MPT

A new Maryland Public Television station to be launched this summer that will offer programming entirely in Spanish is drawing criticism from some who question why the organization, which receives public money, is catering to an individual ethnic group. The 24-hour Spanish network, called V-me, airs programs in about 20 markets and is set to debut in Maryland in August. But critics have questioned the process that MPT used to offer the programming and also its cost. The discussion, which has taken place largely on talk radio, has been tied by some to the broader national debate over immigration.

Television has long been faulted for emphasizing African-American achievement in show business and athletics, while ignoring black pioneers in the nation's intellectual life - particularly in science. One documentary doesn't fix the problem, but Forgotten Genius, a two-hour biography of chemist Percy Julian premiering on PBS tonight, is a solid step in the right direction. On TV Forgotten Genius airs at 8 tonight on MPT (Channels 22 and 67).

With Sister Wendy Beckett back to living quietly in her trailer and Robert Hughes having moved on to the subject of himself, it has fallen to Simon Schama to lead the art-appreciation class this summer. Simon Schama's Power of Art has an extension-course snap to it, the kind of thing from which you would expect to learn something interesting without being especially taxed or worrying about grades. On TV Simon Schama's Power of Art airs at 10 tonight on MPT (Channels 22/67).

Recently, PBS aired "The Line King," a sublime, insightful documentary on caricaturist Al Hirschfeld, whose drawings of entertainment figures have been entertaining New York Times readers since the 1920s.The hourlong documentary, culled from an 87-minute film seen on Cinemax last year, was everything a good documentary should be. Though 94, Hirschfeld remains sharp as the proverbial tack, and he's frequently the best -- as well as most entertaining -- critic of his work. People he's drawn spoke of how they were alternately heartened and mortified to see themselves given the Hirschfeld treatment.

An old friend makes a welcome return to MPT (Channels 22 and 67) at 9 p.m. tomorrow with the final 13 installments of PBS' "People's Century," an engrossing 26-hour look at the dominant themes of the 1900s, as seen through interviews with mostly ordinary folks.Tomorrow, "Boomtime" looks at post-war prosperity, and "Young Blood," chronicles the youth movement of the 1960s. The series continues at 9 p.m. nightly through Thursday, then picks up again June 21 and June 28 before wrapping up July 5.

Maryland Public Television, which had previously denied exchanging its membership lists with political organizations, said yesterday that it had in fact done so twice with the Democratic National Committee.Rob Shuman, president of MPT, will go on the air today with a statement to supporters explaining the exchanges, which were handled by an outside broker and took place before he joined MPT in October 1996. Shuman's on-air message does not say what political organization received the names of MPT members, but MPT yesterday confirmed that it was the DNC.The admission puts MPT near the heart of a growing national controversy that seriously threatens federal funding for public television.

IT'S 2 O'CLOCK on a Tuesday afternoon in Maryland, circa 2003.Four-year-old Sally is watching "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood" on Maryland Public Television-1. Elsewhere, Jane, 34, is earning credits toward a sociology degree on MPTV-2. Frank, 14, is in school watching MPTV-3; he's learning about the social and economic factors that led to World War I. And 64-year-old Bill, a retiree, is at home watching a debate live from the City Council chambers on MPTV-4.Now it's 2 o'clock on a Tuesday afternoon in Maryland, January 1999.

Maybe they'll finally get off that dang spaceship and see a good movie for a change.It's the least that should happen to Crow T. Robot and Tom Servo and their human partners (first Joel Hodgson, then Mike Nelson), those caustically quipping authorities on bad films who have spent the past 10 seasons trapped aboard the Satellite of Love, forced to watch some of the worst movies ever made.In what appears to be a mercy killing for them, but a minor tragedy for the rest of us, their decade-long run as the centerpieces of "Mystery Science Theater 3000" ends Sunday on cable's Sci-Fi channel.

Sweeps week shows worth going out of your way to see or avoid:Hit: If you believe there are no dramas dealing with the American family and the spiritual dimension of our lives, check out the start of a two-week story arc on "7th Heaven" Monday from 8 p.m. to 9 p.m. on WB (WNUV-Channel 54).Teen-ager Mary Camden, a star athlete and honor student, gets into big trouble Monday in part one, titled "Sin," and the whole family is in jeopardy before it concludes on part two, titled "Expiation," on Nov. 15.See: "Not for Ourselves Alone: the Story of Elizabeth Cady Stanton and Susan B. Anthony" on PBS. As usual, Ken Burns overstates his case, but the subject matter stirs the soul.

