George takes a swipe at Big Bird

Alex · 02-07-2006, 01:13 PM

I contribute to NPR (mostly for This American Life which is the best radio on the dial).

I just don't think the federal government should fund content creation and that what role it plays should be limited to ensuring the channel exists (reserving and licensing segments of the EM spectrum).

To the extent that government is involved in content creation it should be at the local level where it will be consumed. Though generally I don't support it there, either.

More specifically the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was a horrible idea that grew out of a specific moment in time (when there were only three networks on which to broadcast content and barriers to distribution were monumental) that doesn't exist any more and it should be done away with.

For those looking to label this left or right wing, for me it grows out of my libertarianism which I think of as neither left or right wing, though in this case it has a surface appearance of right wingism (just as my pro-drug legalization views tend to look left wing when viewed in isolation).

€uroMeinke · 02-07-2006, 01:19 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

More specifically the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was a horrible idea that grew out of a specific moment in time (when there were only three networks on which to broadcast content and barriers to distribution were monumental) that doesn't exist any more and it should be done away with.

This, I'm not so sure about - certainly things are different that the days of 3 Networks. But the times when I cruise the gazzillion channels, I really don't find much that speaks to me in the same way as the publicly funded stuff. Maybe that's becasue that niche is already filled by them?

For the record, my support is mostly in terms of radio. I rarely watch TV (no judgement intended there, just a statement of my personal viewing facts) PBS or otherwise.

Alex · 02-07-2006, 01:47 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by €uroMeinke

This, I'm not so sure about - certainly things are different that the days of 3 Networks. But the times when I cruise the gazzillion channels, I really don't find much that speaks to me in the same way as the publicly funded stuff. Maybe that's becasue that niche is already filled by them.

And this is where I get left behind. The feeling that if you have a preference in content, that the government should subsidize its existence if nobody else will.

I'd prefer that there be a commercial-free revival of Firefly but have no expectation that the government step in and give me one. Either I find enough like-minded people or it doesn't happen.

€uroMeinke · 02-07-2006, 01:54 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by Alex Stroup

And this is where I get left behind. The feeling that if you have a preference in content, that the government should subsidize its existence if nobody else will.

To be sure, I don't expect the government to fund my interests (but I have expressed my bias above) but I want to at least ensure that I have access to my interests.

If cable is expected to replace CPB braodcasts - then give me a voucher I can use toward my cable billl to cover my access to the bandwidth I just lost to another identical network.

Alex · 02-07-2006, 01:43 PM

The Big Bird thing is also inaccurate. According to Sesame Workshop's 2004 990 (the non-profit version of the 1040 individuals have to file) they receive little government money.

http://bbbnewyork.org/charityreports...s.aspx?id=1055

And it is difficult to claim too much poverty when you have at least 7 executives with salaries of more than a $250,000/year. I'm not saying they're not worth it, but not they're not poor. Also according to the same form, the direct production costs of 50 new episodes/year of Sesame Street are about $11 million. Somehow they find ways to be a non-profit on annual revenues of about $100 million (and another quarter billion in securities investments).

Again, I know that Sesame Workshop is hardly typical but it about the worst example you could use when arguing the poverty of public broadcasting.

02-07-2006, 01:13 PM	#1
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	I contribute to NPR (mostly for This American Life which is the best radio on the dial). I just don't think the federal government should fund content creation and that what role it plays should be limited to ensuring the channel exists (reserving and licensing segments of the EM spectrum). To the extent that government is involved in content creation it should be at the local level where it will be consumed. Though generally I don't support it there, either. More specifically the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was a horrible idea that grew out of a specific moment in time (when there were only three networks on which to broadcast content and barriers to distribution were monumental) that doesn't exist any more and it should be done away with. For those looking to label this left or right wing, for me it grows out of my libertarianism which I think of as neither left or right wing, though in this case it has a surface appearance of right wingism (just as my pro-drug legalization views tend to look left wing when viewed in isolation).
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02-07-2006, 01:43 PM	#5
Alex . Join Date: Feb 2005 Posts: 13,354	The Big Bird thing is also inaccurate. According to Sesame Workshop's 2004 990 (the non-profit version of the 1040 individuals have to file) they receive little government money. http://bbbnewyork.org/charityreports...s.aspx?id=1055 And it is difficult to claim too much poverty when you have at least 7 executives with salaries of more than a $250,000/year. I'm not saying they're not worth it, but not they're not poor. Also according to the same form, the direct production costs of 50 new episodes/year of Sesame Street are about $11 million. Somehow they find ways to be a non-profit on annual revenues of about $100 million (and another quarter billion in securities investments). Again, I know that Sesame Workshop is hardly typical but it about the worst example you could use when arguing the poverty of public broadcasting.
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