Public Television

WATCH: Keep Political Ads Off Public TV

Bill Moyers | Posted 04.23.2012

Bill Moyers

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I'm Big Bird and I Don't Approve This Message

Bill Moyers | Posted 04.18.2012

Bill Moyers

Imagine if you turned on your TV set someday soon and were greeted by Sesame Street, brought to you by the letter C, for "creeping campaign cash corruption." Perhaps that's a bit of a stretch, but as the late William F. Buckley, Jr., used to say, the point survives the exaggeration.

Political Ads May Be Coming To A PBS Station Near You

Reuters | Posted 04.13.2012

* 9th Circuit says FCC political ad ban too broad * Dissent fears for future of public broadcasting * FCC ban on ads for...

PBS Says It Will Revisit Maligned Moves

nytimes.com | ELIZABETH JENSEN | Posted 05.23.2012

Under intense public pressure from independent documentary filmmakers, including a Twitter campaign, PBS on Thursday agreed to find a new home next se...

To PBS, With (Tough) Love

Bill Moyers | Posted 05.23.2012

Bill Moyers

The team at PBS consists of dedicated people; constantly looking for ways to increase their audience. But there is always a danger, in any organization, of only seeing the world from the top down, and then counting heads to measure whether something is good or not.

The Pivotal Role of Public Television -- A Keynote Address

Bill Moyers | Posted 01.16.2012

Bill Moyers

There are still millions and millions of people who need public broadcasting. And millions more who will find us if we but give them the real news, the cultural experiences, and the opportunity to learn that are otherwise missing in their lives.

What Carl Sagan Saw

Network Awesome | Posted 11.08.2011

Network Awesome

It is a unique form of heartbreak for a prophet to be denied the culmination of his visions. For us, Carl Sagan may have been born at exactly the right time. He was six years old at the 1939 World's Fair, where he found both science and television waiting for him, fabulous and fascinating.

Convalescing In The Swiss Alps

Rick Steves | Posted 11.07.2011

Rick Steves

From my perch, I survey the village. Chocolate log cabins are buttressed by a winter's supply of firewood lovingly stacked all the way to the eaves.

PBS Trying Controversial New Strategy

Posted 07.23.2011

PBS will begin doing something it has never done before: interrupting its shows with promotional spots. The public television network announced at ...

PBS Unveils Fall Schedule (With Added Ken Burns!)

AP | DAVID BAUDER | Posted 07.10.2011

NEW YORK — PBS plans to run arts programming on Friday nights for nine straight weeks starting in October to highlight a subject where it can of...

In Defense of NPR

Bill Moyers | Posted 05.25.2011

Bill Moyers

Come on now: Let's take a breath and put this NPR fracas into perspective. Just as public radio struggles against yet another assault from the its l...

Jessica Simpson Scrooges the Troops, Induces Vomit

Paul Snyder | Posted 05.25.2011

Paul Snyder

You'd think with all that background singing Christmas songs, Jessica Simpson would appreciate the meaning of Christmas. However, the news from Roseland Ballroom, where she shot her Christmas special last Thursday, was not-at-all festive.

KCET Drops PBS, Goes Independent

AP | LYNN ELBER | Posted 05.25.2011

LOS ANGELES — PBS station KCET said Friday it's dropping out of the public TV system and going independent because of a dispute over fees and pr...

The Best "Back to School" Movies

John Farr | Posted 05.25.2011

John Farr

Given the profound significance of education in our lives, it's no surprise there's no shortage of movies on the subject. Here are ten of my own favorite films about school, learning, and those mostly noble souls who teach.

Media Consolidation: Bad for Democracy and Not Even Entertaining

Lowell Peterson | Posted 05.25.2011

Lowell Peterson

The members of the Writers Guild of America, East see first-hand what happens when too few entities control too much of what the American public watches and listens to, both in the entertainment realm and in news.

The Untold Story of Black Chicagoans

Zack Isaacs | Posted 05.25.2011

Zack Isaacs

It is true that violence is rampant in predominantly African-American neighborhoods, but the actions of a few should not lead to unfair stereotypes of the majority.

What We "Need to Know" About PBS After Moyers

Marty Kaplan | Posted 05.25.2011

Marty Kaplan

PBS's new program Need to Know positions itself as an antidote to the poisonous advocacy of cable news. What it succumbs to instead is what makes mainstream news so impotent.

Why Public Access Television Is Important and You Should Fight For the CAP ACT

Tracy Rosenberg | Posted 06.06.2011

Tracy Rosenberg

The nation's more than 3,000 public access centers are on the verge of extinction. Yours may go next week, next month or next year, but their days are numbered.

Danny Shea

George W. Bush Institute To Co-Produce Public Television Show "Ideas In Action"

HuffingtonPost.com | Danny Shea | Posted 05.25.2011

The George W. Bush Institute -- the "action- oriented think tank" that is part of Bush's Presidential Center -- will co-produce a public television sh...

Real Journalism and the Road Ahead

Vivian Norris | Posted 05.25.2011

Vivian Norris

The first thing you do in a war is control and take out your enemy's communication system. Our news has been taken over by entertainment, propaganda and massive corporations. We need to to take back the media.

Sonia Sotomayor -- The Wise Latina

Aaron Harber | Posted 05.25.2011

Aaron Harber

It is fascinating to watch the fracturing of the Republican Party as some leaders attack Supreme Court nominee Sonia Sotomayor as a "racist" while others try to focus on her judicial record.

A Kick in the Career: R.I.P. Public Access Television

Thomas Stern | Posted 05.25.2011

Thomas Stern

Can I honestly say that by virtue of my station in life that I am inherently contributing more to civilization than a woman in a spangly tutu dancing in front of blue screen projections of herself dancing in a spangly tutu?

Bush's 2009 Budget Calls For Slashing Public TV Funding

Los Angeles Times | Matea Gold | Posted 05.25.2011

Public broadcasting officials vowed Monday to fight drastic cuts President Bush is seeking to make to federal financing for public television and radi...