DESTROYING PBS/Update

[madison]

Molly Ivins column today discusses the vast changes occurring at PBS.

"I have listened patiently to years of right-wing bull about liberal bias in the media, but let us be perfectly clear about what is happening at PBS. Big Bird is not in favor of affirmative action. Bert and Ernie are not gay. Miss Piggy is not a feminist. "The Three Tenors," "Antiques Roadshow," "Masterpiece Theater," "Wall Street Week" and nature programs do not have a political agenda. "The NewsHour with Jim Lehrer" is biased in favor of boring, old, white guys who appear on painfully well-balanced panels. "Washington Week in Review" is a showcase for "Inside the Beltway," conventional wisdom, power-parroting, political-geekhead, Establishment journalism -- there is nothing liberal about it.

But there is a plot to politicize public broadcasting. It is plain as a pikestaff, and it is coming from the Right. It is obvious, undeniable and happening right now. The Bush administration is introducing a political agenda to public broadcasting. They are using the lame pretext that PBS is somehow liberal to justify it into a propaganda organ for the government. That is precisely what the board of CPB was set up to prevent 40 years ago; it is there to be a firewall between public broadcasting and political pressure. Ken Tomlinson is a disgrace to the purpose of that board, he has a political agenda and is engaging in a raw display of ideological bullying. The right-wingers in the House of Representatives are backing his power play with a threat to cut off funding for PBS entirely."


<a href="http://www.alternet.org/story/22262" target="_new">www.alternet.org/story/22262</a>


After awhile the theme begins to sound quite familiar.

[4dogknight]

I checked tonight's TV index for the D/FW area and
found the following subversive programming on PBS.

6:00 - The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer (Talk / Tabloid) CC
7:00 - Antiques Roadshow Part 1 of 3: San Francisco (Collectibles) TVG CC Stereo
8:00 - Great Performances : Dance in America: Swan Lake With American Ballet Theatre TVG CC Stereo
10:00 - The Newport Jazz Festival 1954-2004: Fiftieth Anniversary (Musical) CC Stereo

The Antique Roadshow - Isn’t that a code name for programming to turn the audience into raving homosexuals? How devious and cleaver.

Swan Lake! What were the programmers thinking, a Russian composer. Don't they know that communism is smoldering under the thin veneer of Americana just waiting to come forth and bite us in the where ever. Oh the humanity!

And of course the Newport Jazz Festival –don’t people know that this program is designed to turn all of our children into drug addicts. Vile, vile I say!

4dk - and for anyone that doesn’t recognize the above and to coin a phrase, "It's sarcasm Stupid".
(I think moveon.org is organizing some kind of protest for anyone interested, you might want to access their website.)

[Krista]

I never really viewed PBS one way or the other TBH. I enjoy alot of the shows on it though, always have. I like the concerts and antique roadshow especially.

[tongueincheek]

Yeah I watched Swan Lake tonight. Now I feel like visiting the tomb of Stalin to pay my respects. And all copies of the book Animal Farm should be burned.

Also, Swan Lake was not at all family friendly. Both the men and women were wearing tights and showing their legs. I had to turn on the V chip so my kids wouldn't see such a filthy display of pornography.

:rolleyes

[madison]

Save Big Bird and the Cookie Monster!

[EigthAv]

Michael Kirk taking questions online (http://discuss.washingtonpost.com/zforum/03/r_tv_frontline031803.htm)<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->A link to Michael Kirk taking questions about a Frontline segment.Kirk is Jenny Kirk's dad and a bold producer.I wonder if he is one of Bush's puppets.:eek Anyways,I thought the online session was cool and you can check it out for yourselves.I've never forgiven PBS for dumping An Evening of Championship Figure Skating.I guess Bush made em do it,eh.;)

[4dogknight]

So 8A you think your local PBS station not running "An Evening of Championship Figure Skating" is worth revoking all PBS programming. When I found out that we were relocating to the D/FW area and that the local PBS station was not showing the "Doctor Who" series, I threatened not to move with my husband. I thought they we Phillistines until I got to know them.

