Capitalism? Nevada PBS Station Cancels After-School Children’s Shows to Meet Audience Demand
- Posted on December 29, 2011 at 10:33am by
Liz Klimas
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PBS, named in a national survey earlier this year as the No.1 educational media brand in the United States, boasts that as public television with 360 member stations it is available to 98 percent of the country’s children. But as public broadcasting that is paid for “in part by viewers like you” — a familiar phrase if you’re a fan of PBS — it needs to tailor itself to its audience. For one station, this meant afternoon children’s programming had to go.
PBS was named the number one educational network for kids in the March 2011 ORC’s CARAVAN survey. (Image via PBS)
Beginning 2012, KNPB, which serves parts of Nevada and California, is swapping out some of its children’s programming in the afternoon hours for shows like Antiques Roadshow, NOVA, Nature, This Old House, Keeping Up Appearances, As Time Goes By and Monarch of the Glen.
“These schedule improvements are the result of careful research, listening to viewer comments and analyzing our market,” Kurt Mische, KNPB President & CEO, said in a press release. “KNPB is seen by nearly 160,000 people in 71,000 households in central and northern Nevada and northeast California. While that is an atypically large audience for a PBS station, we had some days and times where our ratings were not as high as we like, meaning we had the opportunity to better serve our viewers.”
Paul Kiser on Technorati writes that programs like The Electric Company, Cyberchase, Super Why!, WordWorld and Arthur — shows ranging for ages 6 to 11 years old — will no longer be aired. He notes that in making these changes, KNPB puts itself behind other PBS stations in the area in terms of hours designated to children’s shows. Kiser also includes this quote, which he calls ironic, from Mische, appearing in the station’s 2010 annual report:
KNPB is proud to be a leader in education. At a time when education in Nevada garners its share of negative publicity, KNPB is taking action to impact education and life-long learning. We broadcast 52 hours per week of award winning, high quality, and trusted children’s programs that delight and teach youngsters.
In the press release, Mische emphasizes that even though its cutting 2.5 hours of children’s programming each day it will still run shows from 6 a.m. to 12:30 p.m. and additional programs on the weekend. With the new 2012 schedule, KNPB will air 36 hours of kid’s shows. Kiser also states that Mische said shows like Nature and NOVA will still provide an educational experience for children in the afternoon hours.
Kiser found in a survey of PBS children’s programming in the western U.S. that KNPB will be the only one without kids shows in the after school hours.
Hours of children's programming of 30 western U.S. PBS affiliates. (Image via paulkiser.wordpress.com)
Kiser notes that other PBS stations around the country are having problems with funding as well, but some have taken another stance on children’s programming. He writes that Ron Pisaneschi, the director of content for the PBS affiliate in Boise, Idaho, recognizes the competition for children’s attention on cable networks but “even though the audience is small, we want to serve them.”
Similarly, to serve a children’s audience on his own station, Glenn Beck launched Liberty Treehouse on GBTV earlier this year. The program hosted by Raj Nair features news at a child’s level, history, science, art and classic TV shows that mom and dad may have watched in their youth.
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Gonzo
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:43amAs long as they still broadcast the Cowboy Poetry Festival…all is well.
Report Post »UrbanCombatSurvivor
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 7:35amIt’s good to know that at least one tiny piece of the indoctrination of our children into progressivism is being removed, but one step does not a journey make…
PBS has always been a direct line from the Globalist Progressive movement into the minds of children and weaker minded adults. It should have been defunded decades ago. If they want to spread their propaganda, let them do so entirely on private donations, or not at all.
Report Post »Arc
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 12:43amPbs = npr
Report Post »npr = soros
soros = lunacy
lunacy = liberal dimocrats
liberal dims = anxiety
anxiety = erratic behavior
erratic behavior = straight-jackets
straight jackets = restrained dimocrats
restrained dimocrats = peace & quiet
call me roy
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 6:47pmPBS. This is the station that takes tax-payer money, right?
THEGREATCARNAC explains everything perfectly.
Report Post »Drakkhanlord
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 5:08pmIs good to know People know PBS is INDOCTRINATION…
“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I expect the same from them.”
(john Wayne in The Shootist)
Report Post »theaveng
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 5:27pmThis is a waste article
What do I care about some Nevada station? It doesn’t affect the other ~109 million households that watch other stations.
And yes they should be monitoring audience demand. There’s no point airing shows that are barely watched. Maybe they wouldn’t need to beg for money from Congress if they aired shows people actually WANT to see.
Report Post »TROONORTH
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 9:58amPBS needs to be dismantled along with NPR. It will be a fight to the finish to get these liberals to remove their hands from our pockets but it will be a fight worth fighting.
