| Do You Want the Good News First?
By Tom Rieland, WOSU General Manager  When someone asks me that, I always want to take the bad news first and then feel better about leaving the conversation with the positive news. In following that credo, I wanted to tell you about our state funding situation at WOSU.
In order to address a projected budget shortfall that may range between $733 million and $1.9 billion by the end of June 2009, Governor Strickland has directed agencies to implement more than $733 million in cost savings, management strategies, program reductions, and efficiencies. Cuts are required because the Ohio Constitution mandates a balanced budget at the end of each year
.
WOSU’s 2008 and 2009 fiscal year, state-operating funds, received through a subsidy via the eTech Ohio agency, was reduced by 10% as a result of this measure. This will mean a loss of over $200,000 over those fiscal years.
The loss in state funds, coupled with rising costs in all areas (utilities, programming, personnel), means we are facing a challenging year ahead. In preparation, WOSU will reduce operating lines of all units and hold off on several exciting initiatives planned for the coming year, while focusing on sustaining the quality and breadth of our radio, television, and web programming services.
Now—the good news.
As this Airfare went to press, the 12 public television stations in Ohio were waiting to receive word of $9 million of support through the state capital bill to assist in the conversion of our facilities to digital technology, an effort supported by Governor Strickland, House Speaker Jon Husted, and State Senate President Bill Harris. These funds will filter to WOSU by this October just in time to assist us in making the full transition to digital television broadcasting by February.
We have sought this capital appropriation for the entire five years I’ve been at WOSU, and I’m so pleased to see state leadership understand the enormous value our digital broadcast services will have in serving the citizens of Ohio. So, while operating cuts will make this year a challenge, the foundation of this organization will be greatly strengthened with this capital appropriation.
That’s my bad news, good news story for this month. You can continue to count on us, however, for the exceptional programs and services you have always enjoyed. We value the opportunity to serve the central Ohio community! Have a wonderful July.
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WOSU Nominated for 14 Emmys
WOSU: In the News  The Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Art and Sciences announced recently that WOSU Public Media has been nominated for 14 Emmy Awards. Winners will be announced at the 44th Annual Midwestern Regional Emmy Awards ceremony on August 9 in Cincinnati.
The Ohio Valley Chapter of the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences presents the Emmy Award to television professionals in 13 markets and four states, and makes its scholarship available to students at accredited colleges and universities throughout the region. The chapter’s first Emmy Awards were presented in 1964.
We’ll keep you posted on the award winners from WOSU!
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Help Your Neighbor with the Digital TV Transition
By now, chances are you’ve heard the buzz about the upcoming digital television transition in February 2009. You may have already taken action to ensure that your television will still work properly after February 17, 2009. Perhaps you subscribe to cable or satellite, or maybe you even have a new television with a built-in digital tuner. Maybe you have purchased a digital-to-analog converter box for your TV. With any of these options, you will be ready for February 2009 when television as we’ve known it changes forever. But, consider this: roughly 100,000 households in central Ohio do not subscribe to cable or satellite. These households do not have TVs with built-in digital tuners. The reality is that these households are watching televisions “over-the-air” with
old-fashioned antennas that provide reception for only a few select analog channels. If these households do not act now, they will discover that their TVs will be inoperable on February 17, 2009. In an effort to reach an important population considered at-risk for losing TV reception in February, WOSU Public Media has joined with LifeCare Alliance and the Central Ohio Area Agency on Aging to reach thousands of local elderly whose only television reception is from an over-the-air signal on an analog TV set. If you are looking for a worthwhile opportunity to help our community, here’s how you can make an impact: - Go to www.dtv2009.gov or call 1-888-388-2009 and apply for two government coupons of $40 each, which can be applied to a new digital converter box (Cost: $50-$70).
- Once you receive your coupons (4-6 weeks), donate them to WOSU for our service project with LifeCare and COAAA. The coupons will help us defray the cost of getting boxes to the at-risk elderly in the community.
- WOSU will purchase converter boxes with the assistance of the federal coupons you send to us and turn the converter boxes over to LifeCare and COAAA to distribute and hook up.
Local DTV Transition Resources
As part of our commitment to educate and inform our community about the DTV transition, WOSU Public Media is participating in a number festivals and special events this summer. If you would like more information about the DTV transition, please visit us at these events: ComFest —June 27-June 29
Columbus Zoo Days —July 12
Lancaster Festival —July 19
Fayette County Fair —July 26
WOSU Digital Days —August 16
King Arts Complex Event —August 23
Morrow County Fair —August 30
OSU Home Football Game —September 6
Delaware County Fair —September 18-19
OSU Home Football Game —September 20
OSU Home Football Game —September 27
Columbus Zoo Day —October 4
OSU Home Football Game —October 11
Circleville Pumpkin Festival —October 15-18
OSU Home Football Game —October 25
WOSU Digital Days —November 1
International Festival —November 8-9
OSU Home Football Game —November 22
COAAA Expo —November
COSI Community Open House WOSU Digital Days —December 7
Salvation Army Christmas Cheer Event —December 2008 In partnership with the Columbus Metropolitan Library, WOSU will host information sessions about the digital transition at local libraries. Each session will last approximately 45 minutes. Reservations are encouraged and may be made by calling (614) 292-9678. Below is a list of upcoming sessions: July 1:
Main Library (96 S. Grant Ave.), 7pm July 8:
Northern Lights (4093 Cleveland Ave.), 5:15pm July 15:
Northside (1423 N. High St.), 7pm July 22:
Parsons (845 Parsons Ave.), 7pm July 29:
Hilltop (511 S. Hague Ave.), 7pm August 12:
Livingston (3434 Livingston Ave.), 4pm August 19:
Shephard (790 N. Nelson Rd.), 6:30pm We hope you can join us to learn more about the DTV transition!
