Smithsonian prodco closes up

Public broadcasting in the U.S. will lose one of its most vibrant and innovative program-makers this fall when Smithsonian Productions is shut down due to cost-cutting measures. The production unit of the Smithsonian Institution will cease operations September 30. Smithsonian Productions created exhibit-related videos and TV docs, including the Emmy Award-winning Dream Window: Reflections on the Japanese Garden. The unit was perhaps most renowned for a slate of award-winning radio programs, such as the recent 13 x 1-hour Jazz Singers, hosted by Al Jarreau. 'They are one of the few entities in this country able to combine radio and TV components to make the sum greater than its parts,' said Richard H. Madden, VP of radio at the CPB, which has invested more than US$750,000 in Smithsonian programs.