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PBS Pledge

S

ssetta

I've noticed that a lot of PBS stations are having fewer and fewer pledge drives than they used to. My main local PBS station, WGBH Boston, never has them during children's programming anymore. I remember sometimes they would have more in some years than other years. But it seems like difference PBS stations did their pledge drives differently. I think that most of my pledge drives were completely taped. They would just have someone talking, and they would run these commercials. Some stations would actually go to a live studio where people would have old-fashioned stick microphones, and there would be phones ringing in the background. But are there any PBS stations left that still have pledge drives like they did in the old days?
 
Some on KCTS/KYVE, but mainly taped, not live. Thank god there's no pledge drives during children's programming. Imagine that! "Elmo wants your mommy and daddy to pledge, to keep Sesame Street and your favorite shows on this station!" :D

-crainbebo
 
Our local PBS station has taped pledge specials, where the pledge breaks are taped and the calls are answered by an out-of-town call center. The PBS Newshour has a 7-minute window about 40 minutes in, for a pledge break. The NPR station in the same facility still does local begathons, with live, in-studio volunteers taking calls.
 
KPBS here in San Diego is an overbloated operation which still does live pledge breaks. I don't know why anyone would still want to support KPBS seeing all the money they spent to tamp down the possibility of the newsroom becoming an AFTRA shop, reportedly, with a hired anti-Union brought in from back east. The atmosphere, however, in that newsroom is pitiful. There has to be a good reason why a big group of KPBS employees wanted union representation.
 
I'm not so much dismayed about the pledge breaks now being the television equivalent of "voice tracked" as I am with the plethora of self-help gurus they trot out for pledge programs. On the Atlanta public stations, pledge period seems almost like non-stop self-help guru infomercials. I mean, can't Wayne Dyer buy his own infomercial time? Then there are the music specials, that seem to get more and more obscure. I'm a major Moody Blues fan, but I don't know how many more times I can watch their two concert shows that the public stations beat to death. Then there are the various Celtic Woman and Celtic Thunder shows, and Andre Rieu. I think the only time I've ever seen an Andre Rieu CD was in the mood music kiosk at Bed, Bath, and Beyond. Now they're milking tribute bands like Australian Pink Floyd!
 
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