If you think that your local network station gives a diddily about you or the community best think again. All they are concerned with are the numbers, ratings and advertising.

The folks that are honestly interested in the community are the folks who run the local PBS stations.

And quite frankly I don't think Bush, any of them, have ever watched a program on PBS.

4dk - Who did notice that the date on the Michael Kirk taking questions about a Frontline segment article was dated March 18, 2003. That information is over two years old.

[EigthAv]

So 8A you think your local PBS station not running "An Evening of Championship Figure Skating" is worth revoking all PBS programming.<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->Did I say that??? I loved the show and I miss it.I like Frontline and have enjoyed all of Mike Kirk's Frontline productions.I knew the online session was dated,but in a way,it is relevant to this forum.The leftists jump up here and blame Bush for everything they feel is wrong in the World.I found it interesting that Kirk seems to be moderate and just puts the stuff out there without taking an obvious left or right slant. Our local PBS affiliate is on an endless fund-raising drive so we are getting re-runs galore in place of lots of the usual prime-time PBS material.Mostly already over-worked oldies groups to appeal to ageless hippies and disco fans.:lol Yes,I like Mike Kirk and I can promise you that me also being a fan of his figure skating daughter had nothing to do with my admiration for Mr.Kirk's work. I didn't know Jennifer was related until Kirk did the school shooting documentary back in 2000.<!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END--><!--EZCODE BR START--><!--EZCODE BR END-->How do you know Bush never watches PBS?

[4dogknight]

Well if Mr. B doesn't read the papers, I can reason from A to C and deduce he wouldn't be watching PBS either.

4dk

[4dogknight]

Now if this article doesn't make your blood boil then I guess this country is in worse shape than I thought.
PBS: Public Or Pravda? (http://www.tompaine.com/articles/20050621/pbs_public_or_pravda.php)

{snip}
"With all their high-minded rhetoric about the virtues of democracy, partisan conservatives should know that meddling with the political content of the media strikes at a core democratic value. It's one of the oldest totalitarian tactics in the book. The Bush administration's hypocrisy on democracy is nothing new, but the scandal unfolding around PBS might get the public's attention in a way that clampdowns on Iraqi news agencies do not. That’s why the story of Ken Tomlinson hiring a consultant to grade PBS content as “pro-” or “anti-” Bush should get wide distribution. The consultant also categorized programming as "anti-corporation" and "anti-DeLay."

COMMENT: Got your attention? Good there's more.

{snip}
" Just the news coming out of the Appropriations Committee in the House is ominous. But more than that, inside the organization, the chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting hired a consultant to evaluate the bias in public broadcasting. He hired a consultant to go after the program called ``NOW with Bill Moyers.'' He hired that consultant without notifying the board of directors. This is the chairman of the board. He hired that consultant with public funds.

As an appropriator, I asked him: Would you provide me with the information that the consultant provided you.

This is what I received. I received a substantial amount of what he called raw data. It didn't include any summary, just raw data. I was struck and disappointed to see that a consultant was hired, and this is a summary of April 4 to June 4, just to pick one. And they go through the list of programs, and they label anti-Bush, anti-Bush, anti-DeLay. I guess if he reported on the controversy about TOM DELAY, it is anti-DeLay programming.

It says, ``anticorporation.'' In fact, they did a program about some waste. It might have been about Halliburton, although I have done hearings on Halliburton. I guess that would then be declared anticorporation. It is really not. Again, it reads anti-Bush, anti-Bush, pro-Bush.

I am struck that it is way out of bounds to be paying money for a consultant who decides to evaluate public broadcasting through the prism of whether or not it supports the President. That is not the role of public broadcasting, to decide whether it supports the President of the United States. If we ever get to the point where you can't be critical of public policy, Democrats and Republicans, Congress and the President, then there is something wrong."

