The Washington Times talks with David Brancaccio in advance of his Friday debut as the solo host of PBS's Now. Though the formerly hour-long newsmag has been cut to 30 minutes, the roving anchor, who will host each show from a different locale, says the smaller window will result in fewer, not shorter, stories. "If a piece was 18 minutes in '04, it will be 18 minutes in '05," he says. (via Romenesko)

KERA in Dallas announced Monday that president and CEO Gary Ferrell had unexpectedly resigned for personal reasons. Station spokeswoman Sharon Philippart told the Dallas Business Journal the resignation, which was effective immediately, was not requested by the KERA board. Ferrell, former CFO at Los Angeles' KCET, is reportedly returning to California. The Kansas City Star also reports that William T. Reed will announce this week that he's stepping down as president and CEO of Kansas City Public Television effective June 30. (registration req.)

Public radio consultant John Sutton has started a weblog featuring his thoughts on the field and asking for comments from others.

Public TV's Frontline/World invited journalism schools to recommend young journalists for reporting fellowships on its website. Selected students and recent graduates of the schools would work with the series' website to report on international stories not covered in mainstream media. Applications from individuals will not be considered, the producers said. Fellows have already contributed many stories to the site.

The websites of The World and Afropop Worldwide listed charities assisting in tsunami relief and Afropop producer Sean Barlow urged public radio to rally support from listeners.

The Heinz Endowments gave a second million dollars to build a Fred M. Rogers Center for Early Learning and Children's Media at Saint Vincent College in the late PBS host's hometown of Latrobe, Pa., the college said. With the December donation, the philanthropy has given $2.1 million to the project. The state pledged $5 million in October, the Pittsburgh Post-Gazette reported.

The Italian government proposes to sell 30 percent of its big pubcaster, RAI, reports Britain’s Observer. Legislation forbids any shareholder from owning more than 1 percent. Prime Minister Berlusconi, owner of RAI’s major competition, has no interest in seeing RAI become a strong commercial broadcaster, and neither do his political opponents, says the Observer. The Italian Antitrust Authority criticizes the powerful advertising duopoly composed of Berlusconi’s holdings, with 65 percent of TV advertising, and RAI, with 29 percent, according to the International Herald Tribune.

Longtime TV correspondent Ed Gordon will start a show replacing Tavis Smiley's on public radio, said NPR and the African American Public Radio Consortium today. Gordon has reported for NBC and was recently named a contributing correspondent for CBS's 60 Minutes Wednesday. Smiley left NPR Dec. 16.

Garrison Keillor has promised to deliver "a quiet and thoughtful Lutheran pastor" plus the "entire Prairie Home Companion complement" on a one-week circular Holland America Line cruise from Boston to Nova Scotia, Prince Edward Island and Bar Harbor, Maine, starting Aug. 20. Cheaper cabins are sold out already. Some remain at $2,350 to $3,800 per person, double occupancy. Public TV stations helped sell cabins on a November cruise of the Mediterranean starring Robert MacNeil, Jim Lehrer and other PBS figures.

The Iowa Board of Regents on Thursday endorsed a report that calls for Iowa's three university-based radio stations, WOI, WSUI/KSUI and KUNI/KHKE, to merge into a network called Iowa Public Radio, the Des Moines Register reports. The move is expected to generate more listeners, extend coverage and reduce the amount of state support for the stations by $300,000.