• More than 10 million Pennsylvanians in 3.3. million homes on 150 cable systems can watch PCN.
• PCN has a $4.5 million operating budget and a 34-person staff.
• PCN is funded entirely by the participating Pennsylvania cable TV companies, private underwriting and a small sales operation. PCN receives no state or federal funds.
• In February 2004, PCN opened its renovated and drastically enlarged Camp Hill headquarters – a 21,000-square-foot office, studio and technical facility that works in partnership with single-person bureaus in Philadelphia and Pittsburgh to cover the entire Commonwealth.
  
• Twenty-five other states have public affairs stations. Most are funded by their respective state legislatures. “With all due humility, we are miles ahead of them” Lockman said.
• PCN President and CEO Brian Lockman, who came on in late 2004, was one of four original employees of C-SPAN.
• Since August 1996, PCN has had responsibility of all its content, 24 hours a day, seven days a week.
• “We’re the roadblock now, instead of the pipeline,” without using the Web, CEO Lockman said, admitting to having “skimped” on Web site development.
• Each week, PCN airs more than 100 hours of public affairs programming, including legislative session, hearings, press conferences and speeches.
• PCN has access to film the state Superior Court and, since 2006, the Commonwealth Court, but not the state Supreme Court.

This ran for the Patriot-News of Harrisburg on Sept. 7

Next year, retiring state Rep. Jerry Nailor won’t have to listen live to the drum of the Pennsylvania General Assembly’s debate, which is lengthened by camera hogs, he said.

“There are a handful of legislators who say, ‘I am for motherhood and apple pie, and let me tell you why, and I will tell you why for the next 20 minutes,’” said Nailor, R-Mechanicsburg. “Because the camera is on.”

The Legislature’s floor debate has been broadcast on the Pennsylvania Cable Network for more than a decade. Its proponents say the channel makes government more transparent. But with viewership growing, some lawmakers said others in the Legislature abuse the free TV time. More.

See it on PennLive.com.

This brief ran online Thursday for the Patriot-News, prepping for yesterday’s front page story:

Some college presidents who recently asked for a national dialogue on the 21-year-old drinking age say the focus of their effort has been lost.

Some 123 university and college chief executives, including 15 in Pennsylvania, signed on to the Amethyst Initiative, a public statement urging a discussion since they say the 21-year-old drinking age is not working. But instead, much of the debate has turned to their suggestion that possibly the drinking age should be lowered… More.

See it on PennLive here.

Photo courtesy of 101.

Photos by Dan Glider

Front-page story for the Patriot-News:

This isn’t about lowering the drinking age. That’s what Dickinson College President William Durden will tell you.

This is about watching parents follow their freshman sons and daughters into dormitories with beer in tow.

“We have a societal problem towards the attitude of alcohol that we have to fix,” Durden said. “It’s not just have a drink. It’s drink until you’re unconscious.”

More than 100 other college presidents agree. They’ve formed a group, numbering 123 at last count and growing, that has come together to encourage a public dialogue about altering the country’s drinking laws.

The Amethyst Initiative is a petition of sorts. These college chief executives say the current drinking age isn’t working and is creating a dangerous culture of intoxication on college campuses… More.

See the rest on PennLive.com. See the front-page placement at Newseum.

Erich Scherfen, right, and his wife, Rabina Tareen, listen as Witold Walczak of the ACLU of Pennsylvania describes the effect of a federal flight restriction on his career as a pilot. (Photo by Chris Knight of the Patriot-News)

This on Page One of today’s Patriot-News:

Erich Scherfen developed a love for flying early. Growing up in New Jersey, he would play outside and watch airplanes fly toward John F. Kennedy Airport.

After military service, he became a commercial airline pilot. Today, the Gulf War veteran is fighting to keep his professional life in the clouds.

He was suspended without pay in April after being placed on a federal watch list.

“My livelihood depends on getting off this list,” Sherfen said.

On behalf of Scherfen and his wife, Rubina Tareen, the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and attorney Saul Ewing filed a civil lawsuit in U.S. District Court on Tuesday claiming the federal government unfairly placed the Schuylkill County couple on a government list that limits their commercial flight access.