{SNIP}
"The partisan influence here is astonishing. You have Tomlinson, a former Republican appointee, hiring a consultant who turns out to be committed to the Republican cause. And finally, this all especially relevant because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is deciding this week to hire a new president. The leading candidate? A former co-chair of the Republican National Committee. New Jersey Sen. Frank Lautenberg's recommendation to Tomlinson may be the best and most immediate way to rid CPB of its political taint: resign."

COMMENT: The stench that is wafting over the US is indicative of something rotten not in the state of Denmark but in the state of the union.

What's next, the newspapers? Oh, wait, Congress already passed legislation to lift the restriction on how many newspapers and other print media and how many radio stations one group can own.

Frankly I don't worry about foreign terrorists attacking this country, our 'elected' officials are doing a damn fine job of attacking our freedoms themselves. And what is so depressing is the fact that we're letting them and a certain segment of our population is cheering them on.

4dk - who took to the streets in the 60's and even though she's a senior citizen now, is quite willing to take to the streets again. Anyone looking for an experienced protester? One who has great organizational skills too.

[EigthAv]

I'm considering e-mailing my congressman,Terry Everett(r-Ala.) about this PBS issue.I urge all of you,on both sides,to consider the same for your own representatives.I really don't want either side monkeying with PBS and trying to drag it too far right or left.I'm also concerned about the trivial funding.The way our government throws billions around,why hold PBS to a few measley 100 millions??? Let them wet their beaks too!........and whilst they're at it,appropriate me a couple of 100 thousand for grass mulching research. ;) After I've done all the research and experimenting,I'll retire and start a board up just to discuss the issue.:smokin

[EigthAv]

I got the lowdown tonight on all this "destruction of PBS" hysteria from The O'Reilly Factor.I should have known better than to trust all youz hippies! :rolleyes Now I know the real story.

[4dogknight]

And even more witty and clever on this thread! :rolleyes

4dk

[bjb22]

The documentry on Frontline "Private Warriors" is enough to merit continued support of PBS. Beyond the documentries I don't have much use for PBS but I certainly wouldn't deny anyone their entertainment (e.g. "Antique Roadshow", etc.).

If they did get rid of PBS I'd still be able to watch IFC on "Documentry Mondays".....watch shows like "Chernobyl Heart" and "Ford Transit".

[madison]

House won't cut PBS funding..<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/happy.gif" />
<a href="http://news.yahoo.com/fc/World/Media_Watch/" target="_new">news.yahoo.com/fc/World/Media_Watch/</a>

Sometimes you win...sometimes you lose...<img border=0 src="http://www.ezboard.com/intl/aenglish/images/emoticons/glasses.gif" />

[candygirl559]

Excuse me but why should my taxpayer dollars be funded to support any television channels?

We have a national deficit yet here we are wastefully spending on a television channel that should have to compete in the markets with all of the other privately funded channels out there.

Plus it would be nice if liberalism actually had to compete in the private sector rather than receive their entitlements when it comes to broadcasting POV.

[bjb22]

With satellite links at $400,000 per month and 4 times zones for PBS to cover the extent of U.S. gov't funding should be limited to those costs (approx. $20 million).

The rest can come from fund raisers and corporate sponsers.

If that Kroc McDonalds lady would've given PBS a share of the burger loot instead of giving all of it to the Salvation Army this would be a non-issue.

[candygirl559]

No, how about PBS be completely privatized and let private donors and corporate sponsors take care of them?

I don't want my taxpayer money to be wasted on a stupid TV channel.

[bjb22]

Candygirl, forcing PBS to go private would pretty much take the "public" out of the acronym PBS wouldn't it?

I guess they'd have to have to call it something else.

[candygirl559]

Exactly, let them deal with it since all of the other TV networks have to. I'm sick of my taxpayer money being wasted on a TV channel anyway.

TNN changed its name to Spike TV about 3 years ago.

[bjb22]

Though most of the U.S. is on cable/broadband/direct TV, you may want to consider that several million People in rural areas rely on network broadcasts like ABC, NBC, CBS and FOX (well, kinda FOX).

