That has been a bone of contention for several years. On the one hand, PBS points to its merchanising as proof of its popularity, and yet has its hand out. However, the kiddie shows are just part of their programming; not many plush toys of the cast of the McNeil-Leherer show. I understand that they have a top-heavy administration that siphons a lot of cash out of the budget - kinda like most government departments.
I just happen to flip by Aaron Brown's show last night and caught Bill Moyers on with him.
That man is E V I L.
All I could think of was there are no two people on earth that love to hear their own voices more than those two.
I worked with a guy from Scotland for a while and his sister was with "Lionheart TV" which is the source for BBC programming in America. I remember he told me that she used to fly back and forth from the UK via the Concord. She wasn't even all that high on the pecking order. At 8K per ticket one way, it was a waste.
I'm willing to contribute to any candidate that wants to eliminate funding.
BROWN: Is there a moment, when you became two organized conservative groups? Because I'm not sure it's true of people who are conservative politically necessarily, but organized conservative groups essentially journalistic Satan?
BILL MOYERS, JOURNALIST: There must be. Because suddenly I did sprout horn. They saw it. I didn't see it. I think it's because they didn't -- they weren't hearing what they wanted to hear from somebody who knows them very well. I tracked the conservatives for 40 years. I was in the Johnson campaign against Goldwater. I watched them grow. I did many documentaries about them when they emerged into power. I was the -- I offered Ronald Reagan the first hour on public broadcasting before he was a presidential candidate. I know these guys, and I don't buy their party line, and I don't spout their party line. And so there was a point at which they didn't like -- they weren't hearing what they wanted to hear, and I became their bad boy.
http://transcripts.cnn.com/TRANSCRIPTS/0506/24/asb.01.html