STRAWBERRY FIELDS FOREVER

I’ll admit it. I was, am and forever will be, a Beatles fan. As a teenager, I was thrilled when I first heard “I Want to Hold Your Hand” and “She Loves You.” Compared to the folk music of the Kingston Trio or tunes like Millie Small’s “My Boy Lollipop,” the Beatles sounded sophisticated, electric and utterly original.

When you think about the pop groups then, each group had a “sound” and many of their songs sounded alike. Think Beach Boys or Jan and Dean or The Four Seasons. Is “Rag Doll” that much different from “Dawn?” But the Beatles… they were able to produce so many different complex tunes. From “Meet the Beatles” through “Rubber Soul” and “Revolver” to Sgt. Pepper, each album was filled with surprising, hook-heavy, original songs. I remember asking for a new Beatles album for Christmas one year, finding it hidden in a closet with other future presents, and sneaking it out to play it when the folks weren’t around. Not sure how I faked surprise about the open shrink wrap and worn down grooves when opening it on Christmas Day, but that was the depth of my obsession.
But enough about me.

Quench your Beatles thirst by watching “Rain: The Beatles Experience” now playing (8 pm, 9/17 and other times) during our membership drive on Detroit Public TV. “Rain” is a very cool, multi-media tribute to the Fab Four covering five periods from Beatlemania to Abbey Road. Check it out. I’ll be singing along and I hope you will be too.

Dave Devereaux is VP of Communications for Detroit Public TV

Meaningful Internships

One of the cool benefits of working at Detroit Public TV is that you meet a lot of creative, smart people. Recently, I shared lunch with Aaron Dworkin and his team from the Sphinx Organization, which is working hard to increase the number of African American and Latino string players in classical music. Hearing about their innovative efforts to get violins into the hands of young people sparked a number of ideas about how public television could help them achieve their goals. A day later, Steve Hamp, the former head of The Henry Ford, now leading the New Economy Initiative for Southeast Michigan, and an all-round brilliant guy, spoke to our staff about efforts to retain and attract young people to Detroit.
Among his many interesting observations, Steve shared research which showed that young people who participate in meaningful internships at local businesses and non-profit organizations are more likely to stay in the area once they embark on their careers. I know this to be true from my experience at Detroit Public TV. Many of the people that we’ve hired over the years started as interns. We get to know them; they learn about us and have the inside track once a job opens up.
So… here’s the deal. We need interns at Detroit Public TV. Put your skills to work in TV production, internet research and writing, graphic design and other areas. We’ll promise not to waste your time or make you fetch us coffee; in short, we’ll try to make your internship with us meaningful. In return, you’ll volunteer your time, learn about our biz, and maybe even share lunch with a few smart people. Interested? Contact us at tcozad@dptv.org.

SEEING IT FOR THE FIRST TIME

Occasionally, I conduct tours of our Detroit studios for Cub Scouts or grade school children, and I’m always struck by the wonder in their eyes. All those lights, flashing buttons, and weird pieces of electronic gear are like a magnificent “technoland” seen for the first time. Of course to me, the technical areas of our New Center facility look somewhat run-down and seriously cramped, but thanks to the ingenuity and expertise of Helge and our engineering staff, everything is still quite functional. Sometimes we’ll fire up a studio camera and get a close-up shot of one of our junior visitors and even though each of these children has probably starred in thousands of hours of family home videos, the kids all giggle like crazy to see themselves on TV. They’re seeing a familiar experience in a new way.

I was reminded of this the other day while checking out the construction progress on our new Master Control and technical areas at our Riley Broadcast Center in Wixom. You may know that we’re moving our technical operations from that 60-year-old New Center building and plan to be broadcasting from here early this summer. I was taking a couple of our veteran engineers on a tour through the new construction. Hard workers that they are, they hadn’t visited the area in a few weeks. Well, now that the carpeting is in, walls are painted and the super-duper raised flooring is awaiting equipment, I saw that same look of wonder in their eyes. This is going to be pretty darn cool, they seemed to say.

And it will be. Over time, you’ll hear more about our Capital Campaign which is in the fundraising home stretch to ensure that Detroit Public TV has the digital production facilities it needs to showcase the arts, culture and pretty darn cool things in Detroit. In the meantime, thanks for watching and remember to look at things as though you’re seeing them for the first time.

Uh oh. I feel a shameless plug coming on… want to see something for the first time? Check out Egyptian-born singer/songwriter “Chantal: Live at the Pyramids” Friday night at 10 on WTVS Channel 56. Thanks.

