Quote:
Originally posted by hoosier
Maybe we should start a thread to discuss America's "Public Broadcasting Service", and my contribution would be that it's time to make these stations self-supporting thru ads, or sell off the channels for big bucks.
Years ago, PBS did a lot of nature shows, adventure shows, even soccer from Germany, etc.
Now, with most homes having 100+ available channels, what show does PBS do that is not already being done - profitably - by Discover Channel, History Channel, ESPN, etc. I can't think of any.
PBS has become a cushy employment setting for the PBS crowd - many who could not make similar salaries in the private sector.
I'd also tell NPR: "make some money or sign off." Let's find out if their supporters will buy ads and if there are enough ratings to be successful.
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The truth is that what you suggest has already happened to a great extent.
The belief that these two services are government supported is a myth rooted in the fairly far distant past. The exceptions are those stations owned by state supported universities (or a few local school systems).
A few years ago, Speaker Gingrich managed to all but "zero out" Federal funding for "educational/public" stations.
While Congress has yet to allow those stations to sell advertising, per se, you now see a fair number of "underwriting" messages at the end of most PBS shows. That's also what spawns those annoying "pledge drives" on both media.
As for "cushy employment" for the "PBS crowd," you should look closer. Their salaries run WAY behind those of their commercial counterparts, and budget cuts precipitated by loss of funding have cut staffs and other line items drastically. The bottom line for employees of PBS stations is that they make a lot less money and have little or no job security.
It's interesting to me that the same people who are ready to attack commercial broadcast media for being slaves to the "almighty dollar" would criticize those stations who at least try to stay away from that rat race.
It's like anything else in life, realistically you can't have it both ways. Either you're swayed by profit motive or not.