tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post111449320114416711..comments2005-08-08T00:11:06.146+09:00Comments on Riding Sun: Conservative biker shaking up PBSUnknownnoreply@blogger.comBlogger7125tag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1115003434177619172005-05-02T12:10:00.000+09:002005-05-02T12:10:00.000+09:00"Now" is without a doubt a show with a strong libe..."Now" is without a doubt a show with a strong liberal slant, but have you ever seen Washington Week or Wall Street Week right afterwards? Not everything on PBS is utterly left wing. Back when Louis Ruckeyser(sp?) was the host of Wall Street he would editorialize from a strong Republican standpoint, and Washington Week has reporters from a range of publications on their roundtable. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://www.mutantfrog.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="roy dot berman at gmail dot com">Mutantfrog</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114638284426004832005-04-28T06:44:00.000+09:002005-04-28T06:44:00.000+09:00Bojack:"Also, I've read the NYT magazine interview...Bojack:<BR/><BR/><I>"Also, I've read the NYT magazine interview a few times and fail to see the snide tone you refer to. I want to say that this is just liberal boogeyman paranoia, but I'm keeping my disdain in check."</I> <BR/><BR/>LOL! You still mention the "liberal bogeyman paranoia" when it comes to not seeing Deborah Solomon's bias/tone in her <I>Sunday NY Times Magazine</I> column, but I do appreciate that you've toned down the tenor of your writing. It's appreciated.<BR/><BR/>I agree that PBS has to fund-raise because of the cuts to their budgets, and this means that pledge drives are a necessary evil. I would also argue that, as an organization that depended almost solely on Government funding until sadi budget cuts were made, they had an even greater obligation to be politically objective. Despite the budget cuts, the obligation to present both sides of a story remains.<BR/><BR/>Perhaps the awful pledge drives, whose formats have remained static since the time the budget cuts first occurred, are another symptom of the staid nature of those who have run the organization prior to Mr. Ferree. It may be just me, but I've always thought that "staid" is an unofficial synonym for "elitist". After all, if you think you're already doing everything better than anyone else, why consider new ideas for raising funds? Or new formats, etc.? It may be just my own personal semantics, but it's what I have come to believe based on having been a PBS watcher for 30+ years.<BR/> <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/conservative-biker-shaking-up-pbs.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="s_langworthy at hotmail dot com">Langtry</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114566291093400102005-04-27T10:44:00.000+09:002005-04-27T10:44:00.000+09:00Indeed, I know nothing about Mr. Ferree's tastes i...Indeed, I know nothing about Mr. Ferree's tastes in programming and have no objection to his taking the helm at the CPB. I do not think he is a dummy and have no reason to think that he will dumb down the programming. God speed Mr. Ferree.<BR/><BR/>If you are concerning with the pledge drives, take issue with the $60 million budget cuts. It is a simple matter of economics.<BR/><BR/>Also, I've read the NYT magazine interview a few times and fail to see the snide tone you refer to. I want to say that this is just liberal boogeyman paranoia, but I'm keeping my disdain in check.<BR/><BR/> <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A>BojackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114559076035284422005-04-27T08:44:00.000+09:002005-04-27T08:44:00.000+09:00You may not share Ken Ferree's tastes in programmi...You may not share Ken Ferree's tastes in programming, but he is no dummy. A good background of the man can be found in <A HREF="http://www.usatoday.com/money/media/2003-05-11-ferree_x.htm" REL="nofollow">this</A>  2003 USA Today article, written when Ferree was at the FCC.<BR/><BR/>Interesting points about Ferree:<BR/><BR/>-- Went to Dartmouth College, then graduated near top of his class from Georgetown Law School.