Open Content and Public Broadcasting
Background to the Conference
The goals of the Open Content conference were to:
- build awareness about open access opportunities and barriers for public broadcasting
- promote open and engaged discourse on issues of content sharing and re-use
- provide direct interactions between public broadcasting executives and industry experts
- identify areas of possible consensus and collaboration, as well as possible action steps
- engage potential funders to support Open Content in public broadcasting
Over a period of six months, a WGBH team designed the conference. The team consisted of Judith Vecchione, Executive Producer in WGBH’s National Productions department and the conference producer; Sue Kantrowitz, Vice President and General Counsel; Annie Valva, Director of Research and Business Development at WGBH Interactive; Meredith Nierman, Assistant Program Manager for National Productions; and Jessica Cashdan, Director of New Initiatives in Foundation Development.
They examined past conferences, planned the panel topics, researched and discussed the most promising and most troubling issues for public broadcasters, and spoke with dozens of experts as they formulated the three-day conference.
Day One of the conference defined “Open Content” within the context of public broadcasting, examined its potential importance to public broadcasting, and included a keynote from BBC Creative Archive director Paul Gerhardt.
LISTEN TO RELATED SESSIONS
Day Two featured a series of panels on the intersection of Open Content and public broadcasting in four key areas: editorial content, implementation options, legal obstacles and remedies, and sustainable business models. The panelists compared the use of Open Content in formal, informal, and commercial settings, and the implications for policies and practice.
LISTEN TO RELATED SESSIONS
Day Three closed the conference with a panel that discussed potential models for Open Content in public broadcasting and a plenary session on next steps.
LISTEN TO RELATED SESSIONS
The full agenda, with speakers, is attached to this report in Appendix A.
NEXT: Key Findings
Funding for this conference was provided by The William and Flora Hewlett Foundation and The Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
