Channel 12 and their beg-a-thon

[tater]

So I caught a few of channel 12's shows over the past week or so. Can someone please tell me why they can't be "live" during some of their pledge breaks. I mean, these people have the chutzpah to beg for money and they can't even take the time to be live during all of their breaks.

Damned if i'd send money in if they can't take that time.

Sorry for the rant.

 

[Jul]

So I caught a few of channel 12's shows over the past week or so. Can someone please tell me why they can't be "live" during some of their pledge breaks. I mean, these people have the chutzpah to beg for money and they can't even take the time to be live during all of their breaks.

Damned if i'd send money in if they can't take that time.

Sorry for the rant.

Contact the station and ask for yourself: http://www.whyy.org/about/contact.html

 

[BRNout]

So I caught a few of channel 12's shows over the past week or so. Can someone please tell me why they can't be "live" during some of their pledge breaks. I mean, these people have the chutzpah to beg for money and they can't even take the time to be live during all of their breaks.

Damned if i'd send money in if they can't take that time.

Sorry for the rant.

And why do most PBS stations blow up their program schedules during the beg-a-thon and show a bunch of crap that is of limited appeal? You know if my British comedies were on, I might just be more amenable to the sales pitch. But, the "Doo Wops Greatest" and "Osmond's 50th Anniversary" garbage causes me to skip PBS for a good 3 weeks. Thus, I'm never there to be 'sold to' and they lose any possibility that I'll pledge. In fact, the interruption so pisses me off that I won't give them anything.

Who's bright idea is this anyway? It's not limited to WHYY or PBS-39. It's done all over the country. Stupid idea. Wake me when it's over.

 

[Rockin Rob]

I, for one, actually miss the old Channel 12 auction (which PBS39 still does). Why did they abandon this?

 

[imhomerjay]

And why do most PBS stations blow up their program schedules during the beg-a-thon and show a bunch of crap that is of limited appeal? You know if my British comedies were on, I might just be more amenable to the sales pitch. But, the "Doo Wops Greatest" and "Osmond's 50th Anniversary" garbage causes me to skip PBS for a good 3 weeks. Thus, I'm never there to be 'sold to' and they lose any possibility that I'll pledge. In fact, the interruption so pisses me off that I won't give them anything.

Who's bright idea is this anyway? It's not limited to WHYY or PBS-39. It's done all over the country. Stupid idea. Wake me when it's over.

Perhaps because the 'limited appeal' you cite isn't quite so limited. Certainly, you may not like it, but if it works to bring in the money they need to keep going, someone is responding. That's what keeps your favorite shows on the air the rest of the year.

 

[BRNout]

And why do most PBS stations blow up their program schedules during the beg-a-thon and show a bunch of crap that is of limited appeal? You know if my British comedies were on, I might just be more amenable to the sales pitch. But, the "Doo Wops Greatest" and "Osmond's 50th Anniversary" garbage causes me to skip PBS for a good 3 weeks. Thus, I'm never there to be 'sold to' and they lose any possibility that I'll pledge. In fact, the interruption so pisses me off that I won't give them anything.

Who's bright idea is this anyway? It's not limited to WHYY or PBS-39. It's done all over the country. Stupid idea. Wake me when it's over.

Perhaps because the 'limited appeal' you cite isn't quite so limited. Certainly, you may not like it, but if it works to bring in the money they need to keep going, someone is responding. That's what keeps your favorite shows on the air the rest of the year.

Do you really, honestly think so? Or are you just stating this to be argumentative? Are you a big fan of "Doo Wops Best" and "Celtic Woman" such that you sit through these things four times a year? Because, to be honest, I have not found anyone who likes the replacement programming. Yet I know a lot of people who like PBS. I think they'd do better focusing their beg-a-thon on the existing shows - which are the reasons that people watch. Personal opinion, but I don't think I'm so far off on saying that.

And, the bulk of the money comes from corporate sponsors anyway.

 

[MikefromDelaware]

Tater makes an interesting point as the radio side, NPR WHYY-FM does exactly as he suggests and airs their normal programming with interruptions planted into the normal shows (which are just as annoying during ATC, Morning Edition, Car Talk, etc as during a "special" on PBS). It seems to work fine for the radio side of WHYY, so it could work fine for TV.

However, there also is a point for airing specials that might pull in other donars than the "normal PBS viewer" where they'd also pony up some cash for their favorite special, Big Band ballroom dancing aimed at WW2 generation, Doowop aimed at the 50's generation, Peter Paul and Mary aimed at the 60's gen, Osmonds aimed at the 70's gen, etc. My guess is, PBS assumes that their normal viewers will support their favorite shows so they can continue to be shown and understand the occasional interruption from the normal schedule as the price for commercial free quality televison to encourage others to also support PBS.

Another way of looking at it, is these are those moments when PBS lets its hair down, sort of like on NPR when they air Car Talk. All quality shows, but not the usual sort of programming you'd expect from PBS or NPR.

 

[imhomerjay]

Do you really, honestly think so? Or are you just stating this to be argumentative? Are you a big fan of "Doo Wops Best" and "Celtic Woman" such that you sit through these things four times a year? Because, to be honest, I have not found anyone who likes the replacement programming. Yet I know a lot of people who like PBS. I think they'd do better focusing their beg-a-thon on the existing shows - which are the reasons that people watch. Personal opinion, but I don't think I'm so far off on saying that.

And, the bulk of the money comes from corporate sponsors anyway.

Yes, I believe it. With every passing year, the stations are more and more reliant on the donors to keep the lights on, let alone provide the programming many of the staffers want to bring to the public. To that end, there are no reasons to sabotage that cash flow by doing something to bring in less money than they could—and every reason to do whatever it takes to bring in the most money possible.

That isn’t to paint it as an all or nothing proposition, but when your existence depends on maximizing donations, what reason is there to do anything other than what your best data—and historical results—show works?

No, I don’t enjoy the doo-wop or classical music specials multiple times a week, multiple weeks a year. And I too know plenty of people who get annoyed at the disruptions to the schedules—not to mention the feeling of getting ‘snagged,’ for lack of a better term, when the breaks come on during something they did find interesting. But the fact that I don’t like those specials—even the fact I can’t necessarily name acquaintances who do—doesn’t negate that people tasked with figuring out how to cajole the dollars out of viewers find them successful.

There are many things I dislike that other people demonstrably do.

 

[vibe]

All I care about "Celtic Woman" is whether or not she can dunk.
Seriously, are those people you see during the fundraisers station personell/volunteers or professional fundraisers working on commission?
Plus if they are raising money for station operations, are salaries of key personel public information.
I read somewhere where the head of PBS makes WAY in excess of the president of the U.S. But I don't know for sure if it's true.

 

[BRNout]

All I care about "Celtic Woman" is whether or not she can dunk.

Gawd that was funny!!!!!!! ;D ;D ;D

It's about as much as I think of that show too - which they trot out for almost every beg-a-thon. I guess my point is that they should try a different approach that doesn't completely upend the schedule. That would be refreshing and it might just catch more of the regular viewers who tune out completely during pledge periods. If they aren't watching, you can't sell them on the idea of giving, now can you?