pbs western reserve president’s report

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1 1 Programming & Local Producons 3 Educaonal Services 4 Staff News PBS Western Reserve 1750 W. Campus Center Drive Kent, OH 44240-3820 1-800-554-4549 PBSWesternReserve.org PBS Western Reserve President’s Report The PBS Western Reserve President’s Report is published for the Northeastern Educaonal Television of Ohio Inc. Board of Directors, major funders of the staon and other community members interested in the organizaon’s acvies. Winter 2021 Volume 15, Issue 1 Chardon Polka Band presents fun naonwide road trip Members of a popular Ohio polka band produced a new documentary that spotlights entertaining polka musicians, with each performance serving as a musical postcard from around the country. The producon, POLKA ACROSS AMERICA, premiered on PBS Western Reserve in January. The Chardon Polka Band, known naonwide for its eclecc and modern take on an old genre, typically performs around 200 shows each year. However, the COVID-19 pandemic leſt the band members with no gigs, no live audiences and limited ways to create and deliver their art. As a way to both celebrate their genre and bring fellow musicians together, the group launched POLKA ACROSS AMERICA by leveraging their experience with music video producon. The result is an hour-long documentary that provides the viewer with a delighul quilt of unique songs by unique arsts. Follow us! Follow us for program updates, announcements, fun links and more.

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Page 1: PBS Western Reserve President’s Report

1

1 Programming & Local Productions

3 EducationalServices

4 StaffNews

PBS Western Reserve 1750W.CampusCenterDrive

Kent,OH44240-38201-800-554-4549

PBSWesternReserve.org

PBS Western Reserve President’s Report

The PBS Western Reserve President’s Report is published for the Northeastern Educational Television of Ohio Inc. Board of Directors, major funders of the station and other community members interested in the organization’s activities.

Winter 2021Volume15,Issue1

Chardon Polka Band presents fun nationwide road tripMembersofapopularOhiopolkabandproducedanewdocumentarythatspotlightsentertainingpolkamusicians,witheachperformanceservingasamusicalpostcardfromaroundthecountry.Theproduction,POLKAACROSSAMERICA,premieredonPBSWesternReserveinJanuary.

TheChardonPolkaBand,knownnationwideforitseclecticandmoderntakeonanoldgenre,typicallyperformsaround200showseachyear.However,theCOVID-19pandemicleftthebandmemberswithnogigs,noliveaudiencesandlimitedwaystocreateanddelivertheirart.Asawaytobothcelebratetheirgenreandbringfellowmusicianstogether,thegrouplaunchedPOLKAACROSSAMERICAbyleveragingtheirexperiencewithmusicvideoproduction.Theresultisanhour-longdocumentarythatprovidestheviewerwithadelightfulquiltofuniquesongsbyuniqueartists.

Follow us!Followusforprogramupdates,announcements,funlinksandmore.

Page 2: PBS Western Reserve President’s Report

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Programming & Local Productions (cont’d.)

Historic 1936 union conflict in Kent is subject of new documentaryUNDERFIRE,UNDERSIEGE:STRIKEBREAKERSINKENT,OHIO,anewdocumentaryaboutanintense1936unionconflict,premieredexclusivelyonPBSWesternReserveinJanuary.TheproductionistheworkofveteranjournalistandfilmmakerFredEndresofHudson.

InJune1936,twotruckloadsofClevelandstrikebreakerscrashedthroughapeacefulpicketlineinKent.Theyfiredsawed-offshotgunsandteargasinanattempttointimidatetheworkersandbreakasix-week-oldstrikeattheBlack&DeckerCo.Theynotonlyfailedtoendthestrike,butthestrikebreakershadthetablesreversedonthem.Theyendedupundersiegeintheplant,withmorethan100strikersandsympathizersfiringhigh-poweredriflesatthemforsixhours.

