Quotes. I hope we get the opportunity to do some special projects with you in the future. I shall continue to promote all you are doing.

Transcription

1 Inside this issue Quotes, Page 1 IdahoPTV Wins 1 Regional Emmy and Morrill Honored with Silver Circle Award, Page 2 OUTDOOR IDAHO: Birders, Banders and Binoculars, Page 3 The Buzz, Page 4 IdahoPTV People Updates, Page 8 NOW on PBS Follow-up on the Montana Meth Project Features Interviews with Idaho s First Lady and Meridian Mayor Tammy De Weerd, Page 9 Quotes I wanted to tell you how much I enjoy Outdoor Idaho. I rarely miss one. You Guys & Gals do a wonderful job make them. To me that is real Public TV. Best from Bill Hauf of Lewiston, Idaho Sorry we missed our usual fall membership renewal. We spent the past year in Albuquerque, New Mexico on an academic sabbatical. One thing we missed tremendously was Idaho Public Television. Despite a service population greater than 700,000 people including the wealth of Santa Fe, their programming couldn t hold a candle to what you do here in Idaho. Thank you for doing such an excellent job. Please forward this to whomever needs a pat on the back. Sincerely, Lorie Kalivas, Pocatello IdahoPTV Mailbag, Page 9 Our IdahoPTV Productions, Page 10 Behind the Stories, Page 12 Dialogue, Page 13 D4K Dialogue for Kids, Page 14 Public Television in the News, Page 15 I wish to extend my very deepest appreciation and gratitude for your support over these many years for the NIC TV Public Forum and its airing on the wonderful Idaho Public Television network. You have always been most professional and supportive of our work. You both (Ron Pisaneschi and Peter Morrill) are models of what PBS broadcasting is all about. I have observed Idaho Public TV for many years. When you two joined the Idaho system, there was an immediate improvement in both programming and the citizenry support for our PBS system in Idaho. You are the very best. I have been so honored to be a small part of what you bring to your viewers. I hope we get the opportunity to do some special projects with you in the future. I shall continue to promote all you are doing. Again many thanks for all you do and for being such good friends. Warm Regards, D. Tony Stewart, Coeur d Alene

2 PAGE 2 IdahoPTV Wins 1 Regional Emmy Award and Morrill Honored with Silver Circle Award Idaho Public Television earned a Northwest Regional Emmy Award, which was announced Saturday, June 7, by the Northwest Chapter of The National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences in Seattle. D4K: DIALOGUE FOR KIDS, a science call-in series for elementary-aged students won for program special/youth. I m constantly amazed at the talents of our creative team at Idaho Public Television. We can stand tall with pride in how our programming compares in quality and impact to our colleagues in the northwest. Idaho Public Television was nominated for 8 Emmy program achievement awards this year. The Northwest Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences sponsors the regional awards for local and regional program material by television stations in Idaho, Oregon, Washington, Montana and Alaska. Congratulations to our fine IdahoPTV creative team! In addition, I was honored with the Silver Circle Award, which is given to individuals who have had careers in television for 25 years or more and have made a substantial contribution to the goals of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences (NATAS). NATAS wrote: Peter Morrill s career in television can be described in two words: quality and integrity. Throughout his more than 30-year career, he has always maintained the highest standards and stood behind the people with whom he works. He is a leader within the PBS system, nationally recognized for his dedication to the mission of public broadcasting. His peers in Idaho turn to him to lead efforts that impact broadcasters statewide. He is an honest and caring general manager, someone who worked his way to the top and never hesitates to take on any task. Under his stewardship, Idaho Public Television creates national award-winning television productions, leads the region in technical achievement, and maintains a commitment to provide Idahoans with outstanding broadcasting services.

3 PAGE 3 Birders, Banders and Binoculars Airs Thursday, June 12, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT Repeats Sunday, June 15, at 7:00 p.m. MT/PT Airs in HD Thursday, June 12, at 9:00/8:00 p.m. MT/PT Repeats in HD Sunday, June 15, at 8:00/7:00 p.m. MT/PT Banders. Rescuers. Listers. List Tickers. Twitchers. Oh my! Add all these bird-researcher activities to birdwatching participants and there are a lot of Idahoans involved with the lives of the state s wild feathered inhabitants and visitors. Birdwatching alone attracts more than 300,000 Idahoans, according to a 2001 federal study. This new OUTDOOR IDAHO episode joins researchers who band and study hummingbirds, hawks, owls and other avian species and follows the amateurs into the field. I produced this program to find out why people are so fascinated with birds, says producer Dave Thomason. I am a birdwatcher myself and I know there is something transcendent and deeply affecting about birds. This show is an exploration and visual essay of this question. At the Rudeen Ranch in the Deep Creek Mountains near American Falls, scientists and volunteers band hummingbirds. Some of the tiny, darting birds have traveled to and from the tropics annually for seven years or more. Biologist Stacy Peterson says, We ve learned a lot about their diet, what they need to eat and what they need to survive. Most of them, he says, require a diet of insects for protein and use the sugary nectar or water they are seen sipping as fuel for the hunt. The majestic Ferruginous Hawk has a wing span of just under five feet and builds its nest on desert treetops, rock outcroppings and even sagebrush. Leon Powers, professor of biology at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa, studies the hawks and the habitat they depend on. Powers sees these birds as signals of a changing environment. Birds are such good indicators of the environmental quality that when you begin to lose bird species, you know that there is a problem, he says. Birds are a sensitive indicator of things gone wrong. On a bird migration route in the Boise Foothills, a research station maintains a round-the-clock schedule. During the day, biologists and students catch and band songbirds and hawks. At night, a patient group plays cards and games, quietly waiting to check specialized nets for their elusive nocturnal subject the owl. A more high-spirited group sets out to observe, not catch, the birds of Idaho. Armed with highpowered binoculars, the individuals hunt their quarry, becoming members of the fastest-growing outdoor activity nationwide birdwatching. With sturdy shoes and sharp eyes, with field reference materials and notebooks at hand, they cover miles on the ground to sight the denizens of the air. Sponsors: Cable One, Office Max, Parkwood Properties, Sara Ifft, US Bank

4 PAGE 4 Yesterday (June 4), I was notified that I will be presenting Idaho Public Television s annual agency overview at the June State Board of Education meeting to be held at Eastern Idaho Technical College in Idaho Falls. This fifteen minute presentation will include an update on major activities at IdahoPTV including the upcoming analog television shutdown, 2010 budget requests, Idaho Legislature Live and a sneak peek at BARBARA MORGAN: NO LIMITS. I m sad to announce that Jim Peck, Writer/Producer, has accepted the position of Executive Producer for Michigan State University, East Lansing, Michigan. Jim has led our IDAHO REPORTS coverage for the last five years and also produced award winning programs such as THE IDAHO HOMEFRONT: OF CAMPS AND COMBAT, EXTREMELY IDAHO and WEST OF THE BASQUE. Bruce Reichert has written a wonderful column in Our IdahoPTV Productions section where I have also included a heartfelt note from the Jimbo himself! The host site for the July 18 meeting of the Friends of Idaho Public Television Inc. Board of Directors has changed to Boise. Previously, Moscow was set to be the host site for the July meeting. Because of the construction and installation of equipment for KUID/Moscow, the host site will be Boise. We are expecting that video conferencing will be available in Moscow, Pocatello and Coeur d Alene (tentative). Consideration had been given to moving the host site to Pocatello, but because of the anticipated construction and move of KISU/ Pocatello, I felt the safe bet would be Boise. It is my recommendation that the fall meeting (Monday, October 27) be held at KUID/Moscow, the winter meeting (February 6) in Boise and the spring meeting (April TBD) be held in the new KISU/Pocatello facility! I m happy to announce that the Permanent Building Fund, which is overseeing the construction project involving the upgrade of the new KISU studio and office facility project in the Liberal Arts Building on the Idaho State University campus, has informed us that construction on the technical facilities (studio and control room) will commence on July 1, 2008, followed by the administrative office area. We ll keep you posted as we learn more details!

