The main programs I watch on PBS are the British shows,like the Britcoms etc.However over the past few years PBS has really ramped up their drives to raise more money,and they do it for weeks on end now.They used to do it only a few times a year and for only one week at a time. If they really want to raise more money they should just show more classic programs from the UK.Anyhow,has PBS also increased the amount of times they ask for money in your area?

It seems they do pledge drives every other week and the shows they use to get money are shows I wouldn't watch unless I had a gun to my head, like those three-hour concerts with the 50's groups, Celtic Women, and all those boring seminars on how to live healthier. But PBS says those are the programs that bring in the viewers with the most money to donate. :eek: I would think that they would get more money by showing all those British murder mysteries and dramas, which is what I watch PBS for.

Wow,every other week,that is beyond unacceptable in my opinion.. The thing that bothers me is PBS removes the British shows from the schedule whenever they try to raise money.If they still aired the shows from the UK at a different time,than that at least would be OK.--I also think over-doing the fundraising encourages more people to NOT give them any money.Afterall why should someone pay to see more and more fundraising.

I've always thought that!!

They're taxpayer funded. Of course they have too much of that.

I don't really care how many fundraisers they do, I just wish my local PBS station would put Mister Rogers' Neighborhood back on the air!

My local PBS guy said, " If you are watching these shows and you have not donated,that is like stealing " No it's not.
I still have a few splinters in my arms from sliding down the telephone pole after illegally hooking up my cable years ago. Now that's stealing.

Speak of the devil, I just turned on PBS and they're doing another pledge drive! Right now they're airing "3 Steps to Incredible Health with Joel Fuhrman." Tomorrow is another fun-filled day of health seminars and a two and a half hour concert of country pop superstars. I still can't believe this is what they air to raise money. ohno:

My local PBS guy said, " If you are watching these shows and you have not donated,that is like stealing " No it's not.

:eek: :eek: :eek: :eek: OMG, someone actually said that? That's horrible! What a way to lay a guilt trip on people! I agree that PBS is doing way more pledge drives, but the government has cut their funding which really ticks me off. PBS is totally worth saving and has some great programs. Fortunately we have two PBS stations. Before we got cable that's all my husband and I used to watch and we still watch it quite a bit. I love that David Hyde Pierce supports it as well.
I feel a bit guilty that I've never contributed but I certainly don't think it's stealing if someone hasn't donated. That's beyond ridiculous to say that. That's like saying that if you go over to someone's house and watch a movie that is on HBO and you haven't paid for it, you're stealing. Um... right! :rolleyes:

PBS should just be shut down. There is no reason for taxpayers to be footing the bill for a network when there are hundreds of other channels on the air. I'm sure another network would grab the rights to popular series on the network, such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, etc. I'm guessing a children's network would be interested in a few of their children's programs as well.

LUNCH deleted a post that was in response to mine. What happened?

They're taxpayer funded. Of course they have too much of that.
Yeah,that's another thing if they are still getting money what's the deal with PBS becoming so money hungry.--Vahan that's what I originally posted.I've been having computer problems .

My local PBS guy said, " If you are watching these shows and you have not donated,that is like stealing " No it's not.
I still have a few splinters in my arms from sliding down the telephone pole after illegally hooking up my cable years ago. Now that's stealing.

That's bull-crap, if a station's over-the-air signal can be picked up by an outside antenna then you're not stealing. The same thing is true for unscrambled satellite signals. I've seen many baseball games that were not scrambled or blacked-out that my satellite dish was able to pick up. If the game had TV coverage by both teams, usually the broadcast by the home team would be blacked out but the one from the visitors would be in the clear and free to watch.

PBS should just be shut down. There is no reason for taxpayers to be footing the bill for a network when there are hundreds of other channels on the air. I'm sure another network would grab the rights to popular series on the network, such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, etc. I'm guessing a children's network would be interested in a few of their children's programs as well.
Considering what most of the commercial TV channels have turned into,programs like Downton Abbey and other programming from the UK like classic Britcoms etc. would be filled with their endless commercials,sceen clutter etc. and heavily edited,and that's IF they decided to air them. You raise a point that I've wondered about,and that is why is PBS basically the only channel now that airs Classic(older) shows from the UK,and even PBS's selection has become quite limited.

Considering what most of the commercial TV channels have turned into,programs like Downton Abbey and other programming from the UK like classic Britcoms etc. would be filled with their endless commercials,sceen clutter etc. and heavily edited,and that's IF they decided to air them. You raise a point that I've wondered about,and that is why is PBS basically the only channel now that airs Classic(older) shows from the UK,and even PBS's selection has become quite limited.
I think BBC America could easily air Downton Abbey. It would fit well with the other British series on the network and I don't think they'd cut all that much (if any) from the ITV version.

The only thing that may prevent a series like it from airing on BBC America is that BBC and ITV are rivals in Britain. I don't know if it would matter all too much, however, since its a sister network of BBC and not in the home country.

