West Virginia pubcasting audit reveals issues with its relationship with nonprofs

An audit of the Educational Broadcasting Authority in West Virginia (PDF) released to state legislators Wednesday (June 9) concludes that by operating two supporting nonprofits with separate bank accounts it may not be following state requirements, reports the Charleston Gazette. Among the findings: That EBA employees do not have the authority to fundraise and provide administrative support for Friends of West Virginia Public Broadcasting and the West Virginia Public Broadcasting Foundation (both those groups have no employees). And while the EBA may receive donations, its employees cannot solicit donations on state time. Auditors put forth a series of recommendations, including that the two nonprofits "operate as complete and separate entities" with different missions and finances "to protect the financial rights of the state and persons affected by the agency's activities." In its response, EBA said seeking an opinion from the West Virginia Ethics Commission on the issue of its employees supporting the two entities, and that its board passed a resolution earlier this month turning over control of underwriting funds to the state.

PBS lays off 13

Thirteen staffers "will be leaving PBS," network President Paula Kerger said in a memo to the system today (June 9). "The entire PBS senior management team actively participated" in the decisions, she added. Departments affected include marketing and communications, interactive and general counsel.

FCC news: Cap Hill testimony, and an upcoming forum

In a hearing today (June 9) on Capitol Hill, Federal Communications Commission Chairman Julius Genachowski asked Congress for its assistance in reclaiming spectrum for mobile broadband, reports Broadcasting & Cable. The request came during the House Appropriations Committee Financial Services Subcommittee testimony on the FCC's 2011 budget. Genachowski said the spectrum giveback (background, Current, Feb. 8, 2010) was good for all parties involved — broadcasters, viewers and the government — but the feds need to move quickly to head off a looming spectrum shortage. Congress needs to okay use of some proceeds from the spectrum auction to compensate broadcasters. "Ironically," writes B&C reporter John Eggerton, "access to the hearing itself over broadband was interrupted for a large swath of the proceedings due to streaming problems."

Forum news: The agency announced a daylong forum June 25 (PDF) at its headquarters in Washington to explore the technical end of freeing up broadcast spectrum. Topics: cellularization of broadcast architecture, methodologies for repacking the TV band, improvements in VHF reception, and advancements in compression technology. Interested? Follow along on the FCC's live feed that day.

It's Takeaway vs. Morning Edition in Minneapolis

On community station KFAI-FM in Minneapolis, The Takeaway, the live drivetime news show from Public Radio International that launched in April 2008, will go head-to-head with the powerhouse Morning Edition from 5 to 8 a.m. starting June 30, writes David Brauer, MinnPost's media reporter. He says The Takeaway "is like Morning Edition in a hoodie: more casual, younger-skewing, and international, but hardly the rush to the barricades" that Amy Goodman of Democracy Now! provides. (Democracy Now! will follow The Takeaway at 8.) KFAI, feeling pressure to draw a larger audience and maintain its CPB grant, is moving music to make room for news. Blanche Sibley's Friday Fubar Omniverse is one local show being shunted from morning drive to the 10 a.m.-noon slot. She told Brauer: “You take 15 hours away from community listenership. PRI has been pushing The Takeaway for two and a half years. Why should we whore ourselves out like that? We should have a pledge drive to dump the CPB.”

WOXM, Classical 90.1 in Vermont, takes to the airwaves

There's a new pubradio music station today: Vermont Public Radio's Classical 90.1 WOXM, which signed on this morning (June 8). It launched with a performance by pianist Annemieke Spoelstra live from Middlebury College. The station brings VPR Classical to more than 83,000 listeners in most of Addison County. VPR also finalized its purchase in May of WCVR 102.1 FM, based in Randolph; that should begin broadcast this summer, also as VPR Classical. It's Vermont’s only classical music network featuring local hosts. Station spokesperson Michelle Jeffery told Current the station has been in the process of bolstering its classical offerings since 2007, when VPR split its news and music services. It received a license to build a full-power transmitter that year and completed a successful capital drive to fund that $350,000 project for WOXM.

