CCLP forum showcases innovations in public media

Top public media executives and producers gathered in Los Angeles on April 28 to discuss the future of public media by highlighting success stories and exploring ways in which public media could incorporate innovative programming and new approaches to sustainable funding.

USC Annenberg Dean Ernest J. Wilson, former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, opened the forum off with the warning: "We either innovate or die. That's just the bottom line."

The subsequent dialogue centered on the themes of multiplatform news coverage, collaboration, and extending the reach of public media by targeting diverse communities in the local market. The forum, held at the headquarters of KUSC, included leaders from KUSC, KPCC/Southern California Public Radio, KCET, KOCE/PBSSoCal, KPBS TV/FM, Corporation for Public Broadcasting, and others.

Suzanne Marmion, Director of News at KPBS TV/FM, shared the success of the multiplatform news delivery model for San Diego PBS, and added that adapting radio news stories to online platforms has become a quick and successful transition. Bill Davis, President and CEO of Southern California Public Radio/KPCC, emphasized the importance of collaboration and pointed to partnerships with Spanish language stations that allow for "vertical coverage" as successful models.

One webcast participant inquired into local public television sustainability by posing the question: "With no national franchise support (such as PBS), can local television be sustained?" According to Al Jerome, President and CEO of KCET, it can, by reinventing itself with the right program strategy. As an independent public television station since 2011, Jerome highlighted KCET's new lineup, including the scheduling of international news programs from Al Jazeera and BBC News, along with other original programming.

The dynamics of radio funding versus television was also discussed. On the topic of what public television could learn from the public radio model, Davis explained how the largest driver of donors for KPCC has been local programming, which has resulted in many small donors who are are active listeners of the station.

The need to expand public media's reach to both local and diverse demographics was also discussed. David LeRoy, Co-Director of TRAC Media services shared a case study about Nashville Public Television. LeRoy found the success of local programming can be attributed to the audience's desire to "hear their own voice." This sentiment was echoed by several participants, including Davis and Ed Miskevich, Station Manager of PBS SoCal/KOCE, who stressed the importance of delivering to audience members "a voice that they feel they don't get anywhere else" with regard to programming content.

Although the forum highlighted many recent success stories of public media, challenges remain. As Davis observed with regard to legacy media, "nobody has had a positive (financial) return on its digital investment."

Senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III and Mark Fuerst, director of strategic Initiatives for Current, chaired and moderated the forum.

For a copy of the powerpoint presentation by KCET's Al Jerome, click here: KCET USC forum.pdf.

Click here to view the webcast.

This report was written by CCLP graduate fellow and USC Annenberg doctoral student Michael Park.

VIDEO - Public Media Futures Los Angeles Forum

Public Media Futures Los Angeles Forum
USC Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership & Policy, in partnership with American University's School of Communication presented a forum on the future of public media in an era of shrinking government support. The conversation focused on innovations in programming and new models for sustainable funding. Participants included top executives and programmers, including Bill Davis, president and CEO, KPCC/Southern California Public Radio; Al Jerome, president and CEO, KCET; Ed Miskevich, station manager, KOCE/PBS SoCal; Suzanne Marmion, news and editorial strategy director, KPBS-TV/FM. CCLP senior fellow Adam Clayton Powell III led the conversation together with Mark Fuerst, director of strategic Initiatives for Current. The program also included welcoming remarks by USC Annenberg dean Ernest J. Wilson III, American University School of Communication Associate Dean Ed Beimfohr and Classical KUSC president and general manager Brenda Barnes.

*Archived conversation can be found at the following links: Part 1, Part 2, Part 3.

Program

Webcast Part 1

Welcome
• Ernest J. Wilson III, Dean, USC Annenberg School for Communication & Journalism
• Ed Beimfohr, Associate Dean, American University School of Communication
• Brenda Barnes, President and General Manager, Classical KUSC

Introductions & Agenda Overview
• Adam C. Powell III, Senior Fellow, USC Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy
• Mark Fuerst, Director of Strategic Initiatives, Current and Current.org

Case studies and lessons learned from the field (Presentations & discussion)

Nashville
• David LeRoy, Co-Director, TRAC Media Services
• Beth Curley, President and CEO, Nashville Public Television (recorded)

Webcast Part 2

San Diego
• Tom Karlo, General Manager, KPBS-TV/FM (recorded)
• Stephanie Bergsma, Associate General Manager, KPBS-TV/FM
• Suzanne Marmion, Director of News and Editorial Strategy, KPBS-TV/FM