You take away PBS from a bunch of survialists and hillbillies you may have a revolt on your hands. Doubtful as a revolt is you'd give argueably already marginalized and often disenfranchised People one more reason to hate the government.

Those People don't have the money to do a campaign like "I want my MTV!!"

[candygirl559]

I used to live in a rural area and I had no problem getting cable and now I have Sattelite TV.

The rural people won't revolt if PBS is taken from them. Most of them have cable or Sattelite.

If PBS wants to survive, they can either sink or swim on their own.

[bjb22]

Your right that it is doubtful that People living in remote-rural locations would revolt per se against losing PBS.

One less TV (thought virus) channel for the invisable, nameless and faceless psycho-terrorists to invade and exploit.

"We're living in times
Where Men commit crimes
And crime don't have a face"

"Political World"- Bob Dylan ("Oh, Mercy")

[candygirl559]

One less TV (thought virus) channel for the invisable, nameless and faceless psycho-terrorists to invade and exploit.

AMEN TO THAT. Plus it would help out our deficit along with many other spending cuts I think should take place.

[madison]

Too late, candygirl,
the vote has been taken, and since approximately 20% of their budget comes from the gov., they voted to keep supporting PBS and NPR.

I say "good for them."

[4dogknight]

Where is all this negativity and name calling coming from?

I want to say a few things but I know that in the cold calm light of day I will regret them. Will the remarks be truthful, yes; will they be understood, don't think so.

What I will say is that those of us who appreciate something other than reality TV and talk radio will continue to support our local PSB stations and think that we have made a good deal.

Let those who never watched PBS or listened to NPR spout and call names - it really doesn't matter anyway, they are not worth our time.

4dk

[EigthAv]

4DK,surprise.I agree with you.The only real public tee vee is if we the viewers foot the bill.I do love PBS/APT(as it is known in Alabama) I also like their radio sister network.I do what I can to support it.If a dirt poor dude like me is willing to stay home every now and then so I can spend the party money on logic,why can't a few more not so $$$$ impaired dudes do likewise???? I love Frontline,most of the Ken Burns productions.......... Sesame Street was a big plus when I was doing my part to raise my younger daughter.As long as Big Brother has his big hand in there,Big Bird will never truly be free. So,instead of all this bickering over which DC potentate is ruining PBS,dig on down deep in your pockets and letz ,make it OUR PBS! Then maybe we can bring back Evening of FS Champs.

[4dogknight]

And don't forget Doctor Who 8A, Don't forget Doctor Who!

Why does it surprise you that we should agree on something? If we look closely, we are all more alike than different. We all just want to live our lives as best we can.

4dk

[Jayjen36]

No, how about PBS be completely privatized and let private donors and corporate sponsors take care of them?

Excuse me, but have you ever actually seen PBS? Do you have children? Do you realize just how much educational programming that would NOT survive in the private sector would be lost by killing PBS? There are many people that are not as fortunate as you are and cannot buy their children educational videos and cannot count on their school systems to teach them all that they have to learn. For these people PBS is a powerful teaching tool. Our schools systems have suffered enough destruction from this administration. How can such an incredible teaching tool, for both children and adults be taken away. Frankly other than maybe NOGGIN there are no other cable channels for children that are devoted to education rather than entertainment.

Not only that but the PBS stations in our area air adult GED and college course material overnight, for those who are unable to get to a college campus for their classes. The only other venue for this material are cable stations, and of course if you cannot afford cable you wouldn't have access to these classes without PBS.

There is also that fact that many things mentioned like ABT's Swan Lake is something that many of us could not afford to see in a theater. There is the Metropolitan Opera, programs about American artists like Mark Twain and George Balanchine that would be lost. When I was a kid we couldn't afford cable, but I could see the ballet, and Broadway shows and learn about writers like Kurt Vonnegut (one of my favorites) who certainly wasn't taught in my public school, by watching PBS. I'd hate to think that there are children who would be denied the same opportunity to learn about such things.