Theprogramexamineshowtheterrifiedstrikebreakerseventuallywereledtosafetyanddocumentstheaftermathoftheevent.

February programming spotlights African American history and cultureIncelebrationofBlackHistoryMonth,PBSWesternReservepresentedamonthofspecialprogramming,includingthreenewlocalproductionsthatpremieredonFeb.5.Communityeventssurroundallthreeproductionsarebeingplannedforlaterthisyear.

Nick Cave, Summit Lake: Heard

Thisnewproductionbringstolifethetransformationaljourneyofasmall,urbancommunityinAkron,touchedbyauniqueperformancebyinternationallyrenownedartistNickCave.

InApril2019,SummitLakecommunitymembersjoinedCaveinstagingavibrantdisplayofmusic,artanddance,providingthemwithanopportunitytonotonlyshowcasethetalentsandskillsintrinsictotheirownneighborhoodbuttoalsobe“heard”bythesurroundingarea.

PBSWesternReservecommissionedWatersMediaofCantontoproducethedocumentary.ItfeaturesanexplosionofcolorthroughCave’ssignature,life-sized,dancinghorses—eachcomposedoftwodancers—withchoreographybyWilliamGill.Italsoprovidesabehind-the-sceneslookatonecommunity’scommitmenttowardmakingtheirvoicesheard.

Lines Broken: The Story of Marion Motley

In1946,MarionMotleywasoneoffourAfricanAmericanmentobreakprofootball’scolorbarrierwhenhejoinedtheClevelandBrowns.Thosemen’seffortstoplayaphysicallybrutalgameinthefaceofsocietalracismandstate-sanctionedJimCrowlawstrailblazedapathforBlackathletesinthehighestechelonsofprofessionalsports,includingbaseball’sJackieRobinson.

Motleywasrecognizedasoneofthegridiron’sgreatestplayerswhenhewasenshrinedintotheProFootballHallofFamein1968inhishometownofCanton,Ohio.However,fivedecadesafterbeingimmortalizedthere,thememoryofMotleyandhisgreataccomplishmentsonandoffthefieldarebeginningtofadeinthecitywherehefirstmadehisname.

PBSWesternReservecommissionedCantonnativeJamesWaterstoproduceLINESBROKEN.TheprogramtellsMotley’sstoryofadversity,personaltragedyandtriumphsusingrarelyheardarchivalinterviewsandnewinterviewswithhistorians,friendsanddescendants.

Page 3: PBS Western Reserve President’s Report

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Educational Services

Computer science project wins national awardAvideoprojectdesignedbyPBSWesternReserveforeducators’usewonanawardinJanuaryatThe52ndAnnualPublicMediaAwards(PMAs),whichhonoredpublicmedia’sachievementsin2020.

Theproject,ComputerScienceforYourClassroom:Ohio’sStandards,woninthe DivisionIIcategoryEducationalResourcesfortheClassroom.ItisdesignedtohelpteachersingradesK-8betterintegrateintotheirclassroomsthestate’slearningstandardsforcomputerscience.Toaccessvideosfortheproject,visitPBSWesternReserve.org/computer-science.

PBSWesternReservededicatesthisawardtothememoryofourformerEducationalServicesemployeeMariaMastromatteo,whodiedinJanuary.

Black College Football Hall of Fame: Journey to Canton

“HeadedtoCanton”isoftenusedsynonymouslywhenreferringtoanNFLplayerwhowillonedaybeenshrinedintotheProFootballHallofFame,locatedinCanton,Ohio.Themuseumcelebratesthegreatestplayers,coachesandcontributorstotheprofessionalgame.

Now,morethan50yearlater,headingtoCantonhasexpandedtoincludecollegiatefootball.In2019,theBlackCollegeFootballHallofFamewasofficiallywelcomedtothecampusoftheProFootballHallofFame.

