4 ms·

PBS content should be free everywhere

by jak92 8y ago

syntaxing 8y ago
Seriously, especially since it's funded with tax money. I watched a good amount of PBS when I was younger since we couldn't afford cable. This should be available free online through a government maintained portal.
- toomuchtodo 8y ago
  Contact your representative to ensure PBS has the necessary funding to do so. They are working on over the top streaming [1]. PBS could not afford Sesame Street, which is why it's on HBO now [2]. Disclaimer: Staunch supporter of PBS and other public broadcasting (streaming now I guess?) [1] https://current.org/2018/06/pbs-and-stations-working-on-first-skinny-bundle-ott-agreement/ https://current.org/2018/06/pbs-and-stations-working-on-firs... [2] https://www.vox.com/2015/8/13/9149091/sesame-street-hbo-pbs https://www.vox.com/2015/8/13/9149091/sesame-street-hbo-pbs
- timthorn 8y ago
  Some content is developed as a co-production with other broadcasters, so the rights will be complicated by that.
- maverick5 8y ago
  Only ~20% comes from tax money. The rest is provided by CPB and private sources. If you don't want it to turn into another corporate-captured YouTube, viewer-subscriber model is the only way to go.
  - bbatha 8y ago
    Or you could increase the portion that comes from tax money, a model proven successfully in dozens of countries.
    - hedora 8y ago
      That’s hard. They have a lot of educational programs, and, at least in the US, that implies a liberal bias.
  - lkbm 8y ago
    Wikipedia says of CPB: "The CPB's annual budget is composed almost entirely of an annual appropriation from Congress plus interest on those funds."[0] So that portion should still be considered tax revenue. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation_for_Public_Broadcasting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation_for_Public_Broadca...
  - fuzzybeard 8y ago
    They should be more honest about their other funding sources. They accept advertising, but couch it as "underwriting".
- 0815test 8y ago
  PBS may be "funded with tax money", but apparently the funding doesn't go far enough as to allow for complete independence. It's a common story, that also explains why crowdfunded video projects have been mostly a failure - but I do wonder how the costs can be so high, when so many people publish self-made videos on social media sites for no payment at all other than some pretty nominal "monetization" revenues.
maverick5 8y ago
And yet with their app you have to watch commercials and "funding provided" by the fossil-fuels industry, i.e., the Koch brothers. They should divest from dirty money too.
- twblalock 8y ago
  Why? So PBS will have less money and the Koch brothers will have more money? Is that really the outcome someone opposed to the Koch brothers would want?
  - maverick5 8y ago
    No, switch funding sources by raising from viewers and cleaner industries.
    - twblalock 8y ago
      Why does it make a difference if the money comes from "cleaner" industries?
      - maverick5 8y ago
        I'm not going to debate common decency and personal responsibility. You either understand moral and ethical choices or you don't.
twblalock 8y ago
> PBS content should be free everywhere Then PBS needs a lot more money. They operate on about $445 million per year in total, and that gets split between PBS and NPR: https://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget https://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget That's not enough, and it's a bit lower than public broadcasters in other countries who manage to make things free everywhere.
- metamet 8y ago
  Well, especially since the Trump administration is again trying to zero out all funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: > “PBS and our 350 member stations across the country have earned bipartisan Congressional support over the years due to the high value the American people place on the services we provide their communities. For a modest investment of about $1.35 per citizen per year, public television provides school readiness for children, support for teachers and caregivers, public safety communications and lifelong learning through high-quality content. > “For the 16th year in a row, Americans named PBS and member stations #1 in public trust among nationally known institutions. The same survey revealed that Americans rank PBS and our member stations second only to the country’s military defense in terms of value for taxpayer dollars. PBS and its supporters across every region of the country will continue to remind legislators that federal funding is critical for public television to do this essential work.” http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-statement-on-administrations-proposed-elimination-of-federal-funding-for-public-media/ http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-statement-on-adminis...
  - rfinney 8y ago
    oh well. downvote shadow banned this comment for saying government should be out of propaganda business. whatev. The stuff dey downvote on hacker news.
  - reaperducer 8y ago
    To be fair, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a mess. It's so bad that member stations are defecting. Los Angeles is a good example. It used to be like most other cities - A single, large PBS flagship and one or two secondary stations. That flagship bolted because CPB can't keep its finances in order and is demanding crazy amounts of money from the member stations. There are a surprising number of very good public television stations across the country that are not part of PBS/CPB. I'd be happier with PBS if the programs created with my tax dollars weren't spun off into "independent" companies that then make millions on the intellectual property that my tax dollars created.
js2 8y ago
Agreed that free viewing should be included in our tax dollars, but it's not likely to happen without Fred Rogers to convince our representatives. Especially with a loud minority of our citizens convinced that PBS and NPR are biased.

