Sunday, June 11, 2006
Continued public funding for Sesame Street?
Just read a form letter from moveon regarding an effort to "save public broadcasting". In part, it read:- Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS -- unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."
Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years--threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.
The blatant misleading marketing memes in the message stuck in my craw, and I wrote back:
NPR and PBS are anacronisms of a better buried age. Admittedly, the opinion shows keep certain types talking instead of making bombs in the basement.
But: As for news anyone who believes serious news and research comes from NPR should probably check into news.google.com more often. More serious news is generated by having all our citizens armed with video cameras awaiting the right time. And for the power of public broadcasting (narrowly defined as radio and tv) still changing the world - see the power and justice in public internet embarrassment, in cases like the The stolen Sidekick.
And, lastly, as for any wave of sympathy coming from me regarding PBS's continuing support of Sesame Street... Don't make me laugh. That hoary old chestnut gets pulled out every single time someone suggests public funding for broadcasting be cut and it's long past time it was debunked.
A quick glance at wikipedia for Sesame Street shows the enormous size and scope of the Sesame Street franchise, and the wildly diverse forms of funding it has.
I think PBS and NPR need Sesame street a lot more than Sesame Street needs PBS and NPR. If Sesame Street didn't have to carry the weight of all the useless crap that PBS has to carry in the first place, it might even be a better show!
Secondly, at 36 seasons long it would take a child watching the show every day from the age of 0 til 3 to ever see a repeated episode.
Using tax dollars to "Support public broadcasting" is silly in the Internet Age. "Broadcasting" was a limitation of technology, now long dead in an age where everyone can make their own show.
Let broadcast media die. Or run fund-raisers for funding from people that remain fond of it, and buggy-whips, and other archaic forms of technology.
If it were up to me I'd divert NPR's funds into something useful like One laptop per child or extending the Net into rural areas - but I'd be just as happy if Congress returned the funds to the people, who are, enthusastically, doing their own damn broadcasting. ¶ 9:17 PM
