PBS ombudsman gets letters of support for Moyers

After his critique of Bill Moyers' commentary on Karl Rove, PBS ombudsman Michael Gelter says he got a load of pro-Moyers mail. In his Aug. 24 column, Getler questioned Moyers' reporting on Rove's religious convictions.

PBS programming for Hispanic Heritage Month

In a press release today, PBS details "a number of broadcast premieres and encore presentations that recognize the cultural, historical and societal impact of America's growing Hispanic community." The programs, to air during Hispanic Heritage Month, come in the wake of protests against Ken Burns' upcoming series The War. Latino groups, concerned about the lack of Latino vets in the WWII film, have asked PBS for assurance that it would work harder to include Latinos in “current and future programming” (Current, Aug. 27). Some Latino filmmakers have credited the Burns controversy with opening doors for them at PBS (via AP).

Georgia to resign as g.m. of Pacifica's KPFK

Eva Georgia, embattled g.m. of Pacifica's KPFK in Los Angeles, will leave the job on October 31, according to the Los Angeles Times. “Being General Manager of a progressive community radio station isn’t easy," said Greg Guma, Pacifica executive director, in a statement reaffirming the Pacifica National board's support for Georgia. "In fact, it’s a tough and draining job." Georgia has been accused of sexual harassment and racial discrimination in two pending lawsuits.

San Diego's progressive talk station contemplates format change

"I don't know that many liberals go to the AM dial, because it's full of right-wingers and sports," says Randy Dotinga, radio columnist for the North County Times, in a report on the likely end to the progressive-talk format on KLSD-AM, a Clear Channel station in San Diego. "If you don't like right-wingers and sports, there's no reason to flip to AM." Dotinga tells the San Diego CityBEAT that KLSD will always have problems competing with KPBS, the local pubradio outlet on the FM dial.

Stern previews NPR content, services to launch with help from Seattle outlets

"A lot [of] people outside our core demographics are interested in our content," NPR CEO Ken Stern tells the Seattle Post-Intelligencer. "They're turned off by our conventions." In a P-I story published yesterday, Stern described several NPR initiatives of interest to Seattle's pubradio listeners, each of which launch in October: Bryant Park, a morning newsmag for twenty- and thirty-somethings cohosted by former KUOW reporter Luke Burbank, major upgrades to its music website featuring station-produced programming, and a new service that will deliver NPR content to mobile devices. Seattle's KPLU and KEXP are partners in the new music website and KPLU helping NPR launch the new mobile service, the P-I reports.