Update from The National Conference for Media Reform

Thousands will convene this weekend in Boston to share ideas about the future of media, technology, and democracy at the 2011 NCMR. ITVS Marketing & Communications Manger Steve Goldbloom is at the conference and will be providing updates on BTB.

Greetings from Boston! The NCMR kicks off bright and early Friday morning with a live broadcast of Democracy Now with Amy Goodman and Juan Gonzales. After the show, the panels begin and they don’t stop until Sunday.

The conference — which includes activists, media makers, educators, journalists, artists, and policymakers — has been broken down into themed tracks that will guide the weekend’s discussions. From Policy and Politics to Journalism and Public Media; from Media Makers, Culture and Arts to Technology and Innovation, there will be lots of interesting news to relay on BTB over the next few days.

Additional highlights include panels on the future of video and online platforms (think HULU vs. Cable) and a discussion titled Public Media Under Attack: Fighting Back and Finding a New Vision — which will be led by PBS President & CEO Paula Kerger and Frontline’s David Fanning, among others.

For what little time there is between panels, the conference will host a media and technology sandbox for extended “play time,” (their words!) which will offer informal training on everything from DIY audio on your phone to video podcasting at home.

Looks like there will be loads of tools for independent producers and filmmakers too and I will certainly relay the most useful of them on BTB, as they surface.

The easiest way to keep up with our blog updates from the conference will be through twitter — so if you’re not already following us (http://twitter.com/itvsblog) go ahead and do so now!

More soon….

The National Conference for Media Reform is hosted by Free Press and runs in Boston from April 8 – 10. You can find more information on their website.