U.S. Forest Service temporarily alters rules affecting pubTV camera crews

The controversy over Idaho Public Television's request to film in a federal wilderness area is spreading. The Associated Press via the Spokesman-Review in Spokane, Wash., reports that pro-wilderness groups say that filming within areas such as the 2.3-million-acre Frank Church River of No Return Wilderness, which IPTV has been doing for 30 years, may not reflect "appropriate stewardship" of the lands. IPTV's show Outdoor Idaho annually follows students doing conservation work within the wilderness. Last month its cameras were denied access by a U.S. Forest Service supervisor, who said theirs was a commercial enterprise. That decision was reversed after Gov. Butch Otter and Republican U.S. Rep. Mike Simpson complained the Forest Service had inappropriately barred cameras, and the Forest Service conducted an investigation.

But more voices are questioning pubTV cameras venturing into the wilderness, as Oregon Public Broadcasting also does. Forest Service Employees for Environmental Ethics fears relaxed guidelines will mean more intrusive filming. And at least one member of the Student Conservation Association filmed by the Outdoor Idaho crew in late May objected to appearing on camera, on grounds it violated the "wilderness ethos," according to AP.

In the wake of the dustup, temporary guidelines for wilderness filming permits took affect last Thursday (June 3) and expire in December 2011, at which time the Forest Service must have in place permanent regulations. Previously, Forest Service managers were directed to issue permits for commercial filming only when the projects contributed “to the purposes for which the wilderness area was established.” Under new criteria, special-use permits are issued if filming has a “primary objective of spreading information about the enjoyment of wilderness or its ecological, geological, scientific, educational, scenic or historical values; helps preserve the wilderness character; doesn’t advertise products or services; and if there aren’t suitable film sites outside wilderness.”

The show addressed the situation on its website, saying, ". . . please remember this: Outdoor Idaho is definitely not 'commercial.' And we look forward to documenting many more stories on the public’s land."

Sesame Wii games use unique (and fuzzy) remote-control cover

For the first time, two video games will use a cover to actually hide buttons on the Wii Remote. "Elmo's A-to-Zoo Adventure" and "Cookie's Counting Carnival" games from Sesame Street will use the plush cover (Elmo, right) to make the Nintendo control less confusing for youngsters, the Associated Press reports. "We will be the first to introduce such an aid," said Scott Chambers, Sesame Workshop senior vice president of media distribution. "We're doing it so that preschoolers can play and learn from these Sesame Street games without feeling frustrated with the controller." The two titles are also the first Wii games from Sesame Workshop. The games are designed for 3- to 5-year-olds to be able to play without help from their parents.

Speaking of Sesame Street, don't miss the photos of the eighth annual Sesame Workshop Benefit Gala on June 2, now up on entertainment site Monsters and Critics. Word on the Street is it's the first time Snuffy attended.

Upcoming PBS concert has gamers excited

The video gaming community is going bonkers in anticipation of a PBS special airing July 31 and through August. And it's no wonder: According to the Video Games Live website, the 90-minute orchestral performance includes "never before televised live musical performances from the Mario, Zelda, Sonic, Halo, Warcraft, Final Fantasy, Castlevania, God of War, Civilization, Chrono Cross, StarCraft and Guitar Hero franchises, including a musical journey through Classic Gaming." It describes the show as an "immersive concert event" featuring music from the video games along with "synchronized lighting, solo performers, electronic percussionists, live action and unique interactive segments to create an explosive entertainment experience!" It adds that the event is put on by the video game industry "to help encourage and support the culture and art that video games have become." The Louisiana Philharmonic Orchestra does the honors for this concert (above), filmed in February in New Orleans. Watch the PBS trailer here. Will this bring in a younger audience? Well, as one comment post on the trailer says, "omg, i love pbs now."

"LZ" webinar registration opens

Registration is now open for the June 23 webinar on LZ Lambeau from the National Center for Media Engagement. The event, a belated welcome home to Vietnam vets, was the largest single outreach in public broadcasting, with around 70,000 participants over three days last month. At least three stations are now planning similar or scaled-down tributes; the webinar will feature reps from sponsoring station Wisconsin Public Television offering advice. A CPB-funded toolkit also is coming up.

Newspaper reports "radical restructuring" probable for New Jersey Network

The Daily Record of Parsnippany, N.J., today (June 6) takes an in-depth look at the challenges facing NJN pubTV and radio. It reports that state aid is drying up, staff cuts are "a near certainty" and a draft plan is attempting to "reinvent" the New Jersey Network. "A radical restructuring of NJN appears likely, and it’s not clear what the station will look like when it’s done—and whether a not-for-profit, independent charitable media organization can survive, let alone thrive," it says.