KCET To Leave PBS Network - Part Two
The future of KCET, not one of certainty, should prove interesting. The station's press release on its website announcing the change included the following:
In the eight years I've lived in Southern California it's been my perception that KCET sees its mission as one of expansion and increasingly wider influence. The station's budget has grown along with its expansionist approach and the need to raise even greater sums of money from individual and corporate sources has continually risen to new heights. More than one commenter on the station's website has noted there appears to be little interest on the part of management to downsize the operation and trim the budget.
It would be interesting to know whether KCET has the results of any membership polling data that would provide clues about how much viewer financial support is dependent on PBS programming. If they've not tested those waters and instead are moving ahead in the belief viewers will automatically follow, then perhaps continuation of the station's current leadership team should be open to question.
It'll certainly be interesting to see if KCET survives the move away from PBS and into the new uncharted waters of "Independent Public Broadcasting". I wish them the best of luck.
Bond Shands
Palm Springs
- "Our plan is to become the media partner for the many diverse, creative voices in our community with stories to tell, art to exhibit, music or dance to perform and news to report. We will partner with other public service organizations so that our viewers can learn about the good work being done, but not often reported in the commercial media. We will use our broadcast spectrum and broadband capabilities to expand public service at a time in our history when people of all ages want to actively participate in the recovery and growth of our region."
In the eight years I've lived in Southern California it's been my perception that KCET sees its mission as one of expansion and increasingly wider influence. The station's budget has grown along with its expansionist approach and the need to raise even greater sums of money from individual and corporate sources has continually risen to new heights. More than one commenter on the station's website has noted there appears to be little interest on the part of management to downsize the operation and trim the budget.
It would be interesting to know whether KCET has the results of any membership polling data that would provide clues about how much viewer financial support is dependent on PBS programming. If they've not tested those waters and instead are moving ahead in the belief viewers will automatically follow, then perhaps continuation of the station's current leadership team should be open to question.
It'll certainly be interesting to see if KCET survives the move away from PBS and into the new uncharted waters of "Independent Public Broadcasting". I wish them the best of luck.
Bond Shands
Palm Springs
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