PBS:do u watch it?

[stalin006]

PBS well here in the US noone in my highschool thinks of PBS of giving cool shows.......but i have noticed that they do, and in good quality, just look at frontline is graet!

 

[Perfection]

I watch Nova, It can be quite interesting, PBS deserves a lot more credit than it gets

 

[HotDog Fish]

PBS is ok, lots of good documentries and English comedies, I watch it sometimes

 

[amadeus]

I try to catch the "McLaughlin Group."

I watched it a bit more Lou Rukeyser was still on "Wall Street Week" and "Firing Line" with William F. Buckley was still on...

"Frontline" I watch when there is a special about something that I find interesting...

 

[tpasmall]

Whats the channel with the Red Green show? If thats PBS than i guess ive watched it occasionally.

 

[Perfection]

Red Green Show thats a funny show!

Yeah its on PBS.

 

[Perfection]

OOPSIE!!!

 

[Greadius]

I never watch PBS and have no interest in their programing.

However, I do commend PBS on their bravery to air programs that the commercial networks wouldn't touch. Yes, PBS has shown a trailblazing spirit in placing boring programing without a hope of catching a sizable audience that reminds the networks that actually have to turn a profit what they should never put on the air.

 

[Richard III]

Originally posted by Greadius
I never watch PBS and have no interest in their programing.

However, I do commend PBS on their bravery to air programs that the commercial networks wouldn't touch. Yes, PBS has shown a trailblazing spirit in placing boring programing without a hope of catching a sizable audience that reminds the networks that actually have to turn a profit what they should never put on the air.

I do watch it from north of the border now and again. But I quoted Greadius because I am as baffled by this as I am baffled by the thread. Do any of us REALLY choose programming by the channel it's on? Sure, I watch the Life network less than, say, the History Channel, but I will stop at the former if something interesting is there, and will watch any channel that has a program that interests me on a particular day.

And Greadius, while it's fair to critique PBS's funding model, it's not fair in today's world to assume that a sizable audience is the only route to success. We snooty upper class folks who watch things like PBS and read the New Yorker are actually better ad fodder, and small numbers of us can sustain programming in smaller, more segmented channels. If it wasn't that way, there wouldn't be a History Channel, for example.

By way of comparison, I'm not pissed that CBC-TV airs s*** that only a few diehard nationalists watch; I'm pissed that Canada pays $1 billion a year in tax dollars for it. An important distinction!

R.III

 

[sysyphus]

Originally posted by Richard III

By way of comparison, I'm not pissed that CBC-TV airs s*** that only a few diehard nationalists watch; I'm pissed that Canada pays $1 billion a year in tax dollars for it. An important distinction!

R.III

My girlfriend works at the CBC in audience research. It's amazing the extent they go to with the Canadian public to get their opinions on programming. It goes quite far. There has been alot of good stuff piloted and shown to test audiences.

The problem is the CBC brass, they ignore it and replace the good ideas with yet another show about life in the 19th century Maritimes, or another bloody Bryan Adams, Rita McNeil special. Or even worse, Celine Dion "Canada's Song Queen"... she's a bloody separatist!!!!!!!!!! :suicide:

Still, there is some programming that gets very competitive ratings, Hockey Night in Canada, Royal Canadian Air Farce and This Hour has 22 minutes for example.

The news is of good quality too though it competes heavily with CTV for top spot.

 

[Richard III]

Point taken sysyphus; you're quite right in suggesting that it's the Rita McNeil specials, the "Diverse portraits of Our Canada" and all that kaka I'm complaining about. The worst stuff in my mind is the desperate attempts to have "localized" dramatic series a'la the Beachcombers that reek of Torontocentric images of life in the hinterland.

But if they aired hockey, the Air Farce (which sucks on TV, I must say, but they still pull 'em in) and This Hour 24 hours a day, their ratings would skyrocket and they could go private in no time.

Take that, PBS!

 

[sysyphus]

Originally posted by Richard III
Point taken sysyphus; you're quite right in suggesting that it's the Rita McNeil specials, the "Diverse portraits of Our Canada" and all that kaka I'm complaining about. The worst stuff in my mind is the desperate attempts to have "localized" dramatic series a'la the Beachcombers that reek of Torontocentric images of life in the hinterland.

Yeah, it's an old washed up status quo that's completely out of touch with modern Canada. It's too bad, there's such a plethora of great talent here going to waste or going south.

Kids in the Hall only made it on due to interference from Lorne Michaels. Wish he'd give up SNL, move back here and run it, then we may have something.

And you're right, Air Farce should have stayed on the radio.

And hey! There needs to be MORE Toronto!

Anyway, this is thread jacking isn't it? Sorry.

So yeah, PBS, I watch it now and then, we get the feed from Buffalo.

Apparently much of their local station's funding comes from this side of the border. So much that when they sign off they play O Canada as well.

 

[MrPresident]

and English comedies

Which English comedies does it show?

 

[Ancient Grudge]

Originally posted by stalin006
PBS well here in the US noone in my highschool thinks of PBS of giving cool shows.......but i have noticed that they do, and in good quality, just look at frontline is graet!

wot is PBS

 

[Hamlet]

Originally posted by Ancient Grudge
wot is PBS

Public Broadcasting Service, I believe. Budget TV programmes etc, basically.

 

[gr8ful wes]

Yes. For years it was my favorite channel except durring football season. Now it is practically the only channel My children watch.

 

[gr8ful wes]

Originally posted by MrPresident

Which English comedies does it show?

Benny Hill(if you can call that funny)
Monty Python(thank you Great Brittian)
Dave Allen at Large(I loved it)
Fawlty Towers

Mostly older ones
One with some old folks in it(I cant remember what it was called)

It also used to show Dr. Who (for those who liked it)
And you can get the good mysteries and dramas like Prime Suspect, Proirot, that old alcoholic guy.

And those hoity toity 18th century pieces that my wife loves, but I despise. They never do anything in these films but get together and gossip.

 

[jpowers]

Originally posted by MrPresident

Which English comedies does it show?

All of them. They're cheaper than Hollywood-produced material, and the snooty liberals who watch PBS (like me) think that if Paulie Shore belches it's populist crap, but if John Cleese does it, it's art.

 

[jpowers]

Originally posted by gr8ful wes

And those hoity toity 18th century pieces that my wife loves, but I despise. They never do anything in these films but get together and gossip.

That was the 18th century for you. Now that we have chat rooms, we don't have to get together to gossip.

 

[gr8ful wes]

Originally posted by jpowers


That was the 18th century for you. Now that we have chat rooms, we don't have to get together to gossip.

:


yeah, and we don't have to wear silly hats