5 PAGE 5 In May, Parade Magazine and Parade.com asked their readers whether Congress should continue funding public broadcasting with $400 million annually. Should American tax dollars support PBS? The results are in and the final tally had 77% yes vs. 23% no. Positive comments included: We need the type of objective news reporting found on PBS. PBS is rare evidence that intelligent life exists on this planet. Negative comments included: The federal government has no business producing entertainment with our tax dollars. I like Garrison [Keillor] and Car Talk as much as anyone, but the government should stay out of it. Ann Smart, Friends of Idaho Public Television board member, has been honored with the Warren Bakes Alumni Award for her distinguished service (both pictured). I ve included the full press release on this fabulous honor in the Public Television in the News section. Way to go, Ann! I just wanted to make you aware that on Sunday, May 25, Kathryn Scott, the daughter of Bob and Carol Schreiber, passed away. Bob has served on the Friends of Idaho Public Television for ten years. On behalf of IdahoPTV, I d like extend our deepest sympathy to Bob and Carol. Bob sent a note of thanks to the station this week: Peter & Friends, Thanks for thinking about Carol and I during this time of loss and grieving. The flowers were beautiful! Your friendship and support is greatly appreciated. Bob On Tuesday, July 1, FRONTLINE Senior Producer Mike Kirk will speak in Studio A at Idaho Public Television in Boise and present segments from the program. Wine and light food will be served. If any board member has interest in attending, please contact Kelly Roberts or me. On Thursday, July 23 and Friday, July 24, Rebecca Eaton, Executive Producer, Masterpiece Theatre (now called Masterpiece), will speak in Boise and Sun Valley respectively. (Masterpiece Theatre Senior Producer, Steven Ashley is Ms. Eaton s back up.) The Thursday evening speech will be held in Boise and will include clips from Masterpiece. Ms. Eaton will also speak at a private function at noon in the Sun Valley Room, Sun Valley Lodge, sponsored by the Idaho State Broadcasters Association. If any board member has interest in attending, please contact Kelly Roberts or me. In 2003, Ms. Eaton was honored with an honorary OBE (Officer, Order of the British Empire) by Queen Elizabeth.

6 PAGE 6 Idaho Public Television wants to hear from you! In June and July, IdahoPTV will be working with a national PBS research firm, TRAC Media Research, to find out about Idahoans preferences for our new digital television service. To that end, we ve posted a survey you can take on our Web site ( In addition, TRAC Media Research will be conducting 900 random calls across Idaho. We will use this survey to help indentify and refine the new digital services that we provide statewide. So, if you are a digital TV viewer, we invite you to participate by going to IdahoPTV.org and clicking on the Idaho Digital TV Survey button on the home page. On May 23, Dr. Mike Rush was appointed Executive Director of the State Board of Education. He has served as Interim Executive Director since last September. State Board of Education President Milford Terrell said of Rush s appointment, they were tough times we are back on track and I have to say a lot of that is because he s done a lot of footwork. IdahoPTV was a media sponsor at the Idaho Community Foundation s annual meeting and luncheon on Wednesday, May 21. In addition to promoting the event on-air, IdahoPTV produced a video on the ICF that was shown at this event. IdahoPTV was also a media sponsor at the Idaho Humanities Council Lecture by Presidential Historian Robert Dallek in Idaho Falls on Thursday, May 22. IdahoPTV s donors joined staff and board members at the event at the Colonial Theatre and at a pre-event reception for the speaker at the home of Scott and Heidi Marotz. On Tuesday, June 2, Idaho Public Television thanked 75 IdahoPTV Boise volunteers at the Linen Building. The celebration included behind-the-scenes comments from our IdahoPTV creative team and clips from upcoming local and national programs. We thank Porterhouse Market, Deli and Catering for the tasty food; the Linen Building; and flowers by Carpenter s Custom Florists for their in kind support.

7 PAGE 7 The Outdoor Idaho crew is back at it again for Extremely Idaho II. The images to the left capture base jumping on May 10 from the Perrine Bridge, Twin Falls. OUTDOOR IDAHO: EXTREMELY IDAHO II will air this fall. Production Support Provided By: I want to extend my thanks to the Idaho Press Club and the League of Women Voters of Idaho for their collaborative partnership in the spring 2008 primary Idaho Debates. In addition, my thanks also are extended to Boise State Radio and KTVB/Boise, who rebroadcast the Idaho Debates on their stations. I have included a flurry of lively news articles and editorials that were published in May on the subject of debates in the Public Television in the News section. The Idaho Press Club, League of Women Voters of Idaho and Idaho Public Television met on June 3 to begin planning for the fall 2008 general election debates. Three key items were decided: If a candidate refuses to debate, the partnership will broadcast a statewide program with one candidate. During both the 2008 primary and 2006 elections, we had 3 instances where candidates refused to debate, which, under the former rules, caused the partnership to cancel the program. Under the revised rules, a program will be broadcast with as few as one candidate. We will expand our collaborative partnership to include more organizations. We hope to produce at least one debate on location with an audience. In the coming weeks, I ll update you more on these exciting new directions. Finally, check out the outstanding Idaho Debates Web site at: In it you ll find all of this year s debates video archived as well as our debates going back to In addition, KTVB has been gracious to allow us to post their debates from the 2008 primary season. Mostly Moscow, the student television news program, is celebrating its 26th anniversary. The program started in 1982 as a locally produced program on KUID-TV. Students write, edit and produce the program, which is now telecast on UITV-8, the University s cable channel. Pictured are: photographer (and December 2007 graduate) Nick Beber and news anchors Will Mueller (also a December graduate) and Mackenzie Wilson shooting one of the programs produced during the fall 2007.

