Public Broadcasting Service

When Pat Mitchell came to the Public Broadcasting Service as its president and chief executive in March, "dysfunctional" was used freely and often to describe the complicated, fractious relationship between the programming organization and its 346 member stations, as they struggled to compete in a rapidly changing media world. No more.

After months of discussion and rumors, Chapman University has made a bid to buy KOCE-TV, Orange County's Public Broadcasting Service affiliate. The university, located in Orange, made the offer in a letter to the Coast Community College District, which holds the station's broadcast license, district officials said Tuesday. District spokeswoman Ann Garten confirmed receiving the bid, but declined to release a copy or reveal the amount.

The nation's new Education secretary denounced the Public Broadcasting Service on Tuesday for spending public money on a cartoon with lesbian characters, saying many parents would not want children exposed to such lifestyles. The not-yet-aired episode of "Postcards From Buster" shows the title character, an animated bunny named Buster, on a trip to Vermont -- a state known for recognizing same-sex civil unions.