3rd Annual Day of Action & Education
Public Media for All declares Thursday, November 10th the 3rd Annual Day of Action & Education for improving diversity, equity and inclusion in public media.
We continue to honor this time in early November, because it marks the anniversary of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, which was signed into law on November 7, 1967 by Lyndon B. Johnson. That act created the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and specifically charged public media to take “creative risks” and address “the needs of unserved and underserved audiences”, specially children and people of color. Over 50 years later, public media still has much work to do to live up to our original mandate.
Recordings from our Day of Action & Education in 2020 and 2021 can be found on our Resources page.
Join The PMFA Committee
Public Media for All is accepting applications to join our main organizing committee. This is a group of 12 people of color working in public media, who are leading the way on improving diversity, equity and inclusion in our industry.
Each committee member volunteers an average of 6 to 10 hours a month of their time. Together we work to ensure that public media serves all. The committee is a wonderfully supportive, fun group of change-makers. This is an excellent opportunity for a person of color, who wants to make a difference, and grow their network within public media.
If you have any questions, feel free to email us at contact@publicmediaforall.com.
PMFA Featured in Current
The work and progress of Public Media for All has recently been featured in Current. This extensive review also featured honest and courageous interviews with senior leaders from several organizations that have joined PMFA, including Jim Schachter from NHPR, Amy Shaw and Kate Midgett from Nine PBS, and Steve Bass and Jenn Chávez from OPB. PMFA fully supports conversations that showcase the real challenges of this essential work, as well as sharing lessons learned.
“According to the coalition, more than 75% of the organizations have gone on to complete three of the recommended changes, which include incorporating commitments to DEI work in their mission and values statements, goals, budgets and work schedules; affirming that rapidly diversifying programming, audiences, donors, staff and leadership is imperative to their survival and success; and compensating all interns.
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Public Media for All has also launched a peer group pilot project for smaller groups to meet monthly. “This new project was identified by PMFA and the participating organizations as the best way to provide themselves with more accountability and support,” the coalition said. ”
We Are Listening
Public Media for All remains an accessible resource for stations and individuals as our industry navigates this period of trying times. Being present on multiple platforms such as Facebook and Slack allows secure lines of communication amongst BIPOC. Understanding the sensitivity, trust and candor required in achieving a more racially diverse and equitable industry, the coalition positions itself to be an amplifier of anonymous stories and experiences with the goal of providing tangible examples that we all can learn and grow from.
These stories not only help guide our mission to convene spaces for BIPOC and provide resources for all but also influence the direction for our quarterly webinar creation and Organizational cohort conversations.
We are paying close attention to the recent departures of BIPOC across our industry, but anecdotal data is not enough. We look forward to more forthcoming data as presented previously by CPB, PBS and cohort member NPR.
We are listening. Connect with us at contact@publicmediaforall.com.
KNKX Joins PMFA
Joey Cohn, General Manager of KNKX, offered the following about why they decided to participate.
“I’m proud to have KNKX support the goals of Public Media for All. We are working to build a station whose content and staff represent the diversity of our community. Our plan is to focus that work in three areas—audience, staff & culture, and content.
AUDIENCE—Our work here is to deepen and expand our listenership to be a more inclusive organization, and to represent the entire population as a true community station.
STAFF & CULTURE—Creating an inclusive workplace in which all voices are encouraged and affirmed is a core part of our values as an organization. We acknowledge the need to add diversity to our staff and create an inclusive culture.
CONTENT—We believe that diversity is essential to authentic, accurate storytelling and reporting. We want to introduce audiences to people and ideas they would not be aware of if it weren’t for KNKX. We honor jazz and blues - music from the African Diaspora. We want the music to remain relevant, innovative, uplifting, and celebrated in our community and worldwide.”