What's the deal with PBS?

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JimG:
Is PBS affiliated with National Public Radio?

I happened to have an NPR program tuned in the other day, when at one of their ‘commercial’ breaks they thanked one of ther contributors, NARAL Pro-Choice America. I immediately switched to a different station.

JimG
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I listen to NPR almost daily and the commercial break you are refering to is actually paid for by a sponsor of NPR who also happens to support the NARAL Pro-Choice America organization. NARAL is not a contributor to NPR.

However, it IS obnoxious to hear that blurb during what is supposed to be “unbiased, in depth reporting” during the morning news. I often wish I had enough money to get MY blurb on NPR - “a proud supporter of the National Right to Life Committee.” I bet they would get some phone calls about that one.

I don’t think NPR is as evil as many on this thread make them out to be. They do try to be balanced and even have a positive story about Catholics occasionally. But I have also written them more than once about subtle anti-Catholic jabs in their news stories. They never wrote back though…

In the end, it’s the only news source that goes beyond the 5-second sound bite or attempts any kind of analysis. (TV news is so worthless. They just show any kind of sensational video they can get a hold of and call it “news”.)
 
John Higgins:
It doesn’t look like Campbell was a priest. Here’s a link to an EWTN/Zenit set of articles:

EWTN

John
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Thanks, I always wondered about his background. You and other posters have enlightened me. I’m not surprised at what I’ve read.

As far as PBS is concerned, they have some EXCELLENT programming – when they’re raising money.
And, yes, some of their children’s programming is probably as good as you can find these days, BUT
Jim Lehrer and his cronies are as biased as any of the network news shows, and much of their evening programming is junk.
The good shows, someone mentioned “Antiques Road Show,” and my favorite, “New Yankee Workshop,” could easily find sponsors on either network or cable if PBS were defunded.
Heck, Sesame Street itself is worth millions.
When they put Suze Orman (SP, and did I get her name right?) and that New Age “preacher” on for a four-hour block, It makes me want to demand my tax money back.
God bless
 
I disagree that the good PBS shows would be on network TV if they their funding were cut off. As it is, they raise over 50% of their own money, and certainly their shows are less questionable than the networks line-up of brainless reality shows.

Many people cannot afford cable or do not want cable. I think there are many good cable channels, but there is a great deal of junk out there that I don’t want my children exposed to. I don’t get cable for that reason and PBS is my only outlet for decent programming. Many other people can’t afford cable.

I also don’t like Wayne Dyer, the new age preacher they use for fund raising, but obviously somebody does because it must work.
I do enjoy Suze Orman once in a blue moon. She has some money management advice. For example, cut out the cable TV!!
 
“I think the Marriott Foundation funded that production.”

That explains why PBS was so friendly to Jow Smith in that program.

The Marriots are big time Mormons, ultra-rich, they gave a large building to BYU … the Marriot Center.

PBS was not biting the hand that feeds them in that case.

Whenever we stay at a Marriot, or Courtyard or other Marriot owned hotel we are feeding the Mormon Church. Remember the billionaire Marriot Corporation is tithing at least %10 of all income to the Mormon “church”.

BTW, who says that Catholics have to be far-right Republicans? I am a Catholic, and I am orthodox Catholic, but other than their pro-life stance (which they actually do next to nothing about) the Republicans have very little to offer Christians in their social stance. Quite frankly I am voting for no-one this year.
 
I like a coupld of the shows, particularly Science Friday and Talk of the Nation, depending on the subject or guest. However I totally agree that the hosts have an agenda and a rather patronizing ‘we know best’ attitude to anyone who might disagree… I think if they have such an obviously slanted approach, they should not receive tax dollars. Those who support their mission and their programming choices should support PBS.

Lisa N
 
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ktm:
This station (and its other publicly owned siblings) are the worst waste of tax payer money! In my area they air three kinds of shows:


  1. *]Pro-homosexual programming
    *]New age garbage
    *]Self-empowerment nonsense

    The lowest point was hit yesterday when I watched a few minutes of a show that was obviously taped a few decades ago and hosted by liberal wacko Bill Moyers. He was interviewing some ex-Catholic who was talking about myths from civilizations around the world. He described this complicated ceremony practiced by some savages in New Guinea which ends with half a dozen young men having sex with a young girl. The last man to engage in the act with the girl and the girl herself are both MURDERED by the rest of the tribe, their bodies are roasted over an open flame, and they are then EATEN by the others present. And this S.O.B. talking to Moyers concludes his long tale with “And that’s the Sacrifice of the Mass.” I almost blew a gasket! :mad: :mad: :mad: What a bigot!!! :mad: :mad: What a misrepresentation of our faith! ARRRGGGGH!!!
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  1. I think you are referring to the series with Bill Moyers and Joseph Campbell. There are some over on Beliefnet who idolize Campbell, I think he is a charlatan.
 
mark a:
Bad news. If it’s the show I’m thinking of I think he’s a former priest.
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You are probably thinking of the Jesus series with Dominic Crossan, who is a former priest.
 