Webcast Part 3

Los Angeles/Orange County
• Bill Davis, President and CEO KPCC/Southern California Public Radio
• Al Jerome, President and CEO, KCET [Click here to download presentation]
• Mel Rogers, President and CEO,KOCE/PBS SoCal [Click here to download presentation]
• Jamie Cansler, Senior Director, Board and Government Relations, KOCE/PBS SoCal
• Ed Miskevich, Station Manager, KOCE/PBS SoCal
• Jennifer Maytorena Taylor, Producer, Street Knowledge to College

CCLP hosts USC scholars from across disciplines to discuss human trafficking

On April 19, Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy hosted the 2nd Annual Human Trafficking Research Luncheon for the USC research community. USC faculty from across campus discussed the spectrum of human trafficking research and interdisciplinary perspectives and collaborations.

Luncheon attendees heard from Rhacel Parrenas on her most recent book, Illicit Flirtations: Labor, Migration and Sex Trafficking in Tokyo, and from Mark Latonero on his white paper, Human Trafficking Online: The role of social networking sites and online forums. Attendees also discussed the current legal definitions of human trafficking in domestic and international law, the pros and cons of the T visa and the U visa, various methods and ideas for engaging students in the classroom around issues of human trafficking, the recent changes in California laws.

Attendees included Hannah Garry, Niels Frenzen and Elizabeth Henneke from the Gould School of Law who work on human trafficking cases; Francois Bar and Mark Latonero from Annenberg School of Communication, who work on developing ICT solutions to human trafficking; and Rhacel Parrenas from the Sociology Department, a leading scholar of women's labor and migration issues; Zhaleh Boyd from the Master of Public Diplomacy program and Erin Kamler from the doctoral program at Annenberg.

The ongoing global problem of human trafficking requires a multi-disciplinary response. The Department of Justice has underscored this by providing funding to coalitions that include a variety of service providers, including law enforcement, health services, legal counsel, shelter services, child protection services, refugee advocates, and other service providers. In line with these efforts, CCLP convenes trafficking research luncheons on a regular basis in order to provide a space for communication and collaboration across disciplines within the USC community on the topic of human trafficking.

The Technology & Trafficking in Persons Project at the Annenberg Center on Communication Leadership & Policy will convene the next Human Trafficking Research Luncheon the Fall.

This blog entry was contributed by Research Fellow Zhaleh Boyd

Latonero discusses technology and human trafficking at Attorneys General conferences

The impact of CCLP's 2011 Human Trafficking Online report continues to grow, with research director Mark Latonero recently presenting to two conventions of Attorneys General.

On March 29th in Seattle, Latonero presented at the 2012 National Association of Attorneys General Presidential Initiative Summit: "Pillars of Hope: Attorneys General Unite against Human Trafficking." The panel, titled "The Business of Trafficking: Data Mining and Following the International Money Trail," was introduced by NAAG President and Washington Attorney General Rob McKenna. Fellow panelists included Samantha Doerr, Public Affairs Manager for the Microsoft Corporation Digital Crimes Unit, Barry M. Koch, Managing Director & Associate General Counsel for JP Morgan Chase & Co., and moderator Louise Shelley, PhD and Director of Terrorism at the Transnational Crime and Corruption Center at George Mason University. Panelists discussed the opportunities and challenges of using online technology and financial intelligence in combating human trafficking.

On March 22nd, Latonero led a discussion for California Attorney General Kamala Harris's Human Trafficking Work Group. Other members of the group included Fred Wolens, Facebook Public Policy Manager, Bill Harmon, Associate General Counsel for the Microsoft Digital Crimes Unit, and Julie Cordua, Executive Director of the Demi & Ashton Foundation (DNA). The convening, hosted in San Francisco by the Futures Without Violence organization, was an effort to build on the research of the 2007 "Human Trafficking in California" report by the California Alliance to Combat Trafficking and Slavery Task Force. Latonero will attend the next meeting of the Human Trafficking Work Group on May 16 in Los Angeles.

In Los Angeles in May, Latonero will attend a follow-up meeting for the California Attorney General's Human Trafficking Work Group. On May 9-10, he will meet in San Francisco with the National Research Council committee he was appointed to earlier this year.

This blog was contributed by Trini Rios.

