WNET UP Next

In the final episode of a three part series devoted to the hosts of MetroFocus, WNET’s daily news and interview program, WNET Up Next’s Tom Stewart sits down with Jack Ford, whose earlier career as a trial lawyer and a law professor provided him with an exceptional avenue of training for the world of broadcast journalism.

Jack was “discovered” after being interviewed about a court case by WCBS-TV in New York.  That occasion  led to his becoming a legal analyst for the station and, in turn, to many additional  assignments in cable and network news. His current work with MetroFocus has turned out to be “one of the great joys” of his career: he relishes the opportunity to have in-depth conversations with his guests. He also has high praise for the MetroFocus production team,  considering them to be among the best in the industry, passionately  invested in promoting the mission and high standards of public media. In a world where news is now disseminated 24-7 over the air and online, he feels that MetroFocus, has a very special and important role to play in providing background and context, truly “media with impact”.

MetroFocus is seen daily on Thirteen, WLIW21, and also airs on NJTV. It’s available online at MetroFocus.org and on the MetroFocus app for mobile devices. The MetroFocus podcast is a recent addition to their platforms.

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department of WNET New York Public Media.

Recorded at WNET Audio C – December 7th, 2017

Audio Recording and Mixing – Jon Berman

Post-Production Assistant – Dylan deJongh

Host/Producer – Tom Stewart

Executive Producer – Daena McBride

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WNET Up Next continues its focus on the three hosts of the daily news and interview program MetroFocus,  as Tom Stewart sits down for a conversation with show host Rafael PiRoman.  MetroFocus  recently celebrated its 500th episode as a a daily broadcast under the leadership of Executive Producer Dave Brown.

Rafael relates how his background as both a community and labor organizer led to  his career in broadcast journalism.  A long time presence on-the-air at WNET,  Rafael began working at the station as the anchor of Channel Thirteen’s “Bulldog Edition”,  a nightly news summary.  Later he anchored New York Stories, a weekly news series.  He has been involved with MetroFocus since its inception as a weekly broadcast in 2010 to its more recent  metamorphosis into a daily program. The show now airs on  WNET, WLIW21,  and  NJTV.

He shares his ideas on the elements that go into making a  successful interview and his  thoughts on journalistic neutrality. He has been particularly fond of his opportunities to interview notable subjects ranging from broadcaster Dick Cavett to Broadway Producer-Director Harold Prince, as well as actors  such as Monty Python members, John Cleese and Eric Idle.

In addition  to its broadcast schedule the content of MetroFocus is available online at www.MetroFocus.org., and in the form of the MetroFocus app, and MetroFocus podcast.

Previously,  WNET Up Next spoke with Rafael’s colleague Jenna Flanagan.  Coming soon,  a visit with the program’s third host, Jack Ford.

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department of WNET New York Public Media

Recorded at WNET Audio C – December 7th, 2017

Audio Recording and Post Production – Jonathan Berman

Host/Producer – Tom Stewart

Post-Production Assistant – Dylan deJongh

Executive Producer – Daena McBride

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In the first of a three-part series devoted to the hosts of WNET’s MetroFocus, Jenna Flanagan sits down with WNET Up Next’s Tom Stewart for a lively conversation about her career in journalism and the things that make MetroFocus a unique on-air and online news service to the viewers of Thirteen, WLIW-21, and NJTV.

Born on New York’s Long Island,   Jenna reveals the public television program that made an early impact on her decision to become a journalist,  and talks about how living upstate in the Hudson Valley sustains her in the intense world of broadcast and online journalism.

She shares the kinds of activities that go into her  typical working day, her views on what makes a good interview, and the stories she’s been working on that have been the most challenging and rewarding.

We also hear a brief excerpt of Jenna’s  interview with  former Good Morning America anchor Joan Lunden regarding her work empowering women in the support of outreach related to breast cancer.

MetroFocus is seen daily on Thirteen, WLIW21 and also airs on NJTV.  Online it’s available at www.MetroFocus.org  as well as through the free MetroFocus app for tablet or smart phone.

In additon to her role with the program, Jenna has recently begun providing additional content for the MetroFocus podcast.

In upcoming episodes, WNET Up Next will profile MetroFocus hosts Rafael PiRoman and Jack Ford.  WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department of WNET New York Public Media.

Recorded at WNET Audio C – December 7th, 2017

Audio Recording and Mixing – Jonathan Berman

Host/Producer – Tom Stewart

Executive Producer – Daena McBride

Post-Production Assistant – Dylan deJongh

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Now that we’re in the midst of another exciting fall season in the arts,  WNET Up Next sits down with Joan Hershey, Editorial Director of  NYC-ARTS,  WNET’s weekly program devoted to  arts and culture.

A long time producer of  arts programming for WNET,  Joan shares with host Tom Stewart an inside look at the series, its on-air talent, and how it all comes together every week when  it  airs on Thirteen on Thursday evenings at  8:00PM and Sundays at 12:00Noon. The program also airs on WLIW-21 on Tuesdays at 5:30PM and 7:30PM.