I think BBC America could easily air Downton Abbey. It would fit well with the other British series on the network and I don't think they'd cut all that much (if any) from the ITV version.

The only thing that may prevent a series like it from airing on BBC America is that BBC and ITV are rivals in Britain. I don't know if it would matter all too much, however, since its a sister network of BBC and not in the home country.
Maybe,but BBC America has become a joke in my opinion.Similair to many other cable channels,they used to be much better than they are now.For example,I don't think they even show one British comedy made before or during the 1990s,they used to show quite a lot of them.

I donated to PBS once and they bugged the heck out of me. I had to unsubscribe myself from all of their communications.

Honestly, is there anything watchable on PBS that's not geared to children under 10? The only time I ever watched PBS was when I was a kid. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Barney. Those British shows are a snooze fest.

Many of the British shows are geared for adults.I guess it's a matter of taste,I used to not watch that many programs from the UK,but once I got used to the British sense of humor(humour),I started liking quite a number of the comedies.Just like American TV shows,I find with British TV programs the older programs are usually far better than the newer ones.Plus there are many good older shows from the UK that are rarely if ever shown on PBS or any other American TV channel.

My local PBS guy said, " If you are watching these shows and you have not donated,that is like stealing " No it's not.
I still have a few splinters in my arms from sliding down the telephone pole after illegally hooking up my cable years ago. Now that's stealing.
That will really win the viewers over. :rolleyes:

30 years ago my PBS Affiliate held an Auction each year to raise money for their station. Local Merchants donated the items to be sold, bidders called in by phone. I looked forward to it because you could get things for quite a bargain. Then all those "Home Shopping" Channels made their appearance, and the Auction was dropped.

PBS should just be shut down. There is no reason for taxpayers to be footing the bill for a network when there are hundreds of other channels on the air. I'm sure another network would grab the rights to popular series on the network, such as Downton Abbey, Sherlock, etc. I'm guessing a children's network would be interested in a few of their children's programs as well.

Typical conservative response. PBS will not be shut down, look what happened when Mitt Romney made that remark about getting rid of it, there was a huge backlash. Despite the constant pledge drives which may be annoying, without all those donations they would have to rely on more tax money. And quite frankly, I would rather pay taxes for quality programming, shows that I actually watch, instead of all that reality junk that clogs up the airwaves. Sure, other networks could snap up Downton Abbey and Sherlock but they're not. BBC America won't even air them, so what does that tell you? A&E and Bravo used to air British dramas and comedies but stopped when they felt they had to air more reality shows to keep viewers. PBS is it right now. The audience is there.

Mitt Romney never said he wanted to get rid of PBS, just to stop taxpayer funding.

Why should it be taxpayer funded, when they could just be using their own money, and the money they say are from other companies funding it, all along?

Honestly, is there anything watchable on PBS that's not geared to children under 10? The only time I ever watched PBS was when I was a kid. Mr. Rogers, Sesame Street, Barney. Those British shows are a snooze fest.I'm not a Downton Abbey fan but I know it has a big following on PBS.

The thing is PBS doesn't need the money, not bad enough to warrant all the fundraisings they do. They get so many grants from the Federal gov't the fact is, they don't need a dime of viewer money.

I donated to PBS once and they bugged the heck out of me. I had to unsubscribe myself from all of their communications.

The exact same thing happened to my mother. It drove her nuts!!!

I think BBC America could easily air Downton Abbey. It would fit well with the other British series on the network and I don't think they'd cut all that much (if any) from the ITV version.

The only thing that may prevent a series like it from airing on BBC America is that BBC and ITV are rivals in Britain. I don't know if it would matter all too much, however, since its a sister network of BBC and not in the home country.

I'd rather BBCAmerica actually air British shows than reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation.

I'd rather BBCAmerica actually air British shows than reruns of Star Trek: The Next Generation.I wouldn't! Star Trek: the Next Generation is the reason I watch BBC America. I'd like them to get Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to pair with it.

Another thing about PBS is it has always been a free channel,no cable needed. So even if BBC America still did have a variety of quality BBC shows (which they of course do not), PBS is still important for fans of programs from the UK who do not have,want or plan to drop cable. They just have to stop over-doing the way they raise money.

I wouldn't! Star Trek: the Next Generation is the reason I watch BBC America. I'd like them to get Star Trek: Deep Space Nine to pair with it.


Yeah, makes sense to air American shows on a channel that's supposed to air shows from the BBC. To me that's no different than SyFy Channel having wrestling.

the joke is our station has only one pledge drive it starts in january and ends in december.I remember only one or two per year but now it seems to be one every other week, and they go on for ever.and the shows they show, ok some are good but doo-wop music??! who under the age og 90 cares of doo-wop music??

I swear if I hear Ferry Across The Mersey, by Gerry and the Pacemakers one more time on PBS I will blow up the ferry across the Mersey!