“We are proud to sponsor WKAR’s educational initiatives, including the WKAR Reading Kit project that provides over 10,000 books to children and families,” said April Clobes, MSUFCU president and CEO. “We’re pleased to partner with WKAR to ensure that all children in our community have access to high-quality educational programming.”

The MSUFCU donation will enable WKAR’s education department to host community pop-up events and procure more literacy tools and books to be distributed to children and families throughout mid-Michigan. In addition, the donation will assist WKAR in hosting more virtual education workshops and trainings for educators and families.

“This gift from MSUFCU will allow us to support the educational needs of the community in ways that will have a lasting and positive impact on children and their families,” said Shawn Turner, general manager of WKAR. “Thanks to the generosity of MSUFCU, we are able to put resources in place to benefit parents, educators, and children across mid-Michigan. It’s the kind of work that really matters to everyone here at WKAR.”

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The Feb. 2 announcement of Padgett’s leadership comes after Ronnie Agnew left WOSU in October 2022. Padgett holds 30 years of broadcast industry experience and is departing from his position as president and CEO of South Carolina ETV, according to the WOSU press release. Though he’s had many media experiences, Padgett said the essence of his work remains the same.

“I really believe public media lies in giving a voice to people that otherwise would not have had as loud a voice,” Padgett said. “There’s something extremely humbling and profound about taking those ideas and words and knowing the impacts you’ll have on people.”

The post Anthony Padgett will serve as general manager of WOSU Public Media appeared first on Public Media Now.

“When we say we are eliminating filled positions, we are talking about our colleagues – people whose skills, spirit and talents help make NPR what it is today,” Lansing wrote in a memo to staff today. “This will be a major loss.”

On an annual budget of roughly $300 million, Lansing says, revenues are likely to fall short by close to $30 million, although that gap could reach $32 million.

“We’re not seeing signs of a recovery in the advertising market,” Lansing says in an interview. “Nothing is nailed down yet except the principles and what we know we have to reach.”

The post NPR’s chief executive announced the network would lay off roughly 10% of its current workforce appeared first on Public Media Now.

The contest opens for entries today (Dec 1, 2021) and closes on Feb. 28, 2022. The grand-prize winner will receive $5,000, and the other finalists will receive $500 each. NPR wants to hear the ideas, the issues, the discussions that are bubbling up on campus.

FOR COLLEGE STUDENTS
They will begin collecting submissions on December 1, 2021. Professor help or involvement is not required.
The deadline for submissions is February 28, 2022.

FOR STUDENTS IN GRADES 5-12
They will begin collecting submissions on January 1, 2021. Submissions must be supported by a teacher.
The deadline for submissions isn March 21, 2022.

Learn More: https://studentpodcastchallenge22.splashthat.com/

The post NPR’s College Podcast Challenge with a $5,000 prize! appeared first on Public Media Now.

“At the brewery, we’ve been huge fans of TPT since childhood,” said Murphy Johnson, Co-founder and Director of Creative & Product Development at BlackStack Brewing. “As we’ve grown up, ‘Minnesota Experience’ has shown a light on so many little-known stories & incredible historical moments in the place that we’ve always called home. The opportunity to work with their team to create something fun & tangible for viewers to experience that also supports the show feels really special to us, and we can’t wait for you to try it.”

This is the first partnership of its kind to benefit the Minnesota Experience, which will have a total of three films this fall and one more this coming spring, on topics ranging from local food co-ops to death and dying practices to activism against racism. The Minnesota Experience will get $10 of support for each case of beer sold.

“TPT viewers are passionate and invested in what we do,” said Lynn Farmer, Vice President of Marketing and Communications. “We are so proud of this collaboration as a new way to celebrate our connection with our viewers.”

The TPT beer is available beginning Wednesday, Nov. 24 while supplies last at almost 80 local liquor stores throughout the Twin Cities and North Metro.

The post “Viewers Like You” beer released by TPT & BlackStack Brewing appeared first on Public Media Now.