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bapcathluth:
My kids love Arthur and Clifford and Cyber Chase. I have watched them with them and there is no new age stuff there.
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:ehh: WHAT?? Arthur has a character (Prunella) who, along with her older sister are HEAVILY into fortune-telling and New Age spirituality. And what about that awful Christmas show? There have also been story lines about supporting a kid’s right to read whatever trash they want to read. (a take on the Goosebumps/Harry Potter controversies) I finally drew the line with my kids on this show when they started plotting pranks on each other, based on something they saw on an Arthur Halloween show. ENOUGH!

I, too, have noticed a steady decline in PBS’ programming. Pledge breaks used to bring good shows. Now all we get are self-help “gurus” (glorified infomercials) and washed-up 50’s doo-whop stars. :yawn:
 
John Higgins:
It doesn’t look like Campbell was a priest. Here’s a link to an EWTN/Zenit set of articles:

EWTN

John
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Thanks for the link, John! This was a very interesting read, esp. since my teens and I were recently discussing the differences between the Star Wars trilogy and The Lord of the Rings trilogy, and the battle between good and evil. It always seemed to me that George Lucas just didn’t quite get it right; whereas Tolkein was right on. I was wondering where Lucas’ head was when he wrote these; now I know!

BTW - a good friend of mine calls Star Wars, “Star Whiners.” Watch the original movie, esp. Mark Hamil, and you’ll understand…:rotfl:
 
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ktm:
This station (and its other publicly owned siblings) are the worst waste of tax payer money! In my area they air three kinds of shows:

  1. *]Pro-homosexual programming
    *]New age garbage
    *]Self-empowerment nonsense

    The lowest point was hit yesterday when I watched a few minutes of a show that was obviously taped a few decades ago and hosted by liberal wacko Bill Moyers. He was interviewing some ex-Catholic who was talking about myths from civilizations around the world. He described this complicated ceremony practiced by some savages in New Guinea which ends with half a dozen young men having sex with a young girl. The last man to engage in the act with the girl and the girl herself are both MURDERED by the rest of the tribe, their bodies are roasted over an open flame, and they are then EATEN by the others present. And this S.O.B. talking to Moyers concludes his long tale with “And that’s the Sacrifice of the Mass.” I almost blew a gasket! :mad: :mad: :mad: What a bigot!!! :mad: :mad: What a misrepresentation of our faith! ARRRGGGGH!!!
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  1. PBS should be able to say whatever it pleases, (freedom of speech) as long as they don’t do it with our tax dollars! I also hate their arrogant attitude claiming that they are “objective” Objective my foot!

    Antonio 😦
 
From Vatican II, Communio et progressio:

“Parents on their part should remember that it is their duty to see that entertainments and publications which might endanger faith and morals do not enter their houses and that their children are not exposed to them elsewhere.”

I would recommend that you do as I have done and cancel your cable subscription!! Almost every cable station (and the networks) have objectionable programming. I do not think that you can do your **duty ** and also allow cable programming into your home.

Do not support Disney! Do not support Viacom!

I think PBS like the above aim to market things to your kids that they do not need. PBS viewing by your kids should be an exception rather than the norm.

Read, Pray, Talk to your children. The TV is the devil!!!
 
the pbs station in my area is going to air what appears to be an interesting show about God in the context of how C.S. Lewis answered the question, “what is God” as opposed to Sigmund freud… i’ll probably watch it just to see what they do about Lewis…
 
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Cherub:
It’s the same kind of stuff that is going on at college. My college is full of liberal professors who thing Christianity is to blame putting down women and minorities and causing “social darwinism” and things, it is tripe! They compare the “Genesis creation myth” with some Babylonian myth, say it is all derived. This is what you parents are paying the staff of liberal arts colleges to tell your kids. It can be very confusing to go and hear these things from “authorities” like college professors.

But back on topic there is or seems to be an agenda of “public” radio and television to promote everything as long as not Christianity. Sure, homosexual cannibals. Sure, people in voodoo and witchcraft. Sure radical feminist who would be just as happy if there were no males on the planet – but no Christianity.
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Honestly, if you don’t like it - don’t watch it, plain and simple. Maybe other people do like the shows. Just because you don’t doesn’t mean you should try to take it away from them. No-one’s forcing you to watch it, so leave it alone.

And I highly doubt that public tv/radio are trying to promote things just because they aren’t Christian. Maybe they are trying to show what else is out there, so that people aren’t so closeminded about “different” (oooo how scary!) things. I don’t particulerly like the fact that homosexuality is being flaunted so much lately, but I don’t let it get to me and I just don’t watch things “celebrating” it. (I didn’t see anything about homosexual cannibals, though). I don’t agree with cannibalism, but that’s their culture, that they’ve been doing however long, good for them, leave me out of it (even though I do find it interesting to read/watch things about it). Growing up I had a negative view about Voodoo, but I actually took the time to learn about it, and realized it is just another culture practise and nothing “bad” or “evil”. Witchcraft is also just another [harmless] practise. Perhaps if people actually learned what it was about, and not just Catholic/Christian propaganda about how it is “evil”, you would learn that it is just another way of life.