The suit hopes to answer two questions, lawyers said: Why would a couple with no criminal background or ties to terrorism be put on such a list, and how do they get removed? More…

See the rest on PennLive.com. See today’s front page on Newseum.com. See the breaking Web brief I wrote right after a press conference yesterday.

This Web brief for the Patriot-News, officially filed one minute after Associated Press Harrisburg correspondent, PLCA president, and Pennsylvania Capitol legend Peter Jackson filed his own to the wire:

A Gulf War veteran and his wife say they’ve been unfairly placed on a federal list that limits their commercial flight access. To fight back, the Muslim couple filed a lawsuit against a host of U.S. government agencies on Tuesday.

“We don’t know why they’re on the list. They don’t know why they’re on the list. The government won’t tell us why they’re on the list,” said Amy Foerster, an attorney with Saul Ewing who is providing pro bono counsel and working with the American Civil Liberties Union of Pennsylvania and the Schuylkill County couple on the case, which was filed in U.S. district court. More…

See the rest on PennLive.com. Full story tomorrow.

Photo courtesy of Kevin Boydston.

A group of local state Republican lawmakers accused the Rendell administration of attempting to spin the Commonwealth Court ruling on furloughing state workers during a budget impasse.

Wednesday’s ruling by Judge Mary Hannah Leavitt said when a budget impasse extends past the July 1 deadline, the governor can choose between furloughing state workers or requiring them to work without pay until a spending plan is passed.

The statement issued Thursday by Reps. Ron Marsico, R-Dauphin, Jerry Nailor, R-Cumberland, Mark Keller, R-Franklin, and Glen Grell, R-Cumberland, said the ruling is not a vindication of Gov. Ed Rendell’s decision to furlough state workers if the budget is delayed… More.

Brief in tomorrow’s Patriot-News. Photo courtesy of PennLive.com

Photo from Dean's Declaration of Candidacy speech Burlington, VT 23-June-2003. (Courtesy: Wikimedia)

This for the Harrisburg Patriot-News, in today’s edition.

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, spelled out the Keystone State’s importance for Barack Obama during a stop in Harrisburg on Friday.

“We must win Pennsylvania,” Dean said at SciTech High. “Pennsylvania is very important to us. … Only you can win it.”

Dean spoke before about 200 supporters, who broke out in chants for Obama, the presumptive Democratic presidential nominee.

Dean’s comments about Pennsylvania’s importance for Obama aren’t an exaggeration, said Christopher Borick, a political science professor at Muhlenberg College.

“As much as party chairs are noted for their hyperbole, this time Howard Dean is absolutely accurate,” Borick said.

“Obama is successfully opening doors in states like Colorado, Nevada and, to a lesser extent, New Mexico,” Borick said. “But all that would be washed away if he is not able to win Pennsylvania.” More.

…

This clip featured in today’s Patriot-News. I filed a Web brief right after the event. Photo from Wikimedia.

Blurb for tomorrow’s Patriot-News:

JUST THE FACTS Penn State fans who happen to be Comcast subscribers are now able to view the Big Ten Network on basic cable, which means no additional charge on your cable bill. BTN will broadcast the first game of Penn State’s football season on Aug. 30, when the Nittany Lions host Coastal Carolina. BTN will also air the Sept. 20 matchup with Temple and a conference game yet to be determined. The network’s Big Ten Tonight show will air a Penn State football practice at 9 p.m. Thursday, and Big Ten Tonight will preview Penn State’s season at 6:30 p.m. Aug. 25… More.

Quick Web item for Patriot-News on an appearance in Harrisburg by Howard Dean:

Howard Dean, chairman of the Democratic National Committee, said Pennsylvania is a “must win” today after a speech in Harrisburg.

The half-hour address to 200 people – most of whom were students at SciTech High where the speech was held – focused on the importance of voting. He also labeled Democratic nominee Barack Obama the “candidate of change” and called Republican candidate John McCain a “continuation of the George Bush presidency.”

“John McCain wants to be the president of the past,” Dean said. “Barack Obama wants to be the president of the future.” More…

…

Read the rest on Patriot-News. Full-length story tomorrow. Photo from Wikimedia.