At PBS Showcase with Vice President and Indie Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen

The 2009 PBS Showcase and General Managers’ Planning Meeting brings to Baltimore four days of inspirational speakers, valuable programming and promotion information and professional development opportunities on a wide range of subjects.  Read about Vice President and Independent Lens Series Producer Lois Vossen's experience at this year's event.

Earlier this week, my colleagues and I arrived at the Marriott Hotel in Baltimore for the 2009 PBS Annual Meeting. This yearly gathering of executives from throughout the public television system provides an opportunity to meet up with colleagues from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), PBS, the National Minority Consortia and the 350 public television stations across the country. However, the realities of the economy are evident here as everywhere else with attendance down sharply from past years. 

In addition to the networking, this is the place to see the new programming coming to PBS this year, and it provides an opportunity to begin promoting the new 2009-2010 season of Independent Lens. This will be our eighth season (wow!) and I’m very excited to unveil some of the remarkable programs coming in the new season. The day began with an opening address by PBS President Paula Kerger. The morning “pipeline” session featured some of the icon PBS series including Antiques Roadshow, American Experience, Great Performances and Independent Lens (that was one of my key gigs today). 

Our five-minute Independent Lens trailer was very well received— and what’s not to love? Next season brings such great shows like YOUNG@HEART, DIRT! THE MOVIE and UNMISTAKEN CHILD among many others. Lunch featured the new Ken Burns’s series The National Parks––and great crab cakes! Then, after an eight and a half hours of programming updates, professional development sessions and meetings, ITVS co-hosted a reception with P.O.V. and the Minority Consortia including CAAM, NAPT, NBPC, PIC and LPB. We served crab cakes, too! Tomorrow we’re back at it with more new clips from other PBS icon series––and if I’m a lucky girl, more crab cakes. 

-Lois Vice President and Independent Lens Series Producer