Britcom mania!

What is it about those Britcoms? That’s a question I had to examine when I became the editor of Tea Times, MPT’s Afternoon Tea newsletter.

When my boss, Eric Eggleton, first talked about giving MPT viewers more information on anything and everything British over two years ago, I’ll admit I was a bit perplexed. But he had done his homework, and knew MPT has a very large Britcom following. And these folks are true Anglophiles.

So we scratched our heads, brainstormed and eventually the idea of Afternoon Tea—a back-to-back Britcom comedy extravaganza—was born. We hired a host for segments between the weekday afternoon programming and launched a website that includes the Tea Times newsletter and weekly trivia question. Our aspirations were for 4,000 to register for the newsletter; today we have almost 9,000. They come from all over the United States, and even a few from different countries! And believe me when I say that we are honored to have you come to read Tea Times each month.

We also have a cool mug (I’m holding one in the photo below!) we give away each week to a randomly selected winner of the weekly Afternoon Tea trivia question. Test your knowledge about the shows you love to watch and see if you too can win one of these prized mugs.

If you’re a Britcom lover and haven’t yet looked at Tea Times or played the trivia question, we invite you to do so at www.mpt.org/tea. It’s free, so come on, join in the fun! You’ll be in good company.

Sue Vanskiver
Senior Administrative Assistant & Tea Times Editor

Every week should be The First Week

Today was my kids’ first day back to school. My oldest was anxious about starting at a new school, and the youngest was having “sympathy pains.” I reminded them both that everyone’s sleepless on The Night Before, and even the teachers are a little nervous. I also reminded them that everyone’s a lot more forgiving during The First Week, because EVERYONE is still figuring stuff out. So don’t worry if you’re late to class, forget your pencil, in the wrong room, etc. Everyone is gentle with each other, so just relax. During The First Week, everyone is easy.

What a concept—cutting people a break because we all know we’re in the same boat together.

Speaking of which, check out MPT’s Campaign for Love & Forgiveness. It’s all about how we’re in the same boat together in life.

No, really.

Imagine what our world would be like with more love and forgiveness in our lives. Just think what our daily commutes, news headlines, family interactions and everyday activities would be like. We can all be more loving and forgiving with each other—just like during The First Week. Every week should be The First Week.

Watch some of the upcoming documentaries that highlight incredible stories of forgiveness, and participate in our public events to plan those seeds of forgiveness in your community. See and hear more stories of forgiveness gathered by other PBS stations that are part of this national campaign.

So relax. And cut each other a break more often. Remember: it’s The First Week.

Faith Michel
Director of Community Outreach Initiatives

A journey worth writing home about

When I think back to the beginning, my journey with MPT really started with one simple conversation. It all began on a cold, blustery night in February when, after a long discussion about college and our plans for the summer, my girlfriend said to me, “You know, you should check out internships at MPT. I bet that would be a pretty cool place to work.”

Almost eight months ago I would have never guessed I would be sitting here in my own office at MPT blogging about all that we’ve accomplished this summer. But, sure enough, here I am. My time here has been filled with discovery and transformation. We have accomplished so much in such a short time, and as a fellow MPT intern said recently, I feel like we've barely scratched the surface. It has certainly been a journey worth writing home about.

As an intern with MPT, my days were not filled with taking lunch orders, brewing coffee or Xeroxing until my fingers bled. There was none of that here. Diving into new media—like this blog and a soon-to-be myspace page—has ushered in new ways of thinking about public television and its potential to reach new audiences. What an amazing experience to be part of a grassroots movement and embrace the technology at our fingertips. I’ll definitely miss it here.


Matt Rains
Intern, Institutional Advancement

St. Elvis

Today is the 30th anniversary of Elvis Presley’s passing, which means a week-long celebration in the birth place of rock ‘n roll, Memphis, Tennessee.

I’ve been to Graceland three times. My favorite stops on the tour are the Jungle Room, the yellow and black vinyl TV room, and the Meditation Garden. The garden may top them all because of the effect it has on visitors. Eager Elvis fans wind along the corridors and stairways used by Elvis and his Memphis Mafia, giggling over tacky furniture and ogling the gold statues; however, when they reach the Meditation Garden, a hush falls over them and they become reverent pilgrims paying tribute to their idol.

Last year, I talked with Gary Vikan, executive director of the Walters Art Museum in Baltimore about the “Religion of Elvis Presley.” Mr. Vikan’s background includes studies of Early Christianity and Saints, and it was while writing his dissertation on this topic that he noted the similarities between the two. In addition to his talks on Byzantine art, he enjoys hosting lectures on Elvis and his followers.


Katrina Threat
Assistant Producer, ArtWorks This Week

Dragon Land

Moving to Maryland from Massachusetts and leaving my close-knit family behind was a difficult thing for me. Don’t get me wrong, I love Maryland. If I can’t be on the Parker River, (or as they say in MA “Pahka Rivah”!) the Chesapeake Bay is an excellent substitute!

I guess the worst for me is missing my brother, Luke. He was born when I was 13, so I feel very maternal towards him. I’ve watched him grow up. I remember running downstairs for school, late as usual, but still joining him for breakfast and a quick few minutes of Dragon Tales. He would sing the little theme song… “Dragon Tales, Dragon Tales, it's almost time for Dragon Tales. Come along, take my hand, let's all go to Dragon Land”…sitting in his footy pajamas, slurpin’ cereal milk.