8 PAGE 8 IdahoPTV People Updates I m very excited to announce that Penny Traylor was hired on Tuesday, June 3 as our new Director of Corporate Sponsorship. For the past three years she has been the Director of Development for the Nampa Civic Center, raising money through corporate sponsorship and private contributions for the expansion of the Civic Center and in support of the arts. Her other past job experiences include: The American Cancer Society, Hewlett-Packard Women s Challenge and DHL Worldwide Express. She is a graduate of San Jose State University. Penny will start at IdahoPTV on Monday, June 16. We welcome her to the Idaho Public Television family. On May 30, Mary Packer was awarded a $360 scholarship in memory of Jack Schlaefle, the first general manager of Idaho Public Television. The Schlaefle Memorial Stipend is awarded annually through the Idaho Public Television Endowment to a student employee. Mary has worked part-time at IdahoPTV for more than two years at KUID and has served in various capacities in our education and outreach unit. Nelson Reed, age 12, grandson of Mary Lou Reed, Coeur d Alene, sang Piu Jesu with Sarah Brightman on the PBS nationwide broadcast of the National Memorial Day Concert on May 26. Senior Radio/TV/Digital Media Production major Jennifer Castro (pictured on the right with IdahoPTV s KUID Station Manager Kris Freeland) was named the KUID-TV Student of the Semester for the spring 2008 semester. The award is given each semester to the student who demonstrates leadership and commitment while helping students and public television professionals produce programming at KUID-TV. The award was first given in Hello Idaho PTV, my name is Javi Zubizarreta, but Javi will do just fine. I am a Boise native, I am proud to be Basque, and I have spent a large part of my life in the Idaho outdoors. In high school I was a part of the Eagle High broadcasting program and have worked on several projects for the Ada County Sheriff s office as well as the Mayor s Office of Eagle. Currently, I am on summer break from the University of Notre Dame where I will be a sophomore this fall. I plan on majoring in film and television production, and I cannot wait to learn from working with all of you this summer as an intern. I really hope to gain experience in writing and producing, but I hope to learn as much as I can about the many facets of television production. Hopefully I can be of assistance to you all and help continue to create great programming for Idaho Public Television.

9 PAGE 9 Don Rogers, KISU Station Manager in the late 1970s to 1981, stopped by on May 27 to our Pocatello facilities. He has retired and moved to Oregon. During his visit, he dropped off slides of the installation of the original KISU analog transmitter. He asked to pass his warm regards to everyone. NOW on PBS Follow-up on the Montana Meth Project Features Interviews with Idaho s First Lady and Meridian Mayor Tammy De Weerd Aired Friday, May 23, at 7:30 p.m. MT/PT Idaho s First Lady Lori Otter and Meridian Mayor Tammy de Weerd were interviewed on NOW ON PBS, a weekly video newsmagazine that airs on Idaho Public Television. In August 2007, NOW ON PBS reported on a unique drug-prevention program that has been having great success in a neighboring state. The Montana Meth Project targets 12- to 17-year-olds with hard-hitting ads and billboards, using the tag line Not Even Once to warn them of the dangers of methamphetamines. Since the project s inception in 2005, teen meth use in Montana has declined 45%, adult meth use has declined 72% and meth-related crime has declined 62% in the state. The project has expanded to Illinois, Wyoming, Arizona and Idaho. The NOW ON PBS team visited Idaho to see how the program is being received here. During one segment of the show, they meet with First Lady Lori Otter, who has made fighting the use of methamphetamines a core issue. They also interview Mayor Tammy de Weerd of Meridian, who has seen first-hand how meth addiction can affect a family: her oldest daughter was addicted to the drug. IdahoPTV Mailbag May 12, 2008 Thank you for your very good piece on renewable energy. I wrote the energy plan for Owyhee County, the first of any county in the state of Idaho. Since that time it seems the entire Idaho state government has been on my case to say why nuclear power is a good thing. My plan says renewables are the way to go. That upset lots of people including the governor, the department of commerce, Paul Kjellander who is 100% pushing nuclear. Your piece at least did a good job pointing out some of the potential without bowing to the nuclear pressure. Thanks again. Joe Weatherby

10 PAGE 10 May 14, 2008 Is your station in Coeur d Alene, KCDT, changing to digital or remaining analog? Mike Wilson, Coeur d Alene Mike, Thanks for your interest in Idaho Public TV. We currently are broadcasting both analog on channel 26 and Digital on channel 45 from Canfield Butte. Due to the channel mapping in DTV receivers when you tune one to our digital signal it will say it is channel 26. The good news is that the digital is there and will remain on the air but due to the FCC mandate our channel 26 analog will have to shut down in February of The interesting issue is that the other stations on Canfield Butte will be able to remain on as analog stations. That is because our channel 26 transmitter is a full broadcast licensed station and the other transmitters are licensed as translators and they aren t required to shut down. If you are watching over the air with receive antenna I would suggest that you purchase a set top converter box that has the capability of passing through the analog signals when not watching a digital station, most of them on the market don t do that and you have to do some external switching when you go back and forth between analog and digital stations. If you go to: or call you can get up to 2 coupons worth $40 each towards set top boxes making them very inexpensive if not free depending on which box you get and where you buy it. On the site there is a list of eligible converter boxes and the ones with asterisks are capable of analog pass-through. If you have any further questions please don t hesitate to or call me. Thanks again for your interest in Idaho Public TV. Ken Segota Chief Engineer Idaho Public TV KUID / KCDT Moscow / Coeur d Alene, Idaho By Bruce Reichert, Executive Producer It is with much sadness that I announce that Jim Peck will be leaving us shortly to take a job at Michigan State University in East Lansing, Michigan. Jim will be Executive Producer of a production team that will create and produce programs and other content for the national Big Ten Network.

11 PAGE 11 It seems like a good career move for Jim, so I m certainly happy for him; and he and Kim and their three children will be closer to relatives, even though the muggy Michigan summers and the miserable winters will always make them think fondly of their Idaho days in the sun. I know I will personally miss Jim. In his seven years here at Idaho Public Television, he and Alberto have made some memorable television. Jim has been a real spark plug in keeping us fresh and relevant. We will all miss his quick wit and his grace under pressure. But his shows will live on because they were strong I m thinking of programs like Old Time Fiddlers, A Taste of Idaho, Vintage Idaho, Teton Inspiration, Extremely Idaho, all wonderful programs that will remain in the OUTDOOR IDAHO rotation; his heartfelt The Idaho Homefront series, on World War II and the Japanese American internment camps; West of the Basque, Picturing Idaho, Predator Legends, his hosting of our FocusWest series. And although he might wish to forget The Idaho Debates and Idaho Reports, those of us who didn t have to host them will be eternally grateful! NNU Political scientist Steve Shaw, one of Jim s guests around the table, wrote this morning, Jim, you ve been an extraordinarily professional host at IPTV---sharing the table and mike, grapping the whip and the quip! All the best to you and your family. And BSU Professor Emeritus Jim Weatherby wrote to say, In all of my years of dabbling in TV work, I ve never had more fun and been challenged more often than the three years I have worked with Jim Peck. I am happy for Jim but selfishly sad that this special program I ve enjoyed so much will never be the same. Godspeed to you, Jim, my dear friend. I know you ll join me in wishing Jim the very best as he embarks on a new phase of his career. And from Jim Hello everyone This is a very tough letter to write. As you may already know after seven and a half years, I am leaving Idaho Public Television. I have accepted a position with Michigan State University. My family and I will be moving in the coming months. In my new position as Executive Producer I will be leading a team that will produce programs and associated content for the Big Ten Network. It looks as if I will be doing some on-air work as well, so you can still cringe at my terrible jokes. When I came to Idaho I was single and had been traveling the world bringing home stories for PBS. As I leave, I am married and have three children and I am very sorry to be leaving so many Idaho stories untold. But I do hope you ve enjoyed those I have tried to bring to life. There is no possible way I can thank you enough for all you have given me during my years here. It has been the best professional experience of my life and I have gotten to know this wonderful state and its people intimately.

