Mountain Lake PBS’ newest production caps 2 1/2 years of work with one of Montreal’s greatest institutions… Cirque du Soleil. The program will be seen nationwide for two years as a PBS fundraiser. We’re thrilled to support public television while showcasing a great regional success story.
BREAKING NEWS: KCET to drop PBS membership Jan. 1
KCET, public television’s major station in the nation’s second-largest media market, is dropping its PBS membership as of Jan. 1, 2011, station President Al Jerome told Current today (Oct. 8). It will become the largest independent public broadcasting station in America. Jerome said he and Gordon Bava, chairman of KCET’s board of directors, came to the decision “very recently.” Jerome told his staff at 3:30 p.m. Eastern, and is informing PBS this afternoon. The station had petitioned the PBS board for a dues reduction or a shift to PDP (Program Differentiation Plan) status but was rebuffed (Current, Aug. 9). Jerome said discussions with PBS have been ongoing for three years, with “intense negotiations” over the last 11 months.In a statement, Jerome said: “Our plan is to become the media partner for the many diverse, creative voices in our community with stories to tell, art to exhibit, music or dance to perform and news to report. We will partner with other public service organizations so that our viewers can learn about the good work being done, but not often reported in the commercial media. We will use our broadcast spectrum and broadband capabilities to expand public service at a time in our history when people of all ages want to actively participate in the recovery and growth of our region.”
Also in the statement, Bava said: “Our Board of Directors decided unanimously that KCET could best serve Southern California by allocating our supporters’ funds to locally focused news and cultural programming and other national and international quality content. While separating from the PBS mother ship is daunting, the potential of providing a media platform for the creative, scientific, and cultural communities of Southern California to create informative and entertaining noncommercial programming with a fresh perspective is very exciting.”
Earthquake tremors emanating from Southern California! How is LA going to handle life without the Newshour? Or NOVA, or Frontline
Sep 30, 2010
STEM Collaborative joins four pubTV stations in middle-school work
Four pubTV stations are joining in a STEM Collaborative to help middle-schoolers in science, technology, engineering and math, the stations announced today (Sept. 30). But this is no dry and dull initiative. Students will use geometry, algebra and proportional reasoning to build a skateboard ramp, measure a roller coaster, whip up recipes and plan a rock n’ roll tour. Maryland Public Television, Alabama Public Television, Arkansas Educational Television Network and Kentucky Educational Television will develop the digital-media projects. Math By Design, Scale City, ProportionLand Park and Rock n’ Roll Road Trip are all online at stemcollaborative.org, along with supporting materials for educators.
Live stream available for the hyperlocal news junkie who wants to track the trends.
A beautiful way to spend 6 minutes… thank you Jessica Edwards and POV.
Obviously, if you’re venturing far into these realms, you need to understand your rights of Fair Use and should still consult an attorney before distributing your work. (More on Fair Use below.) But the great news is that relatively attractive footage can be obtained for free or little money… where previously either low grade (VHS) or expensive (studio masters) where required. Here’s an excerpt from the USC bulletin announcing the success:
USC Intellectual Property & Technology Law Clinic Wins Copyright Exemption for Filmmakers
Monday, Jul 26, 2010
Documentary filmmakers now allowed to use material
-Gilien Silsby
A team of USC Law students from the USC Intellectual Property and Technology Clinic has helped secure an exemption that will allow documentary filmmakers to use material contained on DVDs and other sources that were previously off limits.
The exemption to the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA) was announced today by the United States Copyright Office. The Digital Millennium Copyright Act of 1998 makes it a crime to break the digital locks on DVDs and other media. The restriction prevented filmmakers from making fair use of material, or using public domain material.
via lawold.usc.edu
To really get a handle on what Fair Use is and the legacy of legal decisions that support the concept the best source that I’ve ever found remains the Center for Social Media. Check it out then go make a great mashed-up commentary!
I had seen some brief videos of base jumpers and their wingsuits, but today saw an editor’s reel that featured this “wingnut”.
Corliss is pretty wild – his dream is to land from a free fall without a parachute. He wants to build a giant landing ramp that he would slide down stomach first (at 110 mph or so) to come to an eventual halt.
In the meantime, he keeps practicing ever more extreme flights to refine his control while flying the wingsuit.
In his most recent video he decides to get a close up look at Switzerland’s geology:
The NYT just put up an article about skaters and motorcycles… it promised something about a “cafe racer CB350”, but never delivered… stayed locked into idolizing 70’s Harley’s… boring! Problem is, if you’re going to cover Harley’s & skating you better not miss Jason, but the newspaper of record did. But still I liked this quote from the article:
The design theme skateboarders often strive for is distinct from “rat bikes,” a breed that fetishizes matte finishes over glossy paint and rust over chrome. There is a “Road Warrior” quality to many skaters’ bikes. Mr. Eusey’s Harley, for example, has a hatchet bolted to the frame (handy when camping out) and foot pegs made from railroad spikes.
Here’s a little video clip about the guys in Indiana featured in the story…
Both sides have claimed early victories in the case of documentarian Joe Berlinger vs. Chevron over access to the raw footage he shot for his expose “Crude” on Amazonian oil exploitation. I’ve blogged about the case and the filmmaking community reaction here.
On Thursday, the appeals judge ruled that Berlinger must turn over Crude footage that does not appear in any public version of the film’s release if it shows the counsel for the plaintiffs in the Lago Agrio class action lawsuit against Chevron or any experts or Ecuadorian government officials involved in that case.
This is bad news for the plaintiffs in that case, and likely good news for Chevron. Thankfully, the court also found that Chevron had to use the footage strictly for legal defense purposes and could not use if for marketing or other PR purposes. But whether this decision means that filmmakers can rest assured that their footage is safe from similar “takings” is still pretty unclear.
As for the case’s potential use as precedence on non-confidential information and journalist’s privilege in the future, Floyd Abrams, the famed First Amendment lawyer representing the media amici, cautioned that a ruling alone is not enough grounds to gauge its future applications. “We have to wait for the opinion of the court to see how they applied the law,” Abrams said. “It’s too early to tell where we’re going in this area.”
Berlinger himself seems both confident that the court will ultimately uphold the narrowing of the original request and the difficulty of any court appeal to prevail:
Most appeals are unsuccessful and the appealing party has a lot to prove. I was very relieved the court seemed to be sympathetic to my primary concerns about the case. Nobody expects the decision to be completely reversed. Having covered the legal process, I know there are times you want journalists to be compelled. But it can’t just be a fishing expedition. If I knew I had any evidence that was exculpatory, I would want the footage to be turned over. But only if the First Amendment standards of true relevancy and exclusive access of information are met.