I'm not sure what to make of the the strategy of PBS pledge drives. It seems like it preys upon the AARP crowd (of which I've been eligible for some time.) Get us to donate so PBS can keeping bringing your favorite music/memory-cure/health-aid/history-lesson to television. Most of this special programming disappears at the end of the pledge drive, or at least that's what it seems to me.
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PBS Pledge Week: it's baaaack!
- Thread starter joebtsflk1
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Kind of true. I have a friend that makes certain pledge shows for PBS. They tend to be promotable, with merchandise tie-ins, and designed with pre-timed pledge breaks for fundraising. The regular programming is just the regular programming with no breaks. Typically the pledge shows you see on PBS are ONLY seen on PBS. So they have that going for them.
Hate to be cynical, but much of the pledge programming seems like infomercials. But, they have to get funding somehow.
I agree. There are rules about how those health products can be presented. It's a controversial issue in the PBS community. PBS itself doesn't condone the health care products shows.
I agree. Plus those PBS stations that still carry Lawrence Welk usually air him on Saturday evenings (at least on all the PBS stations in west central IL e.g., Quad Cities, Peoria, Springfield, Quincy, Macomb that still show him). And Saturday evenings seem to be common nights for Pledge programming to air. Which cancels Welk for those Saturday nights during pledge drives.
I wonder if PBS stations get angry calls (like probably CBS does if 60 Minutes runs late due to sports) during pledge weeks (even from people that sent pledges) whenever Welk is preempted for pledge programming. Claiming they only donated to the station to make sure Lawrence Welk still aired, and they don't appreciate his preemption. "Excuse me, where's my Lawrence Welk? I don't want to see the Mamas and the Papas and all those old hippies for the 1000th time! I want Welk and I want it NOW!"
I support my local public broadcasting stations, both NPR radio and PBS TV as I listen to NPR during my commutes and do enjoy some of the programming on PBS and there are a few programs and performances I only discovered via PBS.
The only time I got a bit heated is when I moved to a new city more than a decade ago, and saw some programming that was created by a long-time producer of PBS specials from a station where I grew up. I sent the guy a nice note telling him how it was great to hear his familiar voice and see one of his specials on the other side of the country where I'd just moved to, and I enclosed a check. The following year I got a few things in the mail from his station asking for donations, but what really irked me is when they started using telemarketers, who called me 3 or 4 nights in a row while I was at dinner, calling to ask for donations to that PBS station. That prompted a not so nice e-mail from me to that producer and all the executives of that station who's e-mail addresses I could locate, not only asking them to remove me from their database, but blasing them for enlisting telemarketers who called me for several evenings to pledge. Further, I asked them to use my donation to create more good programming, rather than spending it on a telemarketing service.
The only time I got a bit heated is when I moved to a new city more than a decade ago, and saw some programming that was created by a long-time producer of PBS specials from a station where I grew up. I sent the guy a nice note telling him how it was great to hear his familiar voice and see one of his specials on the other side of the country where I'd just moved to, and I enclosed a check. The following year I got a few things in the mail from his station asking for donations, but what really irked me is when they started using telemarketers, who called me 3 or 4 nights in a row while I was at dinner, calling to ask for donations to that PBS station. That prompted a not so nice e-mail from me to that producer and all the executives of that station who's e-mail addresses I could locate, not only asking them to remove me from their database, but blasing them for enlisting telemarketers who called me for several evenings to pledge. Further, I asked them to use my donation to create more good programming, rather than spending it on a telemarketing service.
At least for Northern California the pledge programming are on the weekends on the local PBS affiliates in my area such as KVIE Sacramento, KQED San Francisco and KRCB Santa Rosa. In the case of Northern California the Rick Steves travels programs get pledge attention.