Report Post »“Fill your hands you son of a bitch!” – Marshal Rooster Cogburn.
Tri-ox
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 4:45pmChildren should not be exposed to PBS brainwashing.
Report Post »goofyfoot2001
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 3:59pmI didn’t realize PBS was still on the air…On the other hand, the WEBMASTER needs to fix the COMMENT SORTING so it sorts more than just the last page. THIS COMMENT WILL REMAIN HERE FOREVER BECAUSE OF IT.
Go ahead and try and move me to the second page when the comments get that far. I dare ya!
Report Post »pamela kay
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:11amGOOFYFOOT2001, you can go to the top and hit comments and it will list all comments or got to the bottom of the screen and hit oldest to newest or newest to oldest. I hope that helps. I think maybe they try to place some in the order to the comments closely related. Though not perfect, I think they try to do a fair job.
Report Post »Balpit
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 3:10pmNo more kid’s shows on PBS? Nickelodeon, Disney Channel, and Cartoon Network should send them thank-you letters for eliminating competition.
Report Post »kaydeebeau
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 3:45pmexcept for the fact that Disney, nick and others are getting just as indoctrinating as pbs…..
Report Post »Balpit
Posted on December 30, 2011 at 3:33pmSadly true.
Report Post »Ever see the Disney show, Kid vs. Kat? In one episode, the kids were competing to reduce their carbon footprint. It was in-your-face indoctrination.
MN NICE
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 3:06pmCaught a bit of a PBS program just last night that covered the melting ice at the poles and the fact that the polar bears are all but gone due to the emissions from the pickup I drive… I was torn at first… But then I thought, with rising oceans and all that water, it‘s a good thing I’ve got a boat with big ass motor!!
Report Post »Balpit
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 3:28pmI also saw that polar bear program on PBS last night. It seems every nature-based show just HAS to inject global warming, climate change, or human encroachment into the narration.
Report Post »Yeah_Buddy
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 2:21pmWe let our son watch the edited version of movies like The Terminator and tell him that is what will happen if you vote Democrap when you grow up.
Report Post »thegreatcarnac
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 2:17pmI watched PBS once. It was so liberal I began vomitting and almost dehydrated. Luckily John Wayne movie restored my health.
Report Post »Drakkhanlord
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 5:07pm“I won’t be wronged, I won’t be insulted, and I won’t be laid a hand on. I don’t do these things to other people and I expect the same from them.”
(john Wayne in The Shootist)
Report Post »ForMyKidsVA
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:45pmMy kids watched most of the PBS kids lineup up until about a year ago when they outgrew the shows. For the most part, they are good educational shows. But I have noticed quite a bit of leftiness in the shows and the non-commercial commercials.
I can easily combat the lefty stuff on PBS but it is much harder to explain to my still young kids why characters on Nick and the other kid stations and shows are having threesomes, having sex changes and cross dressing. Yes, I have seen all of that on Y rated shows.
It comes down to this: either watch what your kids are watching and then block offensive shows or just turn off the TV and make them go play.
Report Post »Republic
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 2:02pmMy kids are not allowed to watch PBS kid shows and some of the other ones you mentioned with the sexual orientation being a sub plot they don’t watch either. As far as I can tell, from what little I sampled of them, they are evil in nature and no good can come from my kids watching them. Bugs Bunny , Daffy, etc. it is. Long live Looney Tunes!
Report Post »ForMyKidsVA
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 5:55pmREPUBLIC – I’m with you. I’m a big Loony Tunes fan. My kids love them but REALLY love Tom and Jerry. The old ones are the best.
Report Post »teddrunk
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 12:54pmThe PBS kids shows were pretty lame anyhow and a leading cause of effeminate guys. It started when they got rid of Popeye & Bugs Bunny cartoons.
Report Post »Reload
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:01pmAmen brother.
Report Post »MOLLYPITCHER
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 1:10pmTheres nothing good on tv for kids anymore. That‘s why we don’t have broadcast anymore, if that’s what they still call it. Our kids are only allowed to watch the videos my husband and I approve of. You can bet that Looney Tunes is on the list!
Report Post »Publius Novus
Posted on December 29, 2011 at 5:36pmNothing like good old fashioned cartoon violence…Tom & Jerry, Bugs & Daffy, Popeye, etc…We need more of that stuff back on versus the crap they pump out theses days like sesame street & Dora. Yes the old cartoons had educational value to them…Eat your spinach, don’t step on steel rakes, make sure the detonator is connected & never walk out on a thin cliff & repeatedly jump angrily on it. (Oh & never trust anything made from ACME manufacturing- they were an early Chinese trade partner).
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