Public Broadcasting Provides Choice

2011-03-09T22:06:00.010-05:00

Jay Mundy

March 09, 2010

In the recent discussions in the media, in political circles, and amongst politicians about funding for public broadcasting, what has not been discussed sufficiently is the service that public broadcasting provides to Americans.

As is so often the case in America, ideologues shape the debate, and their followers heed their leaders’ directives. Many on the right seek to de-fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. They argue that taxpayers should not be forced to subsidize broadcasting that would be better left to the management and brilliance of the private sector and the free market in which it operates. Those on the left argue that government ought to provide money to services like PBS and NPR, for without having to compete with the private sector, they have the ability to churn out quality programming. Cuts to public broadcasting remain possible as Congress attempts to reach a compromise on this year’s fiscal spending bill, as this dispatch reports.

For conservatives, the vitriol originates from their belief that there exists a so-called liberal bias in public broadcasting. NPR’s chief executive officer, Vivian Schiller, resigned today after one of her fundraisers was caught on tape criticizing conservatives and suggesting that the national NPR network would be better off without public funds. As is so sadly the case, everything boils down to liberal versus conservative and vice versa. No man cares if his argument has any substance.

If a so-called liberal bias does indeed exist in public broadcasting news programming, conservatives ought to push for equality and seek the ouster of current management; they should seek not to destroy this fundamental service.

Public broadcasting is important for all, regardless of if one enjoys the programming. If a man dislikes the networks because their news programming contains an apparent bias, he ought to seek change. At any rate, these partisan arguments are a non-issue. Public broadcasting in and of itself is integral to choice – this is the important point.

Public broadcasting does not have to rely on advertisers; it survives on contributions and government funds, and as a result, meaningful programming is created and aired.

In private sector broadcasting, which includes nearly all networks on Americans’ television sets and radios, programming is created only if money will be made from the programming. In short, if executives believe that a program will attract viewers or listeners, they will sanction its production and purchase the programming. If the programming does bring in viewers and listeners when aired, advertisers, beyond those initially attracted by promises made by networks, purchase air time. The corrosive influence of money dictates that the programming making the most money is the programming of the highest value.

Just because people are watching or listening does not mean that a certain program is of any quality. People slow down on the highway to view a car wreck; on television, they will stop to watch the reality show featuring people whose lives mirror a car wreck.

The free market man would argue that in the private sector, quality programming will prevail because the people will decide, with their eyeballs and ears, what is quality programming. Indeed, the people have the right to decide, for the elites have not the right to dictate to them what they ought to watch. But in the case of television, when the majority of people choose denigrating reality programming en masse, the minority ought to have a network to which they can turn that is broadcasting programming of substance. Those people need programming that will not be cancelled suddenly because a larger number of people decide that they like better the programming featuring excessive profanity and carnality aired on the private networks.

A comparison is in order. In New York City, Channel Thirteen broadcasts PBS programming and WPIX is the local CW Network affiliate. From 9am-12pm today, Channel 13 aired three hours of wholesome children’s programming (this writer has a young relative and can attest that the programming is both innocent and educational). In those three hours, WPIX aired two episodes of “Maury” and one of “Jerry Springer.” Both of those programs are indecent, crude, and tasteless. Within that three-hour time frame, all the other local broadcast affiliates aired adult soap operas, coarse court shows, and talk programs featuring indecent topics. That is the free market at work.

There are a plethora of excellent non-children programs aired on PBS at other hours, though additional comparisons are not necessary, for one sees the main point attempting to be made here.

Public broadcasting is not competing against private networks: it is not big government versus the private industry. Public broadcasting fills a need; it is broadcasting what the private networks will not broadcast. When local commercial radio networks, owned by behemoth parent corporations are replacing local programs with syndicated ones, one ought to realize the need for at least one network that will fight against the tide. Apart from one’s stripped-down local news, programming on private networks produced for locales specifically are a dying breed.

One might then argue that PBS does fill a void, and that if Channel Thirteen were to shut down, and its broadcasting rights auctioned to a private buyer, the new private network would fill the void and air in-demand PBS-like programming. It is not likely. The private networks see no need to do so now, and so they air “Jerry Springer” programming. A private network on channel thirteen would do the same.

Choice is good and it is public broadcasting that provides choice. Without public broadcasting, one would be left with no choice. If the nation were not in the midst of a budget crisis, it would do well to consider providing more funding for public broadcasting.

You may contact Jay Mundy via electronic mail by sending a letter to Jay@JayMundy.com.

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Public Broadcasting Provides Choice