DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 5 Starting Sunday, January 4
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DOWNTON ABBEY, SEASON 5 Starting Sunday, January 4 Giving Rural Stations a Voice Donating A Mobile Learning Lab WCTE’s Becky Magura on PBS Board of Directors The Ready to Learn Initiative 〉 Staff & Contents Management PUBLIC TELEVISION FROM THE UPPER CUMBERLAND (931) 528-2222 or (800) 282-9283 Becky Magura Cindy Putman ~ Ready to 4 A National Voice for the Upper President & CEO Learn Tools Facilitator Cumberland WCTE’s Becky Magura has Celeste Bennett Hannah Rawiszer Account Manager Asst. to the CEO been selected to serve on the National Mary Boring Nathaniel Rich PBS Board of Directors. Engineering & Tech. Liaison Programming and Master Reggie Brown Control Associate 5 WCTE Donates Mobile Learning Education & Community Seth Stanger Lab to Putnam County Library Engagement Associate Sales & Development Desirée Duncan Assistant Made possible through the Ready to Director of Content Shannon Terry Learn initiative. Allison Fox Membership Coordinator Grant Manager/Development Ralph Welch 7 Community Foundation of Assistant Director of Engineering/ Middle Tennessee Grant to be Craig Gray Technology Business Development Producer Rick Wells used to purchase new mobile produc- Craig LeFevre Senior Producer/Director tion equipment. Master Control Op Manager Lee Wray - American Avery Owens Graduate Program Manager 8 Meet Shannon Terry WCTE’s new Director of Advancement Membership Coordinator. Upper Cumberland Broadcast Council Lillian Hartgrove, Chair Andrea Burckhard On our cover Jere Hargrove, Vice-Chair Marc L. Burnett Dr. Wali R. Kharif, Secretary Mona Copeland Downton Abbey Tom Janney, Treasurer Morris Irby Season 5 starting Jan. 4 Becky Magura, WCTE Pres. & CEO Nina Lunn This Emmy® and Golden Globe® award- Mike Galligan Jack Stites winning hit drama returns for a fifth season Dr. Kathy Bertram Dr. Alan Tatum of intimately interlaced stories centered on Community an English country estate — an entertaining formula that has made “Downton Abbey” Advisory Board the highest-rated drama in PBS history. Dr. Steve Copeland, DVM Jack Barton Story on page 22. Diana Baranowski Lissa Parks Kelly Swallows Ben Newman Dr. Carl Owens Program guides 9 Daytime Programming Hal L. Harder - Managing Editor Ready to Learn and weekend guide [email protected] For on-air, print and website advertising and 10 Primetime Programming promotion information, contact Avery Owens at Quality PBS evening programs 931.528.2222, ext 220 or [email protected] p.15 WCTE Close-Up is published bi-monthly. It is mailed to individuals, corporations and foundations who contribute $35 or more to WCTE WCTE-HD Ch. 22.1, WCTE-WORLD SD Ch. 22.2 annually. Third class postage at Cookeville, Tennessee. Phone: 931.528.2222. Schedule is subject to change without notice. Send address & WCTE-Create SD Ch. 22.3 changes to WCTE, P.O. Box 2040, Cookeville, Tennessee 38502. Check out the schedule on the website at www.wcte.org. January/February 2014 | 3 Photo courtesy of the Herald-Citizen & Ty Kernea A National Voice For The Upper Cumberland by Becky Magura, President and CEO of WCTE I have been truly fortunate in my career with public Public Broadcasting Community Service Grant Review media to work for a station that is nationally respected Committee, as well as a Past Chair for the National Educa- and recognized through the work and dedication of our tional Telecommunication Association. staff. For those who know me, you know that I am not shy, when it comes to talking about WCTE and the region In each of these national opportunities, I take it to heart we serve. to represent WCTE, our region and those who are doing such incredible work in public media as well as protecting I have long been an advocate for small, rural PBS stations our national infrastructure and content service model in and for the people we serve across this great country. It this important public asset known as public broadcasting. is why I am so excited to be able to bring that voice and advocacy to a national platform through a recent election I am without a doubt passionate about PBS, about what to the PBS National Board of Directors. we bring on a day-to-day basis in service to our country and in representing a region that I love. This opportunity The competitive nominating process and subsequent to participate on a national level in a time of incredible election for a professional director is, as you can imagine, public television success and change is exciting and im- very selective. In fact, there were only four open seats, portant, especially under the leadership of PBS President one incumbent candidate and five additional nominees. I and CEO, Paula Kerger. was one of those nominees. I am grateful to each and every one of you, our viewers This has been a career goal for me. I have been elected and members, for your continued support of WCTE. I for a three-year term and it is an honor to serve as a voice would like to thank our staff and our Board of Directors, for