NETA Webinars

Join the NETA Content PLC for a discussion about how your station can build meaningful partnerships with independent producers in your community. Emily Compton, NETA Content PLC member and manager of content & engagement at WTCI PBS, will lead a panel discussion with station colleagues from across the country who have navigated the ins and outs of working with local creators to build robust programs that are elevating community voices. 

We’ll hear about challenges, triumphs, and lessons learned from Laura Kieler, deputy general manager at PBS North Carolina, Mason Mills, executive producer at VPM, and Melissa Harmon, principal director of content at South Florida PBS. We invite you to ask questions about how your station can prioritize developing these important community relationships!

Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:

• Hear how building relationships with independent content creators can benefit your station
• Learn tips from station colleagues about starting and sustaining work with outside producers
• Learn from experience with navigating rights, funding, and editorial guidelines

Who is The Silver Generation? For many, it's the heart of the public television audience. How do we truly connect with this influential group? Simple: by doing what public media excels at—creating a sense of belonging, purpose, and community. By engaging with this demographic in a meaningful way, we not only retain our loyal viewers, but also attract fresh faces and turn them into long-term members. Join Artemis Independent and Menchero Creative Consulting as we explore why it's time to rethink and reframe the narrative around our most valuable asset.

This webinar is presented by the Content PLC and they need your input—at least in the chat! Please come prepared to share what you’re currently doing to actively foster relationships with your 55+ audience. And if you’re not doing anything, what are your impediments to doing so, and what would you need to help engage this community?

Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:
Selena Lauterer, president of Artemis Independent, and Sumner Menchero, principal and founder of Menchero Creative Consulting, will share how (and why) they created The Silver Generation initiative, as well as share plans currently in motion to create a robust Silver Generation toolkit, built in partnership with APT, for stations to use locally.

What projects are you working on right now that demonstrate your station's ability to focus on the unique needs of your unique community? Join the Content PLC for an open conversation about local productions that serve our local viewers. Share what you're working on and the challenges or successes. Is it an interstitial or digital series, a magazine program, a documentary or a podcast, live productions with studio audiences, or something completely different? Have you changed the way you gather the content or listen to the community about future topics? Share your ideas and experiences with fellow public media content creators and learn from others about what is in progress, what is working well, and what is sustainable.

Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:

1. Discover (or rediscover) project ideas that can help us serve our local viewers.
2. Explore how other stations are addressing difficult topics in content.
3. Talk about ways we can make local projects sustainable with limited resources.

Join the NETA Community Engagement PLC every other month for an online open forum focused on advancing community engagement in public media. These sessions provide a collaborative space to discuss upcoming programs, share strategies for engagement, explore challenges and successes and exchange best practices. Designed to strengthen professional support networks and foster impactful initiatives, these open forums are a valuable opportunity to connect with peers across the country. Let's learn, innovate and build community together!

You can choose to attend one or more of the following sessions. All dates are at 3 PM ET / noon PT.

• April 10
• June 12
• August 14
• October 9
• December 11

Join Fred Rogers Productions (FRP) for a three-part webinar series as team members discuss the work of the organization to carry on the legacy of Fred Rogers. Since 1968, FRP has worked to create content to inspire a lifelong enthusiasm for learning and to support families everywhere, first with Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood, and now with series including Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, Odd Squad, Donkey Hodie, Alma’s Way, and more.

Hear from Ellen Doherty, chief creative officer, about how the legacy of Fred Rogers informs all new content and the ways that the influence of Mister Rogers’ Neighborhood shows up in each series. Brittany Smith, director of community engagement, and Mallory Mbalia, director of learning and education, will speak on the company’s community outreach efforts and station relations as well as the collaboration with educational advisors to adhere to learning goals in every series. Later in the month, Rubin Soodak, interactive producer, and Erin Dodson, director of post-production, will discuss how accessibility is prioritized across series and the robust slate of available interactive offerings.

Each 90-minute session will also include a Q&A to end the event. A trusted creator of children’s content, FRP’s sessions will provide insight into the intentionality and thoughtfulness behind the creation of content at the organization from broadcast to activities, from games to community engagement events and beyond.

Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:

• April 2: Hear about the ways Fred Rogers’ legacy inspires the current work at Fred Rogers Productions and learn how the production team approaches creating content that will best serve kids and families. Hosted by Ellen.
• April 9: Learn about turn-key resources for community engagements and ways to share information and printables with parents, caregivers, and educators. Gain insight into the learning goals and materials available for each FRP series and opportunities for use in the home, classroom setting and education outreach. Co-hosted by Brittany and Mallory.
• April 16: Explore the depth of accessibility features available in video content produced by FRP for our audiences and educators. Learn about the collection of interactive games as well as research and new initiatives in support of meeting the accessibility needs and gameplay preferences of our audiences. Co-hosted by Erin and Rubin.