NPR to move just north of U.S. Capitol in 2012

NPR will move into a new home in Washington's emerging mixed use NoMA (North of Massachusetts Avenue) neighborhood in 2012, the network and District of Columbia announced today (press release). The company will move its entire Washington-based operation from its current home on Massachusetts Avenue to 1111 N. Capitol St. NE, site of the historic former home of the Chesapeake & Potomac Telephone Company, built in1927 (map). Consistent with D.C. development practice, the original facade will be incorporated into the new 10-story office tower, which will include a 60,000 square foot newsroom for NPR's radio and multimedia ops and a public space for live shows and events. "A major factor in our decision was the opportunity to play a role in the revitalization of NoMA," said Ken Stern, c.e.o. NPR began its search for a new home 19 months ago and considered more than 100 sites in Washington, Maryland and Virginia before deciding on the spot located a little over a mile due north of the U.S. Capitol. "NPR is a Washington icon," said D.C. Mayor Adrian Fenty. "Their decision to not only stay in the District, but to build their new headquarters in one of our most important emerging neighborhoods says a lot about how far we've come in transforming our city." Earlier: Other major relocating pubcasting orgs include PBS, APTS, WGBH and Minnesota Public Radio.

McIntyre: It's no longer necessary to fund public broadcasting

Public broadcasting resembles the "live-in brother-in-law," writes The Heritage Foundation's Ken McIntyre in a column appearing in several newspapers. "For 40 years, taxpayers have paid the rent." McIntyre says it's time to cut pubradio and TV loose from government funding and let them "go it alone in the marketplace." If PBS and NPR had no government funding, he adds, they would be less self-indulgent. Also, viewers and listeners would be more likely to give them money. Echoing Charles McGrath's New York Times column "Is PBS Still Necessary," McIntyre writes, "The original mission - to provide quality educational, cultural and public affairs programs - is now the province of dozens of specialty networks." 

Starr: McCain 'broke the rules'

In the lefty journal The Nation, media activist Jerrold Starr offers his take on the Pittsburgh pubcasting piece of the McCain/lobbyist issue.

Daljit Dhaliwal to be the face of upcoming Global Watch

Daljit Dhaliwal has been chosen to anchor KCET's upcoming Global Watch, an international news program premiering on PBS April 9. Dhaliwal is also anchor of Foreign Exchange, the international news program presented by Oregon Public Broadcasting and distributed by American Public Television. Global Watch, also streaming online, will examine perceptions of the U.S. abroad, incorporate reports from citizen journalists, and host discussion and gather stories online. Produced by KCET's Bret Marcus, the program was initially imagined as part of a public affairs block for the PBS World multicast channel, to be produced by California Fault Line Productions, a nonprofit formed by KCET, KQED and PBS and headed up by former CNN producer Sid Bedingfield. PBS then planned to launch it online as part of the PBS Engage web project, with an on-air program to follow.