Inside Thirteen blogger: Gloria Deucher, Director, Volunteer Services

On Saturday, October 4th, our station was one of 350 sites throughout New York City participating in openhousenewyork (ohny), the country’s largest architecture and design event. WNET.org opened its doors to visitors who wanted to know more about their local public television station. During the course of the day tour guides Rita Kessler, Liz Kaufman, Joe Weber, Fred Sorkin and Rosalie Kaplan (with the help of Carol Kaufman, Lorraine Sachs and Bea Sorkin at check-in) treated a total of 136 people to a behind-the-scenes glimpse of technical and architectural highlights of the station. The tour included Master Control, edit rooms and the main and Starr studios.

In Master Control, the Broadcast Operations Coordinator Brynne Clarke maintained her tireless good humor explaining how she and the other BOCs monitor the 9 different signals we broadcast 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Her command post–which looks to the uninitiated like the bridge of the Starship Enterprise–is the brains of the broadcast facility. Guests kept a respectful distance from the control panel and tried to take it all in.

Savidge in the studio

A highlight of the tour was, of course, the main studio with its sleek new Worldfocus set. When we first began to organize for ohny back in May, we had just begun to hear talk of this new international news show we would be producing. We never imagined that the date of ohny would time perfectly with the October 6 launch of the show. The show’s host, Martin Savidge, had spoken to the guides earlier in the week and suggested stopping by to talk to our visitors. It was an unexpected perk we never could have imagined. Martin and his wife Blis generously spent their entire Saturday afternoon on the set greeting guests, describing the show, the need for it and answering questions. I’m sure most of them tuned in last night with a special appreciation for what they were viewing. That, after all, is the point of the open house–to stimulate interest, open a dialogue and send guests away with a better understanding of how the “behind-the-scenes” makes the “front of the scene” happen.

Inside Thirteen blogger: Neal Shapiro, President

Today, we begin the first broadcast of Worldfocus and we think it will be the next great news and public affairs franchise in public television.

In the theater world, shows open in New Haven for rehearsals before they make their premiere on Broadway. We didn’t travel anywhere, but we have been rehearsing for the past three weeks, working on lighting, camera angles and tweaking our broadcast.

Our team begins work very early, and by 8:00 am, they are all on the phones to our various newsgathering partners. Walking through the newsroom is like walking through the United Nations: you hear conversations in Chinese, Russian, Arabic, Hebrew, Italian, French, and many other languages. We describe the program with this theme: “Diverse Voices for a Diverse World”. Executive Producer Marc Rosenwasser, anchor Martin Savidge, and the producers meet to pick the line-up…what stories to select and which interviews to book.

On any given night, you’ll be able to see reports from news organizations all over the world. So, as financial issues reverberate around the globe, we won’t be limited to the perspectives from London or New York; we’ll have reports with many different perspectives. Our program will truly be unique and one that I think you won’t want to miss.

We may be a little bit nervous but mostly we’re very excited. We hope you’ll be watching Worldfocus. It airs every weeknight at 6:00 pm, starting tonight, October 6th.

Inside Thirteen Guest Blogger: Mora Stephens, Writer/Director of Conventioneers

The two year roller coaster journey that was my life with Conventioneers began in a very spontaneous way – an idea to direct a narrative film set against the Republican National Convention, held for the first time in NYC. In July 2004, I came up with the idea for a Romeo and Juliet story between a Republican and Democrat that would last the days of the 2004 RNC, and that would explore the issue of the divide in our country. A month later, we were shooting.

Stephens directs

The most important thing for me was to capture something that felt real, mixing my actors into the actual events of the Convention – the star-crossed lovers’ climactic reunion was filmed amongst 500,000 protesters; another actor stayed in character while on stage interpreting for President Bush. Because of the way we were working – small mobile crew all embracing the spirit of improvisation – we had the freedom to incorporate events as they unfolded around us. It was as if we were taking away all the things you think you might need on a film and stripping it down to its barest essentials — the story and the performances. We had a story we were passionate about and a hard start date – the Convention and surrounding protests represented a moment in history that we only had one chance to capture. With no one to tell us no, we were unstoppable.

My film’s premiere – at the Tribeca Film Festival in 2005 – was the first time I saw it play for an audience. The sold-out screening was packed with both Democrats and Republicans laughing and getting into it; many of whom were shocked by what they saw because even though they were in the city during the RNC they did not know about all of the massive protests! That night was a mixture of one of my scariest moments – the projector breaking right at a crucial moment in the film – and one of my proudest – my mother Okhee (who sees more movies than any person I know!) seeing the film for the first time.

Tribeca was the first stop on a worldwide festival tour for Conventioneers – culminating in winning the Independent Spirit Awards’ John Cassavetes Award and the film’s theatrical release by Cinema Libre Studio. During one memorable Q&A in New York City after one of our Spirit Award nominee screenings, a fight broke out between strangers over the meaning of Conventioneers. People shouted across the aisles at each other. I loved it – I wanted to provoke a dialogue with Conventioneers, and here it was.

The film changes and grows with the audience. I am fascinated to know how the current election will color how people see the film now. I hope Conventioneers stands as a time capsule for that tumultuous moment in history.

Growing up in NYC, I grew up on Thirteen, and I am so proud to see Conventioneers air on Reel 13 this Saturday, Oct. 4! My valentine to NYC returning home once again. Check for more details on the Reel 13 site. The film is distributed by Cinema Libre Studio and is available on DVD. Hope you get a chance to check it out!

Conventioneers airs on Reel 13 at 11:15 pm on Saturday, October 4th.

