JOBLESS BENEFITS IN PERIL UNLESS STATE ACTS

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

BY DIANA SOKOLOVA

Will Arizona's governor and Legislature approve an extension of unemployment benefits for an estimated 15,000 Arizonans before the deadline expires on Saturday?

Whether they act or not, Arizona Week on Friday will look at the political and economic ramifications of extending benefits for people who have been out of work at least 18 months.

Brewer has indicated she is willing to allow extension of the benefits, but until now, she hasn't called the special legislative session that would be needed to change the law, because lawmakers have not agreed to vote for an extension.

Arizona’s April unemployment rate was 9.3 percent, the U.S. Bureau of Labor Statistics reported. The rate dropped from 9.5 percent in March and 9.6 percent in February 2011. The report for May will be released on June 17.

The Bureau of Labor Statistics reported 297,457 people were registered as unemployed in April in Arizona, down from 303,209 in March. Unemployment peaked in January at 304,828.

The bureau reported Phoenix metropolitan area unemployment at 8.1percent, Tucson 7.9 percent, Yuma 25.3 percent, Prescott 9.5 percent and Flagstaff 7.6 percent.

Weekly unemployment benefits range from $60 to $240, depending on what a person earned when employed, according to the Arizona Department of Economic Security. Total cost of the Extended Benefit Program, all federal money, is $3.5 million a week in Arizona.

Arizona provides 26 weeks of state unemployment benefits, an additional 53 weeks of federal emergency benefits and, under the Extended Benefit Program, an additional 20 weeks for the long-term unemployed. That last 20 weeks is what is in jeopardy unless new legislation is enacted.

JUNE GM LETTER

posted to From the General Manager by Laura McKee

Changes Coming to Public Affairs Programming

Jim Lehrer will take another step toward “winding down” his 36 years of anchoring or co-anchoring the daily public television news broadcast known now as the PBS NewsHour. Effective June 6, Lehrer will no longer be part of the regular daily anchor rotation team, but will still appear on many Friday evenings to moderate the weekly analysis of Shields and Brooks which features syndicated columnist Mark Shields and New York Times columnist David Brooks. Lehrer said he will also remain involved in the editorial direction of the PBS NewsHour and with the program's producer, MacNeil/Lehrer Productions.

AZPM’s own Kimberly Craft has decided to leave Tucson to be closer to family and has accepted a position with KNAU-FM, our sister NPR station in Flagstaff. Kim has served audiences well as the interim host of Arizona Illustrated for the last several months. In Flagstaff, she will host local KNAU radio newscasts around All Things Considered. Since 1984, Kim has been reporting stories and hosting programs for AZPM and our community. She has served as AZPM’s principal education reporter and produced programming for a number of years in our multimedia division. We wish her all the best in her new endeavor and hope to work with her again soon --through the magic of radio.

We know our audiences depend on AZPM for the best in public affairs programming, both locally and nationally. We will take the summer to analyze our efforts with regard to Arizona Illustrated to determine what opportunities exist to improve the program -- to better serve our local community. We intend to re-launch an improved Arizona Illustrated just after Labor Day, on Tuesday, September 6th at 6:30 p.m.

In other news, June takes us to the end of another fiscal year and our year-end membership countdown. Viewer and listener support is critical to meet our financial obligations and start next year on a solid footing. Given the volatility of both state and federal funding, individual supporters have never been more critical to sustain AZPM and the programs you enjoy.

To thank those of you who have invested in AZPM and to encourage those of you who have not stepped forward to help to defray program costs, we have assembled some great programs this month on PBS-HD Channel 6. Highlights include special music performances from Eric Clapton and Les Misérables, to a new season of the popular afternoon costume drama Lark Rise to Candleford, (now airing one hour earlier at 1 p.m. starting June 13th).

For complete program schedules and episode summaries, click here.

Our efforts for the benefit of Southern Arizona would simply not be possible without you. Please accept my sincere thanks for your continued support and best wishes for the summer.

Jack Gibson, Director & General Manager

SUMMER SCHEDULE LINEUP

posted to Inside TV by Susie Hernandez

We are taking a break from the dramas of Glenbogle after June 18th! Monarch of the Glen goes on a short hiatus and will return to our weekday drama lineup after Ballykissangel has its run weekdays at 2 p.m.

I thought our dear fans would like to see a snapshot of our new 2011 Summer PBS HD Schedule! The items in green are changes to the lineup. Some of these changes are driven by PBS HQ and some are new shows we have special for the summer months!

Mondays: I was thrilled to see an additional hour of Antiques Roadshow provided by PBS. I get a lot of viewer calls asking for more ARS and with the new pairings, I'm anxious to see if folks really watch more than 1 hour!

Tuesdays: History Detectives starts their new season on a new night! The series used to air on Mondays at 9 p.m. The logic is that on a different night, at an earlier time, more folks will watch this fun program now that it will air on Tuesdays at 8 p.m.!

