Tuesday sessions

Here are some of my abbreviated notes from the afternoon sessions I was
able to attend. Apologies for some of the 'randomness of thought.'

Opening session:
Skip Hinton. NETA President
Welcomed those who were able to make it in. Some folks are delayed
getting in due to the weather. Announced the next NETA meeting is Oct.
18-20 in Kansas City.

Polly Anderson. NETA Board Chair and Pres/CEO- KNME
Said many challenges to our industry ahead. In light of recent events,
we MUST fight to keep public media as the last place people can
participate in civil discourse. The management team for APTS, CPB and
PBS are the right people in the right place at the right time.

Becky Magura. GM of WCTE/Cookville
Previewed Wednesday’s Jammim’ At Hippie Jack’s reception and
concert taping...and there was a Wild Horse saloon joke that involved a
play on the name. Use your imagination.

Beth Curley
President/CEO NPT
Noted that Nashville is the home of ALL kinds of music. Country, rock,
jazz and classical. It’s a creative city that includes Art.
Filmmaking. Television. Soundstages. It's all happening here. Nashville
is also a growing international city. Largest concentrated Kurdish
population the US. 95 languages spoken by children and parents in the
greater Nashville K-12 system.

Karl Dean
Nashville Mayor
Welcomed attendees and encouraged all to spend lots of money while in
Nashville (with a wink and a smile)

Next Door Neighbors/Engaging Your Community
Explores four distinct immigrant cultures within Nashville. Kurds.
Sudanese. Arab. Somali. Feedback within the overall Nashville community
was very positive.

Kevin Crane
EP for Next Door Neighbors
Program idea came from their education department. Multi-lingual
literacy workshops were being requested of their RTL unit. There was a
need. NPT a CPB grant to seed the project. Their development unit raised
money to fund the production of the entire series. They forged many
relationships. Old and new. (with the immigrant & refugee communities of
Nashville) One key was working with young, open minded students within
those immigrant and community communities. Training members of the immigrant and refugee
communities in creating their own stories and posting them to youtube.

LZ Lambeau (welcoming home Vietnam Vets)
and Wisconsin Vietnam War Stories (Stories you haven’t heard from
vets who can’t forget) Jon Miskowski- WHA EP for project
Vietnam vets were skeptical and NOT eager to tell their stories. Very
different story and feel than WWII and Korean vet stories. GOAL: Wanted
to reach every Vietnam vet in the state. (Beyond broadcast)

Components:
Documentary & archive
Companion website
Curriculum component for schools
Community screenings & discussion Companion book
Traveling portrait exhibit to museums (non traditional viewing places)

That led up to LZ ("Landing Zone") Lambeau event. Official welcome home
and thank you to the vets. An amazing and emotional and impactful project. WHA toolkit is available for those stations who wish to produce local
companion programming for Ken Burn’s upcoming Vietnam national series.


Editorial Integrity for Public Media (aka: “IT COULD HAPPEN TO
YOU”)
Session presenters: Ted Krichels PSU; Tom Thomas/Station Resources Group

When we partner is new and different ways, surprising folks can come to
the table seeking a voice. Might be good. Might not.

UNC had to turn over records & documents from a journalistic report to
the government. Now at risk: 214 radio/76 TV are university licensees
and beholding to state funding. Social media: tip of the iceberg. Juan Williams situation as an
example. Employees expressing views and opinions as station
representatives and public citizens. When does one pass onto another?
Does it? Website: pmintegrity.org

Production Council
Great discussion by about 20 production folks from across the country.
While many frustrations were expressed, we also agreed that in this is
an unprecedented time in terms of new technology tools to do our jobs
better. Group agreed to make a greater effort to reach out system wide
to help each other in our new multi-platform production world. New
volunteers were solicited to serve on the council. Yours truly agreed.

-Tim Zeko, WKAR-TV Executive Producer

Posted by email

NETA Comm Council

Hope to see any comunications/promo folks at the Communications Council this afternoon at 4:30 in the Neely Room. We want to get some good ideas for upcoming webinars, conference calls from all of you. And if you're not here but following the conference online -- please send your ideas to maryanne@netaonline.org or jeanie@wkar.org -- we want to hear from you. On another note -- there's more snow here than in Michigan. Hope all of you in transit can get here!

Posted by email

Here we go!

Tuesday January 11 is finally here. 

Throughout the day and evening yesterday, people with familiar faces and names arrived, despite the challenging weather situation.
The hotel manager, Tom Negri, welcomed each guest with a short note saying how proud Loews Vanderbilt is of *their* public television station, Nashville Public Television, and hoping that “education and understanding” blooms at the NETA Conference.

We hope so too.  Registration opens around noon, and there’s an orientation for first-time attendees at 1:00 pm.  Then at 2, our general sessions begin:  NPT’s Next Door Neighbors, Wisconsin Public Television’s LZ Lambeau, and the public media Editorial Integrity project.

That’s just for starters.  Stay tuned here for reports from events throughout the meeting.

And welcome to Nashville!

Posted by email

Snow in Nashville

Good morning from Nashville, where there’s about an inch of fine powdery snow on the ground presently at Loews Vanderbilt.

The Nashville airport is open and operating, but some arrivals have been cancelled by the airlines.

http://www.flynashville.com/flight_info/default.aspx

Local weather says the snow is tapering off, with snow showers expected throughout the rest of Monday and most of Tuesday.

Travel safely!  A warm welcome waits you at the 2011 NETA Conference, whenever you arrive!

Posted by email

BackStage Pass and Hangin' with Hippie Jack

Hi everyone. I produce a Michigan-made music series at WKAR-TV in East Lansing called BackStage Pass. NETA began offering it nationally this year.

I'm looking forward to the conference and on Wednesday night, I've been graciously offered the opportunity to hang around the production team for "Jammin' at Hippie Jack's" during their recording of the Todd Snider concert. Although our respective production approaches appear different, I suspect there are still things I can pick up from Hippie Jack's crew and apply to our new BackStage Pass season of concert recordings this Spring. It'll be fun for all, I'm sure.

For a look at some of the BackStage Pass shows offered by NETA, visit http://video.wkar.org/program/1476408286/. For a look at some clips from our upcoming broadcast season, visit our facebook site at http://www.facebook.com/WKAR.BackStagePass. .

Let me know what you think. I'll also have free DVD and CD copies of "The Best of BackStage Pass" available for interested conference attendees and I'd be happy to answer any questions you may have. Hope to see you in Nashville!

Tim Zeko
WKAR-TV and BackStage Pass Executive Producer.

timz@wkar.org

Posted by email

Todd Snider!

Hey!

We just learned that Todd Snider will sit in for Ronnie Milsap at the Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s special event next Wednesday night at the Tennessee State Museum.  Ronnie Milsap has had to bow out, due to illness. (Get well real soon, Mr. M!)


Much as I wanted to see Ronnie Milsap, I’m excited about Todd Snider.  (See here:  http://shorefire.com/clients/tsnider/ )  If you tried to describe him in a few words, I guess it would be “alt-country singer/songwriter” but that leaves a lot unsaid.And he has a new record coming out February 1, so …great timing.

Hope you have your tickets for Wednesday night and Jammin’ at Hippie Jack’s!  (Thanks again, Hippie and WCTE/Cookeville)


Maryanne / NETA

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