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One of the highest-value streaming subscriptions you can get is PBS Passport. You get it with a $60 donation to either a PBS TV or NPR radio station. The donati

by psim1 23d ago

One of the highest-value streaming subscriptions you can get is PBS Passport. You get it with a $60 donation to either a PBS TV or NPR radio station. The donation is tax-deductible and the PBS subscription is rich with high-quality content for both adults and children.

BeetleB 23d ago
I've gotten it many years, but rarely watched it, because my login keeps "expiring" on Roku. If I don't watch it for, say, a month, I'll need to log in again. It's terribly inconvenient. Hope they fix(ed) it.
- ravetcofx 23d ago
  Same happens with Canadian streaming services like CBC Gem and Knowledge network
- robocat 23d ago
  Unavailable outside US/Canada. See "Is Passport available outside of the U.S.?" section of: https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096220-common-questions https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096220-... PBS is not a producer, but rather a distributor of programming. Some details that imply workarounds might be difficult (although I suggest instead better to Google for how to access): https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096659-can-i-use-a-vpn-to-access-pbs-content- https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096659-... https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000694871-i-made-a-donation-but-did-not-receive-an-email-with-an-activation-code- https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000694871-i...
  - BeetleB 23d ago
    Did you respond to the wrong comment? This is not about being outside the US or using a VPN. This is about the pain of having to repeatedly log in.
    - robocat 22d ago
      Yep - meant to be on parent comment sorry.
WarmWash 23d ago
The last PBS produced video I watched (it was on yt) was on the current super El Nino, totally cool. But somehow they managed to segue into more than a few minutes of "Remind white people of what happened 300 years ago" right in the middle of it. No thanks. I'm here for science, and if your writers are mostly people primarily concerned with making sure they bow at the alter in every single video, I'm 100% out. It's like watching a cooking video produced by a Christian group that works Jesus into chopping carrots.
- weberer 23d ago
  Its the exact same with NPR as well. There's actually a nice podcast that breaks down their ideological capture and downfall over the years. Its called All Things Reconsidered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNucxB7TI&list=PLYNjnJFU-62s5cNuqeB-D-7QPymF6myk_ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNucxB7TI&list=PLYNjnJFU-6...
  - WarmWash 23d ago
    It's funny because I had the exact experience with NPR/member station. I listened to it daily every morning about 15 years ago because my job at the time was perfect for it. Then I changed careers and couldn't listen for a long time. Five or so years ago I was excited to have a new job that would allow me to listen again and I didn't last a week...
- clukic 23d ago
  I think you're talking about "Weathered." About 150 years ago about 8m people died in India, because during an El Nino drought and famine British companies continued exporting food from India. I guess you could call that "white people guilt" but you could also say that it's valuable context that the impacts of climate change can be exasperated by economic and national policies.
  - triceratops 23d ago
    > can be exasperated You mean "exacerbated".
BeetleB 23d ago
> The donation is tax-deductible Is it? One of the requirements is "No goods or services were given for this donation."
- psim1 23d ago
  Perhaps they consider it some kind of perk that is not "paid for" by the donation. The receipt states "No goods or services were provided." Or maybe they're lying, but I'm going with what the receipt says.
  - conductr 23d ago
    That sounds like the alcohol permit loophole. Instead of getting a permit to sell alcohol, just buy this $10 pack of peanuts and it comes with a free beer. This is known to come with hefty fines btw. That said, If the gift is insubstantial in value it’s allowable. Or they’re supposed to give you a statement of the value and you have to deduct the donation less value amount. My thought is maybe the content is or will be free and the app is just a convenient portal to consume it. So one would claim it’s rather insubstantial. But to be honest, no auditor would really dig too deep into a donation to PBS.
    - BobaFloutist 23d ago
      Possibly the content is (or was) all broadcast on free TV, and the donation lets you access it on-demand through streaming?
- mikestew 23d ago
  A PBS tote bag is a “good or service”. The broadcast isn’t, pedantry aside.

by psim1 23d ago

BeetleB 23d ago

I've gotten it many years, but rarely watched it, because my login keeps "expiring" on Roku. If I don't watch it for, say, a month, I'll need to log in again. It's terribly inconvenient. Hope they fix(ed) it.

ravetcofx 23d ago
Same happens with Canadian streaming services like CBC Gem and Knowledge network
robocat 23d ago
Unavailable outside US/Canada. See "Is Passport available outside of the U.S.?" section of: https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096220-common-questions https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096220-... PBS is not a producer, but rather a distributor of programming. Some details that imply workarounds might be difficult (although I suggest instead better to Google for how to access): https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096659-can-i-use-a-vpn-to-access-pbs-content- https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/12000096659-... https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000694871-i-made-a-donation-but-did-not-receive-an-email-with-an-activation-code- https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000694871-i...
- BeetleB 23d ago
  Did you respond to the wrong comment? This is not about being outside the US or using a VPN. This is about the pain of having to repeatedly log in.
  - robocat 22d ago
    Yep - meant to be on parent comment sorry.

WarmWash 23d ago

The last PBS produced video I watched (it was on yt) was on the current super El Nino, totally cool. But somehow they managed to segue into more than a few minutes of "Remind white people of what happened 300 years ago" right in the middle of it. No thanks. I'm here for science, and if your writers are mostly people primarily concerned with making sure they bow at the alter in every single video, I'm 100% out. It's like watching a cooking video produced by a Christian group that works Jesus into chopping carrots.

weberer 23d ago
Its the exact same with NPR as well. There's actually a nice podcast that breaks down their ideological capture and downfall over the years. Its called All Things Reconsidered. https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNucxB7TI&list=PLYNjnJFU-62s5cNuqeB-D-7QPymF6myk_ https://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PPvNucxB7TI&list=PLYNjnJFU-6...
- WarmWash 23d ago
  It's funny because I had the exact experience with NPR/member station. I listened to it daily every morning about 15 years ago because my job at the time was perfect for it. Then I changed careers and couldn't listen for a long time. Five or so years ago I was excited to have a new job that would allow me to listen again and I didn't last a week...
clukic 23d ago
I think you're talking about "Weathered." About 150 years ago about 8m people died in India, because during an El Nino drought and famine British companies continued exporting food from India. I guess you could call that "white people guilt" but you could also say that it's valuable context that the impacts of climate change can be exasperated by economic and national policies.
- triceratops 23d ago
  > can be exasperated You mean "exacerbated".

BeetleB 23d ago

> The donation is tax-deductible Is it? One of the requirements is "No goods or services were given for this donation."

psim1 23d ago
Perhaps they consider it some kind of perk that is not "paid for" by the donation. The receipt states "No goods or services were provided." Or maybe they're lying, but I'm going with what the receipt says.
- conductr 23d ago
  That sounds like the alcohol permit loophole. Instead of getting a permit to sell alcohol, just buy this $10 pack of peanuts and it comes with a free beer. This is known to come with hefty fines btw. That said, If the gift is insubstantial in value it’s allowable. Or they’re supposed to give you a statement of the value and you have to deduct the donation less value amount. My thought is maybe the content is or will be free and the app is just a convenient portal to consume it. So one would claim it’s rather insubstantial. But to be honest, no auditor would really dig too deep into a donation to PBS.
  - BobaFloutist 23d ago
    Possibly the content is (or was) all broadcast on free TV, and the donation lets you access it on-demand through streaming?
mikestew 23d ago
A PBS tote bag is a “good or service”. The broadcast isn’t, pedantry aside.