Spectrum

By WOUB Public MediaNews

Spectrum episodes

January 02, 2019 Historical Documentary Building Blocks: People, Place, Stories and Events
“Story” is tantamount when a filmmaker decides whether to make a film. If the story doesn’t resonate with the film’s creator, then the project will just be a jumble of parts. Story is the linkage that brings the chapters together to make a coherent film that is both informative and entertaining.

This is the documentary filmmaking philosophy of Evan Shaw, a young award-winning producer of documentaries designed for public broadcasting.

His films have ranged from athletic profiles and behind-the-scenes sports series, to films about the impact of creative activities on people in trauma, and most currently, historical documentaries.

He has worked as a “one-man” shop in athletics and also has partnered with Dr. Lynn Harter who specializes in health communication for an award winning series of documentaries concerning the intersections of creativity and trauma.

However, when it comes to doing historical documentaries about a town or a county or a region, Shaw juggles all of the parts. He does the initial research, identifies images that are powerful, identifies people who are knowledgeable about the area, and starts talking. More importantly, he starts listening.

He listens to people’s stories – some true and some folklore and he then develops a chronological thread of events, unique people, the sanctity of place, and the spirit of a town, village or county. He collects still images and video of places and people that are highlighted. He also tries to capture on film intriguing stories unique to the town.

To date, Shaw has focused on small Appalachian towns that are overlooked by almost everyone. Yet, Shaw finds unique, captivating stories and brings them to life along with enlivening community spirit and pride.

He combines breath-taking images with still photographs. He writes a narration that is delivered by actors and voices of the region and he punctuates his films with indigenous music performed by his parents, both professional musicians.

Shaw, a native son of Appalachia himself, tires of the impression given by big-city media of the people and life in this region. Too often he feels that Appalachia people are stereotyped by words and images as poor, dirty, stupid and lazy. Shaw rebukes that characterization.

“This region has a rich heritage that is highlighted by major historical events and innovation and creative people,” Shaw says. “It is my honor to be able to display the richness of our culture and our people to the broader world through my work.”
47 min
December 26, 2018 Storytelling is Becoming More Experiential with New Available Technologies
Just reading a story, watching it on video, or listening to it on a podcast or audio book may be too static and traditional for new experiential story consumers.

With the maturation of virtual reality, artificial intelligence, holographics, and other forms of non-traditional storytelling, soon consumers will be able to control their own interpretation of a story and experience the story through senses beyond sight and sound, according to Beth Novak, associate professor in the School of Media Arts and Studies at Ohio University.

People want to control what they feel and hear and sense while consuming a story, Novak says. Many no longer want to consume stories in a passive way.

She notes that gaming and theme parks are two areas of experiential storytelling that already are implementing and advancing new technologies.

With some new technologies the consumer will actually be able to put themselves into the story and direct the storyline depending on choices they make.

These new ways of storytelling and consumption are not limited to gaming or entertainment.

Already these concepts and technologies are being used in training for doctors, military personnel and other professions. Students can have realistic training experiences without danger to themselves or others.

Novak says these experiences are amazingly realistic and that participants often feel totally immersed into the plotline and story environment.

This new way of relating information through experience also may be the new way that toddlers, who are being weened on electronic tablets, learn. Old, more static, ways of teaching may not be able to reach a young person steeped in technology and technological experiences.

Novak has a professional and academic background in design and visual effects. She worked for the Chicago Tribune and the Detroit Free Press before returning to graduate school. She received her M.F.A. from Ohio State University.

Since 2003, she has taught classes in the history of special effects, digital game production, computer animation and media in the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.
40 min
December 19, 2018 Congressional Paralysis Caused by Must Win Mentality & Non-Stop Campaigning
The consolidation of power in House of Representative leadership positions has spurred on the devolution of Congress from a “respected legislative institution to a body plagued by a win-at-all-costs mentality and a culture of perpetual campaigning,” says Donald Wolfensberger, author and scholar.

Wolfensberger, a fellow at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars and the Bipartisan Policy Center in Washington, D.C., also was a former Congressional staffer for nearly three decades. He knows the inner workings of the House and its committee structure.

In his new book, “Changing Cultures in Congress: From Fair Play to Power Plays” says that leadership within the party in the majority has consolidated power and limited consideration of legislation and amendments.

Wolfensberger claims that this “top-down micro-managing of the legislative process by majority leadership…has discouraged members from developing expertise and ideas to address major problems.”

He also says that Representatives spend so much of their time returning to their districts, running for office and raising money that it is difficult for them to legislate.

He suggests change in the current three-day work week. Instead, he says they should meet five days a week for three weeks with one week off to campaign.

Wolfensberger suggests that the additional time might enhance a “culture of governing” which includes a greater role in “oversight” of the other branches of government as well as developing legislation to address national problems.

