PBS: Selling Me What I Don't Want
- Fred
- 9 hours ago
- 3 min read
I simply typed the word NEWS in the Google Search Bar:
Hmm, that's very curious on a number of levels.
Level I: I cut the cord. At our home, we have streaming options and a crappy antenna. I should buy a better antenna? This is our FIFTH crappy antenna, each one more expensive than the last, but works EXACTLY the same. The WVIZ Channel 25 feed come through.... most of the time. For local news options, we leave the stations set at WKYC Channel 3 or WEWS Channel 5. Not because we like them, but because their feed comes in uninterrupted.
Level II: This is a personal reason.
My kid was working at Cleveland State college radio station WCSB last year when Ideastream/WVIZ bought it out and shut it down. I should be able to block adds from Ideastream. Why did Ideastream need to kick a bunch of college kids out on the sidewalk? So they could simulcast JazzNeo, a public radio program that was already on WCLV.
Level III: But, most importantly, WVIZ shouldn't exist.
Even if my antenna worked correctly, and I didn't have a beef with Ideastream, I still don't understand how WVIZ exists. Beacon of Speech co-founder Ted lives much closer to Cleveland's transmission towers than I and he reports that he can get 73 total local stations. Why do any local stations need government subsidies? To my knowledge PBS is the only station with that arrangement, every other TV station in America has to deal with market forces.
So let me get this straight.
I pay taxes to the government.
PBS gets money from the government.
PBS buys ads on Google, trying to convince me to watch their version of the news.
I ignore the ad, scroll past in under one second.
Where did my money go?
Listen, I'm not some MAGA Kook, I don't have a specific problem with PBS's politics, all I am saying is that even if PBS didn't exist, I'd still have, like, 65 other over the air options. And that doesn't include all the news options I could have on Cable, the Internet, or free streaming services like Pluto.
There shouldn't be a government run Public Broadcasting Station, the marketplace is already saturated. Well, unless PBS really was Public TV, like as in Public Access. In that case, I would understand why the government would have to supplement that, it would be like amateur television broadcasting versus professional.
Almost like a romanticized version of UHF:
If I was General Manger of WVIZ, I would continue showing local content, but would opt for only a few national options. I would load the schedule with low-cost, alternate local voices. You don't think the leader of the local Libertarian Party wouldn't love to have a platform?
I don't think that's what PBS would want, I believe they are trying market their overarching "brand." Trust me, their brand of news is no better than the other options.
You counter that I'd be a terrible PBS GM, I'd waste too much airtime with B-Movie Hosts?
Actually, that's a fair criticism of my attention span. I'd give all these hosts jobs.
What was my point again?
If you’re a true news junkie, Whatfinger News is your fix—more news, more sources, and zero Big Tech censorship.
35 years ago, my Manager at Taco Bell also worked part time at a local radio station in Akron. He was a super-good guy, I still remember one of his funny radio bits was the character "Itchy Armpits." Surprisingly, he, too, has a YouTube Channel and a late-night presence. His show? The Weirdness, Really Bad Movie.
I'm pulling the 2 AM reruns of Antiques Roadshow and giving Dave a slot.....