“Soul!” (Famous!) TV Program with Ellis Haizlip

Soul! was a publicly funded cultural affairs television program that aired for five seasons on Public Broadcasting Service affiliates in the United States from 1968 to 1973. Its first season aired on New York public television, and after that it was distributed nationally via the Public Broadcasting Service. A showcase for Black arts, culture, and politics, Soul! was closely associated with the producer and host Ellis Haizlip, a Black gay man, who emphasized a vision of “soul” culture that was eclectic, inclusive, and aligned with the radical political energies of the Black Power movement. Soul! provided a powerful platform for Black musicians and other artists and public figures at a time when their access to national TV was severely constrained. It also employed Black women in significant on- and off-camera roles and helped vault the poet Nikki Giovanni to national prominence. Filmed live in a small New York studio, Soul! included an in-studio audience within its representational frame, giving viewers an opportunity to see audiences reacting to guests. These guests ranged from the gospel singer Marion Williams to the soul singer Al Green; from the dancer George Faison to the spoken-word group The Last Poets; and from the activist and entertainer Harry Belafonte to Black Panthers leader Kathleen Cleaver. Other notable Soul! guests included Nation of Islam leader Louis Farrakhan, writer and activist James Baldwin, singer-actor Novella Nelson, and musicians including Labelle, Earth, Wind and Fire, Rahsaan Roland Kirk, Horace Silver, Gladys Knight and the Pips, and Valerie Ashford and Nick Simpson. As a Black-produced TV show aimed explicitly at Black audiences, Soul!’s trajectory was always precarious. Early funding for the show came from New York public broadcasting and the Ford Foundation, liberal institutions eager to support Black media in the wake of uprisings following Dr. Martin Luther King Jr.’s assassination. However, backlash to the Black Power movement—as represented by the election of “law and order” candidate Richard Nixon in the 1968 presidential election—translated into attempts to silence Black public media. Despite evidence that it resonated powerfully with Black viewers, the show was cancelled in 1973. Soul! inspired innumerable writers, performers, and technicians to seek opportunities in television. It set a mark for television that sought to entertain and educate, keeping an eye on diversity within the Black collective.

Foundations, Alan Plaunt and the early days of CBC radio

This book is very aptly named, for it was Alan Plaunt, more than any other individual, who set the philosophical and organizational foundations of the CBC and its progenitor, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission. Plaunt's pivotal role in the genesis of public broadcasting in Canada was initially set out by Michael Nolan as his doctoral study for the University of Western Ontario where today Nolan teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism. CBC Enterprises published Nolan's work along with several other books in the fall of 1986 in celebration of CBC's 50 years of public broadcasting service. The 162 page narrative is enhanced by its thorough footnoting and seven pages of reference sources on Canadian broadcasting history.

Foundations, Alan Plaunt and the early days of CBC radio

This book is very aptly named, for it was Alan Plaunt, more than any other individual, who set the philosophical and organizational foundations of the CBC and its progenitor, the Canadian Radio Broadcasting Commission. Plaunt's pivotal role in the genesis of public broadcasting in Canada was initially set out by Michael Nolan as his doctoral study for the University of Western Ontario where today Nolan teaches at the Graduate School of Journalism. CBC Enterprises published Nolan's work along with several other books in the fall of 1986 in celebration of CBC's 50 years of public broadcasting service. The 162 page narrative is enhanced by its thorough footnoting and seven pages of reference sources on Canadian broadcasting history.

Splash and Bubbles for Parents App: Station Study Report

This report, prepared for The Jim Henson Company, shares findings of a sub-study investigating the types of support parents and caregivers need when navigating and using the second-screen Splash and Bubbles for Parents app. This study originated from a prior field study finding indicating families would benefit from support around the app since it represents a new kind of digital tool. In partnership with local Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) stations, we provided parents and caregivers more detailed support around the features of the app. Based on survey and interview findings, parents and caregivers found the app helpful for supporting their children’s science learning, thus validating the field study findings. We also found that all sections of the app were used and could help promote conversations between parent/caregiver and child. Moreover, families expressed choosing to use a specific app section when they felt it was more relevant or developmentally appropriate for their child.

Helena Solberg: uma cineasta brasileira na televisão norte-americana

Este ensaio circunscreve o seguinte argumento: as ideias de Raymond Williams sobre a televisão como forma e experiência cultural ampliam a compreensão sobre o período em que a cineasta brasileira Helena Solberg dirigiu diversos documentários para uma emissora de televisão norte-americana na década de 1980. Para sustentar este argumento, nos apoiamos em análises tecidas por Raymond Williams em Television (1974) e nas pesquisas sobre a trajetória de Helena Solberg realizadas por Mariana Tavares e Ana Maria Veiga. Como resultado, esperamos explicitar como os documentários dirigidos por Helena, financiados e exibidos pela emissora estadunidense Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), integram usos e práticas televisivas mais democráticas, que a partir de Williams podem ser mais bem contextualizadas e compreendidas.

Community media in the United States: Fostering pluralism and inclusivity in challenging times

For most Americans, public service media (PSM) are synonymous with National Public Radio for radio and audio and Public Broadcasting Service for television and video. However, these national services do not fully circumscribe the PSM sphere in the United States. US community media are non-commercial, locally controlled outlets that produce content intended for local audiences, most often focused on local concerns associated with housing, education, government and the arts. This study provides an overview of the present state of community media in the United States. It draws on a variety of sources, including data from the industry, and from the professional press, as well as a series of extensive informational interviews with community media leaders around the United States. The subjects include representatives from community radio and community television outlets that serve urban, suburban and rural markets. After compiling and analysing the quantitative and qualitative data, several key indicators emerge that help to describe the current state of community media in the United States and point towards challenges and opportunities ahead for the sector.

Excluding the Radical Economic Left from the Slovak Public Discourse: A Moderate Leftist Talk Show as a Case Study

If democracy is a discussion, then the exclusion of radical leftist economic perspectives may hamper democracy. Does this exclusion take place and if so, how? In this case study an analysis of the discourse in the Slovak evening panel discussion Dinner with Havran shows the various ways in which the exclusion (and marginalization) of such perspectives is achieved. This exclusionary discursive practice is then explained through interviews with the team behind the show and the norms and constraints that guide the production of the show. The analysis is based on Stuart Hall’s critical paradigm and, confirming Hall’s insights, it argues that the show is independent from the dominant political and economic forces in Slovakia, yet at the same time the show contributes to the functioning of the Slovak public broadcasting service as an ideological state apparatus that is biased in favor of the interests of economic elites.