Wednesdays: You may have noticed that the "Smartest Night on TV" is branded for Wednesday nights! We've been airing NOVA Science Now and NOVA on Wednesdays for the past few months and Southern Arizona fans love the entire night. PBS will be offering Nature at 8 p.m. after Secrets of the Dead goes away. NOVA Science Now will repeat later in the evening over the summer. I will continue to air Nature on Sundays. Eventually, I may move Nature to 6 p.m. vs. 7 p.m. on Sunday nights.

Thursdays: Just what is "Wacky Americana?" I'll tell you! They are funny, sweet, and touching documentaries by Ric Sebak. Some of the titles include The Hot Dog Show, Breakfast Special, and The Ice Cream Show. So, I guess I should add tasty to the list? You just have to watch at 8 p.m. to see what other wacky americana will be featured!

Fridays: Why is Prime Suspect in red? Good question. You noticed that, huh? (smile) Well, I may have to move it and I'm not sure when or where. The show is definitely airing through July but I may have some new music shows coming from PBS designated to Friday nights. Prime Suspect might move to Sunday or Thursday nights.

Saturdays: There's a lot of green there. Folks are always asking for new BritComs but don't want me to get rid of any of their standbys like Keeping Up Appearances, Monarch of the Glen, and As Time Goes By. I definitely want to keep Monarch of the Glen but feel it will be better served in the afternoons. I hope you all give Outnumbered, Ladies of Letters and Black Books your time! Like most BritComs, they require a few viewings before the writers and actors warm up and deliver some of the most hilarious moments on television.

Well, there you have it! Please let me know what you think!

Stay tuned!

Susie the TV Programmer

ORO VALLEY GETS NEW TOWN MANAGER JULY 1

posted to Political Buzz by Andrea Kelly

Oro Valley is about to transition to a new town manager, after Jerene Watson gave her notice last month. She's leaving the town to take a deputy city manager position in Flagstaff. Oro Valley's town council named Greg Caton, now the town's assistant manager, to replace Watson on an interim basis.

Caton has worked in local government administration for about 14 years, including several communities in Colorado before moving to Oro Valley late last year, he said. He'll be interim town manager for an undetermined amount of time, as the council hasn't set a schedule for hiring someone permanently, he said.

Watson makes $155,647 a year as Oro Valley's manager. Caton makes $124,639 a year as assistant town manager. His salary will go up 10 percent, to $137,103, starting June 13. His title will be acting town manager starting then, and will change to interim town manager July 1.

In her resignation letter, Watson said it was not an easy decision for her to leave Oro Valley.

"This has been a highlight of my career to serve in the role of town manager and a special honor guiding public services alongside a highly dedicated organization of employees who work well as a team in a family-like atmosphere with a passion for customer service and strong desire to help make government work for the people we serve," she wrote.

Caton said he's excited about the new position.

"One of my primary objectives will be continuing to keep the organization and the community advancing, making forward progress and not go into kind of a status quo mentality. We've got a lot of challenges ahead of us and we've got a lot of great opportunities and it's my role to assist council in achieving their established goals," Caton said in an interview.

TUCSON MORE CONSERVATIVE THAN PHOENIX?

posted to AZ Week Notebook by Michael Chihak

Tucson mortgage lenders probably acted more conservatively than their counterparts in Phoenix during the boom times in the real estate industry, accounting for the difference between the two metro areas in the severity of the real estate crisis.

So says Judy Lowe, Arizona's real estate commissioner. In an interview with Arizona Week, Lowe said Phoenix is worse off than Tucson, with "distressed properties" accounting for 72 percent of the metro area's housing sales. She didn't have a figure for Tucson, but said it is "not quite as bad, not quite as negative."

The difference?

Many more houses were sold in the Phoenix area than in Tucson during the height of the boom, 2005 and 2006, Lowe said. Additionally, she said: "Maybe Tucson was more conservative than the Phoenix valley in how those homeowners qualified for their mortgages."

One issue nationally during the mortgage financing crisis was that of sub-prime mortgages, awarded to people whose qualifications had not been thoroughly checked or who were allowed to take out mortgage loans at higher interest rates despite having marginal financial means.

SLATE OF CITY COUNCIL CANDIDATES FINALIZED

posted to Political Buzz by Andrea Kelly

There's no shortage of decisions on this year's Tucson ballot. The open mayor's seat and three city council members are up for election. For the first time, the city elections will be conducted entirely by mail.

First off, there are three - yes, three - primaries in the race for the open mayor's seat. Marshall Home and Jonathan Rothschild will face off for the Democratic nomination. In the Green party, both Dave Croteau and Mary DeCamp are competing for the nomination. Republicans will choose between Ron Asta and Shaun McClusky. After the primary, independent candidate Pat Darcy will join the nominees from each party for the general election.

In the city council seats, each incumbent has a challenger:

West side ward one: Democrat Joe Flores is challenging incumbent Democrat Regina Romero

Northeast side ward two: incumbent Democrat Paul Cunningham faces Republican Jennifer Rawson

Southeast side ward four: incumbent Democrat Shirley Scott faces Republican Tyler Vogt

The city primary election is Aug. 30.