The hosts of NYC-ARTS, Philippe Montebello and Paula Zahn bring complementary skills and backgrounds that offer viewers great interviews with visual and performing artists, and introduce segments which focus on many of the of the area’s outstanding  cultural institutions.  The on-air team also includes  Christina Ha, who  reports on upcoming exhibitions and cultural events and Rafael PiRoman, who tells of the latest happenings at Lincoln Center for the Performing Arts.

Segments from NYC-ARTS  are also seen across the country as a part of WNET’s Major Marketing Group (MMG)  initiative which shares material with many public media stations.  Another way to access the program’s content is through its website  at www.nyc-arts.org, where  a library of complete episodes  and featured  stories can be found.

While difficult for her to choose a single favorite among the  many stories that NYC-ARTS  has presented,  Joan describes several she is particularly fond of  including a focus on pianist Jeremy Denk, another on dancer,  choreographer and activist Bill T. Jones, as well as an interview Philippe Montebello conducted with the noted architect Moshe Safdie.  She also has several “go-to” recommendations for our listeners, including the American Folk Art Museum’s “War and Pieced” exhibit, a new exhibition on the Wiener Werstatte movement  at the Neue Galerie, and “Michelangelo: Divine Draftsman and Designer”, which is now on view  at the Metropolitan Museum of Art.

Recorded on October 25, 2017 at WNET Audio C

Audio recording – Jonathan Berman

Audio  mixing – Josh Broome

Producer/Host – Tom Stewart

Executive Producer – Daena McBride

A presentation of the Design & On-Air Promotion Department of WNET/New York

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For many years children’s programming has been an integral  part of  PBS’  service to the public. Under  the leadership of Director & Executive Producer of Children’s and Educational Media Sandra Sheppard,  WNET  has  for many years been  one of the system’s leading providers of content designed to serve children, teachers and parents

On this episode of WNET Up Next Sandra shares with Tom Stewart her thoughts on the history and mission of her area, as well as what it takes to get a program on the air.  Currently,  WNET is involved in the production of a number of production strands including Cyberchase, Bob the Builder, Thomas and Friends, Oh, Noah!,  Mission US and Films By Kids.

The initiatives vary  from broadcast to online, including apps and interactive games. Bob the Builder and Thomas and Friends are both long running series which serve younger children; Cyberchase, a pioneering animated multimedia series that teaches math and problem solving skills was created at WNET and has been a proven success for more than fifteen  years. Oh, Noah! has a focus on language, while Mission US is devoted to history.  Films By Kids, as the title suggests is a series of films made by children around the world.

A self-described “lifer” in public media, Sandra also shares the challenges and rewards that come with her work.  She is particularly proud of the proven educational impact of her projects and their positive effect on young viewers.

Recorded August 16, 2017 at WNET Audio C

Audio Recording and Post Production – Jonathan Berman

Producer/Host –  Tom Stewart

Executive Producer –  Daena McBride

A Presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department of WNET New York

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In conjunction with the PBS presentation of Michael Wood’s six hour documentary, The Story of China, WNET Up Next looks at China and Chinese-Americans through the personal lens of Yue Ma, a native Chinese and currently the  Director for Collections and Researach at New York City’s Museum of Chinese in America (MOCA).   MOCA, which began  37 years ago by studying the history of New York’s Chinatown,  has evolved into a major museum of the Chinese-American experience including large collections, exhibtions,  a researach center,  and  a significant online digital presence.

Raised and educated in China where she earned  multiple degrees,  Ms. Ma relates her  personal journey from China to North America, first to Canada where she was involved in a program about digital imaging and collecting sponsored by Toronto’s Ryerson University and Rochester, New York’s George Eastman House.  This training led to her current position at MOCA, which she has now held for ten years. At MOCA, she has been involved in many projects including The Chinese Life in America and Waves of Identity: 35 Years of Archiving.  The museum is currently preparing Fold, an exhibition of paper folding sculpture which will open in September.

Ms. Ma offers a positive endorsement  of  Wood’s The Story of China and is particularly pleased that the film emphasizes the importance of family to the culture and that it includes material relating to  China’s more recent history.   More information can by found about MOCA at www.mocanyc.org.  For more on The Story of China, go the www.pbs.org, where there is a wealth of ancillary material about the series and the ability to stream individual episodes.

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design and On Air Promotion Department of WNET New York

Interview recorded June 15th, 2017 at WNET – Audio C.

WNET – New York Public Media

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Michael Kantor, Executive Producer of the acclaimed PBS series American Masters sits down with WNET Up Next to talk about the new season.  A highlight  of this years’ programs is the Chefs Flight, a grouping of  stories about  four of  Americas’ most outstanding culinary figures of the 20th and 21st centuries:  James Beard,  Julia Child, Jacques Pepin and Alice Waters. (Airing on PBS on Friday evenings, May 19th and May 26th).

Michael also talks about the creation of American Masters Pictures, designed to showcase films for theatrical release.  Earlier this year AM premiered Maya Angelou: And Still I Rise which led to  year long initiative called #Inspiring WomanPBS  which invites viewers to post their own stores of women who have inspired them.  In another area, Michael talks about his role as host of  the American Masters Podcast ,  as well news about  In Their Own Words: The American Masters Digital Archive  featuing previously unreleased interviews originally filmed for the documentary series.

