PBS Fund Raising and Rant!

[Mike Vermeil]

Here's a different take. Morash & buddies have used publicaly funded TV to create a TV and marketing dynasty out of THO, NYW & the Victory Garden. Using airwaves made available to them in part by our tax dollars, they've made themselves rich. How fair is that?

Maybe everyone should lobby Morash to move his first-run shows to a private network where the executives actually have to pay attention to their viewership in order to stay in business.

Just my 37 1/2 cents.

[Mike Circo]

I have been bugged about this for a long time. The idiots just don't get it! They want money from "viewers like you" yet all these telethons do is alienate the people they wish to gain trust from.

What the current method does is this. 1) I discover that Norm is not on and is replaced by some useless drivel. 2) I immediately curse and turn off the TV.
PBS is now assured they will not get any money from me this pledge drive as I have now stopped viewing.

If instead they would keep the shows I watch regularly on the air, and put "commericials" in between designed to make me feel guilty about watching their "free" shows, they may get a donation from me.

The current state of pledge drives only makes me so angry as to never give them a dime. Hell, if they play the same dumb shows for every pledge drive they are milking the same limited audence rather than broadening their appeal.

I will be writing my PBS station (WTTW) this exact concept.

(rant off)

[Dave Hammelef]

The really interesting thing is that for kids shows in the morning they do the pledge drives they change the lineup but still show kids shows, then in the afternoon they pre-empt the kids show to show some adult program. Never understood it. But I do know they get alot more donations during those shows then when they show the regualar stuff. ALOT of americans eat up the health gurus or self help guys and since the through in there stuff with a donation lots donate. I have been to our local PBS during a telethon when they were airing kids shows and you might get 10 calls in a half hour. They get alot more during the other shows.


Dave

[Dave Anderson]

Originally posted by Jim DeLaney
If you're talking about DirecTV or Dish, it won't do you any good. About a year ago, they discontinued providing the national feed for PBS anywhere there are local channels available...

But, Jim...
Since you live in the "Los Angeles" local market, you actually have 3 or 4 "local" PBS channels from which to choose! KCET, KDOC and more...

That said, I miss the National Feed of PBS as well... NO Pledge Breaks on the National Feed, but no Router Workshop on Local PBS's

[Bob Oswin]

Why not just consider it as an extra two hours of shop time.

"I'll just pin it with few brads while gulew sets."

Gd&r

Bob

[Lee Schierer]

PBS is literally funded by the members. They get less than 15% of their funding from "our tax dollars" all the rest comes from private and corporate sources. They only get that money incrementally based on the level of local support. If they don't raise much money locally, they don't get as much federal funding. They get no state money at all in PA!

I used to do a lot of volunteer work for the local PBS (WQLN) and was deeply involved in the financial aspects. The costs to carry shows like TOH and NYW are pretty staggering. I don't know about wage scales at other stations, but here locally they are pretty low in the TV market and require lots of hours.

If everyone called or sent in the pledge and got their friends to do it on time every year, there would be no need for the fund drives. They drive me nuts too.

Now here's the good news, you don't have to take my word for it. Since they are "Public" Television you can call and they are required to provide you with a copy of their annual report showing income and expenditures, so you can check it out for yourself.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Lee, I understand about their need for funds, I'm complaining about the the fact that they interrupted their their normal schedule to schedule two straight stinkin' hours of "quilting" instead of their normal schedule which includes NYW and Hometime among others.

[Bob Oswin]

Originally posted by Lee Schierer
PBS is literally funded by the members. They get less than 15% of their funding from "our tax dollars" all the rest comes from private and corporate sources. They only get that money incrementally based on the level of local support. If they don't raise much money locally, they don't get as much federal funding. They get no state money at all in PA!

.

I Knew that!
I was just hoping that they would play 2 hours of Bob Villa at the Hamptons instead.
Lucky investing by Martha Stewart would have been my second choice.

Bob

[Mike Goodwin]

Maybe there isn't enough support comming in when the woodworking shows are running. If quilting draws a more generous group of donars then it will certianly be run during pledge week.

Are donations to PBS tax deductable?

Mike

[Dennis McDonaugh]

Yup, I think you even get some type of deduction when you buy stuff from their auctions.

[Mike Goodwin]

Not to put too fine a point on it, but if donations are in fact, tax-deductable than I would think that more that 15% of their income comes from tax dollars. Just not in the form of a check from Uncle Sam.

Mike

[David Ripley]

Were lucky here in Sacramento,we get PBS on cable also, and there is`nt any pledge drives or interruptions at all.NYW,TOH, Hometime,Woodwright and the Router Workshop are on every saturday at the same time. David

[Gary Bindel]

Where I live we, NE OH, there are no ww shows on either of the two PBS stations I get. I use to pledge, but don't anymore.

[Lee Schierer]

Originally posted by Dennis McDonaugh
Yup, I think you even get some type of deduction when you buy stuff from their auctions.

Dennis, Check with your tax advisor, but this statement is not correct. The only deductible part would be the amount you paid over the fair market value of the merchandise you bought. If you paid more than full retail then the amount over retail could be deductible for you as a donation if you itemize. I used to answer this 100 times a night on the phones.

[Dennis McDonaugh]

I knew there was some type of caveat. Thanks, Lee.