Public Broadcasting Archaic?
I posted on Facebook and it was reported that evening on WSFA (and probably other stations) that Alabama Public Television was closing the Montgomery Bureau due to budget cuts. I have resisted saying more, but I am hoping that this move can generate a few conversations.
First, why is APT based out of Birmingham and not Montgomery? The State Capitol is in Montgomery. Some of the arguably best programs that have been aired on APT have centered around politics, so it seems that it would make more sense to base the operation here. By cutting these programs, it devalues the point of even having APT.
All across the country, States are having to justify the purpose of even supporting public broadcasting. You can’t justify it by saying it’s the only children’s programs available (the Sesame Street argument, SAVE BIG BIRD!)…you have Nick Jr. and soon to be Disney Junior as 24/7 programs for preschoolers to young children. You have Nickelodeon and Disney, Disney XD, ABC Family, etc. that all have programs from children to young teens. In News we have MSNBC, Fox News, CNN and others that tackle the national programs. For documentaries and reality TV we have A&E, TLC, HGTV, and again more. In short, cable has replaced the need for PBS.
So, I ask, why do we as the public continue to support the APT/PBS model? Maybe we aren’t supporting it anymore which is why local programs continue to get cut?
Read this blog post about what New Jersey has done recently, not without controversy I might add – http://blog.heartland.org/2011/06/chris-christie-and-the-privatization-of-public-broadcasting/
Here’s a quote from the article:
Gov. Chris Christie of New Jersey initiated a 5 year agreement which hands production of the state’s television network over to the private sector. Additionally, the state will sell its radio licenses to neighboring states for nearly $5 million. Governor Christe’s actions should be welcomed; removing government from the broadcast world addresses the state’s budgetary concerns (among other things). The Star-Ledger reports:
“We need to have robust New Jersey public broadcasting, but we need to have it in a way that is not continuing to cost the state taxpayers and can be perceived as truly independent from state government,” Christie said. The deal will save the state about $11 million a year, according to the Department of the Treasury.
So, what’s your thoughts? Here’s my final opinion…APT is only worth funding if it is producing local programming…programming that focuses on Alabama. Live from the coffee shop and one million reasons why the Cahaba river is polluted don’t count. Those are great, don’t get me wrong, but I mean news programming. On The Record, The Capitol Report, maybe even a Children’s program that focuses on Alabama History…programs that can be produced relatively inexpensively and are new and fresh every evening. If this can’t be done and APT is basically a way to air PBS programs, it’s time to sell or lease the stations to the private sector like what has been done in New Jersey.
Popularity: 3% [?]
Finally! After almost a year and a half since Montgomery locals were turned up on Direct. Picture quality is great. ...
I would be happy if they could just keep the signal on. Seems they are either off the air or run loops of short program segments (like a record being stuck) way too much. It is apparent no one is minding the store. Get that fixed and then we can talk about programming.
Agree. We don’t get APT HD on Dish so it would be great if their OTA digital signal with HD was more reliable. It goes out all the time and the signal strength varies greatly.
The closing of APT’s main Montgomery studio reflects the reality of state budget cuts and a struggling economy. It does not signal the end of high-quality programming about Alabama coming from APT, nor a change to the vital role APT plays providing educational opportunities to all of Alabama’s citizens. Montgomery is the base of state government and politics, and APT will continue to offer Alabama citizens a link to the State Capitol through the smaller State House studio from which “Capitol Journal” has been broadcast for the past two years. APT’s documentary division, which has won multiple regional Emmy Awards in the past six years for programs such as “The Quiltmakers of Gee’s Bend,” “Mr. Dial Has Something to Say,” “WWII: Alabama Remembers” and “Sloss: Industry to Art,” continues to produce outstanding Alabama-centered programs that are found nowhere else.
Beyond the question of local television, Alabama Public Television was created to provide educational programs and services for the people of Alabama. APT was the nation’s first educational television network and continues to be a leader among American public television stations in providing instructional television and classroom resources to Alabama teachers. 80% of Alabama K-12 public school teachers use APT’s online digital media service APTPLUS™, which offers teachers the ability to download or stream tens of thousands of video clips, lesson plans and other classroom materials that are all correlated to Alabama state curriculum standards. APT makes these resources available FREE to all public and private school teachers, homeschoolers, students and parents. APTPLUS content includes educational videos and learning materials created specifically about Alabama subjects including history. In February, 45,000 Alabama students watched a live electronic field trip to Mt. Vernon organized by and broadcast on APT – and thousands more watched the field trip online in the months afterwards. Students were able to ask questions of living history re-enactors via Skype and e-mail during the live broadcast.
There is no question that hundreds of cable channels do some programming LIKE public television. Can one really look at NOVA on public television and “Hunt for Bigfoot” on National Geographic Channel and say that cable programming has replaced PBS? Which programming would parents like to see used by teachers in the classroom?
Mike,
Would the people and State of Alabama not be better served allowing a private company to produce the documentary programs you mentioned? They could be aired on commercial stations along with ads to pay for the production and air time.
Also, with the internet being basically everywhere, programs like APTPLUS might actually be the future of APT. That program is more widely available than the broadcast stations and arguably a lot less expensive to produce and manage.
How many staff members and how much space is needed to run that service? What percentage of the budget is used?
I offer up an example: APT uses Sony HDC-1400 cameras in their Montgomery studio. WSFA uses JVC HD250 HDV camcorders in THEIR studio. List price for the JVC camera chain: ~$20-30k depending on lens selection. List for the Sony camera chain: ~$100-130k depending on APT’s lens choice. WSFA uses camera operators, APT replaced operators with robotic camera pedestals/heads. And WSFA produces A LOT more studio programming than APT. To put in better perspective: APT’s cameras are top of the line. WSFA’s are a notch above prosumer, and only use 1280×720 pixel (720p) imagers. This is just ONE example I could give of how private could have done better than public.
