Informational Webcast on Digital Television Converter Box June 19
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The Federal Communications Commission will host a digital television (DTV) consumer education workshop from 10 a.m. to 2 p.m. (EST) on June 19 at www.fcc.gov/realaudio.
DTV converter box manufacturers and vendors will explain how to connect
the DTV converter boxes to analog television sets and discuss the
converter boxes' features, including closed captioning and parental
controls.
The federal government is changing the way TV is broadcasted on Feb.
17, 2009, in order to clear the way for 911 and other public safety
communications in the now-cluttered airways. Those who have antennas on
their TV sets or bought a TV before 1998 will need to buy a converter
box to watch TV after February 2009. Cable and satellite customers
should not be affected, but it's best to check with your cable company
to be sure.
Coupons for $40 off the retail price of a converter box are still available from the National Telecommunications and Information Administration (NTIA). More information can be obtained about the coupons by going to the NTIA's Web site at www.ntia.doc.gov/dtvcoupon or calling 1-DTV-2009 or 1-888-388-2009.
The FCC also has two recorded session online to help explain the transition: For more information on the June 19 webcast, contact Alan Stillwell at 202-418-2470 or at alan.stillwell@fcc.gov, or Rodney Small at 202-418-2452 or at rodney.small@fcc.gov.
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Cherokee Man Who Died in Filming Honored With Tree Planting
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 The cast and crew of The Nation, an episode within the PBS series, We Shall Remain, has honored a cast member who died during filming with a tree planting in the original homeland of the Cherokee people in New Echota, Ga.
Cleo Deerinwater, 74, of Tahlequah, Okla., died of a heart attack on June 1 while filming episode three of the We Shall Remain series in Georgia. Deerinwater, a Navy veteran and bus driver for the Cherokee Nation's Sequoyah High School in Oklahoma, was a fluent Cherokee speaker and playing the part of a tribal leader in the early 1800s in the film.
Actor Joshua Nelson (Cherokee), said Deerinwater had a great sense of humor, often cracking jokes every five minutes on the set, including one about the period costumes. After putting on a coat and tie of the era, Deerinwater said in Cherokee: "Talisgohi adela aya (I'm a $20 bill)!"
A memorial tree was planted on June 4 in New Echota, the site of the original capital of the Cherokee before the federal government forcefully removed them to Oklahoma.
"The oak tree that will grow there where our Cherokee mothers and fathers lived, fought, and loved will stand for ages to remind us of the Cherokee spirit--its grand humility, its independent communitarianism, its rebellious traditionalism and its solemn humor that Cleo embodied with endearing facility," Nelson said. "All of us at We Shall Remain send our prayers to Cleo's friends and family and take comfort in the selfsame assurance that he modeled."
NAPT has provided funding for the five-part series that brings to life more than 300 years of Native American history in America. The series will debut on PBS' American Experience in April 2009.
For information on the series, go to the film's Web site:
www.pbs.org/wgbh/amex/weshallremain/project/index.html.
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NMC/NAPT Journalism Fellow Debuts on PBS' NewsHour Online
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National Minority Consortia/NAPT Journalism Fellow Tristan Ahtone makes his debut in PBS' NewsHour online with a story about Indian education as a key issue with Native voters in this presidential election. Read story.Ahtone (Kiowa) is a recent graduate of the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism and one of two fellows working with the NewsHour program this summer. Rhonda LeValdo (Acoma Pueblo),a graduate broadcast student at the University of Kansas, has also joined the NewsHour staff to aid in political coverage. The students are part of the project Election Initiative 2008 created by the NMC to offer diverse voices in public affairs reporting.
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Mobile Film School Call for Communities for Youth Program
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The Mobile Film School, a national nonprofit media arts organization, is seeking interested rural or Native American communities to participate in their digital film production and acting workshops for youth. The school will travel to individual communities to teach workshops in narrative and documentary filmmaking and/or acting. The Mobile Film School is committed to bringing media arts education to rural and underserved communities, creating long-term mentoring relationships by pairing students with seasoned industry professionals and educators, and cultivating a unique appreciation of local history and culture using storytelling in film. For more information and an application, call 1-888-MFS-FILM or 1-888-637-3456, or send an email to: programming@mobilefilmschool.org. To view the school's Web site, click here.
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Doc on Spanish Explorer as Hero or Destroyer Comes to PBS in July
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 Using the construction and dedication of a monument to Conquistador Juan de Onate, filmmakers John J. Valadez and Cristina Ibarra examine mestizo identity, on-going inequalities in the Southwest, and the dignity and humanity of Indian people.
P.O.V., NAPT, Latino Public Broadcasting and ITVS present The Last Conquistador 10 p.m. EST on July 15.
Watch the film trailer.
Click here to go to the film's Web site.
Locate your local PBS station to find out what time The Last Conquistador is scheduled in your area. Don't forget to sign up for email reminders on P.O.V.'s Web site so that you don't miss the show.
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VisionMaker Video June Specials
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Super Summer Sale Continues
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VisionMaker Video's super summer sale on all titles for educational use continues until June 30. Get DVDs at 15% off and take advantage of our VHS clearance sale on titles at 50% off. Get yours by going to the VisionMaker online catalog today.
Titles available now include:
 A Blackfeet Encounter
Exploring the only deadly clash between Native Americans and the Lewis and Clark Expedition, A Blackfeet Encounter discovers a rich Blackfeet history and culture, traces the aftermath of the expedition's arrival and investigates the challenges and triumphs of the Blackfeet people today.
Educational sale price $191.25
 Native Word:
Stories Past and Present
Three independent Native American filmmakers create three short films depicting the art of storytelling and communication in Indian Country in this half-hour DVD. Indians for Indians, Reality Show, and The Oneida Speak, explore the oldest Indian radio show in the country, peer in the life of poet and musician Joy Harjo (Creek/Muskogee), and reveal the handwritten journals of the Oneidas of Wisconsin.
Educational sale price $127.50 (DVD-R)
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| NAPT 2008 Program Fund
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The 2008 guidelines for NAPT's funding for programs created for national public television broadcast are now online.
Native American producers are encouraged to apply for any stage of production--from research and development to film completion. The postmark deadline is July 16, 2008.
More info at: nativetelecom.org/producers_programfund
Funding for NAPT's Production Fund comes from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
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Producer Profile
Rhiana Yazzie
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As playwright Rhiana Yazzie (Navajo) commences on her newest work, The Really Real News from Native America, for the third season of Native Radio Theater with co-producer Clara NiiSka (Ojibwe), she pauses a moment to share her writing path and past done the Rhiana way.
| Read the article
Download MP3 of the interview
Listen to the webcast of the interview on AIROS:
6/12/08: 10am, 4pm, 10pm
6/14/08: 10am, 4pm, 10pm
6/15/08: 10am, 4pm, 10pm
6/16/08: 11am, 5pm, 11pm
6/25/08: 10:30am, 4:30pm, 10:30p
6/28/08: 10:30am, 4:30pm, 10:30p
6/29/08: 10:30am, 4:30pm, 10:30p
All times are Eastern standard time. |
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Listen to a Father's Day tribute
June 15
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