Church groups fail in attempts to buy Calif., Florida PBS stations

Religious broadcasters' plans to buy PBS stations in California and Florida have been blocked, one at an auction and the other by the seller cancelling the transaction.

KCSM-TV, a PBS station serving the San Francisco Bay Area, is in financial difficulty and was put up for auction in February, and last week the top two bidders were announced. Neither is a church group.

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Public TV can now carry political ads, after lawsuit by SF public TV station

This morning's media headline - US Court of Appeals rules public television and radio stations can run political ads. It even made the front-page news summary of the Wall Street Journal, linking to a full article on page A5. You can read the court's ruling here.

Yes, the "PBS NewsHour" can now be sponsored by the Obama campaign, and "Washington Week" can run advertisements for the Tea Party.

How did that happen?

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Peabody Awards recognize independent public television producers

This year's Peabody Awards hold special places of honor for independent producers, just as critics charge PBS is trying to marginalize them.

Operating with far fewer resources than the PBS network, independent producers won four awards, while their wealthier PBS colleagues won three.

The series "Independent Lens" was the only television program honored with two Peabodys, both for documentaries - one award went to "Bhutto," on the life of Benazir Bhutto, described by ITVS as "an epic tale of Shakespearean dimension. It's the story of the first Muslim woman elected in history to lead an Islamic nation: Pakistan." She was assassinated in 2007 by extremists as she campaigned for another term in office.

"Who Killed Chea Vichea?" was the other "Independent Lens" documentary honored, and it too profiled a leader who was killed in public, Cambodian union president Chea Vichea.

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Road to White House panelists debate CA primary

Author of No Excuses: Confessions of a Serial Campaigner Bob Shrum and Marylouise Oates, prominent journalist and novelist (Making Peace), joined Geoffrey Cowan, director of the Annenberg's Center on Communication Leadership and Policy, for a discussion on Wednesday April 4 about the current presidential primary race.

Oates brought up the discussion of the importance of the Catholic vote and how the topic of contraception has been such a popular one in this election season so far.

"I think it's interesting that Santorum has lost the Catholic vote in every single state so far," Oates said. "It's because 98% of practicing Catholics uses contraception."

The panel expressed their view that they think Romney has locked down this Republican nomination. According to Shrum, Romney will start to focus on the race against Obama going forward.

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Pacifica Radio lost over $5 million, termed unsustainable by Director

WASHINGTON - Pacifica Radio has lost $5.5 million since 2005 and has drained its financial reserves, according to Arlene Engelhardt, Executive Director of the Pacifica Foundation. The network's financial performance is unsustainable, according to Engelhardt, writing in a blog post on Friday.

"Pacifica's overall listener support dropped 23%--from $13.8 million for fiscal year ending (FYE) September 30, 2006 to $10.6 million for FYE 2010," she wrote. "KPFA's listener support dropped 27%--from $4.0 million for FYE 2005 to $2.9 million FYE 2010."

"KPFA, WBAI (in New York) and WPFW (in Washington, D.C.) have been running seriously in the red," she continued. "KPFA lost $1.5 million in the four years from FYE 2007 through FYE 2010, while Pacifica as a whole lost $5.5 million."

The most recent annual audit available on Pacifica's web site reflects a one-year loss of $1.975 million. Additional detailed financial data are available on the foundation's most recent federal tax form.

Engelhardt also called for "revitalized" programming at the Pacifica stations in Berkeley, California. But she saved most of her post for a call for relief from acrimonious labor relations and internal disputes at Pacifica stations.

One indicator of the intensity of Pacifica's internal disputes: When Current magazine reported on Engelhardt's comments, senior editor Karen Everhart added a note that over the weekend the magazine had received "anonymous comments...some of which included derogatory and personal attacks on Pacifica's leadership and critics of its labor practices."

"As with Current's overarching editorial philosophy," she continued, "we will not publish remarks that are uncivil, inflammatory or denigrating."

Panelists find progress in free flow of information worldwide

WASHINGTON - Speakers at a CCLP forum at the Newseum provided mostly positive assessments of worldwide freedom of information.

Vint Cerf, widely described as "father of the Internet," said the combination of the Internet with mobile telephones has extended freedom of information to billions of people worldwide. If there is a better technology, he added, he doesn't know about it - or he would be investing in it.

Cerf, who serves as Google's vice president and chief Internet evangelist (yes, that's his official title), did express a concern. Governments and politicians keep trying to control the Internet, just as governments worldwide control broadcasting and print media.

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