Big Bird takes to the streets

Public Broadcasting, particularly the National Public Radio aspect, has long been chastized as being too liberal. Whether “too liberal” means “not Fox News” or not is up for debate, but regardless, the Republicans in Congress are looking to take a stab out of what small percentage of support the government currently gives to your local PBS or NPR.

Currently, Morning Edition is the nation’s most listened to news program. It’s distributed across the company, commercial free, and offers in depth news about everything from government to cultural affairs to bums making music on the corner. It’s pretty diverse, and I listen to it every morning. I suppose I’m more “left” than “right” so it’s difficult for me to provide an unbiased decision as to whether or not they’re too liberal, but I like it simply because of it’s lack of over the top reporting when it comes to all issues.

The news I hear on NPR is far superior to any bullshit I’ve ever had the misfortune of sitting through on any of the local commercial news channels, that’s for certain.

And while PBS doesn’t exactly float my boat all that often, they are the only place on broadcast television that I’ve ever seen Modest Mouse or the Flaming Lips play 30 minutes sets on Saturday nights, and where I’ve learned oodles about how ergot was the most likely source for the madness in the “witches” behind the Salem Witch Trials, or what String Theory is and how it works, and so on and so on. Not to mention that the children’s programming takes an active role in getting our children involved in participating with television shows and learning from them, not just acting as 30 minute commercials to buy products with the characters names on them.

I’m getting out of the public broadcasting game soon. Luckily for me, it’s a willing decision, however, for a ton of employees at small stations they won’t be so lucky. Though few people take advantage of it, local PBS stations go out and make really good documentaries of local interest, thousands of individuals working on shoe string budgets producing dozens of programs every year that are probably more worthwhile to watch than every episode of every reality TV series ever made.

You can read more about what’s going on here.

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