Updated: 07/02/2009

Film, Radio and TV - 27

Public Broadcasting programming -- both radio and television versions -- represents a welcome refuge from the deluge of advertising we encounter in commercial broadcasting.

Although time is spent on fundraising and mini-commercials, they generally do not interrupt program content, and these breaks are nothing like the 33% chunk of time (hourly average) we normally sit through with commercial broadcasting.

Not being ratings driven, Public Broadcasting can present worthwhile (often award-winning) programming that will not necessarily have to appeal to a broad base of viewers (the so-called LCD, or lowest common dominator).

We know that education, intelligence, and socioeconomic status are demographic characteristics related to the ability to understand abstract ideas. This is why the classics in music, art, and literature not widely appreciated and they have never been able to succeed on network television. .

At the same time, as network TV appears to be going the way of the dinosaur, the LCD approach to producing programming has become less relevant.

Data shows that most Public Broadcasting viewers have four or more years of college and make more than $70,000 a year. This group contains a high percentage of corporate, political, and educational leaders and decision makers.

Not included in the latter group is the large percentage of children 2-5 years of age that watch the many popular children's shows on PBS.

Not only have programs such as "Sesame Street" won many awards, but for several decades, they have had a positive impact on the reading and math abilities of young children.

Public Broadcasting has been able to tackle topics that are bypassed for various reasons by the commercial networks.

For example, "The Rev. Moon in America" is an in-depth Frontline documentary into the millions of dollars from a Korean religious organization, commonly referred to as "the Moonies," that surreptitiously supports many conservative causes in the U.S.

The documentary, based on a two-year investigation, revealed that the Rev. Moon has spent more than a billion dollars in the United States, largely to influence U.S. public opinion and decision-making. (Interestingly, considerable effort was brought to bear to keep the documentary from airing.)

To cite one more example, a PBS Frontline documentary on the U.S. invasion of Granada reveals a strikingly different story than the one promulgated by the U.S. government and subsequently by the mainstream press. (Most PBS programming is available on cassette for use in the classroom.)

Political Attempts at Influencing the

Programming of Public Broadcasting

Although documentaries like these reveal important information that voters in a democratic society should be aware of -- information that might not otherwise come to light -- they also draw sharp criticism.

There is a clause in the 1967 public broadcasting law that expressly forbids government "direction, supervision, or control" of public broadcasting.

It's understandable that conservatives see Public Broadcasting as being liberal; the demographics of public broadcasting listeners and viewers tend to lean in that direction.

But probably the main and largely unstated objections and political attacks on Public Broadcasting have resulted from the documentaries, including the two previously cited, that embarrassed some administrations by exposing disturbing facts.

This has resulted in various types of pressure, including the reduction of funding, and even the delay of Public Broadcasting funds for a period of time. As a result, Public Broadcasting has had to start relying much more heavily on corporate funding. Consequently, Public Broadcasting is now more nervous about programming that goes against the interests of large corporations.

Finally, Public Broadcasting has been on the forefront of technological innovation. For example, it was forefront of the move to digital and high-definition television.

Only on Public Broadcasting can the blind can "watch" TV. Through a service called DVS (Descriptive Video Service) a second audio channel is used to provide a description of the action taking place on the screen.

Foundations of Public Broadcasting

Being concerned that radio and television would be used solely for commercial purposes, nearly a half a century ago the Federal Communications Commission reserved both radio and TV channels for noncommercial stations.

Subsequently, the U.S. Congress established and funded Public Broadcasting to "...encourage the growth and development of public broadcasting, including the use of radio and television for instructional, educational, and cultural purposes...." One of the mandates was also to be active in technological innovations.
 

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The parent organization of public radio and TV in the United States is the CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting).  It was authorized by the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 to assist in the development of a nationwide public broadcasting system. The CPB is a private, nonprofit corporation that oversees the growth of public television and radio in the United States.

The CPB receives funding from the federal government and then disperses it to noncommercial stations for the production of radio and television programming. It also distributes direct grants to individual stations.

In addition to federal money, the CPB receives numerous grants from foundations. The Ford Foundation, which was responsible for originally funding many noncommercial TV stations, and the Walter H. Annenberg foundation are just two examples.

In order to be a Public Broadcasting affiliate, a noncommercial radio or TV station must meet certain operational standards. For this and other reasons, there are many noncommercial stations in the United States that are not affiliates.

The Public Broadcasting System

Delving further into the structure of the CPB we have PBS (the Public Broadcasting System), a private, nonprofit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 350 public television stations. The sources of funding for public television are shown below.

PBS provides TV programming and related services to more than 350 noncommercial stations serving the 50 states, Puerto Rico, the U.S. Virgin Islands, Guam, and American Samoa. PBS programming is available to 99 percent of American homes with television sets, and its programming reaches nearly 100 million people each week.

Of the PBS stations in the U.S., 51% represent community organizations, 32% colleges/universities,12% state authorities, and 5% local educational or municipal authorities.

The wide range of weekly programming available on PBS can be seen by clicking here.

Public Radio

Public radio in the United States dates back to the dawn of broadcasting, itself. In 1921, radio station 9XM (the forerunner of today's WHA-AM), started regular noncommercial programming from the University of Wisconsin.

After this, many other stations followed and noncommercial radio enjoyed a brief burst of growth. But then growth was stifled -- both by the economic chaos of the Depression and competition from commercial radio stations.

Things picked up when congress passed the Public Broadcasting Act, which authorizing the creation of CPB. The act specifically called for the CPB to encourage "the growth and development of noncommercial radio" and to develop "programming that will be responsive to the interests of the people.";

Public radio, like public television, has responded to this mandate by filling a gap left by commercial radio stations. This even extends to small communities. For example, in many remote Alaskan villages with limited mail and telephone service public radio stations are the primary means of communication and frequently the only source of daily news.

In some communities with large non-English-speaking populations, public radio provides a friendly place on the dial where people can hear programs in their native languages.

Public Radio Networks

NPR (National Public Radio) is the basic radio network of Public Broadcasting. Its most popular programs include "Morning Edition" and "All Things Considered." Today, there are more than 600 NPR affiliated stations on the air.

NPR has led important technological advances in radio, including establishing the first nationwide, satellite-delivered, U.S. radio distribution network in 1979.

By clicking here you can hear the latest news from NPR. (As in the case of the other audio links, this requires an appropriate plug-in for your browser.)

As we've suggested, Broadcasting isn't without its critics.

People at Public Broadcasting deny this, and they can legitimately point to series such as the award-winning "Frontline," that frequently tackle controversial topics.

With the networks, the major newspapers, broadcast outlets, and even most magazines and book publishers now controlled by just a few media conglomerates, and political contributions coming largely from these big business sources, many have begun to wonder just how free the U.S. media really is.

We'll have more information on this issue in the modules on TV news.

In the next module we'll look at the principles of TV programming.

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