Oregon Public Broadcasting Announces Recipient of The Maynard E. Orme Internship

Oregon Public Broadcasting is pleased to announce that Ryan Knutson is the 2009 recipient of the Maynard E. Orme Internship. He recently received his BS in News/Editorial and Broadcast Journalism from the University of Oregon. The endowed internship honors Maynard Orme, who retired in 2005 after a 19-year career as OPB's president and chief executive officer.

Knutson, an Aloha resident, will be interning in the OPB News Department for three months beginning in September.

"It is an honor to have my name associated with this program that encourages the future development of Oregon-produced programming and inspires University of Oregon Journalism and Communication students to develop skills toward careers in telecommunications and broadcast journalism," said Orme. "I am so grateful to those who contributed to the establishment of this endowment that will introduce public broadcasting to some of our best and brightest students. It's a win-win situation for both the students and OPB."

The internship was made possible by generous gifts from Rocky and Julie Dixon and additional support from donors from around Oregon and Southern Washington.

Candidates for the Orme Internship must be enrolled at the University of Oregon School of Journalism and Communication. For more information on the internship, visit our Internship Page.

OPB Honored for Mental Health Series

The Public Radio News Directors Association meeting in Portland this past weekend presented Oregon Public Broadcasting a second place award in the News Series category for OPB's "On Our Minds" series on the state of mental health in Oregon.

"We were pleased to host the annual Public Radio News Directors Association meeting here in Portland and are most honored to receive this award," said Morgan Holm, vice president of News and Public Affairs. "This is a particularly gratifying recognition since our series was up against the best work from our public radio colleagues in all the major markets around the country," said Holm.

"On Our Minds" series is a multimedia examination of the state of mental health care in Oregon. Produced by Allison Frost, the project included a seven-part radio series on issues of access to and effectiveness of mental health treatment across the state. The project also included two hours of conversation on OPB’s daily Think Out Loud program, and a series of in-depth interviews with mental health experts that were broadcast on OPB Radio and posted online.

Listen to the series anytime at news.opb.org/series/2008/mentalhealth/

Top Archaeologists Uncover Secrets on Time Team America, Co-Produced by OPB and Premiering July 8

For most Americans, any examination of the people who lived before us begins and ends with the reading of a book or the viewing of a film. There are some, however, whose curiosity and desire drive them to get their hands dirty by digging into the places where history began. Finding evidence buried for centuries is the only way to satisfy their hunger for knowledge. This kind of passion drives the archaeologists and historians in Time Team America.

This all-new summer series, which is co-produced by OPB, brings viewers into the trenches of working archaeological digs for three intense days -- showing them what it takes to uncover the story of America. Premiering Wednesday, July 8, 8-9pm on OPB, Time Team America descends on a new site each Wednesday through August 5, traveling to Roanoke Island, North Carolina, the swamps of South Carolina, the fields of rural Illinois, the canyons of Utah and the South Dakota prairie in search of America’s roots.

Part extreme adventure, part science and part reality show, the five-part series takes viewers deep into the trenches of America’s most intriguing archaeological sites. In each episode, the show’s team of top scientists has three days to uncover the buried secrets of their assigned dig. Every hour counts as they piece together the past, using the latest technology, decades of combined experience and their own sharp wits. Far from the comfort of a museum or science lab, the team faces searing heat, driving rain, alligator-infested swamps, frayed nerves and inevitable technical setbacks. Through it all, the audience peers over the shoulders of the archaeologists at work, eavesdropping on intense conversations and sharing the rush of discovery as artifacts emerge from the ground.

Regardless of conditions or impediments, the team strives to uncover critical discoveries that fill in the missing pieces of what is known with the proof of what is found. A chip of pottery becomes colonial kitchenware; a slate pencil suggests a 19th-century schoolhouse; a stone projectile point indicates a 13,000-year-old tool factory; and a centuries-old broken bottle leads to adventurous tales of the Wild West.

In exchange for an abundance of fascinating stories and intriguing mystery, the chosen sites are enriched by Time Team America's work. Many excavation sites wait years between discoveries due to lack of funding, labor, expertise or equipment. The Time Team America cohort gives sites an intensive three-day boost, offering consulting from across disciplines, access to the latest scanning and imaging technology, artists’ renderings, professional documentation and even a precision backhoe operator when necessary.

The series is based on the popular long-running British “Time Team” series, which also has served to educate the general public about preserving the United Kingdom’s archaeological record.

In a groundbreaking experiment, Time Team America's premiere episode debuted online on the PBS video portal months before the series’ broadcast TV premiere. Time Team's online premiere on Earth Day 2009 was part of PBS’ successful launch of the new portal; the show was the most viewed video on the site at launch. Additional episodes will be available online the morning after broadcast.

Key members of the team are blogging now at the Time Team Web site. A content-rich series Web site will replace the blog a few weeks before the television premiere of the series. Time Team America also will be available on DVD at ShopPBS.org.

Oregon Connections
CHELSEA ROSE
Born and raised in Northern California, Chelsea Rose is a historical archaeologist who lives in Southern Oregon. Consumed with a love of history and archaeology from an early age, Chelsea’s passion is researching the Frontier Gold Rushes of the 19th century, where her interests include Chinatowns and multi-ethnic mining camps in California and Oregon. Her current research project is focused on a mid-19th century mining camp in Southern Oregon that was established by native Hawaiians-- a population that has been little studied in archaeology. Chelsea received her undergraduate degree at the University of Oregon, and is finishing her graduate degree in Cultural Resources Management at Sonoma State University. She is currently an archaeologist with Southern Oregon University's Laboratory of Anthropology. When she’s not in school or on an archaeological dig, Chelsea is either traveling or raising chickens, garlic and raspberries on her farm.

