill & Wisc. Veterans Museum has been a powerful tool to help show people that all vets are not the stereotype "homeless guy under a bridge." 

Look for Medal of Honor recipients in your area because Vietnam vets take this medal very seriously. 

Some of the challenges of this event:

1) Liability insurance/working with police/fire depts.
2) Protest from veterans groups
3) Logistics of "The Ride" 

In the small town of Freedom, Wisconsin the entire town shut down while the ride was going through. With the help of State Troopers and community members, the ride was a success. The producers said they had little to do with what happened in Freedom, that it was just a result of the project being taken over by the community members involved. 

The plan was to have 1244 motorcycles to represent the number of Wisconsin veterans who were killed in action, but there ended up being many more. 

The event gave veterans a chance to attend with their families, which is not often the case as there is a history of vets being alone. 

Another part of the project was the creation of a large map of South Vietnam and S.E. Asia where the veterans could go identify locations on the map and sign their names on the map in the spots where they had been. This led to vets meeting each other on the map and connecting based on where they served. 

White chairs were lined up on the field to represent the veterans killed in action. 

Visit the site to find all the tools and materials associated with this project: http://www.LZLambeau.org/toolkit

Posted by email

Portable Production Solutions

Portable Production Solutions
Low end to high-end portable (non-truck) multi-camera suitcase studios.

Justin Harvey/NPT and Ralph Welch/WCTE

Low end: Tricaster (used by NPT)
$12K (SD) to $20K (HD) for everything. 3 cameras, software-based switcher, record sources. Add-ons like an outboard switcher available. The unit paid for itself in the first year. NPT does about 20 partner shoots a year and (depending on the production’s complexity) charges $2-3K for the first hour of production and $500 per half hour after
that. Partner productions are co-ownership/copyright. NPT requires that they be the sole broadcast distributor for partner projects. Partners have stream and on-demand rights. NPT retains all editorial control. Staffing is done by station employes and interns. Also has green screen capability. Line suts only on NPT’s 4-year old model. Newer Tricaster models may have iso record capability.

High End: (used by WTCE and paid for by an R.U.S. grant) $850,000 suitcase studio. Plat panel displays. Runs on 3 20-amp  service. 5 cameras, 3 replays/record decks. Their unit does all their production. It is their HD control room for all ENG productions. WTCE has a staff of 14; 7 of who are in production. 50% of their station staff are directly involved in content creation, including (as we saw at the Jammim’ at Hippie Jack’s taping session at the Tennessee State Museum), WTCE’s General Manager Becky M.

Tim Zeko, WKAR-TV

Posted by email

Maximizing Your Online Impact

Maximizing Your Online Impact

Libby Peterek, Web Director, KLRU

Jesse Overright, Web Developer, KLRU

Problems with old KLRU website

            Resemble a PDF document,

            Difficult to navigate

                        Represented the organizational structure instead of what the viewers want

                        Everyone wants to be on the homepage (gets too cluttered)

            Difficult to Update

                        Mostly static pages

                        No central template

                        Design and site architecture problems

                        Nowhere to promote news, updates, programming

            Common Web Problems

One station had Sarah Terpeny from PBS provided ideas for how to improve their website.

Redevelopment Process

            Cross departmental team

-         brought buy-in

-         each cared about something different

-         addressed key problems and set goal         

-        

Libby developed a content inventory to inform navigation and also made priorities using Google Analytics

Identify main focus

            - Flattened navigation

            - Easier to update

            - Focused promotion

After the first design, the group went back to redesign, regroup, rethink focus

-         Donate functionality on every page

-         Promotion area on homepage

-         View “what’s on” across 3 channels

-         “Fresh” content on every page

Maximizing Your Impact

           

To CMS or not to CMS?

            CMS is a personal choice

                        Static or dynamic content

                        Who and how many will be updating?

            Experience

-         Drupal/Joomla/Wordpress –All are options for CMS

Local Productions

Separate Content from design

           

            RSS Feeds -

            Repurpose Content

-         One input, many outputs

-         Blog contents as news box

-         Blog categories fuel separate pages

-         Mobile schedule

Automate Functionality – set it and forget it, let the computer do the work

            Use a Google Calendar to schedule your promotional  calendar (and it’s free!)

            OpenX – use it to promote upcoming events (and it’s free!)