Michael shares with  host Tom Stewart his thoughts about presenting more living masters, which this season will include violinist Itzak Perlman and filmmaker Richard Linklater.   This year will also showcase films devoted to Lorraine Hansberry, Chinese-American artist Tyrus Wong, Edgar Allan Poe and Bob Hope.

Celebrating its 31st year, American Masters has been the winner of 28 Emmy awards, 12 Peabodys, an Oscar, three Grammys, two Producers Guild Awards and many other honors.  The American Masters website is at pbs.org/americanmasters.

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Promotion and On Air Promotion Department

WNET New York Public Media

Recorded at WNET’s Audio C on April 20 2017

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“Treasures of New York” is an eclectic series of documentary films  exploring  the compelling history of the New York area and celebrating  some of its most vibrant cultural institutions, landmarks and personalities.    This edition  of WNET Up Next features members of the series’ creative team in conversation with Tom Stewart discussing  several upcoming “Treasures”.   Executive Producer Diane Masciale, who also serves as  Vice-President & General Manager of WLIW/21,  outlines the history of the program and  describes an upcoming episode devoted to the  “The Museum of the City of New York” (airing on WLIW/21  May 4th at 8:00PM and on Thirteen/WNET Sunday May 7th at 7:00PM).     Senior Producer Ally Gimbel talks about her role with the show and  takes us inside the production of   “The Drama League” (airing on WLIW/21  March 23rd at 8:00PM and on Thirteen/WNET March 26th at 7:00PM) and the “US Open.”    Producer Marisa Wong previews  “Rails to Trails”, while  Associate Producer Sasha Schechter takes a look behind the scenes of  Staten Island’s “St. George Theater”,  both  shows airing later this year.

“Treasures of New York” has produced over 30 original episodes over the past five years, and is slated to bring eleven new episodes to air this year.  The program,  a production of WLIW/21,  is also seen on Thirteen/WNET.  A new series, “Treasures of New Jersey” is slated to begin production this year, following in the successful path of “Treasures of New York.”  

Recorded at WNET  Audio C on March 16th and 17th, 2017

WNET Up Next is a production of the Design & On Air Promotion Department

WNET New York Public Media

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In the second of a two part series,  WNET Up Next continues its look at the Public Media initiative “The Talk – Race in America”  featuring a conversation with award winning Director and Supervising Producer Sam Pollard.  In the first episode, we heard about “The Talk” from the perspective of Executive Producer, Julie Anderson

After outlining the meaning of the expression “the talk”,  Sam takes us behind the scenes of the two-hour film that premiered on PBS in 2017.  “The Talk – Race in America”  tells six primary stories whose common thread is the importance of the conversation that  African-American families have with their children, particularly boys, on how they should behave if confronted by police in order  to avoid tragic results. In addition, a number of celebrities tell their own stories of how this issue has afffected them in their personal experiences.

As someone who is passionate about all aspects of filmmaking, Pollard, whose extensive film career began at New York Public Television’s Channel Thirteen in the 1970’s,  tells host Tom  Stewart about the importance of documentary films that deal with stories designed to  tell truth to power. He explains why a film like this is so well suited to the goals and responsibiliities of public media and  expresses his  hope that “The Talk – Race in America”  will stimulate a massive conversation all over the country; to aid in that  effort, an extensive outreach campaign is being undertaken,  in addition to  social media efforts including Twitter, Facebook and Tumblr;   additional  content relating to the film  is  available at PBS.org/thetalk. 

Please leave a comment for us at [email protected]

Recorded at WNET Audio C – February 1, 2017

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design & On Air Promotion Department

WNET New York Public Media

Republished on June 11, 2020

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In this episode of WNET Up Next, the focus is on The Talk – Race in America, a two-hour film that premiered in 2017.

In the first of a two-part WNET Up Next series, Executive Producer Julie Anderson discusses the meaning of “The Talk”, which refers to the conversation African-American families have with their children, particularly boys, on how they should behave if stopped by the police to make sure the child is not perceived as a threat or is carrying a weapon. Over the course of two hours and six main stories, the documentary The Talk – Race in America hopes to create a safe space for a national conversation on the complex issues of race in America.

Anderson traces the history of the project to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), who came to her to create a program that would address this issue.  After doing extensive research  and putting together a filmmaking team including award-winning director Sam Pollard, the filmmakers set out to tell untold, unheard stories that illustrate the issue, including perspectives from parents, children, law enforcement, and individual communities.

Julie also shares with host Tom Stewart her journey as a filmmaker which began in television sports for ABC, ESPN, and HBO, and evolved into the world of documentary film. At WNET, Julie serves as the Executive Producer of Documentaries and Development. In our following episode, WNET Up Next looks at additional aspects of “The Talk – Race in America” with the film’s director Sam Pollard.

Please leave a comment for us at [email protected]

Recorded at WNET Audio C – February 1, 2017

WNET Up Next is a presentation of the Design & On Air Promotion Department

WNET New York Public Media

Republished on June 11,2020

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