Cooney No. 2 of 2008's top donors

Pubcasting pioneer Joan Ganz Cooney and her husband are the second largest donors of 2008 on The Chronicle of Philanthropy's annual list. Cooney and her financier husband pledged $1 billion to his Peter G. Peterson Foundation in New York, which focuses on issues including budget deficits, national and personal savings and the national debt.

Quirky KZMU a true volunteer station

Radio Moab, a Utah pubradio station powered by solar panels, boasts a somewhat rare title: A station run by volunteers. KZMU operates on about $100,000 annually with a few part-timers, none of which receive benefits. The s.m. once arrived at the station in a bath towel to cope with glitches in its 500-watt signal; the p.d. calls herself a "communitarian"; the music director is barefoot year-round and boasts several toe rings. A story in The Salt Lake Tribune captures the station's distinctive charms.

Center for Social Media eyes pubmedia agenda

The Center for Social Media has made suggestions to President-elect Barack Obama's transition team for advancing the "public media 2.0" agenda. In addition to working to increase broadband capacity, the center, part of American University's School of Communication, advises that CPB be awarded stimulus funds "for digitally-savvy staffers to build social networks at local pubcasting stations." Actions should be taken immediately, the center adds.

Coalition protesting DTV patent license fees

CUTFATT, the Coalition United to Terminate Financial Abuses of the Television Transition, is petitioning the FCC to change rules on digital TV patent licenses. The consumer advocacy group contends that manufacturers are overcharged for the technology, which raises the price on digital sets. CUTFATT wants the FCC to use a "patent-pool" system in which TV manufacturers would pay a flat rate of about $1 per set for the rights to all the necessary patents. Manufacturers in Europe and Asia are charged that fee. In the United States, the group says, manufacturers are charged $20 to $30 for the rights.

CPB partnering in Patchwork Nation

Support from new partner CPB is enabling the Patchwork Nation project to continue in 2009, past its original focus of the election year. The project examines the issues of concern and politics in 11 types of communities across the nation: Monied ’Burbs, Minority Central, Evangelical Epicenters, Tractor Country, Campus and Careers, Immigration Nation, Industrial Metropolis, Boom Towns, Service Worker Centers, Emptying Nests, and Military Bastions. The project's other partners are the Knight Foundation and The Christian Science Monitor.

Idaho needs DTV translators

IdahoPTV says it needs six new digital translators to maintain coverage during and after the digital transition in February, reports Boise Weekly. More than 400,000 people in Idaho watch over-the-air signals; during a pubTVshow on DTV in November, some 2,600 viewers called in seeking advice. For IdahoPTV, buying more repeaters would need to be done through a privately-funded capital campaign. Peter Morrill, g.m., says broadcasters need opportunities from the FCC to apply for digital translator channels.

Audience growth begins at home

Pubradio marketing and programming consultants Deborah Blakeley and Israel Smith propose a 12-month audience growth goal for public radio stations and outline the steps needed to achieve it in "Thinking Audience," the latest article published by Station Resource Group's Grow the Audience project.

Harrisonburg stations make urgent fundraising appeal

"We are among the smaller stations in the public radio system," writes Tom DuVal, g.m. of WMRA and WEMC in Harrisonburg, Va., in an email appeal for year-end donations. "We cannot cut enough expenses without having a noticeable and undesirable impact on the quality of the service you receive." Underwriting revenues have dropped sharply and decreases in government support and private contributions have added to the stations' financial woes, DuVal tells the Daily News Record. Staff members have already taken 10 percent cuts in their salaries; lay-offs and cost-cutting program changes may come down next month.

FCC head anticipates DTV challenges

Outgoing FCC Chairman Kevin Martin concedes in a Q&A with Broadcasting & Cable that challenges remain as the February DTV transition nears. One potential problem: Running out of money for converter boxes. The president-elect's transition team favors a stronger call-center program to assist viewers; Martin is calling on state broadcasters to assist. As far as funding for them, "We have some money, but there are strict rules on the government process that I can’t comment on until the contracts are awarded."

Year-end fundraising special raises $130k

Best of Public Radio 2008, a year-end fundraising special that aired on 70-plus stations on Saturday, generated contributions totaling more than $130,000 through a special website, GivetoPublicRadio.org. John Sutton, one of the marketing consultants behind the campaign, reports that some listeners chose to make donations directly to their local stations.

UPDATE: In an email, Sutton estimates that the campaign's fundraising total could hit $200,000. Donations to the campaign website have topped $166,000 as of 1 p.m. today. Listener contributions via station websites may bring in another $35,000.