He capped off his 28 year Congressional career as Chief-of-Staff of the House Rules committee before launching a 22 year career with Washington think tanks studying Congress. His previous book was “Congress and the People: Deliberative Democracy on Trial.” published in 2000.
30 min
December 12, 2018 Adult Literacy Efforts Make a Real Difference in Impoverished Areas of USA
Although much of this country’s educational focus is on P-12 grades, adult education cannot be ignored and adult literacy education is proven to be valuable in breaking links to poverty and improving job possibilities for those who participate.

Adult literacy education improves a student’s abilities and possibilities across a lifespan.

Recently, the Patton College of Education at Ohio University became the first four year institution in Ohio to receive a special Aspire Grant from the Ohio Department of Higher Education to address adult literacy needs.

It has been called the first “GED to Ph.D. program” by John Carey, Chancellor of the Department of Higher Education.

The new program provides research opportunities for faculty and student engagement opportunities for both undergraduate and graduate students as well as educational opportunities for a large part of the region’s citizenry.

The new program “will show the power of adult instruction in literacy, numeracy and problem-solving and have a positive impact on people’s lives in our region,” says Julie Barnhart Frances, the director of the Stevens Literacy Center within the Patton College of Education.

Teacher Amy Guda describes the resiliency of these adult students and highlights how adult learners attack their subjects with intensity once they get over their initial fears about education. Many have had a bad educational experience as a youngster and Guda makes particular efforts to overcome those past negative thoughts.

She says once students get over their initial qualms about the educational process they often become avid learners. Sometimes Guda says she sees herself as an educational partner and mentor more than a “traditional teacher.”

Amanda Ailiff, a mental health social worker, is an example of success. She quit school at 16, got a job but soon felt dissatisfied. After having two children, she returned to get her GED through an adult education program and went on to a two year Community College.

After completing her Associate’s Degree, she obtained her Bachelor’s Degree. She looks at her life as being successful and she now works with prisoners with mental health issues and helps them successfully return to society upon their release.

She gives full credit for her current success to adult literacy education.
40 min
December 05, 2018 Climate Change: USA Once a Leader in Solutions but Now an Outlier to China
The United States once was a leader in recognizing and combatting the threats of climate change. But, under the Trump Administration, America has become the global outlier in the efforts to solve climate change problems, according to expert Dr. Geoffrey Dabelko.

Dr. Dabelko is a professor, director of the Environmental Science Program and Associate Dean at the Voinovich School of Leadership and Public Affairs at Ohio University. Previously he served 15 years as director of the Environmental Change and Security Program at the Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars in Washington, D.C. He continues to work as a senior consultant to the Wilson Center.

On the Friday following Thanksgiving (Black Friday), the White House released the fourth National Climate Assessment since 2000. It was produced with input from 13 different federal agencies to assess the status of climate change and its perils in this country.

The report predicts dire consequences to life, the national health, quality of life, and the economy if major climate change issues are not addressed quickly, thoroughly and aggressively. The study describes deadly wildfires, major hurricanes and severe heat as just some of the indicators that we are already feeling the impact of climate change.

Although the report, about 1,600 pages long, was lauded by climate change experts for its candor and thoroughness, it was rebuked by President Donald Trump. He asserted to the news media that he had only read part of the report but that he didn’t believe it. Some of his aides called for more data. Instead, the Trump Administration continues to remove Environmental Protection regulations in order to bolster our short-term economy.

Additionally, the United States was the only country at the recent G20 conference who did not agree the terms of the Paris Climate Agreement. Instead, America reiterated it remarks from earlier this summer: “The United States reiterates its decision to withdraw from the Paris Agreement and affirms its strong commitment to economic growth and energy access and security, utilizing all energy sources and technologies, while protecting the environment.”

While the United States is exiting its leadership position in the fight against climate change, China is moving to fill the void and become the world leader in technology to stem the impacts of climate change, according to Dr. Dabelko.

He also notes that any progress being made here to fight known evils of climate change is coming from activities of the states and from progressive local leaders across the country. He cites California as an example of a state taking major leadership and policy stands in this battle.
41 min
November 28, 2018 NPR Editor Shares Insights into Trump’s Border Issues and Other Trump Policies
Confusion has been a feature of the Trump Administration’s policies toward immigration and especially the current border issues with migrants and the caravan from Honduras.

Philip Ewing, national security editor for National Public Radio (NPR), says the recent tear gassing of migrants at the southern border of the United States was a result of some of that confusion. He notes specifically that the gassing was administered by border law enforcement officers who allegedly felt threatened by oncoming migrants and not the U. S. Military.

That rationale, however, is tempered by pictures of mothers and children being gassed by U.S. authorities.

Ewing notes that the military troops ordered to the border by President Donald Trump have been primarily there in support roles – such as construction. According to Sec. of Defense James Mattis, many of the U.S. troops do not even have weapons with them as they are performing their duties.

