Re-imagining Public Television with KCET

Faculty Mentor: Broderick Fox, Media Arts & Culture Department

Major: Media Arts and Culture

Funding: Arts and Urban Experience Mellon

Abstract:

In this age where technology is constantly changing, the way we consume media is also shifting. Web and streaming content are quickly replacing older forms of consuming content such as broadcast television. Public television is in the throes of an existential struggle. It is a space largely independent from corporate influence or partisan agendas, and is therefore more important than ever. As television itself becomes outdated, questions of how can the model continue to evolve and adapt beyond broadcast alone arises. In response to this shift, channels are starting to think about how their content is distributed to the public. In this paper, I am seeking to explore the rapidly changing forms and functions of nonfiction media through my Mellon Arts & Urban Experience Grant and intern experience at KCET, Los Angeles’s PBS entity, to better understand how the company functions. During my time at KCET, I worked on KCET’s Southland Sessions, a transmedia experience dedicated to showcasing and reporting the arts of Los Angeles in response to COVID-19. KCET proved its ability to adapt and culture of creativity by integrating Zoom footage and found footage to produce new content, during a time when traditional production methods were almost impossible. Examining KCET is crucial at this time, as it is re-merging with KOCE and PBS SoCal, and is currently seeking to reimagine the relevance of “public television.''

 

Watch my research presentation below.

Questions or comments? Contact me at: nmiyamoto@oxy.edu

 

 

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