Hmmm. A blog devoted to public broadcasting musings. I like it, but I hope it's not simply a place to rant and rave (although some of that's definately encouraged), but also to wax philosophical, propose ideas and solutions.
I've lived through decades of the ups and downs of public broadcasting (with pictures and without), and know what it feels like to be a political football, a whipping boy for the right wing, a panacea for the left, and everything in between.
My political bent is toward pragmatic, and though I'm as biased as the next registered Independent, I hope I try to see many sides (did you notice I didn't say "both" sides?) of an issue before making a decision. And that seems to be the ultimate goal of public broadcasting.
Does it always work? Hell, no. But at least the attempt is being made.
Is public broadcasting too liberal as some claim? Sometimes. And sometimes there are things I see or hear from the conservative side of the aisle that make me grind my teeth (on PUBLIC broadcasting!).
I find that the older I get, the less media I consume. Let me rephrase that. The older I get, the more choosy I become about the media I consume. I've become more picky, and I value my time a great deal more, so an investment in a radio program, TV show, web page, news article or blog entry becomes more important in my grand scheme of things.
So I find myself self-filtering to the information centers which (in my opinion, not yours) give me the highest quality information ... the most media bang for the buck - so to speak.
This is all just a long-winded way of saying public broadcasting isn't perfect. What is? But it's a lot nearer my ideal of (what's left of) an independent media source - or what is should aspire to be.
Let's not get into lengthy blog fights (did I just coin a phrase? have to Google that - now that the Old English Dictionary allows it), but have a healthy discussion about public broadcasting - with all its foibles, faults, fallacies and froth - but also its ideals, truths, attempts and successes.
Let the games begin!
I've lived through decades of the ups and downs of public broadcasting (with pictures and without), and know what it feels like to be a political football, a whipping boy for the right wing, a panacea for the left, and everything in between.
My political bent is toward pragmatic, and though I'm as biased as the next registered Independent, I hope I try to see many sides (did you notice I didn't say "both" sides?) of an issue before making a decision. And that seems to be the ultimate goal of public broadcasting.
Does it always work? Hell, no. But at least the attempt is being made.
Is public broadcasting too liberal as some claim? Sometimes. And sometimes there are things I see or hear from the conservative side of the aisle that make me grind my teeth (on PUBLIC broadcasting!).
I find that the older I get, the less media I consume. Let me rephrase that. The older I get, the more choosy I become about the media I consume. I've become more picky, and I value my time a great deal more, so an investment in a radio program, TV show, web page, news article or
So I find myself self-filtering to the information centers which (in my opinion, not yours) give me the highest quality information ... the most media bang for the buck - so to speak.
This is all just a long-winded way of saying public broadcasting isn't perfect. What is? But it's a lot nearer my ideal of (what's left of) an independent media source - or what is should aspire to be.
Let's not get into lengthy blog fights (did I just coin a phrase? have to Google that - now that the Old English Dictionary allows it), but have a healthy discussion about public broadcasting - with all its foibles, faults, fallacies and froth - but also its ideals, truths, attempts and successes.
Let the games begin!
posted by pubguru at
11:28
2 Comments:
I think it's fair to say that public TV and radio are still works in progress -- actually isn't everything?
No one as all the answers, nor do we even know all the questions. But we keep coming back day after day.
Are we making a difference or just fooling ourselves?
By
The Pubcaster, at 12 July, 2006 14:25
Are we just fooling ourselves? I ask myself that question a lot, but then I look at all the great things we have to offer ... whether it's an insightful interview on Charlie Rose or Fresh Air, whether it's seeing a kid's face light up as we provide them with a book to read (or a hug from Clifford the Big Red Dog), or look out at a sea of friendly faces of the parents, teachers, grandparents and kids who come to our Reading Rainbow winners event every year, and I think we must be doing something right.
Sure, there are "lightning rods" (Bill Moyers comes to mind) but I don't recall getting equal heat for having William F. Buckley on our air every week for decades. Why is that?
And I've used what I refer to as the "Pat Mitchell" ploy in presentations I've made to local community groups ... pointing out that the cable channels that were supposed to make needing PBS obsolete are running lowest-common-denominator programs like "Dog the Bounty Hunter" instead of the Metropolitan Opera.
Public Broadcasting has some lofty ideals and goals, but more often than not we seemed aimed in the right direction. (Whether we can always follow through due to politics, resources or other hurdles is still an issue...)
I guess I'm just enough of an idealist (tempered nicely with my pragmatist leanings) to want pubcasting to work. Am I fooling myself? You betcha. Been doing it for more than three decades.
So, maybe the dream is still alive. Maybe society needs a public broadcasting now more than ever, or something "like" public broadcasting that will provide an independent voice that's not commercially viable or vitriolic and a conduit for expression in a
world of media conglomeration.
You've all heard it all before, but I can dream, can't I?
By
pubguru, at 12 July, 2006 14:55
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