The troops are there for support of other law enforcement units but the extent of their authority remains murky.

Ewing also describes how the current hardline by Trump on border issues and how his threatening to close the Southern Border plays to Trump’s political base. He notes that matters concerning building a border wall and other border tightening measures may be tied to potential government budgetary bills coming before Congress in December.

A partial government shut-down may be threatened by the President as a bargaining chit to get at least some funding for his border wall through the budgetary process.

Ewing also talks about actions by Special Counsel Robert Mueller and how the recent court filings noting that former Trump Campaign Manager Paul Manafort violated the terms of his plea agreement may muddy upcoming legal actions.

Insight also is given by Ewing on Trump’s complicated relationship with his Intelligence agencies with respect to the Jamal Khashoggi murder by Saudi Arabian assailants and intelligence reports about Putin and Russia.

Finally, Ewing outlines what the average person should be expecting from the Trump Administration and the news in the next couple of months. He notes that the “sandblasting” by presidential Congressional Republican allies will be markedly diminished when the Democrats take control of the House of Representatives in January.

We also can expect potential conflicts between the Executive branch and the Legislative and Judicial branches of government fighting for power and turf.
55 min
November 21, 2018 Innovation Disruption in the Beverage Business? You Bet, Says Coke VP
When we hear the words “innovation” and “entrepreneurship” we don’t always think of well-established brands like Coca-Cola. However, Coke is one of the world’s leaders in developing new beverages and cutting-edge technologies to deliver them to customers.

Chris Hellman, global vice president and general manager of the Coca-Cola Freestyle Division, is the embodiment of innovation within the highly competitive beverage industry.

Hellmann says it is Coke’s goal to be a “total beverage company” that can bring innovations, new products, and new ideas to market quickly. He leads a multidisciplinary team of marketers, engineers, and computer experts to redesign how Coke products presented to consumers.

The Freestyle concept “reinvented the beverage fountain experience” using “micro-dosing” technology to deliver almost 200 different drink options with 117 being either low calorie or no calorie beverages, says Coca-Cola.

It is a dispenser that emphasizes choice and customization for each consumer. It started as a “disruptive technology”, according to Hellmann. But, it now is a multi-billion dollar business, he says. Some 50,000 Freestyle Units dispense nearly 14 million drinks per day in restaurants, convenience stores, movie theaters and other locations.

Coke cites that beverage servings are up 8% in Freestyle locations and calories-per-serving are down nearly 10%. Use of the machines is constantly monitored to provide an even greater consumer experience, Hellman states.

Hellmann thinks that the possibilities for innovation within Coca-Cola are unlimited. For example, experimental products are being developed to reduce packaging waste and reduce the carbon footprint of traditional soft drink syrup packaging and delivery.

In the age of fast-paced technology, even traditional brands and products are undergoing disruption through innovation and such companies are encouraging teams of employees to be entrepreneurs.
29 min
November 14, 2018 Health Deserts Plague Rural Areas but Specific Programs are Addressing Needs
Rural Health Day is November 15 and it’s designed to throw a spotlight on health care problems facing rural areas and some of the solutions being proposed.

Currently, over 60 million Americans live and work in rural areas. That equates to nearly one in five Americans or 20 percent of the population. Yet, many health issues facing rural communities are still unresolved.

Local hospitals are closing in large numbers, doctors are disappearing from rural regions, and certain medical conditions such as pregnancy and obstetric issues, cardiac problems and strokes are underserved close to rural homes.

Some doctors, however, are fighting to bring more physicians to rural areas and Randall Longenecker, MD is leading the charge. He is a Professor of Family Medicine and Assistant Dean for Rural and Underserved Programs at the Ohio University Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine. He personally served as a rural physician in Western Ohio for 30 years.

He is spearheading programs to bring more doctors and more facilities back to rural communities. At Ohio University, he has developed the Rural and Urban Scholars Pathways Program that prepares medical students to practice in rural regions or underserved urban centers.

He also is the Executive Director of the RTT Collaborative, “a national non-profit cooperative of rural programs to sustain health professions education in rural places, providing technical assistance to developing and existing programs. He also works with Rural PREP, a collaborative for rural primary care research, education and practice.”

Dr. Longenecker cites one major rural problem is the loss of hospital facilities and specialties in rural areas. From 2004 to 2014 more than 200 rural hospitals have closed their obstetric services, according to the University of Minnesota Rural Health Research Center.

The Medicare Payment Advisory Commission reported to Congress in June that 67 rural hospitals closed in 2013 and about one third of that number were more than 20 miles from the next closest hospital.

Dr. Longenecker notes that Ohio has more people living in rural areas than all but four other states and has more physicians than most states…but not in the needed rural regions. Last year, Ohio “ranked 36 of 50 and gets a D- from the Rural Health Quarterly in rural primary care,” Dr. Longenecker says.