JULIE SCHABLITSKY
Dr. Julie Schablitsky grew up in Minnesota, where her interest in “old things” was piqued by fossilized imprints she found in the gravel of the family driveway. Following her passion, Julie received an M.A. in anthropology from Oregon State University, and a doctorate focusing on urban archaeology from Portland State University. She is a longtime friend of Time Team America team leader Adrien Hannus, who was the first real archaeologist she ever met. Now a resident of Maryland, Julie oversees 12 archaeologists and architectural historians as the head of the Cultural Resources Section for the Maryland State Highway Administration. Under her leadership the department has developed a public outreach program to complement their work preserving the archaeology Julie describes as “everywhere around us.” In addition to her work in Maryland, Julie also retains an affiliation with the University of Oregon Museum of Natural and Cultural History, where she conducts research and publishes on historic-period archaeology sites. Julie’s current research focuses on the Donner Party of California, 18th- and 19th-century sites in Maryland, and John Paul Jones’ birthplace in Scotland. As a continuing part of her research into the life of the famous sailor and U.S. Navy hero, she leads an expedition to Scotland each summer to excavate sites important to his life.

Time Team America is produced by Oregon Public Broadcasting, Videotext Communications Ltd. and Channel 4 International. Executive producers are David Davis for Oregon Public Broadcasting and Tim Taylor for Videotext Communications. Graham Dixon is the series producer. Episode producers/directors are Dixon and Bruce Barrow. Writers are Dixon, Barrow and Davis. The series is underwritten by Public Television Viewers and PBS.

THINK OUT LOUD Visits Newport to Discuss Wave Energy

Oregon Public Broadcasting will be in Newport on Tuesday, June 16 to tape a live-audience broadcast of the radio show that listens, Think Out Loud. The topic of discussion will be the future of wave energy.

Host Emily Harris and online host David Miller will talk with the public and a panel of invited guests about the role wave power might have in the future economy and environment of the Oregon coast and the powering of the state. The program and topic are part of the OPB News series "The Switch," which explores new and existing energy sources.

"We're excited to be in Newport to talk about the possibilities of this new energy source," said Sarah Jane Rothenfluch, executive producer of Think Out Loud. "It's important to get out in the community and speak with the people who are most directly impacted by the news."

The event will take place at Oregon State University's Hatfield Marine Science Center at 7pm. Doors will open to the public at 6pm and seating is on a first-come, first-seated basis. An open reception will be held immediately following the program.

For more information about Think Out Loud, or the event in Newport, please visit www.opb.org/thinkoutloud. Details about the OPB News energy series "The Switch" can be found at opbnews.org/theswitch.

Oregon Public Broadcasting Wins Three Emmys Including the Prestigious Community Service Award

Oregon Public Broadcasting's The Silent Invasion: An Oregon Field Guide Special received three Emmy Awards in the National Academy of Television Arts and Sciences 46th Annual Northwest Regional Emmy Award competition, including the prestigious Community Service Award. The awards were presented in Seattle this past weekend. Earlier this year, The Silent Invasion received the acclaimed Alfred I. duPont-Columbia University Award for broadcast journalism. The duPont Awards are considered the broadcast equivalent of the Pulitzer Prizes.

The Silent Invasion also won the Emmy for Topical Documentary and for Best Writer. The documentary was produced and written by Ed Jahn. Sarah Fox was associate producer, Bruce Barrow, editor, and Todd Sonflieth and Nick Fisher were photographers.

"Since it is highly unusual for a public broadcaster to receive this award, we are particularly proud of the Emmy for Community Service," said Steve Bass, OPB president and CEO. "The impact the program and its extensive outreach is making on our community is inspiring."

The Silent Invasion focuses on how invasive species are changing the environment in Oregon, but further involves people working together to protect native fish and wildlife, and to defend Oregon's economy and quality of life from invaders through its ongoing "Stop the Invasion" campaign.

Jeff Douglas, senior vice president, station manager and executive producer of The Silent Invasion, was awarded the Community Service Emmy on behalf of OPB.

"Since the documentary premiered last April, community partners and citizens have collaborated in a wide range of efforts against invasive species," explained Douglas. "What allowed us to develop such an effective action campaign was the involvement of our community partners such as The Nature Conservancy, SOLV, Oregon Invasive Species Council, OSU SeaGrant and others," he said.

The Portland Bureau of Environmental Services also helped create and produce the "GardenSmart Oregon" guide, a booklet that describes more than 25 invasive plants that should be removed from gardens along with 200 non-invasive alternatives. Over 70,000 of these booklets have been distributed free of charge. In addition, Web sites were created to help people identify invasive species and take action to stop them. And OPB set up the Oregon Invasives Hotline for people to report suspected invasives online.

Oregon Invasive Species Council Coordinator Lisa DeBruyckere noted that The Silent Invasion and the "Stop the Invasion" campaign were instrumental in the introduction of 14 invasive species-related pieces of legislation in the 2009 legislative session, the majority of which have passed, and the convening of a summit of legislative leaders and scientists to come up with solutions to the invasive species problems. A second summit is planned for this year.

And the work goes on. Thousands of SOLV volunteers have joined work parties to remove invasive species from stream banks and other natural areas in order to restore habitats for fish and wildlife. And Oregon Field Guide continues to produce segments on invasive species, keeping the problem in the public eye.

The entire video and more information about The Silent Invasion and the "Stop the Invasion" campaign is available online at opb.org/silentinvasion.