Free Republic

It was only ten years ago that House Republicans, particularly the freshmen swept into office in 1994, were dead-set on reducing funds for the Public Broadcasting Service [PBS]. Sesame Street’s “Big Bird” did not go the way of the dodo bird despite the best efforts of the “revolutionaries.” The PBS webpage states that 18% of its funding comes from its parent, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, federal grants and contracts. PBS continues receiving Federal subsidies despite the continued growth of cable and satellite networks, which broadcast quality programming to consumers. Undoubtedly much television broadcasting is indeed a vast wasteland but...

from the April 19, 2004 edition - http://www.csmonitor.com/2004/0419/p08s03-comv.html Not Reaching for the Remote Now in its 10th year, National TV-Turnoff Week has slowly become a reason for bringing communities closer. About 25 percent of Americans say they watch less television during this week, encouraged by a number of groups. In Shiprock, N.M., for instance, prizes will be awarded for families who've fired up their imagination and developed the best new board games. In other cities, companies are helping sponsor free swim nights at community pools, nature walks, spaghetti dinners, or storytelling events at libraries. Kids in an Illinois community are...

If they turn off the tube, could their lives improve? 01:20 PM CDT on Saturday, April 17, 2004 By STEVE BLOW / The Dallas Morning News A job in journalism takes you into a lot of different homes. And I mean from mansions to shacks. One thing I noticed almost from the very start – the poorer the home, the more prevalent the television. By that, I partly mean the television set itself. I was surprised to go into tiny, ramshackle homes and find an enormous, big-screen television wedged into the living room. But more than that, I noticed that...