WVPT FARM SERIES CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
GOODLATTE ANNOUNCES SATELLITE PROVIDER TO CARRY LOCAL TV STATIONS
WVPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER
WVPT RECEIVES FOUR VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS AWARDS
WVPT FARM SERIES CELEBRATES FIFTH ANNIVERSARY
HARRISONBURG—Congressman Bob Goodlatte returns as special guest on “Virginia Farming” as WVPT—Virginia’s Public Television’s farm series celebrates its five-year anniversary Friday, March 28, at 7:30 p.m.
On Friday, March 28, 2003, WVPT premiered the Commonwealth’s only locally produced, weekly televised farm series—“Virginia Farming.” Congressman Bob Goodlatte was the special guest on the premiere.
Over the last five years, “Virginia Farming” has been recognized with four top journalism awards from the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation (VFBF) for outstanding farm news communication. During this time, writer and award-winning host Jeff Ishee has reported on the wide variety of commodities raised in Virginia, weather conditions and farm safety. He has interviewed everyone from young farmers to senior farm leaders and has discussed timely issues, including immigration and farm bills before the legislature. The series features in-depth interviews, news, statistics and even bluegrass music.
This staple of farm news communication continues today. Each week, Ishee invites guests from across the state to discuss Virginia’s poultry, beef, dairy, crop, wine, seafood, timber, aquaculture and related industries.
“My primary goal is to be of service to farmers and agribusiness,” observes Ishee. “Agriculture is important not only to our statewide economy, but it is also important to each of the thousands of farm families in Virginia.” And in five years, this hasn’t changed.
During the anniversary show on March 28, Ishee and Congressman Goodlatte discuss the multi-billion dollar Farm Bill being considered in Washington, D.C.; immigration reform and how it impacts Virginia agriculture; and farmland preservation.
“Virginia Farming” is seen across the nation on the RFD network (Tuesdays at 3:00 p.m. and Wednesdays at 1:00 a.m. ET). This series also airs Saturdays at 11:30 a.m. on Blue Ridge Public Television, serving 29 counties in southwest Virginia; Sundays at 1:00 p.m. on WCVE, serving the Richmond, Virginia area; Sundays at 1:00 p.m. on WHTJ, serving the Charlottesville, Virginia area; and on Sundays at 2:00 p.m. on West Virginia Public Television. The 2008 anniversary show repeats on WVPT March 29 and 30 at noon both days.
Bob Goodlatte began his eighth term representing the Sixth Congressional District of Virginia in 2007. His service to the people of the Sixth District began in 1977 when he became District Director for former Congressman Caldwell Butler. He served in this position for two years until 1979, and was responsible for helping folks across the District seeking assistance with or encountering problems from various federal agencies. In 1979, he founded his own private law practice in Roanoke. He was a partner in the law firm of Bird, Kinder and Huffman, working there from 1981 until taking office.
During his time in Congress, Bob has made a name for himself as a leader on Internet and high-tech issues. He is Co-Chair of the Congressional Internet Caucus, and Chairman of the House Republican High Technology Working Group. Bob serves on the House Judiciary Subcommittee on Immigration, Citizenship, Refugees, Border Security, and International Law and on the Courts, the Internet, and Intellectual Property Subcommittee. The Judiciary Committee is well-suited to many of Bob’s legislative priorities including ensuring the Internet is free from regulatory burdens, combating spyware, protecting private property rights and reining in wasteful spending by requiring the government to have a balanced budget.
In addition to serving on the House Judiciary Committee, Bob serves as the Ranking Republican on the House Agriculture Committee. Before his appointment as Ranking Republican at the start of the 110th Congress, Bob served as Chairman of the full Committee. He was elected to serve as Chairman of the full House Agriculture Committee in January 2003 at the start of the 108th Congress and served as Chairman of the Committee throughout the 108th and 109th Congresses, convening 132 Full and Subcommittee hearings and guiding 38 bills under the Committee’s jurisdiction to the President’s desk to be signed into law.
In the last Congress, Bob took a leadership role on issues such as welfare reform and forestry policy, working with his colleagues on the Agriculture and Resources Committees to introduce the President’s Healthy Forest Initiative.
Bob, age 54, is a graduate of Washington and Lee University School of Law, and his undergraduate degree in Government was earned at Bates College in Lewiston, Maine. He and Maryellen, his wife of 32 years, live in Roanoke and have two children, Jenny and Rob.