12 PAGE 12 I want to wish all of you success and happiness. You have built something wonderful here and it continues to grow. I know you all understand the importance of what we do every day and how critical local public television is to our audience. I know you won t ever disappoint them. Please feel free to write or call me, I ll still be around for awhile and will maintain my . natsotfull@gmail.com So I m signing off, for now. But you ll know where to find me. And I ll still be living out there on the air. I hope you ll tune me in sometime. All the best, always. -Jim Behind the Stories I Can t Help it, I Love Birds By Dave Thomason, IdahoPTV June 1, 2008 Can you pick up some mice? I have to feed the hawks. This was a strange request to get over the phone, but I needed a close-up of a Ferruginous Hawk and a Wildlife Refuge outside McCall had one. If sharing a ride with some sacrificial mice was what it took to get the shot, I was willing. After a quick stop at a local pet shop I was on my way up Highway 55 with a box full of white mice. It was a pleasant drive, and I was admiring the Payette River when just before Banks, I felt something crawl up my leg. The mice had made their escape by chewing a hole in their box and were now scampering wildly around the truck. I pulled to the side and furiously began grabbing at the little white fur balls. Soon both hands were full of mice, but what to do now? I had to let them go while I found something to hold them. I finally got all 12 excited rodents in a plastic box, made it to McCall, and got the shot. Who knew producing a bird show was so dangerous? Surviving marauding mice was just one of the adventures I had while producing Birders, Banders and Binoculars for OUTDOOR IDAHO. It is a program about people who study, watch and - most of all - love birds. While making this program, I had the pleasure of meeting many people who have a passion for wildlife and the natural world. This program is my attempt to share that passion with a larger audience. The Northern Saw Whet is not rare or particularly hard to catch except when OUTDOOR IDAHO cameras are around. Videographer Jay Krajic and I spent three nights in the Boise Foothills trying to get video of the capture and banding of an owl. The first two nights we stayed at the Idaho Bird Observatory until almost five in the morning, with no luck, just to be told that they caught one just after we left. On the third night I was ready to give up, but Jay is a real trooper and wanted to give it one more chance. Sure enough, they caught one! If you listen closely to the audio during this segment you might hear me jumping up and down with excitement!

13 PAGE 13 Idaho has lots of hummingbirds. I spent a day at the beautiful Rudeen ranch just south of American Falls and shot video of people banding the tiny birds. It was a special shoot with very friendly people, great lighting, and the largest number of hummingbirds I have ever seen in one place at one time. Bird watching is said to be the most popular outdoor activity in the US. I was very fortunate to spend some of my summer bird-watching through the lens of a video camera, near the Foothills Center on 8th Street in Boise. It took a while for the birds to get used to me, but eventually they came around. A lot of those shots made it into the bird watching segment, and some of them have real meaning for me. You just had to be there! Birds are in trouble across the globe, and I admit to an ulterior motive for making this program. Birds have meaning for us both spiritually and environmentally, and we should listen to what they have to say. Remembering J.R. Simplot Aired Thursday, May 29, at 8:30/7:30 p.m. MT/PT Repeated Sunday, June 1, at 5:30/4:30 On this special episode of Dialogue, Host Joan Cartan-Hansen and her guests remembered Idaho billionaire J.R. Simplot. Simplot, 99, passed away on May 25. Simplot left home when he was 14 and accumulated his first fortune by selling hogs. He later won a coin toss to become the owner of a new electric potato sorter, and eventually parlayed that windfall into an estimated $3.6 billion fortune. Cartan-Hansen was joined by Simplot friend H. Dean Summers; Tom Stitzel, former dean of the College of Business and Economics at Boise State University; and historian Susan Stacy. They remembered this remarkable man, his accomplishments and his impact on the world economy. During the live call-in show on Thursday at 8:30/7:30 p.m. MT/PT, Cartan-Hansen and her guests took calls from viewers on a toll-free.

14 PAGE 14 Water Resources Director David Tuthill Airs Thursday June 12th, 8:30 MT/7:30 PT Repeats Sunday June 15th 5:30 MT/4:30pm PT Idaho received an above average amount of precipitation this year. That s good news for agriculture and recreation. But Idaho still faces serious questions about how to distribute the state s water supply and how to prepare for drier times ahead. This week on Dialogue, host Joan Cartan-Hansen will talk with David Tuthill, the Director of the Idaho Department of Water Resources. Tuthill wants to investigate changes in how and where we store water and will discuss recent decisions in the Swan Falls settlement and the North Idaho adjudication. Viewers are encouraged to call in with their questions D4K Schedule September 16th October 21st November 18th December 16th January 20th February 17th March 17th April 21st May 19th Dinosaurs Habitat Robots Planets Five Senses Weather Bears Outdoor Education (working title) Birds of Prey Rocks and Minerals Aired Tuesday, May 20, at 2:00/1:00 p.m. MT/PT In its final show for this school year, D4K looked all around us and frequently downward. Idaho is a treasure-trove of rocks and minerals, and contains such a variety of material that our state s nickname is the Gem State. How did so many different kinds of rocks and minerals form here? Where do they fit in the rock cycle, and how can you measure them on a hardness scale? Students learned the answers to these and other questions when Scott Hughes, professor and chairman of geosciences at Idaho State University; and Virginia Gillerman, a geologist with the Idaho Geological Survey, joined Cartan-Hansen to take students questions about rocks and minerals.

15 PAGE 15 Additional information about the topic and links to related Web sites are available at the D4K Web site: /dialogue4kids/. This year, a Web-only show in which the guests answer questions not addressed on-air is available on the Web site. In addition, the on-air program is available in the D4K Web site archives for viewing online. D4K, produced by Idaho Public Television, airs the third Tuesday of the month throughout the school year and focuses on a variety of science-related topics. Public Television in the News Ann Smart Receives Warren Bakes Alumni Award June 3, 2008 COEUR D ALENE, Idaho Longtime Coeur d Alene resident and University of Idaho Coeur d Alene employee Ann Smart has received the Warren Bakes Alumni Award for her distinguished service. The award was established in 2006 and was named in honor of longtime educator and administrator Warren Bakes ( 63, 68 and 81), coordinator of student placement at University of Idaho Coeur d Alene. The award acknowledges those who share his spirit of dedication and service to the Coeur d Alene branch campus, and to Region 1. After 19 years of service to the University of Idaho Coeur d Alene Center, Smart retired in May. Her years with the university are exemplified by her dedication, service and work ethic. Smart grew up in Montpellier, Idaho, in a family of educators. She came to the University of Idaho following her junior year in high school and graduated with a degree in English and social sciences with teacher certification in I met my husband on a blind date on Halloween at the University of Idaho, Smart said. My sorority sisters set us up. Smart followed her husband to graduate school in Wisconsin, where she taught seventh through ninth grade. After moving back to Coeur d Alene, she became chair of the regional school board committee, where she met Jack Dawson, dean of the fledgling University of Idaho Coeur d Alene Center. She first started working for the University in 1989, when Dawson hired her for 100 hours to explore a master s degree in organizational management. He then hired me for another 100 hours, then for two days a week, then for five days a week, Smart said. She held a temporary position at the university for eight years before getting a permanent position. Smart did everything from advising and registering students to helping with programming and scheduling classes. As the Coeur d Alene Center grew, she took over advising all of the new education students. She built a reputation for accurately advising new students and helping iron out problems with those having difficulty in their programs. Her title as special projects coordinator really meant that she did whatever needed done and she did it well.

