Vegas PBS show ‘Nevada Week in Review’ still MIA

Don’t tell me you’re going to do something and then not do it. I remember things.

Last December, Vegas PBS General Manager Tom Axtell told me “Nevada Week in Review” was not dead. He said the public affairs show, which went on “summer hiatus” in 2015, was expected to be revived in early 2016 and that he had plans for the station to have robust coverage of the political season.

Never happened. It certainly won’t happen this election year, despite the presidential race and key Nevada races being on the ballot.

Axtell was blunt about why “Nevada Week in Review” hasn’t returned: “We don’t have any money for it,” he said. The weekly show cost more than $100,000 a year to pay the host and crew. (Guests appeared gratis.)

The “hiatus” has stretched so long — through a second summer — that Vegas PBS will miss out on the entire 2016 campaign. Vegas PBS will have no debates. No temperate host is on board. The station lacks the funding to re-launch and sustain the programming. Recall that “Ralston Live,” a weeknight public affairs show, was killed off in June after a 15-month run.

Because people still stop me and ask about “Nevada Week in Review,” they deserve an update — especially since they were misled last December.

“Nevada Week in Review,” which had been on the air for 34 years, featured a moderator who let the opinions and analysis come from the rotating guest panel of local journalists.

Things went downhill in March 2014 when longtime host Mitch Fox, the epitome of public neutrality, departed to become the city spokesman for North Las Vegas. The show then had various hosts of limited neutrality and varying skills for about a year, until the “summer hiatus.”

Well, it’s 13 months later, and Axtell is still hoping for a revival, but he doesn’t know when that might occur. Certainly not this year. “This is the first time since 1994 we’re going to miss it (the political season),” Axtell said with obvious regret.

In March 2015, the station launched “Ralston Live” with political commentator Jon Ralston. The show ended abruptly in June, just before the station’s fiscal year began.

Axtell said “Ralston Live” would have been $135,000 in the red if PBS had renewed the show for another year. Ralston’s show, Axtell said, was going to cost about $500,000 because Ralston worked out of both Las Vegas and Reno, which required two crews and the cost of a satellite uplink, Axtell said.

Besides lack of money, “Ralston Live” wasn’t a good fit for PBS, Axtell said: “We’re not allowed to be partisan.”

Axtell explained he can’t take money from one pot and move it to another. He can’t take dedicated “Downton Abbey” donations and move them to “Nevada Week in Review.”

Vegas PBS’ local priorities are expanding arts and cultural affairs, enriching educational opportunities and building a sense of place and community. artScene is one such program.

Today, the top-rated locally produced Vegas PBS show is “Outdoor Nevada,” which takes viewers all over the state to experiences of all kinds.

“Outdoor Nevada” started last year, costs $375,000 and has sponsors covering the cost: Land Rover Las Vegas and Jaguar Land Rover Reno. It’s a revival of a previous “Outdoor Nevada” that ran from 1995 to 1999 before being shut down because of a lack of money. The show has wide appeal to many, including me.

The money chase seems like a dismal job, but Axtell isn’t retiring soon. The station’s 50-year anniversary is in 2018. “I plan to be here for that,” Axtell said.

But will “Nevada Week in Review?”

Looks rather doubtful to me. But Axtell hasn’t abandoned his optimism.

Jane Ann Morrison’s column runs Thursdays. Leave messages for her at 702-383-0275 or email jmorrison@reviewjournal.com. Find her on Twitter: @janeannmorrison.