PBSWesternReservecommissionedthisnewdocumentarytoWatersMediaanditsproducingpartner,FogCityMedia.IttellsthestoryoftheformationofBlackcollegefootball,thecontributionsthatplayersfromhistoricallyBlackcollegesanduniversitieshavemadetotheNFL,thefoundingofitshalloffameandwhythehallisintheunexpectedlocationofCanton.

Programming & Local Productions (cont’d.)

February programming spotlights African American history and culture (cont’d.)

Area families learn about PBS KIDS appPBSWesternReserverecentlyconductedfourvirtualsessionstohelplocalfamilieslearnaboutthePBSKIDSScratchJrapp.Fourteenfamilies,participatingviaZoomatsevenfamilychild-carecenters,learnedhowtousetheapptocreatetheirowninteractivestoriesandgamesfeaturingfavoritePBSKIDScharacters.

ThisprojectisphasetwoofanearlylearninggrantfromtheCorporationforPublicBroadcasting.

Ohio Ready to Learn trainings continuePBSWesternReserve’sEducationalServicesDepartmentcontinuestodeliverfamilychild-careprovidertraining.SponsoredbyOhioReadytoLearnandUnitedWayoftheMahoningValley,16virtualtrainingsessionsrecentlyenabledproviderstosecureOhioStepUptoQualitycertification.

Educators can access professional developmentProfessionaldevelopmentopportunitiesforeducatorswillcontinueinFebruaryandMarchviaself-pacedonlineandvirtualmethods.Topicscoveredincludetechniquessupportingremotelearninginanelementaryclassroom,Googlecertification,inventionliteracyutilizingMakeyMakey,anduseof$martPath,afree,easy-to-useinteractiveonlineplatformforteachersingradesK-8.

Page 4: PBS Western Reserve President’s Report

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PBSWesternReserve1750W.CampusCenterDr.

KentOH44240-3820www.PBSWesternReserve.org

WNEOQuality shows. On your schedule.

video.westernreservepublicmedia.org

Staff News

Withheavyhearts,wesaidgoodbyeinJanuarytooneofourretirees,MariaMastromatteo.RiajoinedourEducationalServicesstafffollowingherretirementfromRavennaCitySchoolsandworkedherefrom1998until2019.We’llalwaysrememberhersweetpersonality,kindnessanddedicationtoteaching.Oursincerecondolencestoherfamily,friendsandformerstudents.

In loving memoryMaria ‘Ria’ Mastromatteo

1944 – 2021

Trina Cutter’s activitiesPresidentandCEOTrinaCutterhasbeenbusywithindustryevents,includinganationalpublicmediageneralmanagers’

discussionondiversity,equityandinclusion.Inaddition,shecompletedasix-weekcourseonconsciousmarketingtraining.

InFebruary,sheattendedvirtuallytheAPTSPublicMediaSummit,wherepublicbroadcastinggeneralmanagersandcommunityleadersjointoexploreissuesofimportancetotheindustry.

Jeff Good to review content ChiefEducationTechnologyOfficerJeffGoodwasrecentlyinvitedtobeaninstructionalmaterialsreviewerfortheRemotEDx

Exchange,poweredbyINFOhio.Thisstate-levelinitiativeoffersparentsandeducatorsresourcesforremote,hybridandblendededucationmodels.

TheOhioDepartmentofEducationissupportingRemotEDxthrougha$15millioninvestmentofstateactivitiesfundsmadepossiblebythefederalCARESAct.

Staff members attend seminarsSeveralPBSWesternReservestaffmembershaveparticipatedincareerdevelopment—allofitvirtuallyduetothepandemic:

• InJanuary,RandyLipscomb,accountexecutive,attendedtwodaysofvirtualsalestrainingpresentedbytheOhioAssociationofBroadcasters

• SusanScheible,membershipspecialist,recentlyparticipatedinthreetrainingsrelatedtomembershipservices

• FiveemployeesparticipatedintheannualNETAConferenceforpublicmediaprofessionals,heldJan.25-28