           

Widgetizing Code

            One-stop editing

                        -Enables quick, site wide changes

                        - Centrally managed menus

            Templates

                        Just copy the template and easily create a new page

Simplify Online Giving

           

            Remove barriers to giving

                        Primetime pledge slides

                        Directed navigation

           

            Don’t be afraid to try a hybrid solution

                        Netcommunity/Convio/Kimbia

            Have ideas and ask for them

                        Donate on every page

18% of KLRU membership gifts were raised online

                        Non-profit average is 11%

                        PBS station average is 7.5%

Leverage PBS Tools

            Get involved, ask for what you want

-         COVE pro

-         PBS Shop

-         Merlin

-         Limelight/Liverail Contract – streaming video/Online monetization

Additional Concerns

                        Accessibility

                                    -Talk to the experts in your community

                                    -WAVE

                        Mobile

                                    -Donation widget

                        Viewer Feedback

                                    -During Development and after

                                    -Survey Monkey

                                    -Building in contact information for broken links

                       

Operation LA

                        Just helped PBS SoCal update their site

                        They were able to change the site in about a week.

What’s Next?

                        Schedule redesign

                        KLRU/PBS strategic plans

                                    -Arts, Public Affairs, KIDS

                                    - Starting to create an Arts portal

                        Analytics/Research

-         Online/On-Air/Outreach

See the finished product at www.KLRU.org

        

E. Seton L. McIlroy

Manager, Online Communications, Education & Outreach | PBS

slmcilroy@pbs.org | 703-739-5199

Building Your Station's Own American Archive

Panelists were Matthew White (CPB), Amy Schumaker (SCETV for Kerry Feduk) and Karen Cariani (WBGH, via Skype)

This session focuses on the American Archive project to digitize local content (including programs, outtakes, work tapes, promos and interstitials, and more).

SC has taken their archives and created different strands. Now they include perpetual rights in their contracts.

It is moving the program content from analog to digital, crating file formats. In the end, its the amazing content in the archives. Matthew showed a video explaining the project. Edward R. Murrow opens it saying "These individuals have creted a treasure of archival materials."

The trouble is, the tape is decaying, much is thrown when purging for space.

The idea is to provide access to all these American treasures.

Examples show educational programs, talk shows, Julia Child, Dick Cavett, old tv classroom shows (geography, for example), children's, news, documentaries, performance, public affairs.

This project also includes NPR content -- features, interviews, local StoryCorps, audio from news coverage as well as reports.


Building Your Station's American Archive is part of a long attempt to get an archival program off the ground beginning back in 1977.

Activities include three areas -- Planning / Pilot Program and Rights/Clearance guidelines.

Preservation -- This includes restoration, digitzation, digital repurposing. The idea is that this content will be available to be repurposed and possibly monetized.

There is a true desire to work on American archive issues. The need to build ways so communities themselves can plug in.

Inventory Statistics -- in January 2011, 221 entities are on the map for the grant process, representing 2.4 million unique tapes and films. So far, 56 proposals have been received. The grant application period ends January 31.

An amazing amount of assets and hours are part of this. The work group was surprised by the enormous volume of content created by local stations that can be part of the inventory.

Karen (karen_cariani@wgbh.org) said the goal was to turn over every stone of radio and tv programming no matter where it is. It could be in someone's basement, their personal collection or in the station's tape library.

Project goals -- be comprehensive -- what exists and has survived, where is it and what is it (tape, etc.)

Analogy: This is the Census of Archived Public Media.

Critical content includes what is at risk.

Benefits of Participation:

Gain control of your station's material
Mine data for future project
Documented content can be in a searchable repository
Applying for the grant makes the station eligible to apply for future preservation and digitization funding.

You are eligible for futre grants only if you apply now.

Eligibility:

Public TV or Radio Station
Content older than one year
Can you provide staff to do inventory or work with SWAT team
You are committed to saving adn restoring your material
You can manage the financial contract (CPB)

Scope:

Submit existing inventory records
Create new records for remaining inventory
This is an inventory list -- not a catalogue (Title only)
DO NOT PLAY TAPES -- they may only have one play left in them
If you can't fill required fields, it's OK. They'll work with you.
Location (top shelf of Nancy's closet in blue box)

Steps: Collection Survey (puts station on map)
Sign form
Include budget ($2-3 per asset; $1/per record

Quick tips

Posted by email