David Brancaccio has groupies. It wasn’t exactly a mob scene last week at the University of Texas’ College of Communication, but when the former host of PBS’ NOW and special correspondent to American Public Media’s Marketplace was milling about what is now called “Studio 6A, the historic site of Austin City Limits,” fan excitement was palpable. He, along with director and UT prof Ellen Spiro, had just wrapped up a question-and-answer session following a screening of Fixing the Future, a NOW special that aired Nov. 18 on PBS affiliate KLRU with a concurrent public screening at Studio 6A. (The NOW series officially ended in April but appears periodically with special programming.) Brancaccio graciously signed autographs, posed for snapshots, and listened patiently as various audience members regaled him with their ideas for future Fixing the Future episodes. He seemed pleased at the excitement the screening had elicited, later quipping that at another screening, a woman had commented: “You’re so bright and funny in this show. How come you can’t be that way in your other shows?”
The compliment may have been half-baked, but Fixing the Future isn’t. The enthusiasm it generated in the audience went beyond the “star power” of Brancaccio: It resulted from the show’s presentation of alternative, very real solutions to the economic climate, proposed by people weathering the storm on Main Street, not Wall Street.
“If it’s not working anymore, then let’s do something else,” is the rallying cry heard throughout the hourlong documentary, which travels to Washington state, the Midwest, and finally Austin. Fixing the Future‘s mission is to discover how people are bending the way things work, not only to make a living for themselves, but to create a more sustainable, shared prosperity. In short, what happens when you ask people to be the solution to an economic crisis that seems largely out of their hands?
Austin figures largely in the PBS special, both in front of and behind the camera. Yo Mamas Catering, a cooperatively run business, is featured, as is the Car2Go program. But have you heard of Time Banks? It’s a kind of bartering system where you deposit time-shares of your skills and services and can “withdraw” the skills and services you need. In Washington state, Brancaccio tested out how a Time Bank works by depositing an hour to help weatherproof another participant’s home. He then got to withdraw an hour’s worth of sailing lessons from another Time Banker.
Perhaps it’s because of the special’s forward-thinking spirit – as opposed to the gloom and doom that usually pervades news about the economy – but the hour flew by. And you could almost see the light bulbs going off above various audience members’ heads as they shared what they knew of similarly featured projects elsewhere in the nation.
“This recession offers a ‘teachable moment,'” executive producer John Siceloff said during the Q&A, indicating that the production is seeking an “engagement strategy” to screen Fixing the Future elsewhere and create a larger, ongoing conversation on the subject.
Future on-air screenings are planned, according to Spiro, but additional airtimes were not posted at the KLRU/PBS website at press time. TV Eye will do its best to alert you to future screenings, but easier still – set up an e-mail alert at the PBS website to let you know when another Fixing the Future screening will air. Once you’ve seen it, it’s up to you to make some noise – write, call, or e-mail KLRU to let them know you support this kind of programming, and, more importantly, support your local PBS station with whatever you can afford.
As always, stay tuned.
What Else Is On?
The Alamo Drafthouse celebrates the premiere of a new reality series starring “friend of the Alamo” Sam Calagione. Founder of Dogfish Head Brewery, Calagione is the new host of the Discovery Channel’s Brew Masters, wherein the acclaimed craft brewer travels the world in search of new and exotic ways of concocting suds for the discerning palate. As part of the TV at the Alamo series, the premiere episode will be screened Sunday, Nov. 28, at 10:15pm at the Alamo Drafthouse at the Ritz. Admission is free, but a $5 reservation redeemable toward your food tab is required. For more information, go to www.originalalamo.com.
E-mail Belinda Acosta at tveye@austinchronicle.com.
This article appears in November 26 • 2010.