President Trump Signs Executive Order to Defund NPR and PBS

[Akita Suggagaki]

I like the Sunday night mysteries.

 

[Hans Blaster]

I’ve always been told that federal and state grants are just a small portion of PBS funding. Must not be true

Again, it wasn't PBS that shut down. It was the NJ public TV broadcaster which used the name "PBS NJ".

Funding for PBS member stations included significant funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which is a non-profit that is primarily funded by the federal government, or at least it was. The budget reconciliation act zeroed funding to the CPB and the CPB is currently winding down their operations.

 

[rjs330]

Again, it wasn't PBS that shut down. It was the NJ public TV broadcaster which used the name "PBS NJ".

Funding for PBS member stations included significant funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) which is a non-profit that is primarily funded by the federal government, or at least it was. The budget reconciliation act zeroed funding to the CPB and the CPB is currently winding down their operations.

Doesn't change anything about what was said.

 

[FredVB]

When media is no longer free to share information fascism will be in place. That is not so far away, and how much is being done to stop that?

 

[DaisyDay]

It's some sort of streaming "device"? (I don't have any streaming.)

Roku is a particular brand of smart tv, with smart meaning wifi enabled with certain built-in apps. Roku also makes streaming devices that can be plugged into dumb tvs if they have ports (USB, HDMI, etc.).

When I lived in Manhattan, broadcast tv was problematic because the signals bounced off the buildings and got duplicated, with ghost images overlaying the main image. Before I got cable, I couldn't tell if people and monsters were supposed to have two or three eyes (I liked Dr. Who). In the mountains, signals get blocked altogether in places.

 

[BCP1928]

All beside the point, really. Getting the signal out is the least part of the problem. It can even come from overseas.* All streaming does is save the electric bill for a broadcast transmitter, which is usually locally funded, anyway. The effect of cutting CPB funding is on paying the production cost of the "fun" stuff--dramas, documentaries, nature programs.

Conservatives don't really understand how it works. I was listening to the news on public broadcasting before anyone ever thought of CPB and I expect to continue to do so now that it''s gone.

*Does anybody still remember Wolf Man Jack?

 

[rjs330]

All beside the point, really. Getting the signal out is the least part of the problem. It can even come from overseas.* All streaming does is save the electric bill for a broadcast transmitter, which is usually locally funded, anyway. The effect of cutting CPB funding is on paying the production cost of the "fun" stuff--dramas, documentaries, nature programs.

Conservatives don't really understand how it works. I was listening to the news on public broadcasting before anyone ever thought of CPB and I expect to continue to do so now that it''s gone.

*Does anybody still remember Wolf Man Jack?

I remember him. Im still not seeing though why this is a taxpayers responsibility. Especially when all those things are found everywhere else.

 

[BCP1928]

I remember him. Im still not seeing though why this is a taxpayers responsibility. Especially when all those things are found everywhere else.

It is a question. I never could understand, given a government funded media outlet, why MAGA didn't just take control of it like they did with the Kennedy center.

 

[iluvatar5150]

It is a question. I never could understand, given a government funded media outlet, why MAGA didn't just take control of it like they did with the Kennedy center.

MAGA already owns a bunch of media outlets. Theater is new for them.

 

[rjs330]

It is a question. I never could understand, given a government funded media outlet, why MAGA didn't just take control of it like they did with the Kennedy center.

Lol, good point! But honestly, it doeant matter who's in control. We shouldnt be spending taxpayer money on it.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Lol, good point! But honestly, it doeant matter who's in control. We shouldnt be spending taxpayer money on it.

The point of public media is to serve as a public good - a sort of charity, if you will - that provides valuable services without the profit incentives that can skew the development of their products. While I won't argue that the public broadcast services and their offerings are flawless, they are, generally, far less reactionary, less sensational, and more high-minded than the for-profit ones. We'd all be better off if more folks consumed PBS, NPR, and CSPAN instead of their for-profit competitors (of any political stripe).

 

[BCP1928]

I remember him. Im still not seeing though why this is a taxpayers responsibility. Especially when all those things are found everywhere else.

The salient point about Wolf Man Jack was that he was broadcasting from outside the country. It allowed his programming to reach states where rock and roll music was banned on local radio stations. There are reputable foreign English language news services available. I like the Beeb and radio Oz but there are others as well Formerly on shortwave, they have gone to streaming on local FM frequencies, but that can change. Russia hacked the BBC stream into Ukraine, so they fired up their shortwave transmitters and broadcast their Ukrainian service the old fashioned way. The same thing can happen here--I understand that Al Jazeera has started up an English language shortwave service to the US, but I haven't got my new antenna up yet.

