What's the deal with PBS?

[Servant1]

I frequently hear folks griping and moaning about public broadcasting, whether it be PBS or NPR.

This one says it’s obviously run by left-wing, liberal, bleeding heart pinko commies with an axe to grind who are, without doubt, the literal spawn of satan.

Another one say’s it’s obviously run by the uptight, blue-nosed, supercilious, straight-laced ultra-conservative right-wing conspirators who think they’re better than everybody else.

Problem is - they take money from people who underwrite their programming. DUH! The have to to stay on the air. Those people who underwrite the programming will have widely varying views on any subject.

What you hear that scandalizes you depends on what commentator you’re hearing at what time on what program. And your scandalization, to some extent, depends on which aggravating thing about life in general has most recently tripped your trigger.

The deal is this: Ya gotta figure that if a liberal hears something on there and is offended by the conservative nature of the commentary he/she hears… and then a conservative hears something else and is brought to the point of nausea by the liberal bias coming through loud and clear from the commentary he/she hears at that particular time, and both the liberal and the conservative are PO-ed at the bias they perceive - then IN REALITY, the network is probably presenting a pretty balanced, fair set of views, and is doing a pretty good job!

YA just gotta listen OVER TIME - not at one partcular article or op-ed piece. Ya gotta deal with the totality. If you listen to THAT - you’ll hear plenty of BOTH extremes of viewpoints, and a lot that’s in the middle, too.

And that means they’re doing their job: if they’re presenting things that make you think or question, then they’ve done a good job.

It borders on being self-centered or self-important to operate under the delusion that they’re there just to offend your views or beliefs.

 

[Lance]

Servant1:

I frequently hear folks griping and moaning about public broadcasting, whether it be PBS or NPR.

-----. If you listen to THAT - you’ll hear plenty of BOTH extremes of viewpoints, and a lot that’s in the middle, too.

And that means they’re doing their job: if they’re presenting things that make you think or question, then they’ve done a good job.

It borders on being self-centered or self-important to operate under the delusion that they’re there just to offend your views or beliefs.

As I said in my previous post, don’t use my tax dollars to support PBS or NPR. I don’t want my money spent on either liberal or conservative points of view. There are enough for profit stations that I can get a broad range of views if I want. If WTTW went of the air no one would miss anything except their constant begging for money. A for profit station would pick up any of their programming that was worth anything.

 

[Servant1]

Lance:

As I said in my previous post, don’t use my tax dollars to support PBS or NPR. I don’t want my money spent on either liberal or conservative points of view. There are enough for profit stations that I can get a broad range of views if I want. If WTTW went of the air no one would miss anything except their constant begging for money. A for profit station would pick up any of their programming that was worth anything.

The issue of tax dollars is a valid one. Those of us who have lived in times before PBS and NPR (i.e. the Corporation for Publich Broadcasting - CPB) existed remember what caused the need for public broadcasting to be brought into existence. It was because without funding independent of totally commercial sources, there was no relief from near total bias, driven only by who could make money in what ways. There was no “educational” or “cultural” component that could be brought into the pictire. And it wasn’t going to happen. Period.

The CPB made programs like Sesame Street on PBS, and All Things Considered on NPR, and much more, possible. Imperfect as it is, without the tax dollars being spent to build the public broadcasting infrastructure, it wouldn’t have happened.

What has happened in the commercial broadcasting world SINCE the advent of public broadcasting is that commercial broadcasting has been stimulated to improve the quality of its programming, and to do at least SOME things (if only on a local basis) that emulate much of what was ONLY available initially on public broadcasting outlets.

Many, many folks on this forum have no memory of life when there was no public broadcasting. Those of us who do remember can tell exactly what it was necessary to use tax dollars to bring a new broadcasting entity into being.

 

[Friar_David_O.Carm]

* should we Americans have a first amendment?..should we think about its repeal. Arer we simply unable to deal with such freedoms.while a cynical question, i have met many folks who believe we abuse the first amendment, i’m curious about what you think.

I am for a more strict interpetation of Freedom of Speech. We do need the frist amendment as this gives us the right to religion. If we didn’t have this they could start to out law the Catholic Church, just to name one.

I believe that we should have the freedom of speech in political matters. Please show me how Playboy and such publications are political speech.

How will shutting down crud such as this hurt political speech.

I am of the mind that when the founding fathers were talking about freedom of speech they meant freedom of political speech. I do not believe that they wish to give the freedom to say anything you want and we can not do so anyways.

There are mutliple “hate speech” laws as it is.

 

[Faustina]

I enjoy several programs on PBS and NPR. I suppose living where we do, the programming must be a little more on the conservative side, not much mind you. On PBS, my kids love the science, zoo and math shows. For the first time, my daughter claims that Science and Math are cool!. My son (who is 4) loves the animal shows and Clifford. He doesn’t show much interest in Sesame Street. I like the British sitcoms- I think they are very funny.
On NPR, I enyoy the morning All Things Considered, and on Saturday, Car Talk, Wait, Wait don’t tell me and This American Life. Then on Saturday nights, the Thistle and Shamrock (Irish Music). Sunday it’s usually Pairie Home Companion and the Splendid Table.
BTW, I do not have cable. I cut if off six years ago, when my daughter was about a year old. We were watching Nick Jr, when some advertising for some very inappropriate Rap broadcasting came on. After that, my husband and I realized we were paying 60.00 a month for something we watch maybe 5 hours a week.
So we had cable cut off. I will admit though, I do miss it on Saturdays with football season here. I miss watching the Vols on ESPN and Southern Sports.

 

[maisua]

ByzCath:

I am for a more strict interpetation of Freedom of Speech. We do need the frist amendment as this gives us the right to religion. If we didn’t have this they could start to out law the Catholic Church, just to name one.

I believe that we should have the freedom of speech in political matters. Please show me how Playboy and such publications are political speech.

How will shutting down crud such as this hurt political speech.

I am of the mind that when the founding fathers were talking about freedom of speech they meant freedom of political speech. I do not believe that they wish to give the freedom to say anything you want and we can not do so anyways.

There are mutliple “hate speech” laws as it is.

Reply
David—

Thank you for your courteous and honest response. You raise the question of what are the proper limits, if any, on free speech.

IMHO, the issue of free speech is a difficult one; it close to—if not–impossible to objectively determine what is garbage and what is artistic, or even moral. Free speeech is not just political.
We know virtually no limits & I think such has been our tradition & constitution] for 215++ years.

Interesting project: write out the amendment that should replace our first amendment. I think it challenging, especially in defining what would be unconstitutional.

In the meantime, folks concerned about Playboy should be able to influence would-be distributors with the threat of a picket line. How American is that?