Television stations like to tell us in their promotional messages how committed they are to diversity. But, when it comes time to walk the walk and air programs that might be controversial because of the diversity they celebrate, many stations run for cover.Maryland Public Television is backing up its campaign to promote diversity this television season with a couple of productions dealing with gay and lesbian issues, and our local PBS outlet deserves some recognition. Not that MPT has made a major commitment to gay and lesbian programming by any stretch of the imagination.

Caught up in the harsh economy that is taking a stiff toll on public broadcasting across the country, Maryland Public Television laid off 18 employees Monday - about 10 percent of its work force. Two senior managers, including a senior vice president for content, are among those laid off. Calls to MPT were not returned Monday afternoon. "The staff reductions at MPT, while extremely painful, will result in no loss of programming and no on-air talent will be affected," Robert J. Shuman, president of MPT, said in a statement.

When Ken Burns' latest documentary series, "The National Parks: America's Best Idea," airs on Maryland Public Television this month, viewers will see awe-inspiring images of such natural wonders as Yellowstone's Old Faithful, Yosemite's Half Dome and the Grand Canyon. No doubt, some will decide then and there to check out a national park during their next vacation. But Maryland has its own share of scenic vistas, as the folks at MPT and the state's Department of Natural Resources are quick to point out. To drive that point home, five state parks will play host over the next two weeks to a preview screening of scenes from Burns' latest creation, as well as snippets from an MPT production devoted to Maryland's own natural wonders.

Margaret Mary Sullivan, a longtime Maryland Public Television producer who produced award-winning cooking shows with such gastronomic legends as Julia Child, Pierre Franey and Jacques Pepin, died Tuesday at Good Samaritan Hospital of complications from surgery. The Hamilton resident was 62. Born in Baltimore and raised on Thornberry Road in Mount Washington, Miss Sullivan graduated from Maryvale Preparatory School in 1965. "When we were kids, she loved piling into the car and going out to the Painters Mill Music Fair to watch shows under the big tent.

Changing TV for the better is much harder than it might seem. In fact, after 24 years of writing about television, I am starting to believe that for all the fire-breathing, bent-on-reform critics of my generation, the medium is in many ways worse than it was decades ago. But suddenly, I find myself in the middle of a local discussion that looks like it could take a small slice of the TV pie and make it better. I am talking about the conversation about Maryland Public Television (MPT) that has been going on recently at my Z on TV blog on baltimoresun.

The documentary India begins tonight on MPT. And the six-hour miniseries will tell you more about India than you probably wanted to know. But the sub-continent is laid out, probed and oohed and ahhed over with such enthusiasm by host Michael Wood that viewers may just be swept up in the whole enterprise. One of the great pleasures in this series is that India is so un-American. There is simply very little about India that is comparable to this country or continent. And this production is beautiful.

First of all, let me tell what is not on tonight, so you can plan your viewing accordingly. While the Fox reality show, Secret Millionaire, returns for its second week, the segment featuring Baltimore's Molly Shattuck will not air until Dec. 17, according to a Fox spokesman. Executive producer Greg Goldman had told The Baltimore Sun that he thought the Shattuck episode would air this week, but viewers will just have to wait. This is the show that features millionaires going undercover to spend a week with people from less-privileged backgrounds, and them giving at least $100,000 to one of the people they meet.

Foster care in Maryland is brought into sharp focus tonight on MPT through a documentary produced by Academy Award-winning filmmaker William A. Whiteford. Foster Care Stories: A Place to Be will air in conjunction with a live phone bank that viewers can call (800-222-1292) to get more information about the state's foster care resources. Whiteford, who shares an Oscar and Peabody Award with Susan Hannah Hadary for their 1999 HBO film, King Gimp, is one of the most sensitive storytellers working in film.

Parts of the story of Pip Moyers and Zastrow Simms, a saga about two who dared to defy racial segregation, have been told in The Baltimore Sun and other papers from time to time. But you can see the full arc of this remarkable relationship tonight in the new documentary, Pip & Zastrow: An American Friendship, on MPT. From Annapolis in 1968, with the two men working to save the community after the assassination of the Rev. Martin Luther King Jr., to 2005 as the 71-year-old Simms tries for a seat on the Annapolis city council, this is an inspirational story told with sensitivity, power and grace (10 p.m., MPT-Channels 22 and 67)

Maryland Public Television's Artworks This Week, which for six years has spotlighted the state's arts scene, will all but cease production at the end of this month, changing from a weekly program featuring new material to one devoted almost entirely to clips from old shows. Robert Shuman, MPT's president and chief executive officer, said the money and resources that would have been devoted to Artworks will be used to help push the station into the digital age. Like all broadcast TV stations, MPT must broadcast its signal digitally by February to meet a government mandate.

Critic's Pick -- Lowell Bergman investigates human smuggling between Mexico and the U.S. on Frontline (9 p.m., MPT, Channels 22/67).