I suppose that shows like NOW and Frontline are the ones that conservatives have problems with. I remember a few years back they complained about all of the pro-environment programming. I suppose now shows like Frontline's Is Wal-mart good for America are the "problem". Well even on that show BOTH sides of the argument were represented, as with shows about logging and NAFTA, etc.. So I suppose if the problem is that no one is spouting party-line BS, then the conservatives are right, PBS is bad news for them. But I wonder if it has ever occurred that if actual fair and balanced reporting makes your position look wrong, that your position might actually be wrong?? Just a thought.

[bjb22]

Some excellent opinions expressed here. I really had no idea that PBS was such battleground issue.

I can see why the bonehead conservatives are against PBS....they're of the blighted view that anything creative and artistic, such as opera, ballet or the symphony, as "queer" and hard-hitting shows like NOW and Frontline as "too controversial".

[michelle2006]

jayjen36................where is that clapping/bravo smiley when you need it.


EXCELLENT post. I remember a few days back they showed Andre Rieu in concert. He has worked in Spartacus/Romeo and Juliet and other classical pieces. PBS needs to be saved from this destruction!

[EigthAv]

I'll say it once more and then I'm out of this thread.The one and only way we are ever going to have true public tee vee is for us,the public,to own it.As long as government and corporate sponsers control majority shares,it won't ever be free from their bias.

[Emerald2000]

As a kid, I watched some of the shows PBS had on for children; most of these came on during the afternoon, around 1 and 2 o'clock. They were fun, but educational--I learned some of the most interesting and valuable things I know today just from watching their afternoon programming. (The show Wishbone comes to mind.) Reading Rainbow was another show that could be incredibly helpful in teaching children while they're little. Does anyone know if that show is still on? Also, Ken Burns's travel specials are well-made, interesting, and helpful. My french teacher often brought his tapes in to let us watch, and not just the one he did on France, either.

I agree that PBS should stay public owned. It would destroy it's whole purpose to have it broken apart into privately-owned sections.

By the way, has anyone read Bill Moyer's book, "Moyers on America"? It's definately worth a look. That man is so intelligent and so respectable. He was on The Daily Show the other night as well.

[Jayjen36]

Thanks michelle2006:D I can express a good idea every once and a while!

Emerald2000, yup Reading Rainbow is still on, and LeVar Burton still hosts it. I really respect that he's still so committed to children and literacy. There's also a great show on that was an incredible help when I was teaching my nephew to read (he started reading at around three) called Between the Lions. Honestly what we'd lose with PBS gone is immeasurable!

[4dogknight]

The target is not Children's programming, even though that's what supposedly started the brouhaha. Read on to find out what the real target is and it shouldn't surprise anyone.

The Armstrong Williams NewsHour (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/26/opinion/26rich.html)

{snip}
"HERE'S the difference between this year's battle over public broadcasting and the one that blew up in Newt Gingrich's face a decade ago: this one isn't really about the survival of public broadcasting. So don't be distracted by any premature obituaries for Big Bird. Far from being an endangered species, he's the ornithological equivalent of a red herring.

Let's not forget that Laura Bush has made a fetish of glomming onto popular "Sesame Street" characters in photo-ops. Polls consistently attest to the popular support for public broadcasting, while Congress is in a race to the bottom with Michael Jackson. Big Bird will once again smite the politicians - as long as he isn't caught consorting with lesbians.

That doesn't mean the right's new assault on public broadcasting is toothless, far from it. But this time the game is far more insidious and ingenious. The intent is not to kill off PBS and NPR but to castrate them by quietly annexing their news and public affairs operations to the larger state propaganda machine that the Bush White House has been steadily constructing at taxpayers' expense. If you liked the fake government news videos that ended up on local stations - or thrilled to the "journalism" of Armstrong Williams and other columnists who were covertly paid to promote administration policies - you'll love the brave new world this crowd envisions for public TV and radio."

{snip}
"It's pretty scary stuff to judge media, particularly public media, by whether it's pro or anti the president," Senator Dorgan said. "It's unbelievable."