 

[rjs330]

The point of public media is to serve as a public good - a sort of charity, if you will - that provides valuable services without the profit incentives that can skew the development of their products. While I won't argue that the public broadcast services and their offerings are flawless, they are, generally, far less reactionary, less sensational, and more high-minded than the for-profit ones. We'd all be better off if more folks consumed PBS, NPR, and CSPAN instead of their for-profit competitors (of any political stripe).

Except PBS and NPR are political. Taxpayer money doeant need to be spent on something that everyone has access to everywhere else. It doeant serve the public good anymore than any other media outlet does. Its a waste of taxpayer money.

 

[rjs330]

The salient point about Wolf Man Jack was that he was broadcasting from outside the country. It allowed his programming to reach states where rock and roll music was banned on local radio stations. There are reputable foreign English language news services available. I like the Beeb and radio Oz but there are others as well Formerly on shortwave, they have gone to streaming on local FM frequencies, but that can change. Russia hacked the BBC stream into Ukraine, so they fired up their shortwave transmitters and broadcast their Ukrainian service the old fashioned way. The same thing can happen here--I understand that Al Jazeera has started up an English language shortwave service to the US, but I haven't got my new antenna up yet.

Still not a reason to spend taxpayer money on it. Maybe if we get attacked we can fet it back via shortwave or something. But right now, we dont need it.

 

[BCP1928]

Still not a reason to spend taxpayer money on it. Maybe if we get attacked we can fet it back via shortwave or something. But right now, we dont need it.

No, we don't need it yet. MAGA control of the media is only partial--your man couldn't even keep a comedian off the air.

 

[Akita Suggagaki]

Except PBS and NPR are political. Taxpayer money doeant need to be spent on something that everyone has access to everywhere else. It doeant serve the public good anymore than any other media outlet does. Its a waste of taxpayer money.

All this concern about taxpayer money and inefficiency is bogus. Just an excuse to dismantle the infrastructure that benefits the most vulnerable.

There was a good documentary on American Experience last evening about construction workers clashing with peace demonstrators during the Viet Nam war. But it dealt with politics and was a waste of taxpayer money. Better to keep people uninformed about history.

 

[iluvatar5150]

Except PBS and NPR are political.

They're news organizations. Some amount of political bias is inevitable.

Taxpayer money doeant need to be spent on something that everyone has access to everywhere else.

They don't have access to it everywhere else, because there largely aren't comparable alternatives.

The other free (or rather, ad-sponsored) alternatives are the broadcast networks that produce content that's far less educational, more sensational, and more low-brow than PBS and far less news-oriented than NPR. Paid alternatives to both exist, but those require subscriptions.

It doeant serve the public good anymore than any other media outlet does.

It's clear you don't consume much of either.

Who airs subscription-free educational children's programming other than PBS tv?
Who airs remotely as much subscription-free news and adult educational content as NPR radio?
Who airs classical and other non-pop/rock music other than public radio?
Who regularly airs documentaries in prime time slots other than PBS tv?
What are the broadcast alternatives to Marketplace, Science Friday, or Sesame Street?

The other broadcast tv networks have brief news shows in the morning and evening, and mindless fluff the rest of the day. Broadcast radio is largely pop/rock music or commentary about sports or politics.

Its a waste of taxpayer money.

You're welcome to that opinion, but you're wrong about their offerings relative to other broadcasters.

 

[essentialsaltes]

Except PBS and NPR are political.

Not very, according to media bias folks

Ad Fontes Media rates PBS in the Middle category of bias and as Reliable, Analysis/Fact Reportingin terms of reliability.

Reliability: 43.29

Bias: -4.33 (on a scale from -42 to +42)
so it's slightly left of center, but pretty close to 0.

 

[rjs330]

No, we don't need it yet. MAGA control of the media is only partial--your man couldn't even keep a comedian off the air.

Guess hes not the authoritarian people say he is then.

 

[rjs330]

All this concern about taxpayer money and inefficiency is bogus. Just an excuse to dismantle the infrastructure that benefits the most vulnerable.

People who watch PBS and listen to NPR are vulnerable? Wow, victim mentality now being used for tv watchers and radio listeners.

There was a good documentary on American Experience last evening about construction workers clashing with peace demonstrators during the Viet Nam war. But it dealt with politics and was a waste of taxpayer money. Better to keep people uninformed about history.

No one else could produce it? I see documentaries all the time on cable, satellite, and all the streaming stations. PBS isnt the ONLY way to make documentaries. Taxpayer funds isnt needed.