Posted on 06/25/2012 6:50:29 AM PDT by raccoonradio
The toll on public television would also be harsh, says a new revenue analysis from Booz & Company presented in Washington DC. Booz says 54 public TV stations would be at high risk of shutting down, without revenue support from CPB. The outside experts looked at five alternative scenarios, including allowing public stations to accept some advertising. It decided that a shift from a non-commercial model to a commercial advertising model would have dramatically negative consequences for many of the communities that public broadcasters serve.
It observes that federal support has already shrunk by $50 million in the last two years, and that zeroing it out would produce a cascading, debilitating effect. The weaker stations serving small communities would go out first, followed by a possible collapse of the system itself. Booz says that more than 60% of public television and radio stations are operating with budget deficits now. Congress asked for this report from an impartial analyst. Read the Booz & Company study here
Sounds good to me...
Agreed.
If the CPB feels that they need Federal funding, then Fox and C-Span deserve federal funding as well.
Precisely. I worked in the LA area in a previous life and love classical music. I found a commercial classical music station to keep me company on my commute to work. There were ads for mutual funds, BMW's and luxury vacations I could never have afforded on the clerk's salary I was earning at the time, but those who did were obviously preferred listening to these ads over NPR's version of classical music with left-wing propaganda in place of the ads.
I fail to see the downside here.
The local NPR radio station also had their salaries leaked, and staff salaries were higher than any comparable station in California, just edging out another NPR station in San Francisco, about 20% higher than a NPR station in Sacramento, and 65% higher than any other radio station with a similar listener size.
‘Mix in a bit of private advertising dollars’? Yeah, not going to fix the issue. What advertiser is going to look at a NPR rate card, realize that they'll be paying three to four times the going rate of any other station with similar demographics, and still go through with the deal?
NPR and PBS have problems ONLY because their employees are acting like good government drones and embezzling all the money away. Through high benefits packages, high salaries, and of course, it doesn't end, because they offer high retirement packages as well.
They'll never dig their way out of the hole they've put themselves in; ‘cutting off’ public funding will only hasten the demise - but there's only one place public radio and public TV is destined to go: Into bankruptcy.
There's a slightly odd phenomenon I have recently noticed.
First, talk radio on FM sounds strange to my ears. Those ears have gotten used to the restricted audio of AM, and it takes some effort to get used to the way that talk show hosts sound in high fidelity.
Second, there's almost an opposite effect, at least for me, with classical music. If you listen to classical/concert broadcasting, you get used to hearing it on FM. Throughout my life, 99% of my music listening (and occasional broadcasting) has been that way.
I have recently been working in a city that has a classical station that transmits on AM (daytime only) and on FM (low-power, fulltime). In my car, I often listen to the AM side, with its restricted fidelity.
I ask myself why. Perhaps it's the novelty. Perhaps because of the compressed dynamic range, you can hear soft passages better in the car. Perhaps it is a recognition that it is the only way classical music was heard on the radio, for a generation. Perhaps it's even the subtle impression that this music is coming from a place far away, and is being heard far and wide, which sentiment is a comfort to a lover of classical music.
“WHAT WILL HAPPEN TO THE BABY SEALS?!!!!!”
Seal veal. Seal McNuggets? There’s always Thermal depolymerization. Put them in the gas tank.
Nikki H. tried to kill off public TV here but enough libs and RINO’s managed to barely save it.
I won’t miss it and almost never watched it, even when I worked in the plantation called SCETV’s Record Room that it became in the last few years I was there.
Between all the cable channels, netflix, youtube, and internet choices, public TV has long since had its day.
From what I hear from who is still around, there is little if any in house production of any kind. No doubt a lot of space and equipment is sitting idle.
When I left a few years ago, there were maybe 400 statewide. There might be 100+.
Most of them run canned commercials, and they often have some inane jingle for a bed; as if they were produced for other, non-classical outlets in the same market.
The only thing that restrains them is the demographics of their sponsors. At least you don't hear BMW spots being done by shouters over death-metal like you do, say, for Chevy/GMC.
Among the stations I have listened to that get it right on the nose for their listener demographics is WFMT from Chicago. No jingles, all live copy from the announcer on duty. Maybe they now have recorded ads, but at least it sounds like an announcer on duty. No jingles, low key. For investment houses, high-end restaurants and furnishing shops, and so forth.
Public radio is not so essential to our national cohesion that we must borrow money from China to fund it.
Further, no cause of the left (er, now “progressive”) is similarly important. We must defund the left at every possible opportunity. They are parasites on the productive part of the economy.
1. take away NPR’s tax exempt status to advertisers. (yes they do have ads)
2. forbid government agencies and local governments from spending federal money to advertise on NPR stations.
Booz says that more than 60% of public television and radio stations are operating with budget deficits now.
...and I counter: Just how can this be? Someone is paying the bills and I have a confirmed suspicion I know just who that someone is.
Soros paid for hundreds of NPR reporters...
And a recent court decision allowed pol. candidates to advertise on public radio...not a product
In Boston longtime classical station WCRB, which was commercial, was bought by public broadcaster WGBH—who took it non-commercial. They figured they’d do better with
ind. donations and sponsorships.
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NPR has two main reasons for existing: (1) spew out the Leftist line on issues, and (2) provide high-paying jobs for Leftists. Same deal with may 501(c) "non-profits". Wealthy parents can give them money tax-free, and they hire the kids at high pay. A nice inter-generational wealth transfer scheme.
It's also a reason why classical/jazz is disappearing. Why listen to the radio, when your iPhone/Android/mp3-player can be jacked in to your car audio system, and provide you with hours of commercial-free music that is not dependent on reception?
DEFUND them. I’m tired of commie propaganda being paid for with MY tax money.
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