Future of Public Broadcasting

Posted on June 3, 2010

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Public Broadcasting offers high quality programming. Presently most of us watch it via one of about 400 local PBS affiliates. However, the most popular shows like Charlie Rose, Masterpiece Theater, Antiques Roadshow, and Nova are produced by only a few originators. Increasingly the creators are also putting many of those shows on the Internet where they can be watched at the viewer’s convenience without needing the local affiliate.

Last year Congress gave the Corporation for Public Broadcasting $400 million. About $360 million passed through to local affiliates. They generally used the money to purchase programs such as those noted above. However, the grants only represent about 20% of the typical affiliates’ overall budget. The other 80% was mostly used to fund affiliate operating overhead. Most of that 80% came from (1) prominent corporate underwriters, (2) grants from the individual states, and (3) “viewers like you”. Read more…

Progress in Integrated Optics

Posted on December 13, 2007

 
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While the ever improving cost/performance ratio for semiconductors has been the engine driving electronics technology for the past half-century, we are now approaching a Power Wall that threatens further gains.  This interview is about how integrated optics can extend the longevity of a trend most of us have taken for granted.

Our guest today is Dr. Keren Bergman who is the Director of the Lightwave Research Lab at Columbia University. She received her PhD in Electrical Engineering at MIT in 1994 and earlier taught at Princeton University. In addition to her work at Columbia, Keren is a technical adviser to the National Security Agency.