Jeff Ishee is Farm Director for WSVA radio in Harrisonburg and hosts “On the Farm Radio,” a syndicated radio show for listeners in Virginia, West Virginia, Maryland, Pennsylvania, Tennessee and North Carolina. Ishee is a writer and award-winning farm news broadcaster and has received the Virginia Farm Bureau Federation’s Agriculture Journalism Award for Broadcasting (radio category) in 1999, 2000, 2001 and 2002, as well as an Honorary Degree from the Future Farmers of America in 2000. He has received a Virginia Farm Bureau Federation farm news communication award for “Virginia Farming” 2003—2006.
He manages retail farmers’ markets and has consulted with numerous organizations on issues relating to public farmers’ markets. Ishee wrote and published Dynamic Farmers’ Marketing: A Guide to Successfully Selling Your Farmers’ Market Products in 1997. He is a columnist for The Virginia Gardener magazine, as well as Staunton’s Daily News Leader.
Ishee has served on the Environmental Awards Selection Committees of the Virginia Poultry Federation, and has served as Vice President of the Virginia Farmers Direct Marketing Association.
To submit program topic ideas, contact Jeff Ishee by phone (540) 363-3938, fax (540)
434-7084 or email Jeff@onthefarmradio.com. Visit www.wvpt.net for the schedule of upcoming guests and to view recent programs videostreamed.
If interested in purchasing an episode of “Virginia Farming” on DVD, please visit www.wvpt.net or email virginiafarming@wvpt.net.
GOODLATTE ANNOUNCES SATELLITE PROVIDER TO CARRY LOCAL TV STATIONS
January 16, 2008
Washington, D.C. - Today, Congressman Bob Goodlatte announced that DirecTV, a satellite television provider, will begin to provide local television stations to consumers in the Harrisonburg, Virginia television viewing area, which includes Harrisonburg, Staunton, Waynesboro, as well as Augusta and Rockingham Counties. The service is scheduled to begin on January 16, 2008.
“I have been working very closely with DirecTV for years now to bring local television stations via satellite to consumers in this market,” Goodlatte said. “I am extremely pleased to announce DirecTV’s decision to bring local channels to consumers here. Finally, consumers in these rural areas – often beyond the reach of cable lines – will have access to local programming and emergency news and information via satellite.”
“WVPT is excited to now be seen by many viewers in Harrisonburg and the surrounding area, who as DirecTV subscribers have missed this local connection of the Public Television program services we provide,” said David Mullins, President and General Manager of WVPT-TV.
“We are so happy to finally be available by satellite,” said Tracy Jones, Vice President and General Manager of WHSV-TV3. “We have been working for years with Congressman Goodlatte's office to try to coax the process along so that people in the Valley could have access to local news. Now homes in Rockingham, Augusta and Pendleton Counties will get 4 local stations (TV3 ABC, The Valley's FOX, My Valley and WVPT-PBS) -- almost worth the wait.”
DirecTV’s launch will include all television stations that originate in the Harrisonburg viewing area, including the local ABC and FOX affiliates and the local public broadcasting stations.
Before 1999, satellite television providers like DirecTV and DISH Network were not allowed to retransmit local television channels over satellite. Congressman Goodlatte was instrumental in getting the landmark law passed that allowed satellite companies to provide local channels. Congressman Goodlatte also authored a bill to provide loan guarantees to satellite companies who provide this local service, which was signed into law, and he has continued to encourage the rollout of more local television channels via satellite through numerous pieces of legislation since that time.
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| WVPT BOARD OF DIRECTORS ANNOUNCES NEW PRESIDENT & GENERAL MANAGER |
HARRISONBURG—The Board of Directors of WVPT—Virginia’s Public television announced that David Mullins, vice president of Marketing at WPBT public television in Miami, Florida, has accepted the position of President and General Manager at WVPT.
Brad Roof, chairman of the WVPT Board of Directors, commented, “David has held a variety of positions at WPBT in both marketing and production during his 19 years there. Prior to joining WPBT, he held other positions in private television broadcasting. David, his wife Clara, and their two children will be joining us soon. We look forward to his coming and to the talents, skills and expertise that he brings to the position.” |
David Mullins
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David Mullins has worked in commercial, cable and public television for more than 28 years. The past 19 have been with WPBT, the PBS station in Miami, Florida.
Since 1998, Mullins has led the development team at WPBT as Vice President of Marketing, overseeing the station’s fundraising departments of membership, pledge, underwriting and special projects. During this time he also served as Executive Producer for a series of award-winning documentaries and other special projects. For these efforts, his team has been recognized with three national PBS Development Awards, as well as multiple Emmy Awards.