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Community Outreach: Ohio War Stories By Scott Gowans, WOSU Web
 The Greatest Generation’s numbers are thinning. Approximately 1,500 American veterans are dying every day, and so are their stories of valor and everyday heroism.
WOSU Public Media has been collecting bits of this oral history as part of its Ohio War Stories project. With some special assistance, we recorded more than 35 additional stories on April 3, 2008. From Buckeye Lake, OH to Denmark, the tales of valor, friendship, and humanity were captured for posterity on video at the Longaberger offices in Newark, Ohio.
The videotaping was organized by WOSU and carried out by high school students from C-TEC and the Newark High School Advanced Video Production class, who conducted interviews of local World War II veterans as a part of the Ohio War Stories project. The Longaberger Foundation provided the necessary support and space for the event.
So what’s it like for a high school student to interview someone who survived a B-24 crash in the freezing Atlantic waters, or who photographed one of the concentration camps?
Daunting.
Awe-inspiring.
Eye-opening.
One student, Joe Kurzawa, said, “It’s pretty amazing. You see these normal-looking guys who lived extraordinary lives. We live in such simple times compared to these people.”
The students—indeed, all of us—needed to be reminded that some people who liberated and photographed Auschwitz and Dachau are still around, and that the people who survived Omaha Beach, Bogenville, and the Battle of the Bulge have stories to tell.
The stories can be found at www.ohiowarstories.org. TABLE OF CONTENTS
Celebrate America: WOSU July 4 Specials
 WOSU TV Highlights
Independence Day Programming:
A Capitol Fourth
Friday, July 4, at 8pm
Emmy and Golden Globe Award-winning film, theater, and television actor Jimmy Smits hosts the 28th annual broadcast of A Capitol Fourth, live from Washington, DC. The star-spangled party will feature unrivaled musical performances from some of the country’s best known and award-winning artists, as well as the most spectacular fireworks display anywhere in the nation.
Grammy-winning musicians Huey Lewis and the News, “American Idol” winner Taylor Hicks, rock ‘n’ roll legend Jerry Lee Lewis, Broadway star Brian Stokes Mitchell, classical superstar Hayley Westenra, and soprano Harolyn Blackwell will perform a selection of patriotic and celebratory music with the National Symphony Orchestra under the direction of top pops conductor Erich Kunzel.
WOSU Radio Highlights
Independence Day Programming
Capitol Steps: Politics Takes a Holiday
WOSU 820 AM
Friday, July 4, at 6:30pm
The Capitol Steps began as a group of Senate staffers who set out to satirize the very people and places that employed them.
In the years that followed, many of the Steps ignored the conventional wisdom (“Don’t quit your day job!”), and although not all of the current members of the Steps are former Capitol Hill staffers, taken together the performers have worked in a total of eighteen Congressional offices and represent 62 years of collective House and Senate staff experience. Don’t miss our favorite political parody troupe as they take a jab at the powerful on Independence Day.
Summer with the Pops
WOSU 89.7 FM
Saturday, July 5, at 8pm
Join host Boyce Lancaster as he explores classical favorites for Independence Day: baseball, hotdogs, apple pie, and musical fireworks! TABLE OF CONTENTS
The Digital Scoop
 In an effort to educate our community about the upcoming DTV transition, here are some frequently asked questions:
If I want a new TV, will I have to buy a High Definition TV (HDTV) to watch digital broadcast television after the transition?
No. It is important to understand that the DTV transition is a transition from analog broadcasting to digital broadcasting. It is not a transition from analog broadcasting to High Definition broadcasting.
Digital broadcasting allows for High Definition broadcasts, but High Definition is not required, and you do not need to buy a HDTV to watch digital TV. A Standard Definition DTV (which is simply a TV with an internal digital tuner), or a digital-to-analog converter box hooked to an analog TV, is all that is required to continue watching over-the-air broadcast television. Digital broadcast television includes Standard Definition (SD) and High Definition (HD) formats. You can watch High Definition programming on a Standard Definition DTV (or on an analog TV hooked to a digital-to-analog converter box), but it won’t be in full High Definition quality. It is also important to know that Standard Definition DTVs are comparably priced to similar sized analog TVs.
Will I be able to use parental controls like the V-chip with digital TV the same way I now can with my analog TV?
Yes. The V-chip is a technology that enables parents to block television programming based on a program’s rating. The ratings are encoded within the television signal. You can learn about the ratings system, also known as “TV Parental Guidelines,” at www.fcc.gov/vchip.
What will happen to the old analog TVs that will be replaced by DTVs? Will there be an effort to recycle them?
There are recycling programs for those who choose to discard old analog TVs or other old electronic products (but remember, analog TVs can continue to be used after the transition). One such program is myGreenElectronics. Through this program you can learn about disposal options and locate recycling programs near you. Go to http://www.mygreenelectronics.org
for more information.
Don’t forget to request your coupons now! Between January 1, 2008 and March 31, 2009, you can request a coupon while supplies last in one of four ways:
• Apply online at: https://www.dtv2009.gov/ApplyCoupon.aspx
• Call the Coupon Program 24-hour hotline: 1-888-DTV-2009 (1-888-388-2009)
Remember, if you do not need your TV converter box coupons, you can still apply and donate them to WOSU Public Media to be used to help senior citizens in our community with the digital conversion. We are accepting the coupons at our offices right now, located at 2400 Olentangy River Rd, Columbus, Ohio, 43210.
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