"We're past PBS," KCET President Al Jerome tells the Los Angeles Times in a story posted Monday (July 4). "We're doing our own thing now. All we have to do is stay to our game plan, and we're gonna do just fine."
KCET is developing new programs including L.A. Tonight with Roy Firestone, featuring the sportscaster chatting with local subjects; Global Watch, a weekly half-hour foreign affairs show hosted by author Reza Aslan; Live at the Ford, a performing-arts program from the local Ford Amphitheatre; and The Time to Care for elder caregivers.
KCET departed PBS membership in January, and WMFE in Orlando did so July 1 as it awaits a decision from the Federal Communications Commission on its sale. "Our system is undergoing a transition as we move from a structure that was largely based in the original analog broadcast model to one that meets the needs of a multi-platform digital world," PBS President Paula Kerger told the paper. "Station collaborations, consolidations and mergers are all part of that transition. As shifts have occurred, stations have stepped forward with new partnerships and operation models to meet the needs of viewers."