<BR/><BR/>-- Plays classical piano<BR/><BR/>-- "By all accounts, Ferree is one of the sharpest legal minds in Washington." <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com" REL="nofollow" TITLE="gaijin_biker at yahoo dot com">GaijinBiker</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114550506501403442005-04-27T06:21:00.000+09:002005-04-27T06:21:00.000+09:00Bojack: You have the potential to be eloquent, yet...Bojack: <BR/><BR/>You have the potential to be eloquent, yet the disdainful tone your posts so frequently take sabotages your posts every time. I thought my post was pretty clear, and I thought I cited precise examples of why I thought PBS pledge drives are "f*cking dull." Perhaps I lacked detail as to why I think they people who run PBS are elitist.<BR/><BR/>In my opinion, it is elitist:<BR/><BR/>To assume that others share your political slant.<BR/><BR/>To assume that said political slant is the norm, and therefore other opinions/leanings need not be addressed in your programming.<BR/><BR/>To condescend to a new PBS CEO because he does not share the aforementioned politcal slant as his predecessors (as does Ms. Solomon in the <I>NY Times Sunday Magazine</I> <B>GB</B> cites in the post).<BR/><BR/>To promote causes that trend to your political in your programming, and ignoring contrary programs, or relegating them to hours when no one is likely to be watching, i.e. overnight.<BR/><BR/>I could go on, but this is <B>GB's</B> blog, not mine. As for PBS pledge drives being dull as dirt and tacky in presentation (asking kids to get their parents during a break in "Sesame Street", or running "The Three Tenors" for the fifth time in one week b/c the old farts in the audience can't get enough of a no-longer-in-fine-form Luciano Pavorotti), you'd have to be one of their employees to disagree. <BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/conservative-biker-shaking-up-pbs.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="s_langworthy at hotmail dot com">Langtry</A>Sharonhttps://www.blogger.com/profile/15533437212721794768noreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114543446076404622005-04-27T04:24:00.000+09:002005-04-27T04:24:00.000+09:00LangtryElitist? How's is that exactly? Because the...Langtry<BR/><BR/>Elitist? How's is that exactly? Because their programs are thought provoking? Because they assume that their viewers/listeners operate with a threshold understanding of politics, science, history, culture and art? Because they don't cater to dummies with short (or non-existent) attention spans with flashy graphics, two-second camera cuts and shouting heads? Because they feature an animated bunny visiting with a friend who lives with a lesbian couple.<BR/><BR/>And what exactly is your point about pledge drives? <BR/>They're boring? Nice insight. <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A>BojackAnonymousnoreply@blogger.comtag:blogger.com,1999:blog-9395124.post-1114530555514906932005-04-27T00:49:00.000+09:002005-04-27T00:49:00.000+09:00It's funny that these PBS/NPR people are so elitis...It's funny that these PBS/NPR people are so elitist about what they broadcast. Both networks are editorially Left, but more embarassing than that is how staid they have become. Not staid as in "Masterpiece Theatre" or "Mystery", both of which I enjoy. No, it's their pledge-driven programming that makes them so f*cking dull.<BR/><BR/>I've said to friends and family that I would pay an annual BBC-type fee if it meant that PBS would never run another pledge drive. They do these awful drives every 2 - 3 months, and they take no breaks from asking for money, not even during the morning kids' cartoons ("Go ask your parents to come to the TV ..."). That and the constant rereuns of Andre Rieu, Yanni, Doo-Wop, Susie Orman (whom I am convinced is coked up), etc. <I>ad nauseum</I> .<BR/><BR/>They're no longer public television, at least as we might understand them to be. Frankly, PBS should call all of their affiliates "WOCC", as in "Only Crones & Coots" wouls be caught dead watching their programming. Pretty soon even their left-leaning programs won't be able to justify their existance, as the traditional PBS audience leaves to watch CNN. I hope <B>Ken Ferree</B>  can shake things up a lot, because PBS is in danger of killing itself off long before Conservatives would have any chance of dismantling their programming structure.  <BR/><BR/><A></A><A></A>Posted by<A><B> </B></A><A HREF="http://ridingsun.blogspot.com/2005/04/conservative-biker-shaking-up-pbs.html#comments" REL="nofollow" TITLE="s_langworthy at hotmail dot com">Langtry</A>Anonymousnoreply@blogger.com