16 PAGE 16 During her years with the university, Smart facilitated many connections and dialogues that the University of Idaho Coeur d Alene had with North Idaho College, including the most important joint admission agreement, which allows a student to be registered at both institutions at the same time. In the early 90s, we began to grow quickly and we did not have sufficient staff to handle the growth, said Dawson. Ann was one of those faithful Vandals who did not hesitate to step out of assigned duties to fill a hole in some administrative activity. She is selfless. Smart always has been a community activist and currently serves on numerous boards and committees, including Idaho Public Television board, Coeur d Alene Public Library trustee, and court appointed special advocate for children. She also served on several committees during her last years with the university, including strategic planning and diversity. I enjoyed getting to know the university through a different lens, she said. Smart and her husband are planning a trip to Turkey in December, and she also will enjoy spending time with her five grandchildren. What I ll miss the most are the people, Smart said. We had one student who drove all the way from Montana every day to go to school. It s amazing the sacrifices these students make. I ll miss the people at the center and the students. I really appreciate the support of the past and present University of Idaho administration. Burst Gets Green Light To Upgrade Two Idaho Public Television Stations New Contracts, Systems Integration Wed, 14th, May 2008 Idaho Public Television (IdahoPTV) has chosen Denver-based Burst integrator to upgrade the production control rooms at KUID-TV and KISU-TV. Burst will be involved with equipment procurement and integration at two separate university campus environments: KUID-TV is located on the University of Idaho campus in Moscow, Idaho and serves northern Idaho, and KISU-TV is located at Idaho State University in Pocatello, and serves eastern Idaho, including Pocatello, Idaho Falls, and the surrounding area. The forthcoming HD digital control rooms are the first phase of a multi-year project that will impact equipment and facilities statewide; including field and editing, studio production facilities, internetrelated content and delivery, transmitters and repeaters and network operations center upgrades relating to the federal mandate and public trust for digital television. The project will commence Summer 2008.

17 PAGE 17 Idaho Public TV Bursts Into HD May 16, 2008 Denver-based systems integrator Burst will lead the upgrade of two HD production control rooms for Idaho Public Television. Burst will be involved with equipment procurement and integration at two separate university campus studios: KUID, at the University of Idaho in Moscow, serving northern Idaho, and KISU, at Idaho State University in Pocatello, serving the eastern reaches of the Wilderness State. The forthcoming HD digital control rooms are the first phase of a multi-year project that will impact equipment and facilities statewide; including field and editing, studio production facilities, Internetrelated content and delivery, transmitters and repeaters and network operations center upgrades relating to the federal mandate and public trust for digital television, Burst said. The project will begin this summer. Cheers And Jeers May 9, 2008 Is Risch hiding? JEERS to Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. Here we go again. Back in 2006 when the then-acting governor was seeking another term as Idaho s second banana, Risch refused to do what most other candidates have been doing for some time -- appear on the Idaho debates. Aired by Idaho Public Television and sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club, these appearances are the bare minimum expected of Idaho s candidates. They are the great equalizer, forcing candidates with big leads in support, organization and money to at least acknowledge that the election is up to the voters to decide. Not Risch. He negotiated his own deal with Boise television station KTVB. And that s what the Idaho Republican proposes to do again this year in his campaign to succeed Larry Craig in the U.S. Senate. Risch doesn t like the IPTV format and instead is going with KTVB for a debate ahead of the May 27 primary election. With luck, most Idahoans will see it -- KTVB cobbles together a network with other Idaho broadcasters. But it s not as accessible as having one debate broadcast live on statewide television. What s driving Risch here? Is it the arrogance of a candidate who believes he s already won and the election is a mere formality? Or is he afraid that he s simply not up to the challenge of facing tough questioning and debate? With four other candidates seeking the GOP nomination -- Fred Adams of Idaho Falls, Richard Phennegar of Coeur d Alene, Scott Syme of Wilder and Neal Thompson of McCall -- public television will go ahead with its own Senate debate May 22.

18 PAGE 18 Sali Pulls Out Of Live Debate May 13, 2008 Freshman U.S. Rep. Bill Sali has now decided not to participate in a debate with his GOP primary opponent, Matt Salisbury, that was scheduled to air live statewide on Idaho Public Television on the evening of May 18th. We can t do it, we just can t make it work, said Sali s spokesman, Wayne Hoffman. Saturday s out of the question, Sunday is very difficult. The debate sponsors the League of Women Voters, Idaho Press Club, and Idaho Public TV had offered Sali the option of choosing any other time during the weekend, after he suggested he might not be able to make the 7 p.m. Sunday time slot. But Hoffman said Sali s schedule on that Saturday is booked up with a radio interview, a parade, a gun show and other campaign events. The whole day s been blocked up, he said. Hoffman said Sali has some kind of a meeting he was supposed to be attending on Monday morning in Washington, D.C., so couldn t debate on Sunday evening. Congressman Sali wishes it would work, Hoffman said. There s nothing I can do. Salisbury called Sali s decision really a disappointment. He said, I think the people deserve to hear more, because the last debate we ve gotten such positive feedback just to hear us debate and see us talk. I think in this case we would have clearly had a picture of the two candidates, and Idaho deserves that. The two Republicans appeared together earlier on a taped debate sponsored by KTVB-TV in Boise and a group of other media outlets. Said Salisbury, To me, it really comes down to are you going to have a dialogue and take the heat. I don t think I ve done anything to this point to suggest that we d have anything but clean, honest debate. I m the president of the Idaho Press Club, so I know first-hand that the Idaho Debates, which the Press Club, the League and Public TV have co-sponsored for three decades worth of primary and general elections, require many hours by many volunteers to bring together, many of which already had been expended for the 1st District debate that was to happen in five days. Hoffman said Sali had equivocated from the start about whether he would attend. We responded back that we could do it if we could do it, he said. At that time, the congressman couldn t commit. Wednesday, May 14, 2008 BOISE -- U.S. Rep. Bill Sali is backing out of an Idaho Public Television debate that would have pitted him against GOP primary opponent. Sali was elected to represent Idaho s 1st District in 2006 and faces a primary challenge from Iraq veteran Matt Salisbury. Sali spokesman Wayne Hoffman says the congressman doesn t have time in his schedule for the debate, which was scheduled to be taped Sunday. Hoffman says Sali s schedule is filled with radio interviews, parade, gun show and other campaign events. Debate sponsors, which include the Idaho Press Club and the League of Women Voters of Idaho, say they are disappointed by Sali s decision to drop out. Lt. Gov. Jim Risch, who is vying for the Republican Senate nomination, has also backed out of the public television live debate.

