Antenna Installation to Affect Bend Service

UPDATE: September 23, 2005 The delivery of OPB's new digital antenna for the Bend area has been delayed, therefore we do not have a definite installation date at this time. We will post information as we learn more about the delivery date.

During the installation, a temporary antenna will provide limited service for the Bend area. If you are a cable viewer in Bend or Redmond, your service should not be affected. However, most other areas will experience impaired or no service. Radio service should be unaffected except for minor interruptions during construction.

We apologize for any inconvenience. Rest assured, we will get the work done and be back on the air at full strength as soon as possible. Please check back at opb.org or call Audience Services at 888-293-1982 for the latest construction updates.

Thank you for your patience and support.

Oregon Public Broadcasting Selects New CEO

The Board of Directors of Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) announced today that it has selected a veteran broadcast executive, television producer and one-time performance musician as OPB's next president and chief executive officer.

Steven M. Bass, 48, will move into the top job at OPB, succeeding Maynard Orme who is retiring after a distinguished 19-year career as OPB's chief executive.

Bass has served as president and CEO of Nashville Public Television since 1998.

"What I've always enjoyed about Steve is his energy, his passion and his deep commitment to public broadcasting," Orme said. "I look forward to working with him during this transition."

Previously, Bass was vice president and manager of television stations for WGBH in Boston, Massachusetts. He oversaw a three-station network serving the entire state.

In Boston, Bass was responsible for improving the station's local programming. He launched "Greater Boston," a nightly public affairs program that has been a successful model for similar broadcasts nationwide.

Bass was vice president and general manager at WGBY in Springfield, Massachusetts from 1992 through 1995. Prior to his posts in New England, Bass worked for the fund-raising arm of the Public Broadcasting Service in Washington, D.C.

"It is a tremendous credit to Maynard and all those who make OPB so successful that we attracted a gifted leader like Steve Bass," said OPB Board Chair, Doug Tunnell. "Steve is truly one of public broadcasting's brightest lights."

In Nashville, Bass oversaw the station's transition from a government-owned service to an independent, community-operated public television station. Bass also served as executive producer on a number of programs broadcast on PBS, including: Bill Monroe: The Legend Lives On (2003); Christmas at Belmont (2003); Hank Williams: Honky Tonk Blues (American Masters & BBC, 2004); and The Carter Family (American Experience, 2005).

Bass is a graduate of Bucknell University in Lewisburg, Pennsylvania, where he received his bachelor's degree in economics and in music in 1979. He worked as a professional clarinet player and earned an MA in business from the University of Wisconsin-Madison in 1981.

Bass and his wife Sara have two daughters; Catie, 14 and Caroline, 11. Bass is expected to move into the job at OPB in early 2006.

StoryCorps Comes to Portland

OPB invites you to be a part of America's largest oral history project ever -- StoryCorps. StoryCorps is a national project with the goal of inspiring Americans to record one another's stories in sound.

Over the next 10 years, StoryCorps plans to travel around the country to record over 250,000 interviews that document the everyday history and unique stories of grassroots America. These interviews will reside at the Library of Congress and may be broadcast on OPB and public radio programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered.

The national StoryCorps tour is sponsored by National Public Radio, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and Saturn. Local sponsors of StoryCorps are Burgerville and Anthro Corporation.

More Information...

How to Help Hurricane Katrina's Victims

The Federal Emergency Management Agency, the American Red Cross and other government and private agencies are scrambling to respond to the disaster caused by Hurricane Katrina in the Gulf Coast. Following is a partial list of groups and their phone numbers:

• American Red Cross
  1-800-HELP NOW (435-7669) English,
  1-800-257-7575 Spanish

• Mercy Corps
  1-888-256-1900
• Northwest Medical Teams
  1-800-959-4325