He and the Heritage College of Osteopathic Medicine are trying to improve those numbers by training and recruiting young doctors to practice in our rural regions. He is optimistic that the programs he is affiliated with will be successful in providing more rural physicians.

For more information about problems and solutions facing rural health go to http://www.powerofrural.org/
31 min
November 07, 2018 Midterms Meaner and More Costly than Ever says TIME Correspondent Elliott
In addition to President Donald Trump’s scorched-earth campaigning, overall political races in 2018 have been meaner and more costly than ever, according to TIME, Inc. Washington Correspondent Philip Elliott.

Most candidates, at least on the Republican side, attempted to mimic the President’s combative campaign style, Elliott says. However, many did not feel comfortable with that type of overly harsh campaigning which often was not factually based. Democrats also found it difficult to respond to such tactics and not alienate their base.

The campaigns also were conducted differently due to the early voting allowed in most states. Issues needed to be raised earlier. No longer can candidates wait until Labor Day to start campaigning in earnest, Elliott notes. That makes campaigns longer, bitterer, and certainly more expensive.

Early voting hit an all-time record in the midterms with some 36.9 million voters taking advantage of early ballot casting. This compares to only 21.2 million in 2014.

Some prognosticators, however, have wrongly suggested that early voting favors Democrats. Elliott cites figures from Target Smart, a Democratic leaning firm, showing that, in fact, Republicans out voted Democrats in the early ballots. This is especially true in voters age 50 and over.

Regardless of the outcome of the elections, Elliott notes that Congress will be in a lame duck session between now and January 2019 and that several key items will be on the agenda – one being funding of the federal government. Current funding expires in the first week of December.

President Trump will be pushing his agenda along with key items of his administration such as building the wall along our southern border. To date, Congress has not funded wall construction.

Elliott also says you can expect Cabinet shake-ups after the midterms. Many suggest that Attorney General Jeff Sessions will be the first to go along with the Justice Department’s Rod Rosenstein who supervises the Robert Mueller investigation.

Others who will probably leave include the Secretary of the Interior, the Secretary of Homeland Security and Defense Secretary James Mattis.

Elliott also notes that Trump’s temperament will be mostly controlled by the outcome of this election ranging from petulant to even angrier that he appeared during the campaign.

Elliott joined TIME in 2015. Before that move, Elliott spent nearly a decade with the Associated Press where he covered politics, numerous campaigns, campaign finance, education and the White House. He has covered three Presidents: George W. Bush, Barack Obama, and now Donald Trump and numerous campaigns.
38 min
October 31, 2018 Hate Speech from the Top Can Heighten Chances for Violence
As a nation, our population is divided into political and ideological tribes who only listen to others who agree with them and demonize anyone who is different from them, according to Dr. Scott Titsworth, dean of the Scripps College of Communication at Ohio University.

Thus, we have a nation of rhetorically warring camps who do not agree even on the basics and find the opposition to not only be wrong but dangerous and evil, according to Dr. Titsworth.

As the verbal attacks ratchet up and the name-calling and dehumanizing of our opponents escalates, a “rhetorical environment” is created that can tragically spawn violence, he concludes.

He points to the escalating verbal warfare of the pre-midterm campaigns, led by President Donald Trump, as an example of this toxicity.

Although it cannot be proven that the recent acts of violence were directly caused by Trump’s political rhetoric, Dr. Titsworth thinks that a dotted line can be drawn between inflammatory words and violent actions. An environment has been created to either encourage or tolerate violent behavior against targeted “opposition” groups.

Just last week, two African-Americans were randomly shot down near Louisville just because they were black. A would-be bomber in Florida carried out the largest assassination attempt against public figures (all Trump critics) in the history of the country and 11 members of the Jewish faith were slaughtered in a synagogue near Pittsburgh. This was the largest killing of Jews ever recorded in America.

Unfortunately, Dr. Titsworth sees little hope for a changed environment until we, as citizens, demand from our leaders more powerful messages that transcend party lines and doctrine.

Even though he sees little likelihood for change with the generation currently in power, he has hope that the generation in college now and those even younger will bring the tolerance that is necessary to break our tribal bonds and allow the free flow of ideas and differences.

Dr. Titsworth has been dean of the Scripps College of Communication since 2010. In 2009, he was named a “Presidential Teacher.” This is the highest teaching honor awarded at Ohio University.

Dr. Titsworth also produces and hosts a podcast called “Teaching Matters” where he examines new ways of learning and teaching in a technological age. The podcast has recently started its third season. https://itunes.apple.com/us/podcast/teaching-matters/id1182990400?mt=2
45 min

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Spectrum features conversations with an eclectic group of fascinating people, some are famous and some are not, but they all have captivating stories.