WGBH tells paper more reductions coming

More cutbacks are on the way at WGBH, The Boston Globe reports, although station management declined to offer specifics. The station, which produces more than a third of PBS's primetime lineup, continues to struggle. “We’re making a lot of difficult choices,’’ chief exec Jonathan C. Abbott told the paper. The paper points out the station has a nearly $7 million shortfall to correct; see Current's Aug. 3 story for details on that. WGBH also had layoffs in December (Current, Dec. 22, 2008) amounting to 2 percent of its workforce.

KCET revs up wildfire news coverage, advises over-the-air viewers to watch online

"Right now the fire is the boss," a supervisor for the U.S. Forest Service tells an LA Times correspondent in this report on fire fighters' efforts to protect the communications center on Mt. Wilson. Meanwhile, KCET-TV in Los Angeles, one of six pubcasters with transmitters on the site, has distinguished itself among LA's TV outlets by ramping up its news coverage of the wildfires in the Angeles National Forest, according to the blog LA Observed. Yesterday the station began airing reports on the fire every half hour; SoCal Connected, KCET's local public affairs series, created a special website for wildfire news. The site includes a video anchored by KCET President Al Jerome, who warns viewers that the station may lose its broadcast signal. Classical KUSC, which also has a transmitter on Mt. Wilson, has begun broadcasting from a back-up transmitter on Lookout Mountain in the Hollywood Hills. UPDATE: With help from KUSC, Pasadena's KPCC-FM has made back-up plans to switch to a transmitter at the same location if necessary. The transmitter will operate at relatively low power and height, KPCC says in a news release, but will cover a significant portion of the station's normal broadcast area in Los Angeles and Orange County. Engineers from both KUSC and KPCC worked overnight to set up the transmitter. KPCC is also bringing in reporters from Minnesota Public Radio, its parent station in the American Public Media Group, and San Diego's KPBS, as it expands its wildfire coverage.

'Self-indulgent' reports had him 'screaming at his radio'

Greg Collard, news director at WFAE in Charlotte, released a little collard spleen this month about a couple of NPR veterans getting personal with stories: Margot Adler, with her elegy on storm damage to Central Park trees near her apartment in the West 90s, and Larry Abramson, with a piece about parents (like him) outfitting their kids' dorm rooms. Collard concludes in the station's blog: "NPR humor. Sometimes it's hard to defend, especially when it's so self-indulgent."

Six pubcasting towers in the line of wildfire on Mt. Wilson

The situation on Mt. Wilson, where six Los Angeles area pubcasting outlets have transmitters, is increasingly dire, according to the Los Angeles Times. Fire fighters were taken off the mountain this morning because it was too dangerous to have them working so close to the tower facilities. "There is a good chance the fire will hit Mt. Wilson today," said Ray Dombroski, spokesperson for the U.S. Forest Service. Pubcasting stations with towers in jeopardy include KOCE-TV in Orange County; KLCS-TV, which is owned by the Los Angeles Unified School District; Pacifica Radio’s KPFK; classical KUSC-FM; and, as previously reported, KPCC in Pasadena and KCET-TV. Scott Fybush, a broadcast journalist who tracks and blogs about radio transmission facilities, provided the list of pubcasters on Mt. Wilson. KUSC has a back-up transmission site on Mt. Harvard, which he described as a “hilltop about half a mile south of the main Mount Wilson towers.” KPFK posted a photo of the tower site, taken this morning through clouds of smoke. This Facebook page is posting regular updates on the fires around the antenna farm. Earlier today, a commander told KPCC's Patricia Nazario there's "absolutely nothing they can do to keep the fire from consuming Mt. Wilson." Full audio of her report is here. Earlier item here.

Pubcasting shows score Daytime Creative Arts Emmys

PBS was honored with 13 Daytime Creative Arts Emmys, the most of any network, in ceremonies on Saturday night. Included are outstanding children’s animated show (WordWorld), preschool children’s series (Between the Lions) and lifestyle show (This Old House). Three shows not distributed by PBS but running on the network, BizKids, Equitrekking and Diary of a Foodie, also won honors. ABC won 10; Nickelodeon, eight; CBS, five; Food Network, three; and Cartoon Network and NBC, both two. The awards were presented at the the Westin Bonaventure Hotel and hosted by Alex Trebek. Here's a full list of winners. At the main ceremonies the next night at the Orpheum Theatre, a lifetime achievement award went to Sesame Street, now in its 40th year. Actress Sandra Oh was joined onstage to salute the show by Big Bird, Elmo, Oscar the Grouch and Cookie Monster. Also this past weekend, KCET scored six Los Angeles Emmys, and KLCS one. Here's a list of those winners (PDF).

Stroud disengages in Madison

Maria Alvarez Stroud, public TV’s outreach advocate for most of this millennium, is moving to a new position at the University of Wisconsin-Extension. She’s been executive director of the CPB-backed National Center for Media Engagement in Madison since its founding as the National Center for Outreach in 2000. Stroud’s new job is special assistant to the school’s provost and vice chancellor, working on broadband delivery of public media projects. Charles Meyer is serving as interim e.d.

Now on PBS heading to MIPCOM

Now on PBS, a WNET production, will be presented at the prestigious MIPCOM International Film and Program Market for Television, Video, Cable and Satellite in October in Cannes, France. It's one of the world's biggest entertainment trade events. "This series has been on the air for seven years in the U.S., but this will be the first time that it has ever been introduced to the international market," said Marielle Zuccarelli, senior veep of international sales for distributor GRB Entertainment. It's good news for the show, which earlier this year told its staff to take eight weeks of unpaid leave to offset a $1 million budget shortfall (Current, March 30).

Farewell, Reading Rainbow

Nice tributes out there to Reading Rainbow as sun sets today on the 26-year pubcasting fave (as Current reported earlier this month). Here's one from NPR's Morning Edition, in case you missed it. Veronica Harley, a blogger for AOL, takes a sentimental look back; more than a dozen folks left comments on what the show meant to them--including this one: "I am highly upset! I'm 17 yrs old & I still watch Reading Rainbow as soon as I come home faithfully!" But the program won’t die completely, reports Business First in Buffalo. Reading Rainbow will remain available in the educational video market for use by teachers.

News site posts controversial WYCC videos

A few of the videos that sparked a federal lawsuit by a former g.m. of WYCC in Chicago are now posted on a local news website. Chi-Town Daily News, which broke the story last month, reports that the PBS station, owned by City Colleges, produced videos that appeared to benefit politicians and friends of former chancellor Wayne Watson. The programs never aired. Maria Moore, former head of the station, said in her suit that she was fired after she complained to Watson about the productions. Her lawsuit also asserts that the chancellor's orders to make the videos violated terms of the station's government grant funding and broke federal tax rules for charities, as CPB funds cannot be used for political purposes.

University agrees to postpone WLIU sale

WLIU-FM 88.3 at Long Island University has secured a reprieve, if only for a two more months, reports The Southampton News. University officials recently announced that it would stop funding the station on its Stony Brook Southampton campus on Oct. 3, the day its lease expired, and put it up for sale. Wally Smith, station manager, said that a negotiated agreement will allow WLIU to continue broadcasting at least until Dec. 3. Smith is forming a nonprofit corporation to raise funds to purchase the station’s licenses and equipment; he also hopes to keep the same staff. LIU Chief Financial Officer Robert Altholz told Current: “As much as I and others love the station, it’s running a deficit”--more than $1 million for the fiscal year ending Aug. 31. “What we’re really doing is taking tuition revenue and subsidizing a radio station.”