What is Digg?697 Comments
- vroom101, on 02/19/2008, -33/+630Yes!!!
- inactive, on 02/19/2008, -28/+421really? I don't think I'll ever see "Nature's most XXX-TREME animals" and ***** as is on cable on PBS. There isn't anything comparable to Frontline, Nova and the other PBS shows on cable. Cable is the cesspool at this point. Not even the Food channel is as good as the PBS cooking shows.
Here's a run down of what's on cable:
FOOD = Fat Texans shoveling mounds of BBQ in their fat faces
HIST = Hitler Channel
DISC = "Most XXXTREME Animals" total crap
COMEDY = best channel overall
EVERYTHING ELSE = playing CSI:Somewhere or some other cop, lawyer, or doctor show - pampusik, on 02/19/2008, -7/+201Yes, PBS is needed. Today we have thousands of channels and 99.98% of them are pure crap.
- stilesja, on 02/19/2008, -9/+169The public owns the airwaves, there needs to be a public broadcast system. No one is stopping anyone from watching the mind numbing ***** on the rest of the channels, hell its enjoyable sometimes but PBS never fails to deliver a good documentary or educational programing. I wish there were more of it like the science shows from the BBC I see you YouTube though.
- ichchappycat, on 02/19/2008, -12/+132I'm really surprised to see this in the New York Times... While I think PBS needs a facelift, I agree with kelt65 about how PBS doesn't host the crap programming to bring in the mindless masses.
- YEEK, on 02/19/2008, -7/+122One word... "FRONTLINE"
- republikdh, on 02/19/2008, -9/+107This is the worst article and idea Ive ever come across on here. PBS is GREATLY needed.
- mkriss5681, on 02/19/2008, -5/+100NOVA is by far the best science show on television.
- jebudas, on 02/19/2008, -6/+95God! If you had any doubt that the NYTimes has totally sold out then this article should put that to rest. F the NYT.
- notque, on 02/19/2008, -6/+92And you can't exactly get their content anywhere else on the dial. Who the hell is doing a show like frontline? No one!
The History Channel is propaganda. As is the Military channel, and many others.
PBS is the only channel that gives part of the story correctly. It is still a positive thing. - ZeitMachina, on 02/19/2008, -6/+87> There were only 3 networks, and none of them were known for challenging programming.
Congratulations, we now have 300 channels with nothing challenging. PBS is still the most independent, non-pandering news outlet out there. Thank god for them. - MrBelding, on 02/19/2008, -9/+86definitely agreed....the documentaries are still where its at for me.
- Snowbeam, on 02/19/2008, -2/+77I don't know, is the New York Times still necessary?
- k1down, on 02/19/2008, -4/+72A lot more people than you'd think still don't have cable.
- mik0r, on 02/19/2008, -7/+65as with currency, you must use growth to readdress these numbers:
3 channels of crap 40 years ago == 300 channels of crap today.
1 channel that had quality programming 40 years ago == 1 channel still today.
PBS is above and beyond any other channel, still needed. - jaxcs, on 02/19/2008, -15/+66I find this kind of comment less than useless. You can pay for the military and I will pay for PBS, you can pay for corporate tax breaks and I will pay for public schools. Would this make it fair? Is this what you want?
- KraftDinner101, on 02/19/2008, -4/+54Nova ftw!
- Tullamore, on 02/19/2008, -4/+52There are still a lot of places that cannot get cable. Cable and high speed internet is not available in my area.
- stilesja, on 02/19/2008, -7/+54Seriously dude, surviving on its own gives you "Girls Gone Wild" commercials during Nova... The Learning Channel started out cool informational programming now its ***** home make over *****... In a world of mindless entertainment PBS is using the publicly owned airwaves to deliver quality educational programming. If you don't like it no one is going to make you switch over from the Monster Truck rally.
- joerod, on 02/19/2008, -6/+52without PBS where would I watch Sesame Street?
- doctorcaligari, on 02/19/2008, -1/+47Nor do some of us want or need cable either. Free TV saves money.
- Worktruck, on 02/19/2008, -3/+48Oh come on the History channel is no longer the Hitler channel that's so 2003. Now they are the Big foot/UFO channel. I mean for real who is more important to history Hitler or Big Foot.
- tonyscha, on 02/19/2008, -4/+48PBS is awesome, espcially in HD!
- NCWdigital, on 02/19/2008, -5/+48Some of my favorite programs are on PBS -I grew up with PBS. I would hate to see it go.
- Charlotte_Web, on 02/19/2008, -2/+42PBS still fills a strong role, particularly with regards to children's programming for elementary and middle school ages.
There is a HUGE qualitative difference in shows for kids between PBS and most of the cable stations aimed at kids. Nick has early morning programming that is educational and motivational, but it's only for the 5 and under crowd; most of the rest of their programming is garbage. Take, for example, Fairly Odd Parents. It's loud, it's fast-paced; it's obnoxious; everyone has an attitude; all adults are treated as idiots; mediocrity is lifted up as both the ultimate goal and the end result of any endeavor. When Nick would have a Fairly Odd Parents marathon, I could see the difference in my daughter; she would become noticeably more aggressive.
It's not just Nick, though. Cartoon Network and even the Disney Channel is that way!
Contrast that with a show like Arthur on PBS; the kids are working through psychological and developmental issues that are typical of their age range. Parents are shown as real people; flawed, but loving and supportive. Kids are learning new things, exploring other cultures, and learning how to respect one another. What's really great is that Arthur is more typical of the kinds of shows that are found on PBS. If I may use a food metaphor, PBS is a well-balanced diet consisting of all the major food groups, and these other channels are a steady diet of Ho-Ho's and Coca-Cola.
