Conservatives and Rivals Press a Struggling PBS

NY Times ^ | February 17, 2005 | JOHN TIERNEY and JACQUES STEINBERG

[snowsislander]

Another excellent candidate for budget cutting.

If the states want to spend money on funding public television (and some do), that's fine. But there is no need at the federal level to fund "public" programming; in these times of a huge federal deficit, this would be a great cut.

[KwasiOwusu]

"The biggest problem we've got is the structure we've got"

No, idiot.
The biggest problem PBS has is its rabid loony left, anti-Americn, anti-Bush, pro-terrorist agenda.
I don't see any reason why even one cent of tax payers' money should be used to subsidize such an nasty, vicious propaganda and disinformation outfit like PBS.
Screw them.

[governsleastgovernsbest]

Republicans on the committee believed that a trust fund could pay for socially useful programming.

I don't care if they're Republicans or Democrats. When I hear politicians using taxpayer funds for "socially useful programming" it gives me the creeps

[JohnLongIsland]

we all love elmo
but we all know that even elmo is a big lib

[rod1]

So PBS is content they are balanced because they checked with memeber stations. Presumably like the one in Boston that illegally gave the DEMOCRATIC Party its mailing list--. Oh yeah that is good feedback.

BTW--is Tucker Carlson actually a consevative commentator??? Not that I have heard, when he speaks. It could only be by comparison with Bill Press maybe.

[bobjam]

Watching PBS today is like drinking white zinfandel with liberal arts grad students after visiting the community theater in some state college town. It's for people who want to pretend that they are classy, sophisticated, and above everyone else.

[FormerACLUmember]

LONG past time to defund the malicious, evil ultra-left PBS and NPR.

Here is hoping the Republicans grow a brain. And testicles.

[Pharmboy]

I, for one, detest NPR more than I do PBS, and I REALLY REALLY hate PBS. I find the arrogance of the radio voices more than I can stand.

[em2vn]

Why would the creators of Elmo and Clifford want to kick anything back to PBS?

[EricT.]

"...perceived liberal bias..."
"...has to do whatever it can to survive, which means bending in a way it used to never bend."

Liberal bias is first offered as an allegation, then openly admitted to just a couple of sentences later. Does anybody think that PBS is full of anything but Birkenstock-clad leftwing granola grazers?
History channel, Discovery channel, A&E, Nickelodeon, Learning channel, and Animal Planet all do everything that PBS can do... only much better and without tax dollars.

[IronJack]

Corporate underwriters have been less willing to finance PBS programs, which has left the network increasingly dependent on Washington, where Republicans criticize its programming as elitist and liberal.

Translation: PBS can't survive in a free market, so it requires money from socialist ... er, coerced charity ... darn! I mean the public treasury just to survive. Then to compound the offense, the network manages to bite just about every hand that feeds it.

It deserves to die.

And next, we should set our sights on National Public Radio, the audio-only version of the same offenses.

[MKM1960]

Sesame Street is a product of the Television Workshop, which I assume is held by a private company. I think PBS pays to broadcast Sesame Street. I don't know who owns Emily and Clifford but I would again assume the author of the book Emily and Clifford would own the marketing rights for the characters. Public Television is a topsy turvy world where the network that broadcast some of the Mega profit making toys get no cut of the profits from those toys. Those that make a profit off of the merchandising from the programs ought to be kicking back at least 25% of the profits. Until cable came along basically PBS was the only outlet for quality kids programming. And PBS has gotten screwed on merchandising. The profits from Sesame Street and Barney should have been able to fund PBS perpetually. Another gift from the idiot libs who have run PBS from their own personal agendas.

[50sDad]

I have a college buddy, now an FBI agent, who said to me that Steve Wassname, the guy who plays Red Green, is an absolute, 1950s-style chauvanist. It drives the FemLib PBS station managers crazy when he goes out to hype and fundraise for one of the few really hot shows PBS presents..."Hi, honey, great to be here. Can you get me a cup of coffee and a danish? OK, thanks!" (Little pat on the butt.)

[50sDad]

Those that make a profit off of the merchandising from the programs ought to be kicking back at least 25% of the profits.

Maybe that's how they play in the corporate world, young man, but here at PBS we don't HAVE to do anything so vulger as "make money!" We produce art, we have a sacred trust for the children!

[/sarcasm]

[old and tired]

I can understand Sesame Street. That was developed in the heady hippie days of the 60's. But what's PBS's excuse for not getting a piece of the Clifford or Barney pie? If they're that stupid, they deserve to go out of business.

[MKM1960]

Agreed about Sesame Street and not seeing that gravy train. Correcting my error it is CTV-Childrens Television Workshop. Nickelodeon was the only other option for educational Children's programing until expanded cable hit the country. Nick had their priorities straight from the beginning and marketed products under their own logo. PBS reminds me of a little old lady with a fading trust fund, they just don't understand that Daddy's(for PBS substitute gubermint) money just isn't going to last. About the only thing I watch on PBS anymore is Red Green and Antiques Roadshow. Oh well.

[cloud8]

> BTW--is Tucker Carlson actually a consevative commentator??? Not that I have heard, when he speaks. It could only be by comparison with Bill Press maybe. I never even heard of Tucker Carlson until I read his name in a post on the P(inko)BS yesterday.

Where is the anti-PBS lobby? With this billion dollar trust on its way, they'd better get their ass in gear. Because when PBS get its megabucks, it will have to answer to nobody.

[MKM1960]

I forgot to tell you in my response above that I am female and I absolutely love Steve Smith(Red Green). Since I was born 1960 I have been nursing a life long grudge against Gloria Steinem et al. Some of us actually enjoyed catering to men and putting high heels and a shirtwaist dress to wax the kitchen floor. LOL