Not from this gang. Mr. Mann was hardly chosen by chance to assemble what smells like the rough draft of a blacklist. He long worked for a right-wing outfit called the National Journalism Center, whose director, M. Stanton Evans, is writing his own Ann Coulteresque book to ameliorate the reputation of Joe McCarthy. What we don't know is whether the 50 pages handed over to Senator Dorgan is all there is to it, or how many other "monitors" may be out there compiling potential blacklists or Nixonian enemies lists on the taxpayers' dime.

We do know that it's standard practice for this administration to purge and punish dissenters and opponents - whether it's those in the Pentagon who criticized Donald Rumsfeld's low troop allotments for Iraq or lobbying firms on K Street that don't hire Tom DeLay cronies. We also know that Mr. Mann's highly ideological pedigree is typical of CPB hires during the Tomlinson reign. "

{snip}
"As the public broadcasting debate plays out, there will be the usual talk about how to wean it from federal subsidy and the usual complaints (which I share) about the redundancy, commerciality and declining quality of some PBS programming in a cable universe. But once Big Bird, like that White House Thanksgiving turkey, is again ritualistically saved from the chopping block and the Senate restores more of the House's budget cuts, the most crucial test of the damage will be what survives of public broadcasting's irreplaceable journalistic offerings.

Will monitors start harassing Jim Lehrer's "NewsHour," which Mr. Tomlinson trashed at a March 2004 State Department conference as a "tired and slowed down" also-ran to Shepard Smith's rat-a-tat-tat newscast at Fox News? Will "Frontline" still be taking on the tough investigations that network news no longer touches? Will the reportage on NPR be fearless or the victim of a subtle or not-so-subtle chilling effect instilled by Mr. Tomlinson and his powerful allies in high places?

Forget the pledge drive. What's most likely to save the independent voice of public broadcasting from these thugs is a rising chorus of Deep Throats."

COMMENT: Read the full article and I'm sure you'll agree no comment needed.

4dk

[bjb22]

I thought the inter(intra,ethra)net was free?:eek

[EigthAv]

I would be glad to discuss PBS in a real open setting.As long as some of you are going to use the issue as just more anti-Bush proaganda,I will consider your minds to be just as closed as you imagine his to be.You are forgetting that both of his daughters are hippies.Even if he wanted to be Hostile Man,they would shame him out of the notion. Heavier conservatives think the PBS liberal side is too far left.It's liberal fans say it's conservative side is too far right.Me? I fail to see the problem. I openly campaign for we the people to buy out big business and big government and set Ms.Piggy free.For a fraction of what we are spending on the so-called "premium channels",over-priced concert tickets, over-priced designer resturant meals and over-priced movie tickets,we could do it. Then we could bring figure skating back to PBS and pressure Mike Kirk to produce a figure skating issues Frontline and with a little more clout than before.

[4dogknight]

Embattled exec resigns from CPB board (http://www.usatoday.com/life/television/reviews/2005-11-04-cpb-resignation_x.htm)

{snip}
"The former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, under fire for promoting conservative programming, resigned Thursday from the corporation's board after the panel reviewed an investigative report on his activities.
Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, whose term as board chairman ended two months ago, left the board after the third day of closed-door meetings by the board of directors to review the findings of the agency's inspector general about his tenure.

In a statement e-mailed to reporters and interest groups, the board said "both the board and Mr. Tomlinson believe it is in the best interests of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that he no longer remain on the board."

COMMENT: One step ahead of the boot no matter how nicely put by the 'rest of the board'. I'll be eagerly awaiting the results of the findings, if they are ever published.

4dk

[Jayjen36]

I'll be looking for the results of the investigation. I'll also be looking at conservative reaction to his resignation. How much of a increase will there be in their push to get rid of Public Televison altogether?

[madison]

All I can say is that we will need another FDR to put this country back together again, including PBS, when Bush is finally gone. I never thought one president could cause this much damage.