19 PAGE 19 Sali, Poof! May 14, 2008 By Shea Andersen, Reporter, Boise Weekly Oh, and I was so ready to ask him so many good questions. I had been asked to be on the panel of reporters quizzing U.S. Rep. Bill Sali and Matt Salisbury for the Republican primary debate on Idaho Public Television. So much for that. Last night, I got word from the IPTV folks that Sali just couldn t find the time. While my weekend has freed up remarkably, it is a shame. Sali has apparently pulled a page out of the Jim Risch playbook. And, as any savvy campaign manager will tell you, it s good strategy for an incumbent or for anyone who has a built-in advantage. Debate your obscure opponent? What in the world do you have to gain from that? Zip. Zero. Nada. We are disappointed that the congressman couldn t find time in his schedule for the debate, was the official statement from the group sponsoring the event. The Idaho Debates are sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club and broadcast live statewide on Idaho Public Television. Because Sali and Salisbury are only two candidates scheduled to debate for their party s June primary, the debate has been canceled. Which means my garden will get the attention it deserves. Finally. And democracy, dare I say it, will not. By Mike Butts, Idaho Press-Tribune Senate Hopefuls Square Off Over Fed s Role, Iraq, More Thursday, May 15, 2008 NAMPA - Five Republican candidates running for retiring U.S. Sen. Larry Craig s seat expressed skepticism of the federal government Wednesday and said in a taped television debate that Idaho should be run by Idahoans. Five of the candidates for the Idaho Republican US Senate race debated at Northwest Nazarene University Wednesday night. When it comes to issues of education, public lands and energy, the five GOP members participating in the forum said the states can deal with issues better than the nation as a whole. Most of the candidates said President Bush s strategy in Iraq needs changing. And all of them said the private sector, and not the federal government, is the answer to the country s health care crisis. The debate was conducted at Northwest Nazarene University s Brandt Center and sponsored by KTVB-TV, the Idaho Press-Tribune and other statewide partners.

20 PAGE 20 Three other Republican Senate candidates, Fred Adams, Brian Hefner and Hal James Styles, did not participate in the debate because they did not meet KTVB s criteria, which relied on factors such as independent polling data, campaign financing and votes received in prior elections. All five candidates criticized the idea of a nationwide gas tax holiday, saying the idea is strictly a political move. And most said they did not like the income tax stimulus package approved by Congress and meant to jump-start the economy. The way to stimulate the nation s sagging economy would be to make permanent the Bush tax cuts of 2001 and 2003, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch said. Dick Phenneger of Coeur d Alene said people would just spend their stimulus checks on products made in China. Dick Phenneger, Coeur d Alene You just can t pull money out of the air and give it away and hope it s going to fuel stuff, said Neal Thompson of McCall. Only Bill Hunter of Rexburg said he supported the stimulus plan. We need to keep our economy going, and that was the intent of this package, Hunter said. Bill Hunter, Rexburg Scott Syme of Wilder, an Iraq war veteran, said the cost of the war is bringing down the nation s economy. You ve got bombs or butter, Syme said in response to a question about rising food costs. When you re spending so much money on the war in Iraq, you don t have the money to spend on the people at home. But other candidates blamed the federal government s subsidy of ethanol for higher food prices. Scott Syme, Wilder Jim Risch, Boise Risch said he would not support a single-payer, federal government-run health care system. I am very troubled by proposals I hear at the federal level that want to throw out the free market system, Risch said. He said the federal government would make a mess of the health care system. We have to keep the private system going, Thompson said. You let the federal government get in there and they will botch it up. Risch said he was outraged by high gas prices. Most of the other candidates, including Phenneger, said Congress has to let the country access the oil it already has to bring down gas prices. Why we are where we are today is a direct result of paralysis in Washington, Phenneger said. Neal Thompson, McCall The debate will be broadcast in upcoming days on KTVB, Channel 7 in Boise, the 24/7 NewsChannel (Cable One 28 in the Treasure Valley), KPVI Pocatello, KREM covering North Idaho, KTFT covering the Magic and Wood River Valleys, and on various cable systems statewide. The debate has also been provided to Idaho Public Television to run on its network of stations and online. Check VoteForIdaho.com for the complete schedule.

21 PAGE 21 Inclusion Criteria Belo Corp. and the KTVB News Group set minimum standards for inclusion in the debate. To qualify, candidates could produce independent polling data that showed a threshold of 10% support. Alternatively, a candidate could show the ability to finance an active campaign as demonstrated by a minimum of $10,000 in receipts to the candidate s campaign office. As a third measure, the candidate received ten percent or more of the vote in prior elections for the same or comparable office. What If You Held A Debate, And Told The Public To Go Away? May 15, 2008 By Kevin Richert I m not a conspiracy theorist. I believe man landed on the moon, not on a movie set someplace. In that spirit, I believe the Republican candidates for Senate debated Wednesday night. But I cannot believe an outfit that (incessantly) calls itself Idaho s news channel, and a bunch of their media sponsors, would actually hold a debate and tell the public to take a hike. How ludicrous can you get? Don t we all think transparency is not merely an ideal but the oxygen that gives health to the public process? Don t we all believe elected officials and candidates for public office should be openbook accountable? Don t we believe that it s part of our job to inform and engage the electorate? So when members of the general public and reporters showed up at Northwest Nazarene University to watch the debate for themselves, organizers turned away anyone who wasn t on a list. I thought this was a political debate, not Studio 54 circa And this wasn t just some Statesman-vs.-KTVB grudge either as KTVB and its partners also turned away an Associated Press reporter. Last I checked, KTVB and a number of its debate partners actually subscribe to the AP. I ve said this before, and I ll say it again. Taped debates are a bad idea. They give candidates time to do preemptive spinning before the public can judge the give-and-take for themselves. This is an advantage for the better-organized, better-funded candidate in this case, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. Keeping the public out of the debate makes a bad system even worse. The whole idea of sponsoring debates is to provide a public service to voters, or so I ve thought. But when you turn a debate into a private event, and you air the debate when it suits your programming schedule, you have turned the whole process into a proprietary product. Public service? My foot.

22 PAGE 22 I am a diehard First Amendment advocate, and I believe, when it comes to ensuring openness in government, all media organizations are brothers under the flag. But with this sham of a debate, KTVB and its co-sponsors the Idaho Business Review, the Idaho Press-Tribune, KIDO AM in Boise, KPVI TV in Pocatello, or North Idaho s KREM TV make it that much harder for us all to make a straight-faced argument for transparency. If you want to see a live debate, in real time, tune in to Public TV tonight at 8:30 to hear the candidates for Idaho Supreme Court: Joel Horton and John Bradbury. These debates are sponsored by Public TV, the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club (of which I am vice president). Then, go to after the debate to hear Jim Peck of IPTV, retired Boise State University professor Jim Weatherby, Scott Shaw of NNU and myself analyze the debate, and talk primary politics. Tune in and log in. Everyone s on the guest list. Treasure Valley KTVB Excludes Some Public From Debate May 15, 2008 The general public and some members of the press were barred from the taping of Wednesday s Republican debate among candidates for the U.S. Senate by debate organizer KTVB-Channel 7. The event, recorded at 7 p.m. at Northwest Nazarene University in Nampa for later broadcast, was open only to those on KTVB s guest list, said Bryce Quary, director of conferences and events for NNU. Among those barred were the Associated Press, and Idaho Statesman reporter and independent candidate Rex Rammell, who parked a campaign bus outside the 1,500-seat Swayne Auditorium. Quary said KTVB News Director Jim Gilchrist told him to exclude from auditorium access anyone not the list. Quary said Gilchrist told him he was too busy to talk to a Statesman reporter, who arrived a half-hour early about covering the only scheduled debate featuring front-running Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. Risch has said he chose the KTVB debate because he said he preferred the format. He declined an invitation from Idaho Public TV for a live debate next week. Idaho Public TV has been hosting live statewide debates since 1972, co-sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club. Asked by the Statesman Wednesday if he could help a reporter enter the auditorium to cover the debate, Risch declined. I had nothing to do with it, Risch said. You can watch it on TV it s going to be on all the stations. KTVB has a network of stations that will air the event on tape, but they do not have the statewide reach of Idaho Public TV. The KTVB debate will air at 8 p.m. Thursday. Idaho Public TV s debate will be broadcast live at 8 p.m. May 22.