Dave Devereaux
VP, Communications & Brand Management

Johnny, James, and Me

When I graduated from Hemlock High School in 1969 (OK, I’m giving away my age) I and most kids were listening to the Beatles, Led Zepplin, Creedence, Cream… you know, rock and roll. But living in that small town, I also heard a fair amount of country music. And I liked country music, especially Johnny Cash. I also had been playing guitar for a few years so I was crazy about watching anybody who had a guitar in his or her hands. Well, much to my delight, in June of ’69, “The Johnny Cash Show” premiered on ABC. Over the next two years, Johnny produced 57 amazing episodes featuring performances from Bob Dylan, Neil Young, Loretta Lynn, Ray Charles, James Taylor and many, many others.

Flash forward a gazillion years. I now work at WTVS Detroit Public TV and I’m pleased to report (here comes the shameless plug) that on Wednesday, March 5 at 8 p.m., we’ll broadcast “Johnny Cash: A Man and His Vision,” which includes a selection of clips from that classic TV series. We’ll also offer tickets to a cool Johnny Cash tribute concert. I hope you’ll join me in watching, not to just reacquaint ourselves with Johnny’s genius, but for the blast of seeing all those other performers at the beginning (or at the top) of their careers.

One performer who has definitely held up well over the years is James Taylor and, wouldn’t you know it, we’re following the Cash special with a new “Great Performances” featuring Sweet Baby James alone with his guitar singing, and telling stories about, memorable songs like “Fire and Rain,” “Carolina on My Mind” and, well, name your favorite. That’s 9 p.m. Wednesday, March 5, on WTVS Channel 56.

I’ll be watching and looking forward to letting Johnny and James take me down those country roads back to small mid-Michigan town. It’s June 1969 and it’s hotter than a pepper sprout.

Posted by Dave Devereaux, VP, Brand Management, Detroit Public TV

More Necessary than Ever

This past Sunday, The New York Times printed an opinion piece by Charles McGrath under the headline “Is PBS Still Necessary?” You can read the article and decide for yourself if his arguments hold water, but I hope that you also read some of the comments from the approximately 800 people who posted their reactions. It’s clear that many people do indeed think PBS is necessary.
Recently, Detroit Public TV held an event at the Charles H. Wright Museum of African American History where 200 educators learned how to use the PBS series African American Lives 2 in the classroom. I wish Mr. McGrath had been there to hear how appreciative those teachers were to have PBS help them help young people connect with their family histories. I wish Mr. McGrath could meet the parents who attend our DPTV Kids Club events, or answer a pledge phone to hear from folks voluntarily parting with their hard-earned cash to support our service. They think PBS is necessary. And it’s probably unlikely that Mr. McGrath will tune in to Channel 56 on February 25 to see the talented young African American and Latino classical string players in the Sphinx Competition Finals Concert, which was produced in high-definition by Detroit Public TV, and which might appear on PBS.
Can we do a better job? Shouldn’t we earn our way in a competitive media market? Sure. At Detroit Public TV, only about 6% of our annual budget comes from federal funding. We have to raise the other 94% each year. But we’re able to do it, because more than 60,000 individuals, together with business and foundations, believe that it is necessary to have a strong local public television to enrich our community.
The national/local partnership that is at the heart of our public broadcasting system may not be necessary, but, in my view, it is pretty remarkable.

Dave Devereaux
VP, Communications & Brand Management

Welcome!

Welcome to the Detroit Public TV blog, a space where we’ll bring you news and ideas about what’s happening in public broadcasting and beyond, and where you can share your views with us. In this inaugural post, I want to bring up the transition to digital broadcasting scheduled for February 17, 2009. You’ve probably already seen and read a lot about this because all broadcasters must make the change, and you may already be tired of hearing about it. But, you probably know somebody who still relies on rabbit ears or an antenna to watch friendly and familiar old Channel 56. (I’m talking about you, Uncle Ed.) Want to save them as much as $80 the easy way? Have them call 1-888-DTV-2009 and apply for $40 coupons (2 available per customer) that can be used to buy converter boxes that turn any old TV into a digital-ready dynamo - able to pick up Detroit Public TV when the transition happens. It’s a limited government program, so you’ll want to act now. If your friend or relative starts complaining, let them know they’ll be able to watch two more Detroit Public TV channels without paying anything. That usually motivates them. Thanks for “telling a friend” and helping us reach your neighbors, parents or grandparents so that no viewer is left behind when the analog plug gets pulled. If you want more info, just ask us.



Posted by Dave Devereaux, VP, Brand Management, Detroit Public TV

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