Mullins’ extensive production background includes directing nationally broadcast music, documentary and news programs. For seven years, Mullins managed the production and operations areas of WPBT and Comtel, its commercial production facility. While in this position, he was responsible for local productions; client projects; oversight of national PBS productions like “The Nightly Business Report,” “Sunshine Cuisine” and “Surviving The Hurricane;” as well as projects for The Learning Channel and The Travel Channel.
Mullins graduated from Angelo State University in San Angelo, Texas, with a Bachelor of Business Administration degree and had the honor to serve as an Adjunct Instructor with Florida International University in Miami. Most recently he served on the North Miami Economic Development Board, as well as the Production Advisory Committee for the Art Institute of Fort Lauderdale. He has also been a member of NATAS and the North Miami Chamber of Commerce.
Mullins commented, “WVPT is a great organization. I am excited and honored to work with such a dedicated staff and board Together our goal will be to provide a variety of unique services to educate, enlighten, entertain and inform residents throughout the Shenandoah Valley, Central Virginia and the D.C. areas. We will engage the communities we serve and encourage the sharing of ideas, opinions and information as an electronic town square.”
Brad Roof continued, “Since May we’ve been privileged to have Richard Parker as Interim General Manager. This has been a unique opportunity for WVPT since Richard was WVPT’s General Manager some years ago and has intimate knowledge of the station. He has led us well and we are grateful for his guidance over the past months.”
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| WVPT RECEIVES FOUR VIRGINIA ASSOCIATION OF BROADCASTERS AWARDS |
"This award goes to…WVPT!"
WVPT-Virginia's Public Television received four top Virginia Association of Broadcaster (VAB) awards during awards reception Friday, June 15, at the VAB's annual convention in Virginia Beach.
(1) Outstanding News Series "Consider This" 2006
(2) Best Documentary "Virginia Reports: Gang Signs"
(3) Best Station Promotion/Contest Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators
(4) Best Public Service/Community Event WVPT Kids' Book Festival - Charlottesville 2006 |
(Left to right) Brent Finnegan, Stacie Jackson,
Richard Parker
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Special recognition goes to the WVPT staff members who spearhead these programs and projects: "Consider This" host and WVPT Interim General Manager Richard Parker, "Virginia Reports" Producer/Director Brent Finnegan, Family Literacy Coordinator Stephanie Keith, and WVPT Kids' Book Festival Coordinator Stacie Jackson.
Outstanding News Series 2006
WVPT's "Consider This"
Host Richard Parker
Each week, host Richard Parker interviews policymakers, educators, authors and artists from across the Commonwealth in a series of 30-minute programs. "Consider This" provides the opportunity to explore topics in relaxed and considered discussion. During the General Assembly session, Richard Parker interviews lawmakers in Richmond about the latest happenings in the legislature, giving viewers a unique opportunity to hear our representatives' viewpoints and plans.
Best Documentary 2006
"Virginia Reports: Gang Signs"
Producer/Director Brent Finnegan
In the summer of 2003, along the banks of the Shenandoah River in Shenandoah County, the mutilated body of a missing gang informant from Northern Virginia was discovered by a local man fishing with his son. It was a wake-up call to a big-city problem in small-town Virginia. "Virginia Reports: Gang Signs," a 30-minute documentary, was produced and broadcast to explore and report on gang activity in the WVPT viewing area.
(Finnegan is now working on a "Virginia Reports" documentary about undocumented immigration in the Shenandoah Valley.)
Best Station Contest 2006
WVPT's Reading Rainbow Young Writers & Illustrators Contest
Family Literacy Coordinator Stephanie Keith
For the contest, students in grades K-3 are asked to write an original story and include original illustrations. The contest is inclusive to all students, as all students in public, private and home schools are eligible. The contest offers a unique opportunity for collaboration between classroom teachers and art teachers, and is an excellent method to promote a love for books and literacy, while providing recognition of strong student effort and achievement.
In 2006 WVPT received over 400 entries from across the viewing area. This was double the amount received in 2004.
Best Community Event
WVPT Kids' Book Festival 2006
WVPT Kids' Book Festival Coordinator Stacie Jackson
On September 30, 2006, 11:00 a.m.-3:00 p.m., WVPT-Virginia's Public Television held the first annual WVPT Kids' Book Festival (KBF) in Charlottesville at Piedmont Virginia Community College.
The WVPT KBF is a four-hour, outdoor community event that makes literacy accessible to children at no cost. Throughout the event, area business and community partners provide literacy activities for children and their families. The activities and entertainment range from storytelling to reading, writing, puppetry and other activities that support reading and storytelling at home. Every child that attends is given a free new book with the option of picking out other "gently used" books to take home. Child-friendly entertainers and mascots delight children throughout the day with stories, puppetry and humor. The day is topped off with free food, as well. |
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