23 PAGE 23 JEERS To U.S. Reps. Mike Simpson And Bill Sali, Both R-Idaho. May 16, 2008 Each has backed out of his scheduled appearance on the Idaho Debates on Idaho Public Television this weekend. Sponsored by the Idaho Press Club and the Idaho League of Women Voters, these debates traditionally have been the bare minimum required of political candidates. At least once in a campaign, the well-funded front-runners were required to set aside their advantages and appear on an equal footing with their challengers -- all for the benefit of the voters. But that tradition is being eroded. Two years ago, Republican Gov. Butch Otter and Lt. Gov. Jim Risch walked away from the Idaho debates. Risch, who is seeking Larry Craig s Senate seat, did so again this year, choosing instead to seek a friendlier format offered by a Boise television station. Simpson and Sali were to have appeared with their GOP primary election opponents Sunday -- Simpson with Gregory Nemitz of Twin Falls at 5 p.m., Sali with Matthew Salisbury of Nampa at 7 p.m. Simpson begged off, citing his appearance at the Idaho Conservation League s Wild Idaho conference at Redfish Lake earlier that day and then a scheduled flight from Idaho Falls at night. But the five-term Idaho Republican could have found time -- possibly by flying out of Boise -- had he wanted to. Public television producers offered to accommodate Sali by taping his debate anytime throughout the weekend. Sali found time for a radio interview, a parade, a gun show and other campaign events -- but not an hour to explain to Idaho voters why he should be returned to Congress. High Court Candidates Face Off May 16, 2008 By Betsy Russell, Spokesman Review The two competing candidates for the Idaho Supreme Court clashed over everything from the state s judicial selection process to political influence on the court, in a debate broadcast live tonight on Idaho Public Television. District Judge John Bradbury of Lewiston, the challenger, said, It s who you know to get an appointment to state judicial positions, and suggested that s why the court lacks diversity. Incumbent Justice Joel Horton responded, That s an absurd proposition, and said the state Judicial Council focuses on the merits and qualifications of the individuals. Horton was appointed to the court in September by Gov. Butch Otter after review by the council, and now is standing for election. Bradbury has called for an end to appointed judges running to succeed themselves, and wants all judgeships decided in open elections. Horton said he s the best qualified candidate because he s been a judge three times as long as Bradbury, while Bradbury maintained he brings a diverse life experience to the court, including many years in private practice. Horton said other justices on the court have private practice backgrounds. Before becoming a lower court judge, Horton served as a deputy prosecutor.

24 PAGE 24 The two also clashed over Idaho s sentencing system, with Bradbury calling for guidelines to address extreme disparities in sentencing from one judge to another around the state, and Horton opposing any guidelines, saying, It is essential that judges have discretion because every case is different. But Horton said the court does want to address disparate sentences, and he ll be on a newly forming committee to educate judges about sentencing patterns among their colleagues, including averages and ranges. Bradbury responded, We ve had a Supreme Court since 1890, and we re just now having a committee to address disparate sentences? He said 19 Idaho judges recently were presented with the same set of facts as part of a judicial conference exercise, and their proposed sentences for the case ranged from five years fixed to a fixed life sentence. Such disparities, he said, are not tolerable. Bradbury also suggested political influence may have been a factor in the high court s failure to fully resolve the school facilities funding lawsuit despite 17 years of litigation; the justices who last handled the case are now being sued in federal court. Horton responded that he s sat on about 100 cases in his time on the court so far, and never once did political pressures play a role in the decisions. Steve Shaw, a political scientist at Northwest Nazarene University, dubbed the matchup a good, spirited debate. It was sponsored by the Idaho Press Club and the League of Women Voters, moderated by Idaho Public TV s Jim Peck, and reporters questioning the candidates included myself and Rebecca Boone of the Associated Press. The entire debate, along with an analysis afterwards by Shaw, BSU political scientist emeritus Jim Weatherby and Idaho Statesman editorial page editor Kevin Richert, can be viewed online at By Boise Weekly Staff IPTV Debates, Round II May 21, 2008 Looks like Idaho Public Television can t catch a break at least when it comes to political debates. First, Lt. Gov. Jim Risch opted out of a debate sponsored by the League of Women Voters, saying that he preferred the format of the debate hosted by KTVB-Channel 7 (BW, News Shorts, Risch Passes on IPTV, May 7, 2008). It was the second time Risch turned down the chance to appear on an IPTV debate. Then, U.S. Rep. Bill Sali followed his example. Sali was scheduled to debate Republican primary challenger Matt Salisbury last weekend on IPTV, but just four days before the scheduled event, he backed out, saying he just didn t have the time. We are disappointed that the congressman couldn t find time in his schedule for the debate, was the official statement from the group sponsoring the event. The Idaho Debates are sponsored by the League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club and broadcast live statewide on IPTV. Of course, Risch s KTVB debate wasn t without its own controversy. The news station was heavily criticized for not allowing some media outlets, including the Associated Press, to cover the event. Only those on the official guest list were allowed past the velvet ropes. Even Republican candidate Rex Rammell was not allowed in the debate. He was left in the parking lot along with everyone else whose invitations failed to show up.

25 PAGE 25 Tune In And Log On... Cross Talk May 22, 2008 By Kevin Richert A reminder: Four of the Republican candidates for U.S. Senate will debate this evening on Idaho Public Television. The hour-long debate starts at 8 p.m., and will air live, unlike last week s taped debate sponsored by KTVB. You remember, that taped event that KTVB anchor Dee Sarton touted (inaccurately) as the only time that the Republican Senate candidates will be meeting prior to the May 27th primary. You ll hear from four of the candidates: Fred Adams of Idaho Falls; Richard Phenneger of Coeur d Alene; Scott Syme of Wilder; and Neal Thompson of McCall. Lt. Gov. Jim Risch has declined the invite in favor of the KTVB event protesting a Public Television format that allows cross talk between the candidates. Here s hoping for an interesting give-and-take on the issues even if, heaven forbid, we see a little bit of cross talk between candidates who aspire for a place in the U.S. Senate. And log in afterwards at Idaho Public Television s web site for an online analysis of the debate, and a discussion of Idaho politics heading into Tuesday s primary. I ll be on a panel along with Boise State University professor emeritus Jim Weatherby; Northwest Nazarene University professor Steve Shaw; and IPTV s Jim Peck. I am so gonna cross talk The Senate Debate: Amateur Hour May 23, 2008 By Kevin Richert The four Republican Senate candidates who debated on Idaho Public Television Thursday night pitched themselves as an alternative to the career politician. Then they went out and demonstrated their amateur status. For 60 minutes, they pretty much gave a pass to the front-runner and the one professional candidate in the GOP field Lt. Gov. Jim Risch. The first question out of the box was about Risch, a no-show at Thursday night s debate. All four candidates failed to seize the opening. None of the candidates brought up the centerpiece of Risch s pedestrian campaign for the GOP nomination the property-tax bill he engineered as governor two years ago. Risch s rivals are slamming the property tax relief and the sales tax increase that went with it. They somehow failed to bring it up during a statewide debate five days before the primary. Only Fred Adams, a Senate candidate from Idaho Falls, had a clue about what a candidate ought to do when the front-runner isn t on hand to defend himself. You go on the attack.

