Public Broadcasting; Celtic Woman

[amicus]

This is kinda off the top of my head as I listen to the second program of “Celtic Woman” being broadcast on Public Television tonight, continually interrupted as they beg for money from the listening public.

Aside from all the federal money Public Broadcasting receives each year, aside from all the royalties paid from the ‘big bird’ characters on Sesame Street, paid for by tax money, aside from all the ‘grants’ from all the business and industrial corporations paying lip service to ‘public broadcasting’ as a ‘public service’ to the unwashed masses, and the liberal elite opera patrons, they still beg for money.

And you know, it really burns my ass. (thas a flame about a yard, {a meter, for the ancient Europeans},tall and somewhat behind me.

No one listens to public radio or public television, they have the lowest ratings in all of television and radio, yet we continue to pour money into it, why?

Everyone knows public broadcasting is a hotbed of left wing liberal thinking and propaganda, yet tax money continues to support it, why?

Even Charlie Rose and what used to be the McNeil/Leirer(sp) news is slanted left. Every economic or ecological or so called ‘science’ program is slanted left and we all know it, so, why, do we continue to pour tax monies into it, why?

A left over relic from the socialist age where the left thought ‘big brother’ should have a means to transmit the ‘message’ to the proletariat, sighs….

I have thought for thirty years that it will take a violent revolution to throw you bastards out and I still think so.

I know you will quiver and quake at the bare threat of abolishing public broadcasting, (PBS), but don't you feel just a little guilty at the scam being run?

Amicus…

 

[SlickTony]

No one listens to public radio or public television, they have the lowest ratings in all of television and radio, yet we continue to pour money into it, why?

Speak for yourself, cher, I listen to NPR all day, except when the sibilant rants of my certifiably mad coworker get so loud they bleed through the earpieces of my headset radio, after which I listen to music, as my CD player has earbuds.

As for public TV, I would probably watch that more often if there weren't the Discovery Channel, the History Channel, TLC, etc. in my cable package. There are a few people left in the world who either can't afford cable (I might be one if my husband didn't work for a cable company) or live in an area where there is no access.

I think a lot of people's sense of virtue is wrapped up in throwing money at public radio and TV--if we were to shoot down Big Bird, I think we'd lose a little piece of our souls.

 

[Rumple Foreskin]

Amicus continues his tradition of not letting facts interfer with his reasoning.

Rumple Foreskin

 

[cloudy]

<snip>...aside from all the royalties paid from the ‘big bird’ characters on Sesame Street...<snip>

I have to take issue with your incomplete homework, ami.

The licensing royalties are NOT paid to PBS, darlin', they don't own the company that produces Sesame Street. That company receives the licensing fees, not PBS. How do I know this, you ask? I dealt with that company for years and years, buying licensed goods, and dealing with them in the fashioning of custom items specifically for my store. I have no idea what led you to think that PBS receives that income. That assumption's not even close enough for horseshoes OR handgrenades.

No one listens to public radio or public television, they have the lowest ratings in all of television and radio, yet we continue to pour money into it, why?

We watch PBS quite often, or rather, my youngest son does. He loves the children's programming, and much of it far better quality than that seen on network channels. So, wrong again, sweetie.

Everyone knows public broadcasting is a hotbed of left wing liberal thinking and propaganda, yet tax money continues to support it, why?

Who is this "everyone" you speak of? I've never considered PBS a "hotbed" of anything. Oh, wait......you mean that Sesame Street and Dragontales are transmitting subliminal messages as part of their programming?

Your tinfoil hat is crooked, sweets. Might wanna fix that.

Even Charlie Rose and what used to be the McNeil/Leirer(sp) news is slanted left. Every economic or ecological or so called ‘science’ program is slanted left and we all know it, so, why, do we continue to pour tax monies into it, why?

A left over relic from the socialist age where the left thought ‘big brother’ should have a means to transmit the ‘message’ to the proletariat, sighs….

I have thought for thirty years that it will take a violent revolution to throw you bastards out and I still think so.

I know you will quiver and quake at the bare threat of abolishing public broadcasting, (PBS), but don't you feel just a little guilty at the scam being run?

Amicus…

Careful, darlin'....your paranoia is showing. I think that they show what they believe people will watch, much like other stations do. Just because you don't appreciate their programming doesn't mean it shouldn't be shown. I don't watch PBS that much....it's my child that enjoys it. If you don't like it, the solution's very simple: don't watch.

There. Don't you feel better now?

 

[Colleen Thomas]

From a slightly different perspective. My taxes go for a lot of things that have dubious value on the whole and absolutely no value to me. Some of them, I truly resent being forced to fund, faith based inititives, for example. Others I see and recieve immense benefit from, NASA for example.

I listen to NPR a lot when on road trips. In some places it's the only radio you can pick up. I occasionaly watch PBS, much less since I got the history channel, TLC, Discovery et al, on my satellite package.

I don't see any benefit in the US staying in Iraq. But we fund that to the tune of billions of dollars and lives of men and women. Frankly, with this administration putting us in hock up to our ears, frittering away anything approaching good will even among our staunchest allies, and spending the blood of American service men in an occupation that frankly, looks more and more like an imperialist venture everyday, I wonder how you hit on poor old public broadcasting to demonize for today?

I'm not anti-american, nor am I anti-military, but I am a historian of sorts. Occupations are, by and large, bloody, nasty bussiness. Their expensive in terms of money, lives and, quite often, counter to more national interests than they solve. If I were given the choice of funding Public television or funding the Iraq occupation...I'll take Mr. snufaluffaguss and cookie monster thanks.