And it is clear that Mitchell will continue to focus on both of these areas. Many of these documentaries are sold later to help generate revenues. What PBS can add to its mix, Mitchell says, is more great American dramas. She's only a million dollars short of launch - a drop in any Hollywood bucket. And Mr. Nava is known for making a buck go further than most directors.
People are so grateful and are changing the dialogue with their own teens.
The idea that a television executive would actually care more about the impact of a TV program rather than its ratings is rare in the business. WNET, like its sister station WGBH in Boston, supplies 30 percent of the national programming. WNET is set to work on a six-part documentary about Africa, according to program director Tamara Robinson. Meanwhile, the first woman ever to head PBS has her hands full trying to convince corporate America to reinvest in its communities and to underwrite worthy programs that may not fetch big ratings. But corporate intrusion into PBS is also continuing apace.