Underwriting sales agency bought by NPR, WGBH

The largest producing organizations in public radio and TV, NPR and WGBH, said in a release today that they're buying what is probably the largest broker of underwriting time on local stations, Boston-based National Public Broadcasting. It represents 60 stations in pubTV, 120 in pubradio, NPR, NPR.org, PBS.org and the NewsHour. Bob Williams, a sales exec who had built an earlier business selling ad time on cable TV, established the business 10 years ago as National Public Television and later expanded into radio.

PBS parrot star dies at age 31

Alex, the super-smart parrot featured on PBS's Scientific American Frontiers and the Nature episode "Parrots: Look Who's Talking," died last week at age 31. Alex--who could identify objects, colors and shapes--was known for his verbal interactions with Alan Alda on Scientific American (see video).