Wednesday, January 17, 2007 11:28 PM CST
PBS previews upcoming features series
By GAIL PENNINGTON, Television Columnist
St. Louis Post-Dispatch
PASADENA, Calif. -- The Sting concert was delightful. The session on the Supreme Court, informative. But PBS riveted a room full of TV critics with a subject close to their hearts: the future of newspapers.
The “Frontline” series “News Wars: Secrets, Spin and the Future of the News” will cover much more, from the issue of confidential sources to the conflict between the Bush administration and the press.
But knowing the crowd was made up largely of print journalists, reporter-producer Lowell Bergman got to the point.
“The economic foundations of the news-gathering organizations that most of you work for are in question, as are your jobs, the salaries, your perks and your future,” he said. “And that, in turn, has an effect on the ability of the organizations to actually do the kind of watchdog reporting that we like to think is the foundation of our business. Questions?”
With the four-part series still a work in progress, Bergman couldn’t offer a prediction on what it will take for newspapers to survive. He merely promised “an educational experience” when the first installment airs Feb. 13.
Also on the PBS schedule is “The Supreme Court,” beginning Jan. 31, an exploration of the court’s inner workings from the days of the founding fathers to the present.
“Hip Hop: Beyond Beats and Rhymes” (Feb. 20 on “Independent Lens”) will examine gender roles in the hip-hop culture.
“America at a Crossroads” (April 15) contemplates “the challenges confronting the world post-9/11.”
Ken Burns will bring “The War,” an epic look at World War II, to public television beginning in September, and the prolific filmmaker will remain exclusive to PBS through 2022.
During a long day of Q&A on topics such as “The Mormons” (April 30) and “Jonestown: The Life and Death of the People’s Temple” (April 9), many minds were on the improbable fact that Sting would perform that night for an audience of about 200, then answer questions about his “Great Performances” special, “Songs From the Labrynth.”
Turned out, however, that an exciting, impromptu musical event came first. Ending a session on an “American Masters” tribute to Atlantic Records founder Ahmet Ertegun, panelists performed a pickup version of “Stand by Me.”
On vocals -- Ben E. King and Solomon Burke. On keyboard, Mike Stoller of the legendary songwriting team Leiber and Stoller, with his partner, Jerry Leiber, singing backup. Improbably, the audience stood and sang along.
Gail Pennington is the television columnist for the St. Louis Post-Dispatch.
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