Live data from Hacker News

Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

cpb.org

451–460 of 646 posts

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#451
post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I think the idea that people in rural markets are watching PBS OTA linear content is a claim that will need to be supported with evidence. Linear television is dead, pretty much everywhere.

Sure! I'd love to provide you with evidence. In West Virginia, a state with a population of 1.8 million, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported 193,687 weekly TV viewers and 85,933 weekly radio listeners in FY 2023. https://wvpublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/WVPB-Annual-... In New Mexico, a state with a population of 1.8 million, New Mexico PBS reported 720,000 weekly TV viewers in 2024. https://www.newmexic…

I looked only at the New Mexico numbers, and they seem to be dwarfed by their own streaming numbers through Passport. Those OTA viewers are just going to switch to streaming.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#452

This is a giant thread full of people lamenting the demise of public broadcasting so it seems like someone should write the comment that points out that CPB doesn't do PBS programming. They don't develop content. They're a grantmaking organization that manages the distribution of the congressional PBS appropriation. The actual PBS and NPR shows you're familiar with are generally developed and produced privately, and…

PBS doesn’t make PBS content either. They acquire it from people who make it using CPB money, among others. Then the stations that don’t make the content license it from PBS, mainly using CPB money. And they use it to attract members/donors. You’ve framed this as if the disappearance of CPB and its money is basically a big nothing-burger, which is extremely far from the truth. Source: I work in the system at a level…

I don't think it's a nothing-burger. I think there will be programming cuts and layoffs even in the major market stations. But it's clearly not an existential threat to PBS.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#453
post #445

This is a giant thread full of people lamenting the demise of public broadcasting so it seems like someone should write the comment that points out that CPB doesn't do PBS programming. They don't develop content. They're a grantmaking organization that manages the distribution of the congressional PBS appropriation. The actual PBS and NPR shows you're familiar with are generally developed and produced privately, and…

Given that CBP is only 15% of PBS funding, I’m surprised they don’t start a national fundraising campaign instead. I’d happily donate some cash to keep PBS’s lights on in red states.

Nothing stops any of us from donating to local stations or PBS/NPR directly. Here's a good reference link:

https://help.pbs.org/support/solutions/articles/5000692392-w...

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#454

Contrary to the conservative spin over the years, I have found public broadcasting to be one of the least biased sources of headline news and information available. (For their national broadcasts at least - local ... can be hit or miss). In particular, their kids programming is the absolute best. Nothing flashy or exciting, but it's laser focused on education and has zero agenda. And the PBS kids apps are one of the…

> Nothing flashy or exciting, but it's laser focused on education and has zero agenda.

That’s not true. It just matches your agenda which you feel is no agenda. Of course you are against getting rid of instruments of persuasion that agree with your world view.

In the end it’s better for you too. Government shouldn’t support media.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#455

Earlier quoted context omitted.

"NPR Has Zero Republicans, 87 Democrats on Editorial Staff" How many "Republicans" applied?

Undoubtedly that's the reason for the under-representation of women as Fortune 500 CEO's. They're just not applying.

Would applying be a personal and professional liability for women, the way doing so at NPR could very well be for a "Republican?"

How many "Republicans" apply for jobs in gay bars?

Nice false-equivalency attempt.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#456

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> and then purchased by local PBS stations If those stations go off the air, who is buying that content? It's like arguing it doesn't matter if the stream dries up the plants don't get water from the stream, the plants get the water from the ground. Where did that water in the ground come from? The stream! You're right, these shows aren't going off the air tomorrow. But this does affect the funding for the shows prod…

This would make sense if CPB cuts meant all stations were going off the air, but the major market stations where most of the money comes from are fine.

If 20% of your pretty static set of clients went bankrupt wouldn't that pretty negatively affect your company? Or would it only affect it if all your clients went bankrupt?

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#458

Contrary to the conservative spin over the years, I have found public broadcasting to be one of the least biased sources of headline news and information available. (For their national broadcasts at least - local ... can be hit or miss). In particular, their kids programming is the absolute best. Nothing flashy or exciting, but it's laser focused on education and has zero agenda. And the PBS kids apps are one of the…

Thats expected. In functioning democracies state media is run for the purpose not profit. It doesnt have the corrupting influence of political money. PBS in the US could be so much better. Just look at what BBC is able to do in the UK.

State media doesn’t have corrupting influence of POLITICAL money? It’s inheriting my political! Government media is the worse possible thing.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#459
post #433

Earlier quoted context omitted.

Sure! I'd love to provide you with evidence. In West Virginia, a state with a population of 1.8 million, West Virginia Public Broadcasting reported 193,687 weekly TV viewers and 85,933 weekly radio listeners in FY 2023. https://wvpublic.org/wp-content/uploads/2024/01/WVPB-Annual-... In New Mexico, a state with a population of 1.8 million, New Mexico PBS reported 720,000 weekly TV viewers in 2024. https://www.newmexic…

I looked only at the New Mexico numbers, and they seem to be dwarfed by their own streaming numbers through Passport. Those OTA viewers are just going to switch to streaming.

The NM report says that there were 900,000 total Passport streams in 2024. Because there are 52 weeks in a year, that's an average of only about 17,300 streams per week.

Re: Corporation for Public Broadcasting ceasing operations

#460

Earlier quoted context omitted.

> Babies are not babies until they are born. They’re fetuses. This is a factual statement with accurate medical terminology. We don’t call them meteorites until they hit the earth, either.

In medical jargon, sure. In common usage, including among medical professionals , it's extremely common to just say "baby" in many contexts, especially when the baby is wanted and expected to be viable and brought to term. Nobody but a few weirdos or people trying to make some kind of a joke are gonna say to their partner "oh, did they give you any pictures of our fetus from the ultrasound? Oh look at our fetus ' tin…

You're responding to someone who thinks pointing to a dictionary automatically wins an argument.
Post reply on HN