It’s closeminded people that cause a lot of problems in this world because they can’t accept that someone’s “differnent” practices, ways of life, etc. are just as valid as their own.
 
Just what is wrong with PBS?

Might it be an altermative viewpoint, one that offends Catholic sensibilities? If so, as BB13 just said, why watch it?

My real query is a follow up to the previous post: do you think we should have the freedom to watch pbs, however disgusting.
  • 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.
  • Should Catholics be re-subjected to the Index [for books] and the Legion of Decency [for TV & film]. If yes, practicing Catholics would not be subjected to tittilating tales of transvestite truckdrivers or other such trash.
Just what are the limits to our first amendment freedoms–if any?
 
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SHEMP:
From Vatican II, Communio et progressio:

"Parents on their part should remember that it is their duty to see that entertainments and publications which might endanger faith and morals do not enter their houses and that their children are not exposed to them elsewhere."

I would recommend that you do as I have done and cancel your cable subscription!! Almost every cable station (and the networks) have objectionable programming. I do not think that you can do your **duty ** and also allow cable programming into your home.

Do not support Disney! Do not support Viacom!

I think PBS like the above aim to market things to your kids that they do not need. PBS viewing by your kids should be an exception rather than the norm.

Read, Pray, Talk to your children. The TV is the devil!!!
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Wow! A little stronger than I would have put it, but we don’t have cable, either, for much of the same reasons you mention.

However, I do yearn for satellite tv on occasion so that I can get EWTN; local cable won’t carry it :mad: DH doesn’t want it though, as he fears (rightly so) that we will start watching other stuff less wholesome. Any opinions on this?
 
h(name removed by moderator)2four:
However, I do yearn for satellite tv on occasion so that I can get EWTN; local cable won’t carry it :mad: DH doesn’t want it though, as he fears (rightly so) that we will start watching other stuff less wholesome. Any opinions on this?
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DISH network offers EWTN. It also has an adultlock system so you can block certain channels. One thing my wife and I did once was have an adult lock password in which we each supplied half of the characters. That way one of us could not unkock anything. Even with the most basic package you still get EWTN and (yea!) the History channel, my favorites.
 
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Sonya:
My daughter watches the children’s shows like Between the Lions, Sesame Street, and Clifford. I am kind of wondering if the other shows like Teletubies or Boohbah (something like that) are promoting new age or homosexuality, but I really don’t know how to find out. Sometimes even Between the Lions has a fortune teller lady on it and I am wondering if this isn’t a good idea to show my child. I really don’t know too much about PBS, but I thought they were suppose to come up with T.V. that doesn’t include the garbage you speak of. However once I have knowledge of something that is bad, I avoid it. How does PBS promote the other garbage you speak of and I have not seen that awful show you speak of but just for that I am scared to even show my daughter any of the kid shows. I hope that it isn’t bad to see some of their stuff but now I am sort of confused about what to do about PBS. Maybe a letter to the network would help?
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My daughter gave up on PBS with my grandson. She bought the Baby Einstein videos. He is only 2 so he doesn’t mind watching them 5 or 6 time in a row.
 
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maisua:
Just what is wrong with PBS?

Might it be an altermative viewpoint, one that offends Catholic sensibilities? If so, as BB13 just said, why watch it?

My real query is a follow up to the previous post: do you think we should have the freedom to watch pbs, however disgusting.
  • 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.
  • Should Catholics be re-subjected to the Index [for books] and the Legion of Decency [for TV & film]. If yes, practicing Catholics would not be subjected to tittilating tales of transvestite truckdrivers or other such trash.
Just what are the limits to our first amendment freedoms–if any?
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You should be free to watch anything you want. Just don’t use my tax dollars to support your liberal, anti-Catholic views. Matter of fact don’t use my tax dollars to support conservative, pro-Catholic views either. If PBS and NPR can’t make it on their on let them go under.
 
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Lance:
You should be free to watch anything you want. Just don’t use my tax dollars to support your liberal, anti-Catholic views. Matter of fact don’t use my tax dollars to support conservative, pro-Catholic views either. If PBS and NPR can’t make it on their on let them go under.
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I’d have to agree with you here. As mentioned earlier, I have nothing wrong with PBS or any other station for that matter - if I don’t like it, I don’t watch it.

However, I do believe that my tax money can be spent on much better things. Right now, I don’t even have cable (can’t afford it) and even if I did, I doubt I’d be watching PBS since none of the shows really interest me (I think the last time I watched it was as a kid when I watched seseme street), so I really don’t feel like paying for something I don’t even use. Let me keep the money, or at least put it towards something better - health insurance, student aid, etc.

So essentially, I have no problem with the programming on PBS, and some of the kid shows are OK (I hate telletubies though), just put my money towards something useful instead.
 
the issue of tax moeny is a fair one. let your Congressmn AND STATE REPS how you feel. State support is sigmificant for PBS, though less than before.

Interestingly, no one seems interested in altering !st Amendment or in reestablishing LoD. For the record, IMHO, 1st A is one of America’s greatest gifts to mankind.

Peace to all.
 
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