Inside Thirteen blogger: Neal Shapiro, President

I had left morning religious services in Albany, NY, where my father lives, and decided to check in with the office. There was an urgent call from Charlie Rose and Charlie only uses the word urgent when it is…well, urgent. I called Charlie’s cellphone from my cellphone and there was a lot of static in the line, so I heard:

“…Neal…..chshshs….fiscal crisis…..chshsshshsshhh……exclusive interview…. cnssshhshsshh…… timing is so crucial with the vote pending…. xcvhchshchc….. get a a primetime audience….chshchshchshcs…. .what do you think?”

Who could he have been talking about? Who would be worth a special primetime interview?

“Charlie,” I replied, “I just didn’t hear who you thought you could interview.”

This time, I heard his answer loud and clear. “Warren Buffett.”

“Oh…..” I said and I instantly knew why he would be such an important interview. With all eyes focused on Capitol Hill, with much of the public divided about this rescue plan (or bailout depending on your point of view), Warren Buffett’s insights will be critical. And who better to conduct this thoughtful and probing conversation than Charlie Rose?

But this was Tuesday afternoon and we had lots of decisions to make. Where was Warren? Where should Charlie go to conduct the interview… How would we get it on the air and how many stations could carry it? Stephen Segaller, our VP of content, joined Charlie and his executive producer Yvette Vega in some urgent discussions early Tuesday afternoon.

By 1:30 we had confirmed that we could air the show at 9 pm on Wednesday or 8 pm Thursday, immediately before the VP debate. By 1:45 Stephen had WETA’s agreement to air the show on Wednesday at 9 pm – thanks to their programmer Kevin Harris and Production VP Dalton Delan. By 2 pm Kent Steele in programming had secured WGBH’s agreement to air the show Wednesday at 9 pm – we practically had a network!

As I ducked in and out of services and family obligations, Stephen connected with Charlie – or his cellphone voicemail. Charlie called back, and left a message.

“…Stephen…..chshshs…. Warren’s…..chshsshshsshhh…… tomorrow….cnssshhshsshh… before the vote….xcvhchshchc… after the vote….chshsshshsshhh.”

Mercifully, they connected soon afterwards. One slight problem: “Warren is willing to do it tomorrow but has to fly from Omaha to San Diego mid-day.” Hmm… Charlie could get to Omaha by 10 – maybe? But he’d have to tape before the markets close… how about San Diego? Warren has no trouble getting there – he owns NetJets. Charlie – first flight out. Where to tape? Next call to our friend Keith York, programmer at KPBS San Diego. He connects us and Charlie’s team to their studio manager Ena Newell – and by 3 pm a plan is taking shape. Charlie will tape at KPBS at 3 pm Pacific, after the markets close back east. KPBS will uplink to the PBS satellite at 7 pm… 8 pm Eastern… And with a bit of luck, PBS will announce and feed to the whole system. In the meantime, Keith already committed to carrying the show in San Diego.

Today’s New York Times carries a full-page ad (A17) announcing this primetime special – one full hour with the person America most wants to hear from on the economic crisis gripping the nation. We’re proud to be making it happen.

CHARLIE ROSE SPECIAL EDITION: WARREN BUFFETT
Airs on Thirteen 9-10pm, and rebroadcast at 11:30pm-12:30am; you can watch the special online the day after broadcast.

Inside Thirteen blogger: Jared Lipworth, Executive Producer, Secrets of the Dead

I’m excited about murder! Actually, I’m excited about new evidence that repaints the picture of a murder that happened almost a century ago. Not something most people would be jumping up and down about, but most people aren’t out searching for stories about using modern science to rewrite history. As the executive producer of SECRETS OF THE DEAD, that’s what I do. Over the past eight seasons, I’ve come across some pretty outlandish, gruesome and spectacular tales, from ancient Aztec warriors ripping out their prisoners’ still-beating hearts to a fungus that likely caused Salem’s “witches” to hallucinate, to bouncing bombs used in World War II. But rarely have I come across a story like ‘Executed in Error‘. It not only rewrites history, but shows how forensic science can reveal the truth about a crime or lead to a deadly miscarriage of justice.

I first heard about this story when the news about the DNA tests broke in the press last year, and knew right away that I had to jump on it. It was perfect for SECRETS, and I didn’t want anyone else to scoop us. So, working with my co-production partners in the UK, we contacted the scientists, found out the incredible details, and began production right away.

In brief, here’s the story: 1910. Hawley Crippen is an American doctor living in London with his wife, Cora. Cora goes missing and the police find ghastly dismembered body parts in the couple’s cellar. Crippen flees with his lover, is caught, tried, convicted and hung. All pretty straight forward. Or is it?

The “Cellar Murder”, as it became known, was the O.J. Simpson case of its day. It was the first trial by media, and one of the first to incorporate forensic science. The media sharks circled, covering the investigation and trial in day-to-day detail, and the world read with bated breath. The jury deliberated for only 27 minutes before convicting the good doctor.

But now, 100 years later, a new forensic and historical examination of the crime has led scientists to question the original conviction, and cast a dark shadow over the original trial. Was Crippen executed for a crime he could not have committed? Was Scotland Yard too eager for a guilty verdict after failing to capture Jack The Ripper 10 years earlier? Had Crippen’s wife actually run off with a lover?

SECRETS OF THE DEAD: Executed In Error premieres nationally Wednesday, October 1 at 8:00 pm, on PBS (check local listings). After that, you’ll be able to watch it online (streaming video) at www.thirteen.org/secrets. Hope you enjoy the show. It’s a killer…