Tim, thanks for that info. I have noticed that APT’s programs look much better than WSFA.
I took it that Tim was saying they spent 4 times the money for cameras that are hardly ever used and spent extra money to get the robotic stands eliminating the cheapest most basic entry level job in television. In the private sector spending money like that would never be tolerated.
Maybe APT got those cameras with a grant or other special funding from the government that the private sector does not get. Then they wasted it on rarely used cameras and cut employees. Yep, sounds like our tax dollars at work. (If that was the case) APT does look better than the other locals but, as Brian stated, most of the programming is national. BTW, my son is addicted to Cat in the Hat and Super Why on APT/PBS.
Yes to both of you (Brian & Jason). I think the cameras (and other equipment) may have been purchased through special funding/grant. It’s also possible that the funding was earmarked specifically for those model cameras (which would be ridiculous), and they HAD to buy them (which would be another government fail). The Department of Public Health has a studio in the RSA Tower (and produce a lot of internal communications material for ADPH, and other agencies as well) and recently upgraded their studio cameras. But they spent a lot less on their Panasonic HPX500 camcorders (spending about as much as WSFA, but these cams have a little bit better-quality picture). And I understand that ADPH gets a lot of federal grant money (in general).
I think APT needs a complete re-boot. Re-think and re-imagine everything they do and how they do it – creatively, technically, financially – and they could still be a good service to the citizens of Alabama – especially the ones who are only on antenna reception.
Maybe they can get a federal grant to stay on the air. If they can’t get the basics done, it’s pretty much a lost cause. And they can’t seem to get the basics done.
I can’t imagine not growing up without Big Bird, Mr. Rogers, and all the other wonderful programming PBS offers. As an adult, my “must see TV” on Thursday nights is the “This Old House Hour.” I’d rather a small portion of my taxes be directed toward public television (and radio!) rather than building bridges to nowhere in Alaska or funding the waste in Washington we call Congress.
Don’t worry. You’re paying for it. We all are.
I enjoy much of the programming on APT and I write them a check every year. I do not think they should be government funded. I support them and if everyone who watches would donate what they can and if they didn’t waste so much money they would be in better financial shape. Why should people who don’t watch APT or listen to public radio be forced to pay money for it? They should not.
BDUB, I agree completely. BTW, I was watching WAKA last night the picture quality seemed really good. (Except for the CBS 8 news) Maybe APT isn’t the best PQ in town after all.
WAKA does have a great picture when showing CBS. I think the best.
And none of my taxes go to support it! If only they had HD news….
@Mike McKenzie–you touched on great points with much more polish than I’m about to do.
I’m quite surprised at just how easily folks are wanting to judge public television’s usefulness by contrasting it to its alleged commercial equivalents. Let me repeat those last three words again…ALLEGED. COMMERCIAL. EQUIVALENTS.
PBS Kids and all of its predecessor programming was created to help in the education of children from the very beginning. They haven’t strayed from that mission much, even with lucrative merchandising. That’s not to say you can’t find helpful programming on Nickelodeon and Disney channels–but they can’t be watched subscription-free. For that matter, you won’t be able to watch them without escaping a litany of commercials for junk food and cheap toys. How much of an equivalent is that?
(I’m just getting warmed up with this overall point, so hang on:)
Quick–what’s CNN/MSNBC/HLN/FNC’s answer to shows like “Frontline”, “American Experience”, or “Need To Know”? Can I watch them over the air for free on WCOV, channel 20-point-nineteen? WSFA, 12-point-forty-seven? What do you mean I’ve got to rent a set-top-box in each room?
What is it that Larry the Cable Guy is supposed to be teaching me on what’s supposed to be the ‘History Channel’? And good lawd, what has corporate cable done to my ‘Learning Channel’ or my one-stop-shop for ‘arts & entertainment’? Or was I in a coma when dumpster diving for coupons and visiting the houses of hoarders suddenly became as intellectually stimulating as listening to the Denyce Graves or the Boston Pops perform, or learning about the Teapot Dome scandal?
I think I’ve established my point.
I’m certainly not hostile to cable TV–heck, I’m a subscriber, and I’m only half-ashamed about getting a kick out of “Hardcore Pawn” and “Repo Games”. But in case my examples didn’t spell it out for you–this notion that cable negates the need for public television is simply hilarious. There’s a tremendous difference in having mediums and programs that don’t have to sell soap, sedans, and soda.
(If you don’t think advertising isn’t a filter, think about the last time you saw a real investigation from the Advertiser or WSFA/WAKA/WNCF about shady sales tactics often used by car dealers. On second thought, forget negative information–merely a report on how to get negotiate the *best* possible deal on a new or used car. Go ahead, rack your brain on the last time you saw local news stories in either of those directions. You certainly haven’t seen it often, and for reasons that you won’t have to visit your River Region Toyonda-Nissabishi-Chevrundai dealer for.)
Even the notion of public tax savings would be highly superficial at best. Out of the thousands of hours the average Alabamian works each year, the direct cost of APT to a person is what, one less can of Coca-Cola a month, if that? APT/PBS does more good as semi-fixed annual expense that it could ever do in real financial harm to anyone. Zeroing out its budget (like in Florida) or selling off entire stations (like in New Jersey) wouldn’t do diddly-squat for the state purse in the long term.
Getting rid of public TV in Alabama won’t provide magical tax savings, and its loss wouldn’t be made up by pay-TV.