26 PAGE 26 Adams criticized the fact that top Republicans have closed ranks around Risch, saying this prompted his run. In his closing remarks, he slammed Risch for refusing to participate in a live, televised debate because he wants to duck the tough questions. Risch is simply another lifetime politician. Give Adams points for pluck. As I ve said, Risch s decision to shop for a friendly debate opting only for the pre-taped pseudodebate orchestrated by KTVB was disappointing. And he ought to be embarrassed by his lame stated explanation: concerns over the Public Television format. But considering the way Thursday s debate unfolded, Risch probably won t pay for his duck-andcover politics. The general election field is likely to include two eager Risch antagonists, Democrat Larry LaRocco and independent Rex Rammell. My guess is they will be much less forgiving. By Jim Fisher Election Debates May 24, 2008 Television station KTVB in Boise calls itself Idaho s news channel, but it acts like anything but a news organization. Last week, the station taped what it called a debate among candidates for the Republican nomination to succeed Larry Craig in the U.S. Senate. But it did so behind doors closed to members of the public and to news organizations other than its co-sponsors in presenting the program, which you will not see identified as a debate on this page.... After people from other news organizations complained about the privacy of the event, Doug Armstrong, president and general manager of KTVB News Group, boasted in a written statement that his station s taped programs promise to be the fairest in the land. And he charged that other media comments unwittingly promote media homogeny (homogeneity?) and discourage media independence and diversity. The statement failed to explain why Armstrong s station stiff-armed other journalists, but did sneer at actual debates such as those televised live statewide by Idaho Public Television, and co-sponsored by the Idaho League of Women Voters and the Idaho Press Club. While other debates may probe fewer issues, ours provides information viewers may not get elsewhere, he wrote. KTVB is reduced to asserting its superiority from behind closed doors instead of demonstrating it where it matters: in the ungated news community where quality is proved by competing with, not by silencing, others.

27 PAGE 27 Lehrer Says News Hour Money Woes Are Worst Ever May 19, 2008 By Elizabeth Jensen It has been a rough few weeks for The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer on PBS. In late April, Mr. Lehrer, who turns 74 on Monday, had aortic valve replacement surgery. He said he was recovering nicely and expects to be back on the air toward the end of June. But the nightly newscast s funding situation could take longer to heal. In its 25 years on the air, NewsHour has had fallow budget periods, but none that equal the current one, Mr. Lehrer acknowledged. The financial squeeze was precipitated last summer when Archer Daniels Midland ended its 14-year sponsorship of the program. That sponsorship provided nearly $4 million (and some years as much as $7 million) of the program s yearly budget, which varies from $26 million to $28 million. On May 1, salaries were frozen at the newscast, and company contributions to 401(k) retirement funds were suspended, cutbacks suggested by the staff. NewsHour still has two corporate sponsors Chevron and the Pacific Life Insurance Company and it receives support from PBS and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. But only part of the Archer money has been replaced, leaving the budget several million dollars short. NewsHour, along with other PBS mainstays, may have a longer-term problem. Not only are corporations cutting back on all forms of advertising during the current economic slowdown, but public television s model soliciting long-term commitments is also increasingly out of step with the changing needs of corporations, which no longer sponsor public television programs for purely philanthropic reasons. Now, it s more a marketing-driven conversation, about audiences, and delivery and engagement, said Rob Flynn, vice president of communications and marketing for NewsHour. In the last five years, corporate underwriting on PBS has varied; in 2007, it totaled $91 million, or just under 23 percent of all program financing, PBS said. But the core series of the PBS schedule, like NewsHour, Nova and Masterpiece Theater, known internally as the icon series, have had corporate underwriting drop 40 percent. As a result, although viewers will not have noticed any difference except in the end credits, PBS is permitting programs to experiment, which has produced short-term sponsorships for Nova and Antiques Roadshow, and even a two-week Sony Classics sponsorship of Masterpiece Theater. The experiments could become permanent, as PBS is studying changing its policies about sponsorship. Last fall, a study from the research firm McKinsey found that corporations would be more receptive if PBS permitted shorter deals, broadcast corporate messages more quickly and provided more audience data, so they could have a good sense of who they were reaching with their messages, said Andrew Russell, senior vice president of PBS Ventures. Mr. Flynn argues that NewsHour has a strong story to tell; it reaches 1.2 million adults a night and its audience includes a high proportion of what he calls opinion leaders. Last week, Mr. Flynn said, NewsHour completed a 13-week sponsorship commitment from the Danish company Vestas Wind Systems, a maker of wind turbines, which will begin in mid-august.

28 PAGE 28 NewsHour also increased its solicitations for foundation donations in recent years. Including a new Starr Foundation grant for $1.5 million, foundation support of NewsHour is up to $7 million from $2 million five years ago. The money comes from 16 foundations, some of which designate their donations for the coverage of specific topics. In an odd twist, that has allowed NewsHour to bolster its foreign reporting even as it struggles with the overall budget. Four international reporting grants from the Gruber Family Foundation, the Carnegie Corporation of New York, the Ford Foundation and the Rockefeller Brothers Fund were recently tapped to permit Margaret Warner, a correspondent, to leave earlier than planned for China so she could report on the earthquake there. These kinds of restricted grants are criticized by some media watchdogs, who worry that they let foundations dictate coverage. But so far NewsHour grants have been a great success story, said Linda Winslow, the program s executive producer, although she added, I would not pooh-pooh the fear that it becomes something that steers you to something you wouldn t already do. She noted that NewsHour had also rejected some grants for being too narrow. Ms. Winslow is figuring out new ways to operate under a budget squeeze. Open jobs, including a correspondent and a senior producer, are not being filled for now. Longer term, she is investigating partnerships, but covering the news remains her top priority, a sentiment echoed by Mr. Lehrer. We ve always played it close to the chest financially, he said. That s part of who we are, part of being in public broadcasting. The other issue facing the program is succession. Mr. Lehrer has been on NewsHour and its predecessor, The MacNeil/Lehrer Report, since 1975 a stretch as anchor that is 14 years longer than Walter Cronkite s at CBS and it is almost impossible to think of the show without him. He said he had thought about a succession plan, however, and Ms. Winslow acknowledged that it had been discussed. But she would not discuss details. Neither would Mr. Lehrer, except to say that despite the recent health scare, he has no plans to step down anytime soon. The valve problem, he noted, had been with him since birth, and was just now caught. I ve always said, I ll do this until one of two things happens: it s not fun any more or I start drooling on the air, he said. As we speak, neither is happening. Tricky Signals Mean Shift To Digital TV Will Be Rocky May 20, 2008 By Kim Hart, Associated Press The government-ordered switch to digital television broadcasting next year promises razor-sharp picture and orchestra-like sound that is, if the signal actually comes in. Jennifer Jackson, a 26-year-old medical student who lives in Arlington, Va., is discovering that despite her efforts, it might not. She has a digital converter box, the receiver of choice for those who rely on an antenna and do not have a digital television. But she is finding that the new digital signals are more capricious than old-fashioned analog.