CPB understands that individual firms may not have the necessary expertise to provide the services requested. Accordingly, CPB will consider joint proposals submitted by collaborating organizations. CPB will contract with the lead party which will be responsible for the final product. Additionally, CPB may apportion this work among the selected vendors.

CPB will compensate the Expert on an hourly agreed-upon rate. The contract term will be for 24 months (2 years) and thereafter, CPB will have the option to extend the term of the agreement for two additional six-month terms, at its sole discretion, at agreed-upon hourly rates, for any additional assistance CPB may require relating to NextGen TV or spectrum. Additionally, CPB requests that applicants include in their proposal the services of a copy editor to assist with any requested technical position papers and other documents that must be of publishable quality.

Learn More
https://www.cpb.org/grants/NextGen-TV-Transition-and-Broadcast-Engineering-Expert

Application Procedure and General Questions:
Applicants must submit their technical and cost proposals through CPB’s electronic grants management system.

To gain access to the electronic grants management system, please send an email request to Shawn Richardson, Project Manager, at srichardson@cpb.org, no later than Thursday, December 10, 2020 at 5:00pm ET. CPB will provide access to eligible applicants within two business days. If your organization already has an account within CPB’s electronic grants system, you must still request access to this RFP.

Once access is granted, applicants will be able to upload the technical proposal and the cost proposal separately in the appropriate fields. Proposals are due Thursday, December 17, 2020 at 4:00pm Eastern Time. All questions related to this RFP must be submitted in writing no later than Wednesday, December 9, 2020 to Mr. Richardson at the email address above. The questions and CPB’s responses will be posted on CPB’s website without attribution.

Deadline Summary:
December 9, 2020 – Deadline to submit questions
December 10, 2020 – Deadline to request access to Grants Management System
December 17, 2020 – Proposal submissions due by 4:00pm ET

The post CPB RFP: NextGen TV Transition and Broadcast Engineering Expert appeared first on Public Media Now.

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS received a Ready To Learn grant from the U.S. Department of Education’s Office of Elementary and Secondary Education.

The grant, set for a five-year cycle, provides $24,322,018 per year to fund CPB and PBS’s comprehensive multi-media learning and station engagement initiative. This initiative aims to connect children’s media and learning environments through content where adult role models share how they turned their childhood interests into their life’s work. CPB and PBS have a goal to help parents, caregivers and communities support children’s learning and growth by putting them on a path to success in learning, work, and life.

CPB and PBS will work with experts in early learning and leading children’s media producers including Wombats! (w.t.), produced by GBH and Liza Loops (w.t.), created and produced by Dave Peth, along with additional producers and partners, to create new multimedia platforms, such as with a literacy curriculum, in addition to digital games and podcasts, as well as resources to support family learning at home, in virtual spaces, and in the community.

An excerpt from the announcement:

“During these challenging times, public media continues to deliver value to the American people through our consistent commitment to early learners. As COVID-19 continues to disrupt education, public media is working to ensure that the nation’s children, especially those in low-income communities, have access to learning and are not left behind,” said Pat Harrison, President and CEO for CPB. “The funding by Congress and the Department of Education will provide vital resources to public media for the creation of research-based educational content, that will be offered free of charge and commercial-free, to help children prepare to succeed in work and life.”

The first phase of work will take place in 12 communities, including Anchorage, Alaska (Alaska Public Media); Austin, Texas (Austin PBS); Birmingham, Alabama (Alabama Public Television); Detroit (Detroit Public TV); Las Vegas (Vegas PBS); Lexington, Kentucky (Kentucky Educational Television); Los Angeles (PBS SoCaL); Madison, Wisconsin (PBS Wisconsin); New York (WNET); Owings Mill, Maryland (Maryland Public Television); Pittsburgh (WQED); and Tallahassee, Florida (WFSU). Additional communities will be added during the second through fifth years of the grant.

Congratulations to everyone receiving this grant!

