PBS hopes to grow news content with cross-pollination

Ever pondered the possibilities of news shows on PBS such NewsHour, Nightly Business Report and Frontline co-mingling resources and cooperating to produce content? That was a "what if" question posed to PBS's John Wilson at today's PTPA meeting in Baltimore. Wilson, the network's senior veep and chief TV programming executive, hinted that the concept is being eyed. Wilson said that through a Pew grant, the network has hired Tom Bettag, a former producer for ABC's Nightline and the innovative pubTV series Life 360. Bettag "has been meeting with news and public affairs producers and trying to get at how to integrate, cross-promote and cross-pollinate among the series in a way that will make more sense to the consumer." There are, Wilson added, "some early signs of silos breaking down." Stay tuned to Current's blog for more news from PTPA as well as the concurrent PBS Showcase this week.