Inside PBS Blog

This post is part of a series we kicked off a few weeks ago, in which we introduce the incredible members of the Engage Advisory Board. Read our interviews with blogger Mark Glaser, online community guru Howard Rheingold and social media scholar Alice Robison.

Evelyn Messinger knows how to tell a compelling story, no matter the medium. 

A career television and web producer, Evelyn develops international news stories with a twist.  She produces content for LinkTV's television and web series Global Pulse to create 3-5 minute episodes that put a spin on traditional news stories by comparing and contrasting headlines from over 70 new broadcasters around the world.  She also works on Know the News, an interactive tool for journalism students and educators that teaches ethics and classic reporting values like avoiding bias and fairness. 

She knows the news, and if Evelyn has instilled one thing in the Engage team, it is the power of the people.  Evelyn is passionate about using the web to start conversations and spread information.  Get to know a little bit more about Evelyn as she answers a few questions:

What's the most compelling piece of media you've encountered recently? Could be a website, video, book, movie - anything. Why did it make such an impression?

It's very hard to choose - so here are two:

• MobileActive, dedicated to mobile phone activism (check out the Directory for a mind-blowing list of projects)

• Maryland Public TV and Reelchanges are doing a "crowd-sourcing" experiment, funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, asking viewers to contribute towards the production of documentaries they want to see. Whether or not this works, it is bold innovations like this that will create what's being called Public Media 2.0.

What interests you most about being a member of the Engage Advisory Board?

In the immortal words of Ester Dyson, "People go on the Web in search of attention; they don't want to give it as much as get it."  (WSJ Online 2006)  

In 2000, our non-profit media company Citizenschannel commissioned a nationally representative telephone poll of 1,000 American TV viewers*, to explore their reactions to the idea of an interactive citizens' channel. The survey was used in the PBS study that resulted in the creation of PBS Engage.

83%     Respondents who think "an interactive Citizens' Channel" is a credible way to present important issues.
       
70%     Those who say they would be likely to watch Citizens' Channel programming.

59%     Those who think a Citizens' Channel should be affiliated with Public Television.

52%     Those who would consider going to a public place to participate in the programs.

46%     Those who would be likely to email  or to call in to a program.

In 2003 and 2004, we tried out these ideas on a youth series called SNAP on the nationalsatellite channel LinkTV.

Here is a 6-minute video of highlights of this first use of full TV/web participation.

*The poll was conducted by Penn, Schoen and Berland Associates of Washington, DC, and has a margin of error of + or - 3%.

Name three things public media should be doing three years from now.

First, what is public media? My definition is: a place where policymakers and policy influencers are joined by citizens in shaping the nation's policy discourse. Television is where this dialogue takes place today. But there is no longer a way to distinguish television from the Internet in technical terms - both are ones and zeros flying both ways with equal vigor, after all. So what public media should be doing is not relevant, because public media will be providing a connection point for the public to influence policy - it's just a question of whether PBS will be the public media doing this, or not.

As television marches relentlessly towards a fully converged broadband future, we are already embarked on the great and noble mission of this digital age - the transformation of consumers into citizens. In three years, public media will host a nationwide cross-platform network of, by and for the people; high quality, exciting to watch, easy to contribute to, and universally understood to be of profound importance to the national policy. At times of national crisis or celebration, when there is talk of war, death, money and values, people in their role as citizens will have a place at the table - not just online but on television. Will PBS be this public media? Stay tuned.

I think Evelyn has some inspiring ideas about the future of online media.  She will also join us in a few weeks to host a conversation with you, the audience, on how you would like to participate with PBS on the web.