We just lost our local PBS station -- sad day

[samalex]

Hey guys ..

I've been a fan of PBS since I was a kid, and now that our daughter is 2.5 yo most of what she watches comes on PBS. We have it on in the morning when we get ready for work/school, and in the evenings there's always something great on.

Today KWBU-TV in Waco, Tx announced (http://www.kwbu.org/news.php?action=story&story=73373) that due to a drop in contributions the TV station is not sustainable so it's going off the air in May. I have to admit though that as much as we use both the PBS and NPR stations it's been years since I've contributed so I feel partly at fault here. My wife and I have just recently reorganized our budget and I actually planned on contributing this week to both the TV and Radio stations, which I still plan on doing, but I guess it's a day late and a dollar short for the TV station.

Has any other larger town lost their PBS or NPR station for this reason? If not and if you spend any time of the week watching/listening to either then please contribute because I'd hate to think of a world without either of these great resources.

We have one PBS station in a neighboring down about 60 miles away which is broadcasted on our cable, but it's not in HD so hopefully they change that. The local paper interviewed both local cable TV providers, but they just read the news today as everyone else so who knows if we'll have a good alternative after May.

Anyway, just some blah news on this Tuesday morning. Take care,

Sam

[oldos2er]

I feel for you. I watch a lot of PBS, and listen to a lot of NPR. PBS does have a lot of video online: http://video.pbs.org/

[samalex]

I feel for you. I watch a lot of PBS, and listen to a lot of NPR. PBS does have a lot of video online: http://video.pbs.org/

They do have lots of content online, but it's not the same. Also our local PBS station was the first TV station locally to go HD, and they had 3 different stations they maintained with some excellent content about any time of the day.

If our cable providers don't offer alternative solutions we will have to stick with online resources, but I think the biggest impact will be our morning routine since we have it on PBS every morning for our daughter. She's honestly not a huge fan of much on Disney or Nick Jr, but she loves the PBS shows. We'll have to get those off either AppleTV or Netflix I guess, if they're even offered.

Sam

[swoll1980]

Everybody thinks PBS is free. People don't want to watch ads, and they don't want to donate. This is what happens. I suggested earlier today Ubuntu add ads to the software center. People said things like if they do that I will never use it again. If there are no ads, and not enough donations this is what happens.

[oldsoundguy]

Handwriting is on the wall in states that favor the tea party. PBS is on the opposite side of the political aisle .. hence lack of funds in such states.

Reason CAN prevail .. Oregon has ONE PBS station .. it started out with many, but soon realized that ONE station that worked off of cable/repeaters was much more economical to run.
It is nice to have your PBS LOCAL, but in today's financial climate, makes more sense to consolidate.

In Texas, there are still some areas of common sense .. mostly the larger towns in the east, but Austin should take the lead, as it has the strongest PBS outlet in the state.

[forrestcupp]

I guess we take PBS for granted, don't we?


Everybody thinks PBS is free. People don't want to watch ads, and they don't want to donate.
My PBS station has ads in between shows. There aren't 10 minutes of commercials like network TV, but they do advertise the companies that support the show that was just aired.

By the way, this reminds me of that old Beavis and Butthead where they were laughing because PBS starts with Pee and ends in BS. :)

[Groucho Marxist]

I guess we take PBS for granted, don't we?


My PBS station has ads in between shows. There aren't 10 minutes of commercials like network TV, but they do advertise the companies that support the show that was just aired

Exactly; corporate or private underwriting is very similar in terms of US broadcast law to straightforward advertising.

Here's hoping my college's PBS and NPR stations do not go under prior to graduation (I'm seeking on-air and production positions next year).