Whither the Vast Wasteland? How Public Media Stays Strong in an Age of Information Overload

Don Baer, a Spring 2020 Walter Shorenstein Fellow and the Chair of PBS’s Board of Directors, is joined by Paula Kerger, President and CEO of PBS, and Raney Aronson-Rath, FRONTLINE Executive Producer.

In 1961, the then-new Federal Communications Commission Chair Newton Minow gave a speech that became famous in media history, because he denounced America’s commercial television programming as a “vast wasteland.” That speech helped lead to the passage of the 1967 Public Broadcasting Act, enabling PBS to go on the air in 1970.

PBS marks its 50th anniversary this year amid another time of radical change and growing concern about the broader information environment. This situation provides a platform for taking a deep look at the role of public media, and especially PBS, in driving a meaningful national conversation, as well as the opportunities and challenges faced in dramatically changing media, political and cultural landscapes.

With senior public media leaders as guests, we will explore how PBS covers and expands attention to critical issues, ways the non-profit and for-profit media sectors can work together, the important connection between national and local conversations and key innovations aimed at deepening audience engagement and impact.

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