Rights & Clearances 101

Join us for an insightful webinar designed for public media professionals navigating the complex world of rights and clearances. This session offers a practical overview of how Rights & Clearances (R&C) staff support producers in acquiring the necessary permissions for their content—whether it's a nationally broadcast series or a short-form digital piece.

Led by Joseph T. Basile, former director of rights and clearances at WNET, the presentation will break down key terminology, explore real-world examples, and provide actionable advice to strengthen your organization’s rights infrastructure. If you create or manage content for distribution, this webinar will help you better understand the essential role of R&C in content creation and delivery as well as rights management. Before that, Joe managed the R&C department for the flagship public media company WNET, where he advised national and local production units on the procurement of third-party content for broadcast, digital, and commercial distribution, which involved drafting and negotiating hundreds of contracts and licenses.

Learning Goals / Key Takeaways:

• Understand the standard terminology used in R&C

• Learn how even short clips can involve complex rights issues

• Explore the three core categories of rights clearances

• Discover practical distinctions that simplify the clearance process

• Get tips to enhance your organization’s R&C capabilities

• Gain insights into additional ways this R&C professional can support your team