State senator wants UNC-TV under university jurisdiction

North Carolina's public television network would be overseen by the University of North Carolina's School of the Arts if a state senator has her way. The provision, inserted into the state budget by Democrat Linda Garrou, surprised pubcasters at the TV network as well as school officials, reports The Winston-Salem Journal. Currently, UNC-TV is an 22-station network licensed to UNC but reporting directly to the board of governors that oversees the university system.

PBS ombudsman tackles "Sick Around America" dispute

The controversy surrounding Frontline's "Sick Around America" doc is the subject of PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler's latest column. He reports receiving notes from viewers complaining that the show failed to discuss, or even mention, the "single-payer system" of national health insurance, which some activists say is a solution to the nation's health-care crisis. Those critical comments "escalated and then exploded, producing another round of critical mail and a serious journalistic dispute." Journalist and author T.R. Reid, who did reporting for the program and was to be its on-air correspondent, dropped out of the project before it aired March 31 in a dispute over the content. He's worked on several projects with Frontline in the past. Ried told Current, "Frontline is done with me. I think they're blaming me for this mess." Reid said he finished his final interview for the project Jan. 6, saw an edited version of the program in mid-February and suggested 16 script changes, which Frontline declined to make. Read Frontline's response here.

FreePress sets media reform event May 14

Funding of journalism and public media are on the agenda of the full-day FreePress Summit “Changing Media” set for May 14. The media reform group FreePress puts the questions at stake in these words: “What can we do to support hard-hitting journalism? Who will fund quality public broadcasting? How will we safeguard an open and neutral Internet? When will we have Internet access for everyone?” The group says top policymakers will speak at the event, but registration is now open for 250 participants who will have their voices, too, in discussion groups and individual voting using wireless keypads. PBS will be wrapping up its four-day annual PBS Showcase event in Baltimore as the FreePress event begins. The Knight Foundation is funding the event at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. Tickets are free but limited in number. Details are online. Phone: 877-888-1533, ext. 603.

KERA cuts staffers, reallocates funds

KERA in Dallas is eliminating four and a half positions "so that resources can be reallocated to other areas within the organization," it said in a statement. Affected are staffers in volunteer services, data management, education programs and TV production. President Mary Anne Alhadeff said the station will use the funds to increase news and public affairs reporting and advance online services.

Q&A: Online storytelling

Amanda Hirsch, former editorial director of PBS Interactive, interviews Angela Morgenstern, senior director of PBS Interactive, in this Q&A about storytelling online. Morgenstern praises PBS KIDS GO! Broadband, "specifically, their pioneering efforts to overlay games directly onto online video. They are pushing the creative boundaries of the technologies daily, and as a result, creating an experience that will draw kids 'inside the story' in a way we haven't seen to date."

Worldfocus defends use of Al Jazeera English reports

A North Carolina congresswoman is accusing Worldfocus of airing "propoganda" from the Al Jazeera English television network. "My concern is that the American people should be pretty darn upset about the fact that their tax dollars are going to fund this," said GOP Rep. Sue Myrick. "I mean, they're already upset about what their tax dollars are going to fund, and now they're funding propaganda." The show originates from WNET and features international news. In response, e.p. Marc Rosenwasser issued a statement explaining that Worldfocus reports come from several networks including Channel 10 of Israel, Britain's ITN, Deutsche Welle of Germany, TV Globo of Brazil, Africa 24 and ABC of Australia. "Though many people who have not seen Al Jazeera English think of it as a propaganda machine for Islamic extremist causes, much of what it produces is not ideological and much is not even from that part of the world," the statement says. "We also believe Al Jazeera English does sometimes offer us and our viewers a unique perspective from various parts of the world where it has access that others don't." For more on the show, see the Current story about its launch.

NPR downsizing is a "crisis we will not waste"

Why is NPR cutting into its radio newsroom while continuing to invest in digital operations? It’s a question that’s been repeatedly posed to President Vivian Schiller as she leads the network through its latest round of budget cuts. “I’m here to tell you today, and I will continue to say this . . . until I’m blue in the face--this is a crisis we will not waste,” Schiller said during a March 30 speech at NVision 2009, a conference on the future of journalism. “The answer for us is not to retrench and just go back to what we do best, but to regroup. We have to innovate. We have to push. We have to take risks . . . . I say, we absolutely must embrace the way people use media today.” A video of Schiller’s speech, including her “to-do” list for NPR’s newsroom and digital operations is here.

NET audit details missing inventory

A state audit of Nebraska's NET reveals the pubcaster can't account for almost $600,000 of property, according to the Lincoln Journal Star. Missing inventory includes a $29,000 video camera and two $23,000 Betamax tape players. NET listed 91 items last summer it couldn't find for at least four years. NET is reviewing its practices for tracking property. "On balance, I’d say this is a well-run agency," state auditor Mike Foley said.

Tensions mounting over NPR budget woes

When KCRW's Ruth Seymour responded to Susan Stamberg's proposal to raise money for NPR by mounting a national pledge drive, she reminded the longtime NPR host that the recession is affecting local stations too: "We have our own programs to consider, our staffs to protect, and local communities to answer to," she wrote in a March 31 email that accompanies this Wall Street Journal story on how NPR's budget woes have exacerbated tensions with local stations.

Triple-whammy of financial setbacks for KKFI

KKFI, a community radio station in Kansas City, Mo., told volunteers that it could run out of money by the end of April, according to the Springfield News-Leader. The station fell $30,000 short on its fall fundraiser and then had to replace aging equipment after it was forced to move into new studios. In addition, the FCC fined KKFI for failing to renew its license on time.