As corny as it sounds, the other day I was waiting to greet a visitor in the front lobby of MPT. We have a TV there, and Dragon Tales was on. Just hearing that little theme song made me think of him and it was nice. Although he is 12 now and probably doesn’t remember our singalong breakfast time, we still share nice moments together watching WGBH, Boston’s public television station. Now, instead of kids shows, he’s into stuff like Nature and learning how to survive in the wilderness.

Desirée Edwards
Assistant Manager, Major and Planned Giving

MPT vs. MTV

We win. Indisputably.

I’d like to make the argument that MPT and public television have become the leaders in musical performance on television. Consider this: last Saturday night, MPT featured Modest Mouse performing on Austin City Limits. It was a full hour of what I consider to be one of the best contemporary music acts performing in front of an audience. Commercial-free.

At the same time, MTV (a.k.a. “Music Television”) was deep into a weekend-long marathon of America’s Next Top Model. I think it’s fair to say that, although blessed with many physical gifts, the musical talents of the aspiring models on A.N.T.M. don’t hold up to Modest Mouse, or pretty much any artist that viewers regularly see on Austin City Limits or any of the other great musical programs and specials on MPT.

Models vs. Modest Mouse. That’s just a random sampling, of course, but I think it’s a trend. Try it yourself. Turn on MPT. Right now. Then switch to MTV, VH1, or any commercial station on the dial. Which program is holding your interest more? Which program is teaching you more? Which program would you rather support?

Peter Shea
Associate Producer for On-Air Fundraising

Getting on the radar

As a new intern here at MPT, I'm always discovering new facets to this truly unique place to work. Here I am, nearly two months into my internship, and I feel as though I've merely scratched the surface of all there is to know about my department alone. Before I started interning here, I had no idea what to expect from a public television station.

I'll admit it: although I enjoyed the occasional Antiques Roadshow or science documentary, I was never the most devoted public television viewer. I guess, like most of my generation, I couldn't get past the reputation, i.e. something for my parents and grandparents - not for me. But, like Matt mentions above, now that I work here, I find myself tuning in more and more to MPT to see what all the hype's about (and to mention to onlookers: "Hey, I work there!"). The beauty of MPT and public television in general is that there's something for everyone - you just have to know where to look.

That brings me to the coolest part of my internship thus far. Somewhere in the first few weeks I was contacted by one of the communications specialists here to be involved in a blog that might introduce more people like me in my generation to public television. After paging through MPT's monthly program guides, this small group of young MPT'ers found that there are plenty of great programs of interest to young people - the challenge lies in relaying the information to our "reluctant" viewers.

We're now working on ways to bring MPT onto the radars of skeptical young viewers who don't know what they're missing. We're not trying to make MPT cool (it already is!!), we're just trying to get the word out about a well-kept secret. As an intern, being part of this process is one of the coolest surprises I could imagine.

Lindsay Windmiller
Community Outreach Intern

Unbiased clarity

As I watched Washington Week on MPT this past week, it occurred to me that hot-button issues such as freedom of speech in schools, same-sex marriage and illegal immigration were being discussed in more depth than I have ever seen on national news. What was even more stimulating was that the discussion was being orchestrated by college professors from local colleges. These are issues that affect young people we all know in one way or another and the information being shared on Washington Week is presented with unbiased clarity so that young people can form their own opinions and can truly understand the legislation that impacts all of us.

Discussions from the program are echoed throughout college newspapers nationally through a unique partnership between public television and U-Wire called Washington Week: Student Voices. I’ve found that the articles engage student perspectives about what is happening as it happens. Virginia Tech’s Newspaper, The Collegiate Times, posted an article through Student Voices about the reopening of Norris Hall, the site of the deadly shootings earlier this year. Instead of one quick interview with a student or dean, the article covers the reopening in depth from the campus, including interviews with deans, students and faculty. I feel like I get a truer sense of world news from the youth perspective this way. This is a great way to find out about what’s going on in the world without totally immersing yourself in politics or hours of C-Span. And the best part is that when you want to sound like you actually know what you are talking about, this can be the tool that gets you there.

Kristin Ciarlo
Member Relations Representative

Celebrity anchors & snappy soundbites

Allow me to introduce myself. Matt Rains is the name and as of today I’m a professional blogger. I landed this sweet internship with Maryland Public Television and the next thing I know, I’m blogging! So here I am, hiding out in my cubicle at MPT headquarters totally amped to tell you about all the cool programming I never even knew MPT had to offer before I started working here.

I’ve always been an environmentalist at heart, and I’ve really taken a liking to Nature. If you’re a fan of the outdoors, this is the show for you. Whether you’re fascinated by sharks or have always wanted to visit Yellowstone National Park, Nature will go there. I can’t believe it’s been on for 25 years, and I’m only getting into it now.

Frontline’s a new favorite of mine, too. The news documentary show looks behind the headlines to see what’s really going on behind the scenes of America’s war on terror, and discovers the darkest secrets behind some of the world’s most powerful credit card companies. I’ve even seen an episode on America’s growing meth epidemic—something I didn’t know anything about. It’s nice to know there’s more out there than celebrity anchors and snappy sound bites.

Matt Rains
Intern, Institutional Advancement

What's the buzz?!

Hey all!

Welcome to The Buzz, Maryland Public Television's very own blog where you'll not only get the scoop on upcoming shows, but meet the folks that make this place tick. There's way more to MPT than the faces that beam into your living room. Contributors to The Buzz will be producers, outreach specialists, interns, writers, viewer services specialists and more. We all want to share our thoughts with you--and we want to hear yours!

We'll be posting our daily musings, polls, videos and our favorite links. Whether you're a longtime public television fan or brand new to PTV, make The Buzz part of your daily routine.