CPB looking for researchers on tent-pole strategy

CPB has issued an RFP for research studies to evaluate the tent-pole pubTV programming strategy along with awareness, attitudes and usage among certain audiences. Deadline is Sept. 7.

How much is Martha's stinky chair worth? Stay tuned ...

Now here's a unique partnership: Antiques Roadshow and Martha Speaks. In the season premiere of the pup-ular PBS Kids show on Sept. 14, Martha's favorite "stinky" napping chair ends up on the Roadshow (photo courtesy WGBH/Susan Meddaugh). Appraiser Noel Barrett lends his voice (and face) to the episode, which teaches young viewers words such as antique, donate and valuable. One amusing moment in a preview clip on YouTube: The elderly Mrs. Demson, upon hearing that well-known PBS tagline ". . . and viewers like you, thank you," responds, "Hmph. You're welcome."

BBC production going green, slowly

The production team on the BBC drama Being Human is taking baby steps toward going green, earning praise from the Center for Social Media at American University. There are now recycling bins on the set and in offices, and staffers are working on using less paper for scripts and call sheets, reports blogger Andrew Buchanan. He adds, "OK, it won’t make the series carbon neutral, but it’s a great first step. . . . It would be great if all productions everywhere go carbon neutral as soon as possible, but entrenched behavior and customs take a while to change." The center offers a Code of Best Practices for Sustainable Filmmaking for ideas on how to go green. The BBC show, by the way, is about a werewolf, vampire and ghost who share an apartment. No word if their abode is carbon neutral.