those small stations across the United States that who provide me the opportunity to take part in this bring so much to those who are often underserved. meaningful national work. To the elected leaders of our region, state, and country, thank you for continuing to It is also my privilege to serve on the Association of Public invest in the treasure that is public broadcasting. Television Stations National Board of Directors and cur- rently serving as a representative on the Corporation for Becky INTERNET ACCESS NEW MOBILE LEARNING LAB DONATED PROVIDED TO TO PUTNAM COUNTY LIBRARY HEAD START CLASSROOMS by Allison Fox by Allison Fox Cindy Putman, Ready To Learn Learning Tools Facilitator (right) shows PBS Kids online resources to Head Start employee Michelle Tollett and her son Brayden, a Head Start student. With the help of WCTE Upper Cumberland WCTE and Children’s Library Staff introduce the new Mobile Lab to young library patrons. Pictured L-R: Allison Fox, PBS, classrooms at 21 Head Start centers WCTE Grant Administrator; (seated) Amanda Yother, Putnam County Library Children’s Services Coordinator; Sarah Crawford Tucker, PCL Children’s Library Assistant; Cindy Putman, WCTE Ready To Learn Project Manager; Lee Wray, will now have classroom internet access. WCTE American Graduate Project Manager; Reggie Brown, WCTE Education Associate. Photo Credit: Brian Page These Head Start centers recently received routers and network adapters for each classroom student computer. This dona- CTE recently presented five Apple iPad minis—a Ready To Learn Mobile tion was made possible through the Ready Lab—to the Putnam County Library Children’s Department. This donation to Learn initiative, a partnership of PBS, Wwas made possible through the Ready to Learn initiative, a partnership of The Corporation for Public Broadcasting PBS, The Corporation for Public Broadcasting and WCTE, funded by The Department and WCTE, funded by The Department of of Education. These iPads are loaded with educational and fun PBS Kids apps, which Education. provide an engaging educational experience to children. “WCTE chose to donate these devices to the Putnam County Library because the library is a free resource for “Today, the world is a faster, more dynamic all area children and families, many of whom do not have access to mobile devices. place with ever-changing advances in The library is a perfect partner for our Ready To Learn initiative,” commented Cindy technology and the way we see the world,” Putman, the Ready To Learn Learning Tools Facilitator for Putnam County. explained Debbie Thomas, Early Childhood Education & Professional Development The library is currently circulating the iPads for in-house use, meaning that an adult Manager for L.B.J. & C. Head Start. with a library card in good standing can ‘check out’ an iPad for a child to use in the library. The library also plans to use the iPads during Read! Play! Grow!, a literacy- “It is essential that children are able to keep minded program for the youngest library patrons, ages 0-3 years old. These devices speed with these changes if they are go- will be used for other special programming at the library, where children and parents ing to be properly prepared and ready for can explore new PBS Kids apps and learn how to download them to their own mo- school. The partnership with WCTE serves bile devices. Free app code cards, available to families at the library, provide parent to enhance the technological abilities of tips and extended learning activities. “This empowers parents to take an active role the 1,307 children served by the L.B.J. & C. in their child’s education and shows them the importance of being their child’s first Head Start Program. Children will benefit teacher,” Putman remarked. The app cards also suggest library books aligned to the from access to developmentally appro- skills introduced in the app. priate computer applications and direct linkage to PBS Kids online, and teachers Amanda Yother, PCL Children’s Services Coordinator, is thrilled to be able to offer benefit by gaining access to helpful re- tablets for public use. “This is a resource that our library has been interested in sources that promote and expand learning. providing for quite some time, but we were not able to secure the funding needed We welcome the opportunity and applaud to get started,” enthused Amanda. “ We can now offer kids a chance to get their hands on these devices and become familiar with the technology.” the efforts of WCTE and their focus on improving the quality of education and, For more information about WCTE’s Ready To Learn initiative, contact Cindy Putman ultimately, life in the Upper Cumberland.” at [email protected]. Jan/Feb 2015 | 5 American Graduate Initiative: Partners & Champions by Lee Wray ~Education has always been at the core of public television~ WCTE is continuing that commitment with its American Graduate initiative, a project that is working with communi- ty partners to increase the graduation rate in the region and ensure our students are prepared for career and college.