Find more details in the press release: https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/blogs/news/cpb-and-pbs-awarded-ready-to-learn-grant-from-the-us-department-of-education/ 

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Excerpt from their announcement:

It’s 2020, and we’re on the air from Alaska to Antarctica

PRX Remix is on nearly 40 public radio stations. We went on the air at McMurdo Station in Antarctica earlier this year, which we’re feeling very cool about.

Bad freezing-weather puns aside, we truly value our station partners and geographic reach. We are proud to be both in big cities and small markets that serve rural and remote populations. To us, “small” isn’t small — it means we are serving the whole country and making public media more public.

We have broadcast work by over 1,000 audio creators

We have aired everything from big-name podcasts like “99% Invisible” to pieces by those currently serving in the military, personal essays, and weird sounds.

We air work by students who just produced their first audio pieces, and we play them alongside established shows.

Thank you to all 1,080 of you.

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Maja Mrkoci, CPB’s Chief Content and Innovation Officer is Stepping Down

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) announced that Chief Content Officer Maja Mrkoci is resigning on October 2.

Her personal remarks and advice for Public Media:   “During my years of working in public media and in light of the pandemic, two things have really stood out to me — the resilience of the public media system and the fierce dedication of its people,” said Mrkoci. “The relationships we build with each other and with our audience will continue to be key to its future. I have no doubt that the system will emerge from this moment with new insight and stronger than ever.”

Mrkoci joined CPB in 2015 as the Vice President for Content and Digital Media. Subsequently, as Vice President for Digital Innovation, her role expanded to include a new portfolio of digital initiatives. In 2017, she was promoted to Senior Vice President, Television Programming and Innovation and then to Chief Content and Innovation Officer in 2018.  Under her leadership, CPB launched numerous partnerships and initiatives to accelerate digital transformation across public media including leading the Digital Infrastructure Group effort for CPB in collaboration with PBS, NPR, KQED and WGBH, helping to break ground on cross-system collaboration.

“We deeply appreciate the important innovation and content initiatives that Maja has helped implement during her five years at CPB. Her drive and ingenuity truly made a difference in public media,” said Pat Harrison, CPB president and CEO.

What’s next for Maja Mrkoci?  For now, it sounds like she will be focusing on her family while figuring out her plan for the next phase in her career.

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Molly Phillips
Executive Director and General Manager of Iowa PBS
She was elected to a second term on the PBS Board as a Professional Director 

Michael Isip
President of KQED Michael Isip
Elected to join the PBS Board as a Professional Director

Sandra Cordova Micek 
President & CEO of WTTW
Elected to join the PBS Board as a Professional Director

Jon Abbott
CEO of GBH
Elected to return to the PBS Board as a Professional Director.

“As PBS celebrates 50 years, our service to the American public has never been more important,” said Kerger. “Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of the PBS Board of Directors, public television will continue to serve as a beacon of thoughtful and thought-provoking media for generations to come.”

During this meeting, Board officers were elected as well. Founder and CEO of Palisades Strategic Advisors Donald A. Baer and Ideastream President & CEO Kevin Martin were re-elected as Board Chair and Professional Vice Chair, respectively, and Maxine Clark was selected as the new General Vice Chair of the Board.

“As PBS celebrates 50 years, our service to the American public has never been more important,” said Kerger. “Thanks to the extraordinary leadership of the PBS Board of Directors, public television will continue to serve as a beacon of thoughtful and thought-provoking media for generations to come.”

The 27-person PBS Board includes both Professional Directors, who are station leaders, and General Directors, who serve as lay members of the Board, as well as the PBS President. The PBS Board of Directors is responsible for governing and setting policy for PBS. General and Professional Directors of the PBS Board are elected to three-year terms and serve without pay.

PBS member stations elect the Professional Directors. The General Directors are elected by the entire Board, as are the PBS President and the Board officers.

PBS Board Calendar

https://www.pbs.org/about/about-pbs/board-directors/board-meeting-calendar/

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