Pending Kansas budget may slice pubcasting dollars by more than 50 percent

More than half of the state public broadcasting grants in Kansas will be gone if Gov. Mark Parkinson signs the 2011 budget just okayed by the legislature, reports the Wichita Eagle. The proposal cuts $900,000 of the $1.6 million in funding. If the governor approves, "2011's operating budget for most public broadcasting stations in Kansas looks grim," noted the paper. Especially hard hit would be Smoky Hills Public Television in Bunker Hill, which receives 15 percent of its budget from the state. At High Plains Public Radio in Garden City, a 10 percent cut. Wichita's KPTS counts on 12 percent of its $2.7 budget from the state. If the governor signs the budget, cuts take effect July 1. "That gives us just six weeks to come up with the funds," said Lynn Meredith, Smoky Hills PubTV CEO. "Some of the programs require 90 days' notice and expect payment even if we no longer show them."

Proffitt leaves KETC after two months

Pubcaster/blogger John Proffitt (see item below), who departed Alaska for KETC in March, has left the St. Louis station. He'd worked there as director of digital engagement, "but from the get-go I had several intuitions things weren’t quite right, at least for me."

Mobile DTV is DOA, pubcasting blogger opines

"I have nothing technically against mobile DTV," writes pubcaster John Proffitt on his Gravity Medium blog. "It’s a significant achievement in that sense. But I can’t see how it makes it big in this mediasphere. The stars are aligned against it. It’s Dead On Arrival." People out-and-about use video in limited ways, he says. Spectrum savings are meaningless. Technology is changing to quickly for mobile DTV to keep up. After making his argument he adds: "Given this analysis, all I can do is hope public TV people out there avoid spending too much time or money on this distraction." Meanwhile, the Open Mobile Video Coalition, which includes public broadcasters, launched its consumer trial earlier this month in Washington, D.C. WHUT at Howard University is one of nine area stations offering viewers a chance to get a look at broadcasts on a variety of mobile devices. Meanwhile, WGBH's mobile DTV is now up and running (Current, March 26); it's the first pubcasting station to offer the service.

PubTV tops cable, broadcast networks for Daytime Emmy nods

Public television has 52 Daytime Emmy nominations, more than any other broadcast or cable network. Nominees for the 37th annual honors were announced today by the National Academy of Television Arts & Sciences. Perennial fave Sesame Street was the most nominated children’s show with 14 nods, and swept the outstanding performer in a children’s series category. Others with multiple nominations: The Electric Company, eight; Design Squad, four; Fetch! With Ruff Ruffman, three; WordGirl, three; Between the Lions, two; Sid the Science Kid, two; APT’s Avec Eric, two, and Biz Kid$, two. Last year, PBS programs had 47 nominees and 13 wins. The honors will be presented on June 27 (9:00-11:00 live p.m. ET/delayed PT) from the Las Vegas Hilton on CBS. Here is the full list of nominees.

That PBS cap must be aerodynamic

This just in: Photographic evidence of PBS President Paula Kerger with her jaunty PBS hat powering toward the finish line of the Kinetic Sprint triathlon in Spotsylvania, Va., last weekend. Her strongest event was the 18-mile bike ride, in which she finished 41st of 252 women with a time of 1:11:18. Kerger also swam 750 meters and ran 5k. All in one day. In 2:14:38, actually. And what did you do last Sunday?

Get out the duct tape, Red Green may be heading your way

Steve Smith, who plays the title character in The Red Green Show, never expected it to last more than one season. And here it is, Season 15 and still popular on pubcasting stations nationwide, the longest running Canadian program in American TV history. "We did the show just to make ourselves laugh," he tells the Woodinville Weekly in Washington State. The show’s success "has been a total shock and surprise to us. Even when we stopped doing it five years ago we thought it would just die, but it kept on being renewed." Although production ended after 300 episodes, his character lives on in a one-man traveling show he calls "The Wit and Wisdom Tour." He recently sold out in Cedarburg, Wisc., and Boise. "It’s a labor of love, not work. I’m glad to be there."

Washington Post's Shales skewers debut of Need to Know

Tom Shales, the Washington Post's vaunted TV columnist, is one of the few (if only) mainstream media writers so far to critique WNET's new pubaffairs show Need to Know. And to say that he does not care for the show is a huge understatement. Excerpts:

-- "PBS promises that this dreadful Need to Know show, which supplements vacuous televised drivel with fancily designed Web-page graphics, 'empowers audiences to "tune in" anytime and anywhere.' Meaning that you are free to supplement inadequate broadcast material with unsatisfying Internet material whenever you inexplicably get the urge. Oh boy, what a boon!"

-- The show ". . . arguably has to be seen to be believed, but you're probably better off basking in benign and, in this case, nutritious ignorance."

-- Co-anchor Jon Meacham " . . . looked forlorn, as if having been left out in the rain," and partner Alison Stewart "looked as though she would have been much more comfortable in Clinton's lap," after the former president appeared earlier in a "fawning, fatuous interview."

Perhaps other TV writers are giving the show some time to coalesce, as PBS Ombudsman Michael Getler suggests to viewers.

Summit takes up proposals for pubcasting reform

A white paper on the future of public media will help shape the discussion at the Free Press Summit, which kicks off at 10 a.m. on May 11 at the Newseum in Washington, D.C. The paper analyzes several options for financing a trust fund that would increase the field's funding six-fold and eventually end its reliance on congressional appropriations. It also calls for changes in the system for appointing the board of directors of Corporation for Public Broadcasting and proposes new standards of community service at CPB-funded stations. For a live webcast of the first four hours of the summit, tune your browser here.

PBS, NPR, SNL

In case you missed it, Saturday Night Live managed to parody both PBS and NPR programming within the first 30 minutes of last weekend's show, which was hosted by actress Betty White, still hilarious at 88 years old. Opening the show was a Lawrence Welk sketch (complete with PBS logo in the bottom corner of the screen) and later came a new "Delicious Dish" segment, a cooking show a la those smooth-talking NPR hosts.

Three icon series post double-digit increases in Nielsen ratings

The first-quarter Nielsen numbers that arrived recently at WGBH were surprising -- in a very positive way. Antiques Roadshow, Masterpiece and Nova each posted double-digit increases in audience numbers over this same time last year, according to the Sponsoring Group for Public Television, sales org for the shows. In a statement the group noted that the three shows "were up in desirable demos, significantly outperforming key competitive cable networks." Roadshow had total audience growth of 18 percent, including increases of 17 percent in adults 35 to 64 and 7 percent in adults 25 to 54. For Masterpiece, total audience grew 31 percent, increased 25 percent among adults 35 to 64 and 20 percent in adults 25 to 54. And for Nova, total audience swelled 17 percent as well as 9 percent among adults 35 to 64. The shows also lured in more viewers compared with leading cable networks. For adults 25 to 54, Roadshow and Nova beat those numbers for A&E, History, Discovery Channel and FOX News. Masterpiece bested primetime cable averages for Discovery Channel, Fox News, Lifetime and Bravo. "Too soon to know if it’s a trend, but we certainly hope so!," WGBH Marketing Director Roberta Haber told Current. Why the bump? "It's hard to say," Haber said. "We’d like to think it’s because viewers are returning to quality programming."