TV Worth Blogging

by David Thiel, Program Director for WILL-TV

An insider's view of public television programming and the issues that help determine what and how you watch

Foyle flanked by two gas-masked soldiers, pointing rifles at him.
Credit: Courtesy of Bernard Walsh/Eleventh Hour/ITV for MASTERPIECE

This Acorn Falls a Little Bit Further from the Tree

It seems as if everyone wants to be a TV network these days. In the past two years, popular web-based content distributors such as Netflix, Amazon and Yahoo have become content producers as well, with original TV series such as House of Cards and Transparent. Then there’s Acorn Media, a DVD distributor that has become both an entertainment portal and now a production company. Whether or not this acorn grows into an towering oak, it’s already having an impact on what you see on WILL-TV.

Adam Winfield is seen with his parents during a meeting with the family's defense attorney at Ft Lewis.
Courtesy of Dan Krauss

Public TV Challenged by Indie Filmmakers

An impassioned conversation has been taking place between filmmakers and public television officials over the treatment of independent films in the national PBS schedule. In my view, it’s one that speaks to the soul of our shared enterprise as broadcasters operating in the public interest.