A PBS mind in a MTV world
Early in life I took to public television, but not because of a big yellow bird or even because of everyone’s favorite neighbor (although later in life I have become enamored with that man and his legacy). No, my childhood television friends were the epic painter Bob Ross and Graham Kerr, the galloping gourmet.
In adulthood I developed a fondness for many kinds of television, some mainstream and some that may not be at the top of the Neilson’s rating list. I had a chance to meet and work with Ben Wagner, senior vice president od MTV News, and we became friends (at least on Facebook). Wagner describes himself in the same way I think much of our generation can identify with, “a PBS mind in a jump-cut, sound-bite MTV world.”
When I started volunteering with Fayette TV, and then subsequently took on the subcontracted operating, there were a lot of things we needed to accomplish in a short period of time. We are still working to make many of those things happen in the hyper-local, budget constricted, format in which we exist. We serve a purpose to the local community, but no matter how much time our staff, operators, volunteers, students and interns spend working, we remain a work in progress.
One of my early visions, which appealed to my PBS mind, was actually right from the CSPAN playbook: Book TV. It’s taken some time and honestly some reassurance from other people that someone other than me enjoys that kind of programming.
In floating the Book TV idea we found that there is not only interest in this kind of programming, but also a deep well of talented authors with roots to this area. And, thus Fayette TV is excited to be coordinating the Pennsylvania Literary Festival, with the help of a team of dedicated volunteers and honorary chair Stacey Aldrich, who serves Pennsylvania as deputy secretary of education.
This statewide event, coming to the Uniontown Mall from May 30 through June 1, will bring local authors, as well as writers from other parts of the state and country, to the mall corridors. Many of them will be reading passages from their writing at the Dunham’s Center Court stage, and even autographing copies of their books.
Leading the keynote at the event is another well-known author: John Dixon, whose novel inspired the popular CBS-TV show “Intelligence.” Professional or published writers won’t be the only stars of the Pennsylvania Literary Festival. In addition to receiving prizes, our top finishers will be invited to read their winning entries on stage, and to have their work published in the magazine that will be distributed at the festival.
The best part about it is that everything on the main stage will be recorded and shown on Fayette TV in the months to come! (Watch your local listings.)
Matthew Dowling is a published author, has learned to cook everything he makes from television cooking shows, and paints happy clouds as a form of relaxation.