PBS content should be free everywhere

by jak92 8y ago

PBS content should be free everywhere

Seriously, especially since it's funded with tax money. I watched a good amount of PBS when I was younger since we couldn't afford cable. This should be available free online through a government maintained portal.

toomuchtodo 8y ago
Contact your representative to ensure PBS has the necessary funding to do so. They are working on over the top streaming [1]. PBS could not afford Sesame Street, which is why it's on HBO now [2]. Disclaimer: Staunch supporter of PBS and other public broadcasting (streaming now I guess?) [1] https://current.org/2018/06/pbs-and-stations-working-on-first-skinny-bundle-ott-agreement/ https://current.org/2018/06/pbs-and-stations-working-on-firs... [2] https://www.vox.com/2015/8/13/9149091/sesame-street-hbo-pbs https://www.vox.com/2015/8/13/9149091/sesame-street-hbo-pbs
timthorn 8y ago
Some content is developed as a co-production with other broadcasters, so the rights will be complicated by that.
maverick5 8y ago
Only ~20% comes from tax money. The rest is provided by CPB and private sources. If you don't want it to turn into another corporate-captured YouTube, viewer-subscriber model is the only way to go.
- bbatha 8y ago
  Or you could increase the portion that comes from tax money, a model proven successfully in dozens of countries.
  - hedora 8y ago
    That’s hard. They have a lot of educational programs, and, at least in the US, that implies a liberal bias.
- lkbm 8y ago
  Wikipedia says of CPB: "The CPB's annual budget is composed almost entirely of an annual appropriation from Congress plus interest on those funds."[0] So that portion should still be considered tax revenue. [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation_for_Public_Broadcasting https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Corporation_for_Public_Broadca...
- fuzzybeard 8y ago
  They should be more honest about their other funding sources. They accept advertising, but couch it as "underwriting".
0815test 8y ago
PBS may be "funded with tax money", but apparently the funding doesn't go far enough as to allow for complete independence. It's a common story, that also explains why crowdfunded video projects have been mostly a failure - but I do wonder how the costs can be so high, when so many people publish self-made videos on social media sites for no payment at all other than some pretty nominal "monetization" revenues.

maverick5 8y ago

And yet with their app you have to watch commercials and "funding provided" by the fossil-fuels industry, i.e., the Koch brothers. They should divest from dirty money too.

twblalock 8y ago
Why? So PBS will have less money and the Koch brothers will have more money? Is that really the outcome someone opposed to the Koch brothers would want?
- maverick5 8y ago
  No, switch funding sources by raising from viewers and cleaner industries.
  - twblalock 8y ago
    Why does it make a difference if the money comes from "cleaner" industries?
    - maverick5 8y ago
      I'm not going to debate common decency and personal responsibility. You either understand moral and ethical choices or you don't.

twblalock 8y ago

> PBS content should be free everywhere Then PBS needs a lot more money. They operate on about $445 million per year in total, and that gets split between PBS and NPR: https://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget https://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/budget That's not enough, and it's a bit lower than public broadcasters in other countries who manage to make things free everywhere.

metamet 8y ago
Well, especially since the Trump administration is again trying to zero out all funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: > “PBS and our 350 member stations across the country have earned bipartisan Congressional support over the years due to the high value the American people place on the services we provide their communities. For a modest investment of about $1.35 per citizen per year, public television provides school readiness for children, support for teachers and caregivers, public safety communications and lifelong learning through high-quality content. > “For the 16th year in a row, Americans named PBS and member stations #1 in public trust among nationally known institutions. The same survey revealed that Americans rank PBS and our member stations second only to the country’s military defense in terms of value for taxpayer dollars. PBS and its supporters across every region of the country will continue to remind legislators that federal funding is critical for public television to do this essential work.” http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-statement-on-administrations-proposed-elimination-of-federal-funding-for-public-media/ http://www.pbs.org/about/blogs/news/pbs-statement-on-adminis...
- rfinney 8y ago
  oh well. downvote shadow banned this comment for saying government should be out of propaganda business. whatev. The stuff dey downvote on hacker news.
- reaperducer 8y ago
  To be fair, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a mess. It's so bad that member stations are defecting. Los Angeles is a good example. It used to be like most other cities - A single, large PBS flagship and one or two secondary stations. That flagship bolted because CPB can't keep its finances in order and is demanding crazy amounts of money from the member stations. There are a surprising number of very good public television stations across the country that are not part of PBS/CPB. I'd be happier with PBS if the programs created with my tax dollars weren't spun off into "independent" companies that then make millions on the intellectual property that my tax dollars created.

js2 8y ago

Agreed that free viewing should be included in our tax dollars, but it's not likely to happen without Fred Rogers to convince our representatives. Especially with a loud minority of our citizens convinced that PBS and NPR are biased.