After a video presentation that emphasized “Where the Arts Live,” PBS President and CEO Paula Kerger opened the day to discuss the direction of the network. The three priorities are news and public affairs, children’s programming, and the arts. Without citing examples, she stated a concern about other networks being lax in regards to their education programming.
She also revealed changes at the network. PBS will be creating a greater integration with their online resources and will be expanding their involvement with the Nielsen ratings, weekly not overnight numbers, to get a better understanding of their audience’s demographic. Bill Moyers will be leaving his weekly series to go back to creating specials and newsmagazine Now is ending.
Shakespeare and PBS have had a long history together and that relationship continues as Great Performances will soon air two of the Bard’s plays, both starring the recently knighted Sir Patrick Stewart, who previously appeared with each company on stage. Macbeth is transported from its Scottish setting to a fictional country where it becomes an allegory about war. The Royal Shakespeare Company performs Hamlet with David Tennant in the lead role and Stewart playing two parts, Claudius and the Ghost. Stewart talked about what an advantage it was working with the casts so many times and spending so much time with the material. There are minimal changes from the stage performances, although there had been a lot of cuts to Hamlet.
Stewart also reflected on being an actor. He previously played Claudius 30 years ago and thinks this is likely his last chance because of his character’s age. He is disappointed he never got the chance to play Hamlet, but hopes to play Falstaff in the future. He is glad that his work on Star Trek brings new fans to the theatre and recently felt so dejected by a popular British reality program he jokingly revealed he would have been happy dying at that moment.
Frontline: Digital Nation examines life on the net and in the future as the technology brings more choices and more changes into our lives. Media theorist Douglas Rushkoff is one of the correspondents for the piece and he has a great understanding of the subject. The program will premiere on February 2, which one television writer teased them about since it was going up against the season premiere of Lost. Another Frontline future report is Law and Disorder, which examines questionable police shootings after Hurricane Katrina.
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Article comments
1 - Jeanne Browne
Many thanks for this excellent round-up, El Bicho. I spent a year on-staff at NYC's Thirteen/WNET then 10 years with them on retainer as a contractor (writer). In those days, the Press Tour, for me, primarily meant being very busy in an atmosphere of hysteria; it was very pleasant to just read about it today as a viewer! I'm sorry to hear that Moyers is [again] giving up the Journal in favor of specials and that NOW is ending; both are excellent programs. I feel today as I did back in the late `60s, when "The Great American Dream Machine" first grabbed my attention and brought me into public television as a viewer: PBS offers some of the best and most important TV on TV -- especially now, when reality television, talk shows and mediocre entertainment dominate so much of the TV landscape. Thanks again for reminding us all that checking what's on PBS when considering your nightly viewing is always worthwhile -- and, by the way, supporting your local PBS station is always money well spent!
2 - El Bicho
I appreciate you taking time from giving them hell to comment, Jeanne.