King: Public Broadcasting needs a shake-up
The animus that has led President Trump to order an end to federal funding of PBS and NPR isn t new Masses broadcasting has been an irritant to conservatives for a long time Conservatives say community broadcasters are biased against them especially PBS they are a kind of ground zero for all things woke and they don t deserve one penny of general money My friend and colleague Adam Clayton Powell III who has worked in commercial and community television and was the first vice president of news at NPR in the s thinks that particular of the old rigor about being even-handed may have fallen away What I think has happened and conservative critics see this as bias is that services reflecting a humanitarian concern about minorities about the left-out and about those who are without rose in volume That has led to the impression of constituents broadcasting being left-of-center Full disclosure Since I have produced and hosted White House Chronicle a weekly news and society affairs show which airs on certain PBS stations and is available to all PBS stations via the PBS satellite As an independent producer I don t receive funding from PBS I don t think PBS and NPR need to be defunded but they need to be taken by the lapels and shaken They can be as tired as they are self-regarding I once inquired an major PBS executive why there wasn t more original creative drama on PBS The executive shot back It would cost too much money PBS is dominated by the shows it buys from Britain The best of PBS is British either from the BBC or the commercial channels which go under the rubric of ITV The the bulk achieving PBS show in recent days Downton Abbey came from ITV PBS also seems to have an endless need to tell us all that is known about the history of the English royal families What is lacking at PBS is creativity It is time for society broadcasting to think beyond its self-imposed creative chastity A fear of commercialism pervades PBS and NPR It is written into their protocols Powell suggested on a current episode of White House Chronicle which he co-hosts that constituents broadcasters might look at what William Paley who built CBS did in its radio days before television Paley noting that NBC had all the talent and all the income went to top stars of the day like Jack Benny Bing Crosby and Red Skelton and noted he would let them control and produce their shows on CBS and at the end of the runs they would own their material free and clear It changed the fortunes of CBS If PBS produced great entertainment programs it could sell them worldwide as the BBC does Two documentary series Frontline and Nova produced by Boston s WGBH show that PBS can reach its high when it seeks to do so Great entertainment might not be enough income to solve all its problems but at least it would open up a new revenue stream At the end of the day what society broadcasting requirements is to be known as a creative hub the first place for new ideas performers and writers Llewellyn King is the executive producer and host of White House Chronicle on PBS InsideSources
