The Push for a “PBS for the Internet” • Hacker News Board

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#51

Post by d6ba56c039d9 » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

1-6 wrote: post #2

If we just focus on video just a sec and not the ENTIRE INTERNET, PBS seems increasingly irrelevant in an era where YouTube has narrowed the gap between content creators and content consumers. I remember the 90's being filled with pledge drives so PBS can raise funding. The content was good at the time but it's no where near what YouTube has become. If we go back to this original article linked, who gets to decide wh…

>PBS seems increasingly irrelevant

I would agree. In terms of production quality, youtube videos can be all over the map (although the cost of quality continues to decrease), but I'd say that the large-scale commercial broadcasters may well continue to dwindle. Personally, 1 guy (or 2/3) youtube shows are my favorites, they tend to be more charming and cover niche areas.

For newsie news, I find myself using mostly RT in my news reader. There's a POV of course, but they don't carry much US domestic news, which is fine by me.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#52

Post by asdff » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

igorstellar wrote: post #45

duxup wrote: post #7

Well there is: https://www.pbs.org/video/ Also PBS has a great kids games app(s) that are free with games that are fun / no ads. And PBS kids video app is again free, great content, no ads. If you're in the US and care about that content, I suggest contributing to your local station. The quality of the content from kids to adult is outstanding. It's not usual for me to browse a few streaming services and just end up…

> I suggest contributing to your local station how do you find one to contribute? definitely interested in that, been binge watching The Great British Baking Show for a while now

Search for your nearest major city + public radio.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#53

Post by strifey » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:23 PM UTC

igorstellar wrote: post #45

duxup wrote: post #7

Well there is: https://www.pbs.org/video/ Also PBS has a great kids games app(s) that are free with games that are fun / no ads. And PBS kids video app is again free, great content, no ads. If you're in the US and care about that content, I suggest contributing to your local station. The quality of the content from kids to adult is outstanding. It's not usual for me to browse a few streaming services and just end up…

> I suggest contributing to your local station how do you find one to contribute? definitely interested in that, been binge watching The Great British Baking Show for a while now

Go to pbs.org. It will ask you to select a station based on your location and popup a big donate banner. There's also a donate button on the top bar. I feel like they make it pretty easy and obvious.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#54

Post by Karunamon » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

TurningCanadian wrote: post #46

nikkinana wrote: post #33

I love government sponsored content for free, that's where I get all of my news and stuff. Except, wait, what, PBS isn't free? Don't we already pay taxes?

If the US government paid $1 in total to PBS, would you be surprised that PBS couldn't provide its service for free? The US pays about 4% of what the UK pays per capita for public broadcasting. https://site-cbc.radio-canada.ca/documents/impact-and-accoun... Members, corporate underwriting, and distribution fees each provide a bigger percentage of its revenue than the federal government https://publiceditor.bento-live…

>The US pays about 4% of what the UK pays per capita for public broadcasting.

This can't be mentioned without also mentioning that the UK enforces a yearly license (so, a tax) on anyone who watches OTA TV, and they're known to be a bit scummy and heavy-handed about it.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#55

Post by jbluepolarbear » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:25 PM UTC

duxup wrote: post #7

Well there is: https://www.pbs.org/video/ Also PBS has a great kids games app(s) that are free with games that are fun / no ads. And PBS kids video app is again free, great content, no ads. If you're in the US and care about that content, I suggest contributing to your local station. The quality of the content from kids to adult is outstanding. It's not usual for me to browse a few streaming services and just end up…

The pbs apps are made by OPB (Oregon public broadcasting) they’ve been a big partner of pbs for a long time.

The apps are really good and they try to keep relevant content and popular shows on the apps.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#56

Post by tootie » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:26 PM UTC

jds_ wrote: post #6

I would like to note that PBS does actually publish Youtube videos via PBS Digital Studios[0][1]. They have great creators making PBS quality content but in "Youtube" style formats with a wide range of topics (science, popular culture, art, food, news, and music). [0] https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBS_Digital_Studios [1] https://www.youtube.com/c/pbsdigitalstudios/channels

CPB also funds local public radio affiliates and NPR.

But I think the paper is calling for more than just local news. They want expansive digital properties to supplement all our browsing habits.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#57

Post by asdff » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:26 PM UTC

plussed_reader wrote: post #42

mumblemumble wrote: post #18

Earlier quoted context omitted.

I get that more from my local NPR affiliate than I do PBS. Which I think is perhaps appropriate, if we've got to make a choice between the two. Textual media are a somewhat smaller jump from radio than they are from TV, and also, at least in my area, public radio is already doing a lot more local journalism. The public television station has a fair bit of locally produced programming, but most of it isn't really jour…

Kqed is both the npr radio and TV station for a good chunk of the sf bay area. I know in other markets this is not the same arrangement.

In Los Angeles there are two local NPR stations within 25 miles of eachother: KCRW and KPCC.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#58

Post by bississippi » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:30 PM UTC

Is this a joke ? The news media seems to be conflating Internet with web. The whole idea of the internet is decentralization, “PBS for the internet” in my opinion would look like the “Great Chinese Firewall”

https://www.wired.com/1997/06/china-3/

And eventually like this https://www.amazon.com/Perfect-Police-State-Undercover-Surve...

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#59

Post by Mizza » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

technofiend wrote: post #43

Mizza wrote: post #5

But PBS is already on the internet.. I love public media and have worked in the public media industry, and what I think what we really need is PBS for conservatives. Can you name a _single_ conservative PBS/NPR host or program? Was there a _single_ time in the past 5 years they gave any legitimate consideration to the viewpoints that 50% of the country hold, or acknowledged the material conflict underlying their ideo…

NPR already airs opposing viewpoints regularly. I've heard them interview Republican senators and conservative commentators many times this year right alongside with people on the other side of the aisle. If you mean NPR needs to carve out some time dedicated to a particular political view, then perhaps your perception of them is the rest of the time they present an opposite view? In these highly politicized times pe…

Maybe some of this is regional. I listen to WNYC from New York and WHYY from Philadelphia, maybe the coverage is different in other regions.

To give some examples, Bob Garfield and Brian Lehrer were openly hostile towards Trump in such a way to disparage all of the people who voted for him, which was half of the country. Now, this isn't actually the thing I have a problem with, and I think I actually prefer it when hosts wear their hearts on their sleeves. But, you could never find the level of distain of Obama for his drone strikes, surveillance and massive wealth transfers to the rich that you could find of Trump for his racist demeanor, xenophobic immigration policies and massive wealth transfers to the rich.

A lot of my opinion is from working on the inside. Public media in the US, at least in the urban areas where I worked, is staffed _exclusively_ by Warren-type Democrats. They really believe that there is a correct view of the world, and that it is to be socially liberal and economically conservative - manifest through complex policy. Any other opinions - notably Bernie-ism or Trump-ism, are populist and to be dismissed as unserious.

Re: The Push for a “PBS for the Internet”

#60

Post by shadowgovt » Mon, Aug 02, 2021, 5:32 PM UTC

Interesting.

Authorizing the CPB to support local reporting could be a bit of a game-changer for the current status quo. I don't know that the rest of the idea would work (there are an awful lot of reasons why Internet media isn't anything like broadcast media), but "subsidizing local reporting as a public good" is an idea I hadn't seen before.