I happily told my cable company to drop me down to Basic Cable service, which is just the local channels and PBS. - jaxcs, on 02/19/2008, -5/+44While your breakdown of other cable networks is somewhat snarky, there's quite a bit of truth to what you say. Cable has largely co-opted PBS's formats. What PBS used to do is now done by several different cable network channels. How they go about it though isn't always classy or well regarded. The history channel's specials, for example, tends to run heavy on dramatic music and cliff hanger type moments as they prepare for the commercial break. It feels a bit dumbed down. While some may find PBS stuffy, it's shows generally seem through and well thought out. While many homes now have access to cable tv, many more do not. PBS takes the heart of all these other channels and does greater justice to the subject matter.
- kcornwell, on 02/19/2008, -6/+45I watch Charlie Rose every week day night. This show kicks ass. No *****, just strait talk without clutter.
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Charlie_Rose_Show - bimtott, on 02/19/2008, -4/+41Half of my Tivo is PBS programs.
News Hour = honest and independent news and analysis unlike the crap you see on CNN or FOX
Sesame STreet = funny, educational (enjoyable by parents) and not interrupted by horrendous ads marketed to kids
This Old House = the original home makeover show
Nature = why I bought an HDTV
Nova = just watch "Judgement day: Intelligent Design on Trial", and tell me that this would have aired on a private network. This is the show that got me excited about science as a kid. - engmar, on 02/19/2008, -5/+40"Many channels offer the kind of stuff that in the past you could see only on PBS, and many do it better."
One of the most laughably false statements ever. The fact that the author embraces public radio is nice, but that he abuses public television as his foil is annoying as hell. - Fallout911, on 02/19/2008, -6/+40Yes I like PBS.
Now ***** off Bill O'Reilly. - Barbosa, on 02/19/2008, -5/+36There are countless shows, interviews, music programs, local specials, science shows, local community events, random interesting stuff,(ect) that i cannot find anywhere but PBS. You can take my PBS from my cold dead hands as far as I'm concerned.
- keanon, on 02/19/2008, -4/+35PBS is still the best thing that airs on television.
Frontline. Jim Lehrer. NOVA. Kids' programming.
Yes it's relevant. - sportbikepilot, on 02/19/2008, -4/+34hell yes! Nova, Frontline, Red Dwarf...
- MattB123, on 02/19/2008, -6/+32Yeah, or at least the programming doesn't have a commercial agenda. That's important!
- hellbent88, on 02/19/2008, -9/+35of coarse they have kick ass documentaries
- digjam, on 02/19/2008, -4/+30The science and space shows(NOVA) on PBS is still educational... I am totally for PBS.. I would say MTV is not necessary...Theres no educational value for such channels and reality shows..
- afairjudgement, on 02/19/2008, -6/+32PBS is my favorite station. WGBH here in MA is probably the best television on television; i love watching Scientific American Frontiers and Nova and I can't imagine this station not existing. The children's programming is much better than anything you're going to find on cable too; losing PBS would be a step backwards and a big win for major media.
- KraftDinner101, on 02/19/2008, -6/+32If the only thing to keep from PBS is Nova, it's still worth it.
- MattB123, on 02/19/2008, -2/+27Documentaries AND children's programming that doesn't have some thinly veiled commercial agenda.
Commercial kids TV is utter crap these days. If there isn't a product to push, there is no show. - enki25, on 02/19/2008, -8/+30Dumb people don't like PBS. Does not liking PBS make people dumb? Or are dumb people simply too dumb to understand why it's so great? We will never know. You will certainly never know, because you are a ***** retard pig *****.
- kyouteki, on 02/19/2008, -5/+27I don't watch PBS much, but I certainly listen to NPR quite a bit, and I understand the value of Public Broadcasting.
- tyzent, on 02/19/2008, -2/+24i am proud to be one of the ~15% who still uses rabbit ears.
- electrokal, on 02/19/2008, -2/+24http://youtube.com/watch?v=a41lJIhW7fA Enough Said.
- CJMac, on 02/19/2008, -5/+26Secret:
Have you ever actually watched PBS? You can't have if you're still calling it propaganda. Sure, some of their shows may not have the same appeal or draw as cable shows, but I know "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer" is one of the best newscasts on television, giving balanced reports on things that actually matter, not just who Paris Hilton is banging this week. Watch a story on with them and then watch Fox cover the same one - then tell me which is propaganda. - inactive, on 02/19/2008, -4/+25If PBS goes away, I don't know what I'll watch. Frontline, American Experience, Nature, This Old House- all great programs. Sure cable may offer hundreds of channels, but it's hundreds of channels full of pop crap mixed in with a few good shows. I seem to be watching PBS more than cable stations as of late.
- tomboy501, on 02/19/2008, -18/+39I hear ya, vroom. The nostalgia factor has a strong pull. PBS is an old friend.
- coltrane68, on 02/19/2008, -27/+46"Don't force me to pay for PBS". Are you kidding? Nobody has been forced to pay for PBS.
Public broadcasting is necessary for cultural, technical, and sociological reasons. However, I agree that television variety is no longer a compelling need. - turbopro, on 02/19/2008, -3/+21My wife turned me onto PBS, which as a result led us to remove cable from our lives. It's especially awesome how it's some of the best quality HD I have ever seen on television. The quality of PBS is much better than what I have seen on cable, or general broadcast. So yes lets keep it.
- whiledo, on 03/25/2009, -2/+20PBS is the only one that shows nature documentaries that don't involve some annoying guy with an accent harassing the wildlife. Steve Irwin was funny and novel, but his success has ruined trying to watch a nature doc on anything other than PBS.
- mlvassallo, on 02/19/2008, -3/+21What FOOD Network are you watching... Mine is stuck on 24-7 Rachel Ray...
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