• The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 [2] required a "strict adherence to objectivity and balance in all programs or series of programs of a controversial nature". It also prohibited the federal government from interfering or controlling what is broadcast. This set up an obvious tension where the government that created the CPB would not be able to do anything about a perceived failure to meet its obligation for objectivity without interfering in some way.

• At a more basic and problematic level is how and who should determine what constitutes objectivity and balance when there are massive disagreements over what that would be. There seems to be no consensus or even attempts at forming a consensus to resolve this dilemma.

• Many conservatives perceive it to have a liberal bias and criticize its tax-based revenue and have periodically but unsuccessfully attempted to discontinue funding of CPB. Although state and federal sources account for less than 50% of public television funding ^[8], the system remains vulnerable to political pressure. Kenneth Tomlinson, former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting who resigned amid controversy, in November 2005 in Baltimore, told PBS officials, "They should make sure their programming better reflected the Republican mandate." Tomlinson later said that his comment was in jest and that he could not imagine how remarks at a fun occasion were taken the wrong way. A report whose results were publicized in November 2005 sharply criticized Tomlinson for the way he used CPB resources to "go after" this perceived liberal bias. [3]

• Individual programs have been the targets of organized campaigns by those with opposing views including United States Secretary of Education Margaret Spellings.^{[citation needed]}

• Kenneth Tomlinson, who took over at CPB in 2003, began his tenure by asking for Karl Rove's assistance in overturning a regulation that half the CPB board have practical experience in radio or television. Later he appointed an outside consultant to monitor the regular PBS program NOW with Bill Moyers. Told that the show had "liberal" leanings, Moyers eventually resigned in 2005 after more than three decades as a PBS regular, citing political pressure to alter the content of his program ^[9] and saying Tomlinson had mounted a "vendetta" against him. (Moyers eventually returned.) Subsequently, PBS made room for conservative commentator Tucker Carlson (formerly of MSNBC and co-host of CNN's Crossfire), and Journal Editorial Report with Paul Gigot, an editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page (this show has since moved to FOX News Channel). On 3 November 2005 CPB announced the resignation of Tomlinson amid investigations of improper financial dealings with consultants.^[10]

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PBS networks

PBS has also spun off a number of TV networks, often in partnership with other media companies: PBS YOU (ended January 2006, and largely succeeded by American Public Television's Create), PBS KIDS (ended 1 October 2005), PBS KIDS Sprout, PBS World (commenced 15 August 2007), and PBS-DT2 (a feed of HDTV and letterboxed programming for digitally equipped member stations), along with packages of PBS programs that are similar to local stations' programming, the PBS-X feeds. PBS Kids Go! was promised for October 2006, but PBS announced in July that they would not be going forward with it as an independent network feed (as opposed to the pre-existing two-hour week daily block on PBS). (See List of United States over-the-air television networks and List of United States cable and satellite television networks.) Some or all are available on many digital cable systems, on free-to-air TV via communications satellites [4], as well as via DirecTV direct broadcast satellite. With the transition to terrestrial digital television broadcasts, many are also often now available as "multiplexed" channels on some local stations' standard-definition digital signals, while DT2 is found among the HD signals. PBS Kids announced that they will have an early-morning Miss Lori and Hooper block with four PBS Kids shows usually around 08:00 (school time, although kids this age usually do not go to school). With the absence of advertising, network identification on these PBS networks were limited to utilization at the end of the program, which includes the standard series of bumpers from the "Be More" campaign.

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PBS Kids

See PBS Kids.

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PBS Sports

Although PBS does not currently broadcast sports, the network has previously shown some sporting events.

During the 1970s and 1980's PBS was the leading American tennis broadcaster. ^{[11] [12]} Bud Collins and Donald Dell were PBS announcers. PBS was the first American network to regularly broadcast tennis tournaments.^{[citation needed]} PBS also broadcast "Tennis for the Future," hosted by Vic Braden. ^[13]

In 1982, PBS and ESPN provided the first thorough American television coverage of the FIFA World Cup. PBS aired same day highlights of the top game of the day. Toby Charles was PBS' play by play announcer.

From 1984 to 1987, PBS broadcasted Ivy League football. Dick Galiette and Upton Bell called games for the first season and Marty Glickman and Bob Casciola called the games in 1985. In 1986, PBS increased its coverage and had two announcing teams, Brian Dowling and Sean McDonough, who had been the sideline reporter for the prior two seasons were the play by play announcers and Bob Casciola and Len Simonian were the color analysts. For the final season McDonough and Jack Corrigan were the game announcers and Mike Madden was the sideline reporter. ^[14] In 2008, PBS will air ten Ivy League football games. ^[15]

Another PBS Sports series was "The Sporting Life", an interview series hosted by Jim Palmer. ^[16] The Sporting Life premiered in 1985 and was canceled soon after.

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References

1. ^ PBS press release, 22 March 2007
2. ^ Caution: That Program May Not Be From PBS, Michael Getler (PBS ombudsman), May 15, 2008
3. ^ About PBS, PBS.org, accessed 2006-11-25
4. ^ Articles of Incorporation of Public Broadcasting Service. Current. Retrieved on 2008-01-12.
5. ^ http://www.cpb.org/stations/reports/revenue/2005PublicBroadcastingRevenue.pdf
6. ^ http://www.cpb.org/stations/reports/revenue/2005PublicBroadcastingRevenue.pdf
7. ^ Getler, Michael (2006-03-24). Pledging Allegiance, or March Madness?. PBS Ombudsman. Retrieved on 2006-05-22.
8. ^ http://www.cpb.org/stations/reports/revenue/2005PublicBroadcastingRevenue.pdf
9. ^ Paul Farhi (April 22, 2005). PBS Scrutiny Raises Political Antennas. The Washington Post
10. ^ Brent Bozell III (2007-05-02). Back to Bias Basics at PBS. Townhall.com. Retrieved on 2007-05-02.
11. ^ NewspaperARCHIVE.com - Search old newspaper articles online
12. ^ Janson Media: Consulting: Consultants
13. ^ OCRegister.com - Sports Stats and information
14. ^ Penn Football Tapes 1980-1989
15. ^ TrinityOne Worldwide
16. ^ Jim Palmer

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Further reading

• B. J. Bullert, Public Television: Politics and the Battle over Documentary Film, Rutgers Univ Press 1997
• Barry Dornfeld, Producing Public Television, Producing Public Culture, Princeton University Press 1998
• Ralph Engelman, Public Radio and Television in America: A Political History, Sage Publications 1996
• James Ledbetter, Made Possible by: The Death of Public Broadcasting in the United States, Verso 1998

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See also

• Instructional television
• List of DirecTV channels
• List of Dish Network channels
• List of PBS member stations
• List of United States television networks
• Lou Stewart, prominent labor leader and PBS board member
• Public Radio International
• National Public Radio
• PBS idents
• Television in the United States
• Time signal

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External links

• Official website
• PBS "Red Book" (presentation guidelines for PBS programming)
• How logos of PBS changed