PBS is like HBO at late night.

[WPPCProductions]

As I was just finishing watching a classic B/W movie on PBS's WNET Ch13 on a saturday night a couple weeks ago over my moms house .ok maybe as everybody knows now WNET has a new movie format on saturdays, they show the main feature film , a ten minute or more short film, and a indy movie. ok the 10 minute film short started playing, it was about a date rape, The words in that movie were almost all the 7 words nobody cant say on tv.including the F**** one , about a dozen times.
Hahaha I also died ,I was caught off gaurd on that one, I had to check the remote to see if I had HBO on.no it was PBS , The same channel Big Bird is on.I know the FCC after 11pm rules are there in place. I guess Public Broadcasting can get away with it too.

 

[Whale]

Are you kidding? PBS would be the first OTA to air that stuff. The commericial networks are far more conservative than PBS.

 

[ssetta]

There were actually a few cases on Sesame Street where the words "Shut up" were said. In later years, those segments were edited.

 

[jal41]

Re: PBS

If the obscentities are in "good artisitic taste", then they are allowed per FCC rules (a loophole, althought only the almighty FCC has the final say on whether it is or not). When the 60+ ABC affilates backed out of "Saving Private Ryan" due to FCC concerns, the FCC actually cleared the movie under this loophole after a complaint came in. Anything that would air on PBS would fall under this loophole.

Of course, I would declare any profanity, regardless of whether it is sexual or not, protected under the First Amendment of the United States constitiution, and the government cannot bar it's use on TV or otherwise. I hope CBS has luck in getting the FCC rules overturned (the appeal over the Janet Jackson flap is working its way to the Supreme Court).

Now onto PBS...they are airing this stuff because they need the $$$$$ from donations. Here in Atlanta, GPB (Georgia's state government run PBS network) and WPBA (Atlanta city school system) are alredy annoying us with monthly showings of Wayne Dyer and Suzy Orman and how to exercise your brain. The Republicans have shrunk the money they gave the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (primary PBS/NPR funding source) to almost nill (somehow, the republicans have this odd belief that PBS and NPR have a liberal bias). I was hoping that when the Democrats took back Congress this would change, but other issues have gotten in the way.

Meanwhile...every PBS member station has had to go to an almost all-pledge-break-all-the-time format to get money. I expect that with the subprime mortgage crisis, the problem (particularly with decreases in corporate contributions) will get worse.

WPBA also airs classic movies, but more familar ones and those that you would see on Turner Classic Movies. Once, they scheduled "Dances with Wolves" at the same time AMC was airing it.

Again...it is all about the $$$$$.

 

[IdentityProgramming]

The PBS affiliate in Memphis airs "Mission Impossible" Sunday afternoons. It's Great!

I wish more PBS stations aired classic shows.

Gary

 

[ssetta]

WGBH Boston has actually reduced pledge breaks during children's programming in recent years. They used to do it twice a year, and they would cut all the shows short. Now, they air full versions of the shows, and only do it in October.

 

[anotherguyTN]

The PBS affiliate in Memphis airs "Mission Impossible" Sunday afternoons. It's Great!

I wish more PBS stations aired classic shows.

Gary

They're also showing The Twilight Zone immediately after MI on Saturday nights, and Classic movies along the line of what would be on TCM on Friday Nights.

 

[mrfish67]

As I was just finishing watching a classic B/W movie on PBS's WNET Ch13 on a saturday night a couple weeks ago over my moms house .ok maybe as everybody knows now WNET has a new movie format on saturdays, they show the main feature film , a ten minute or more short film, and a indy movie. ok the 10 minute film short started playing, it was about a date rape, The words in that movie were almost all the 7 words nobody cant say on tv.including the F**** one , about a dozen times.

KCET in Los Angeles used to run unedited movies Saturday nights at 10 p.m. complete with profanity and nudity intact. The extra bonus was that the films were in high definition. They had "Superman," "Network," "Blade Runner," and some older classic films as well. It's too bad they are not doing this anymore. They stopped several months ago.

 

[Mark Giardina]

Remember all the controversy when PBS aired "I Claudius" many years ago? No swear words but plenty of nudity. There were some members of Congress who wanted to cut off government funding for PBS because the network aired that show.
Of course there have been numerous attempts by some in Congress to cut off funding for public broadcasting; but that's another topic for discussion.

 

[james32746]

WCEU, one of the PBS stations in Orlando airs a weekly film package FALL 2005 FILM PACKAGE from American Public Television (which comprises of various major motion pictures from 20th Century Fox, MGM, and Warner Bros from the 1940's thru the 1980's).

 

[AlexBrowne]

Re: PBS

If the obscentities are in "good artisitic taste", then they are allowed per FCC rules (a loophole, althought only the almighty FCC has the final say on whether it is or not). When the 60+ ABC affilates backed out of "Saving Private Ryan" due to FCC concerns, the FCC actually cleared the movie under this loophole after a complaint came in. Anything that would air on PBS would fall under this loophole.

To clarify -- "obscenity" is not permitted at ANY time on television. The words that are being referred to here are "profanities," and the FCC will permit those on broadcast television in "safe harbor," after 10 p.m.

 

[FreddyE1977]

The PBS affiliate in Memphis airs "Mission Impossible" Sunday afternoons. It's Great!

I wish more PBS stations aired classic shows.

Gary

WQEX-TV 16 in Pittsburgh (Quite EXtrordinary television) used to air a number of them
until the parent WQED-13 pimped them out to home shopping to raise money in the late
90's.

 

[anotherguyTN]

The PBS affiliate in Memphis airs "Mission Impossible" Sunday afternoons. It's Great!

I wish more PBS stations aired classic shows.

Gary

WQEX-TV 16 in Pittsburgh (Quite EXtrordinary television) used to air a number of them
until the parent WQED-13 pimped them out to home shopping to raise money in the late
90's.

That sounds even worse than the begathons we have to put up with. I'd just as soon have it where PBS stations would be allowed to run commercials.

Speaking of begathons for PBS stations, they've started again for this month. As usual they're showing specials that they wouldn't show at any other time of the year to get more of the general publc to watch, and then run the lie claiming that "Your pledges support great programming like _____ (whatever show is on)". Then once the fund drive is over they won't show programs like these until the next begathon.