LZ Lambeau outreach brings in more than 70,000 vets and supporters

Event organizers have announced the final count of visitors to LZ Lambeau, Wisconsin Public TV's massive "welcome home" for Vietnam vets last weekend. More than 70,000 people attended over the three days, and some 26,000 were present for the Saturday evening tribute event (above, Current image). Despite rain on Friday, 1,244 motorcycles completed the LZL Honor Ride from LaCrosse, Wisc., to Lambeau Field. A TV crew from PBS affiliate WGVU in Grand Rapids, Mich., was there capturing the happenings and getting tips for its LZ Michigan in July. "It's moving, and it impacts more than just, 'Here's a documentary,' or, 'Here's an event,'" Timothy Eernisse, development and marketing manager for WGVU, told the Green Bay ABC affiliate.

Get your Tweet on at Wednesday webinar

Curious about Tweeting and the Monday Public Media Chats? Get up to speed Wednesday (May 26) at a Peer Webinar sponsored by the National Center for Media Engagement and American Public Media. Learn how to Tweet and Twitter and engage in all those other birdlike social media techniques from Rob Bole, CPB's veep of digital media strategy; Katie Kemple, PR and social media consultant; Julia Schrenkler, interactive producer, digital media, Minnesota Public Radio; Jonathan Coffman, PBS product manager, social media; Adam Schweigert, director of new media at WFIU/WTIU in Bloomington, Ind.; and pubmedia consultant and prolific blogger John Proffitt. The one-hour webinar kicks off at 2 p.m. Eastern, register here.

APT appoints contracts manager

American Public Television's new contracts manager is entertainment attorney John Taxiarchis, said APT President Cynthia Fenneman in a statement today (May 25). Taxiarchis’ experience also includes intellectual property and new media, "both also important to APT," Fenneman said. Taxiarchis will report to David Fournier, APT finance and administration veep.

Now THAT is some goodbye

Gravity Medium blogger John Proffitt weighs in on the bridge-burning farewell letter from former WLIW/WNET producer Sam Toperoff, which is quite the buzz throughout the system.

Pubcaster's book chronicles deaths of characters that never were

Ever read Mr. Ed's obituary? How about the Flying Nun's? Barry Nelson, WGBH's director of on-air fundraising, has a new book out with those and more, co-authored with Tom Schecker. Mr. Ed: Dead! provides obits for everyone from Betty Crocker to Houlden Caulfield. Why? They each had a fictional life and deserve "an equally creative death," as the book's website says. "We think it's the perfect book for the public radio generation(s)," Nelson told Current, "filled with popular culture references and the kind of satirical humor they've been enjoying for years, such as The Onion and National Lampoon." Nelson said the book will be available as a thank-you gift for pledge campaigns. Nelson and Schecker's last book was War on Xmas: The Official Field Manual in 2006.