I will have to admit, at least here in Washington state, the term 'pledge drive' has never been the same without the late and great George Ray of KCTS. If you saw him, you KNEW there was a pledge drive going on (or they would be cooking some yummy treats for KCTS Cooks). I remember growing up and seeing his warm presence on channel 9 a few times a year. Albeit the pledge programming is mostly junk now. Most of the time its health and prescription seminars.
I have found a bunch of old KYVE Yakima pledge drives in the past on VHS tapes, and it's amazing to see the difference in quality between a large-market station and one like KYVE...they had a phone bank of about 4-6 people, a couple of hosts, and the phones rang at an occasional rate. I have one where they sang a corny song in the tune of 'Let it Snow' to encourage a donation. You wouldn't see KCTS get away with that, or KCET, or any other large-market PBS.
I have found a bunch of old KYVE Yakima pledge drives in the past on VHS tapes, and it's amazing to see the difference in quality between a large-market station and one like KYVE...they had a phone bank of about 4-6 people, a couple of hosts, and the phones rang at an occasional rate. I have one where they sang a corny song in the tune of 'Let it Snow' to encourage a donation. You wouldn't see KCTS get away with that, or KCET, or any other large-market PBS.
For the past several years, I've noticed that at least some PBS stations have pledge drive breaks embedded into the programming being shown, and it's not necessarily the local hosts who are featured. I've seen personalities from Pittsburgh hosting the pledge breaks during a certain program being aired on a PBS station in Fort Lauderdale, for instance. Also, one can tell that some of these pre-recorded pledge breaks are getting old - You'll be watching a live performance of something that first aired a decade ago or longer, and when they cut to the pledge break, the people hosting are wearing attire from that time and the decor is from that same era.
It's a bit of a letdown, as I recall when all the PBS pledge breaks were live, hosted locally and as you state @crainbebo the hosts would sometimes do corny things to get people to call, and they'd get giddy as the hours wore on, etc. Now it seems with the pre-recorded breaks, they're not as genuine somehow and not working as hard for it, for lack of a better term.
KCPT-TV in Kansas City, MO & KMOS-TV in Sedalia\Warrensburg, MO will actually show both local (Some live & others taped.) & national pledge drives.
One thing that I've noticed is that if the special being shown during a pledge drive is produced locally, or semi-local by another PBS station in the area, or if whoever starred in, or hosted, the special is going to be in the area, the pledge drive segments shown during the special will be done locally.
I know for KVIE Sacramento and KQED San Francisco for some specials they will use the Local hosts for some shows such as Rick Steves travel shows on the weekends and for some pledge specials such as Doo-Wop or Motown specials its different hosts from outside of Northern California or made by the promoters of the specials to get people to donate to PBS affiliates on the weekends.
‘Caillou’ sale, streaming surge help to boost PBS budget far above expectations
“Clearly, this is an extraordinary result for PBS at this stage of the year,” said CFO Tom Tardivo.
current.org
If it makes revenue for PBS then OK then.
The kid demographic watching pbs must have been close to nothing for them to do that.
I've watched the begathon specials at times, but have always hated the lies that "Your donations keep programming like this on your local PBS station" but then go back to the regular programming after the begathon was over.
The one that irritated me the most was when WKNO in Memphis ran a Red Green Show marathon (Which was my first time to see the show) claiming that it would be added soon to the regular schedule, but then it never happened. Either they didn't get the donations they wanted, or they were lying about carrying the show on a regular basis in the first place.
And since they have gone to running what amounts to infomercials I never watch them.
The one that irritated me the most was when WKNO in Memphis ran a Red Green Show marathon (Which was my first time to see the show) claiming that it would be added soon to the regular schedule, but then it never happened. Either they didn't get the donations they wanted, or they were lying about carrying the show on a regular basis in the first place.
And since they have gone to running what amounts to infomercials I never watch them.
But when the next marathon returns, so do the types of shows that attracted the money. A lot of those 60s music specials have no other channels where they can air. MTV doesn't play music shows. MTV Live runs concerts, but they're all 80s and 90s acts.
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