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PBS-You to leave DirecTV January 15

M

Matt

They have been running an occasional announcement on the channel about this, and have the information posted on the web...

Click here for the details

There is no indication whether the service will continue on any of the cable systems or on the digital subchannels of the PBS stations where it has been appearing as of late.

There are some things I will miss when the service leaves DirecTV...but IMHO they showed way too much Julia Child and Charlie Rose.

In any event, it raises the larger question as to whether similar programming can survive in a non-commercial presentation on cable and satellite in today's TV marketplace.

Bravo used to be like this, before (BLEEP) Eye and other programs...BBC America still shows such programming, but with commercials inserted that they would never allow in Britain.

Is it possible for such channels to exist long-term without becomnig mass-appeal?

Later...
Matt Smith, Station Manager
WGSR-TV "Star-39"
Reidsville, NC
 
> There are some things I will miss when the service leaves
> DirecTV...but IMHO they showed way too much Julia Child and
> Charlie Rose.

Primarily for that reason, I hadn't watched PBS You in a long time. This may well be a case where the channel content (and repeat factor) didn't justify continued carriage.

> In any event, it raises the larger question as to whether
> similar programming can survive in a non-commercial
> presentation on cable and satellite in today's TV
> marketplace.

I think the key is that too much repetition dooms you to failure. I suspect that some of the Discovery networks wouldn't survive without the contractual obligation to take them as a package. Some of those, like the Science Channel, are little more than a three- or four-hour block of programs, repeated multiple times over the 24-hour period.

The cable business is, of course, littered with attempts to provide cultural programming. Bravo started as a Sunday and Monday night service on the pay channel Escapade before becoming a full-time pay service, then a 24/7 basic service; by the time it went basic, its schedule included such "cultural" fare as Max Headroom reruns. Of course, NBC took it even farther away from the original.

ARTS started off ambitiously, but even being on the same transponder as Nickelodeon was no guarantee of success; in that first incarnation, it was sponsored by corporate underwriting, like PBS. And the channel it merged with to form A&E -- The Entertainment Channel -- was a pay service using, for the most part, programming from the BBC. The merged product looked more like a traditional commercial channel, and now you would be hard pressed to find anything resembling the original programming.

At least CBS Cable pulled the plug, rather than compromising their ideals, when their attempt at non-commercial culture didn't catch on. CBS lost a lot of money on that project.

Odyssey started out cultural, then became religious, and ultimately became the Hallmark Channel.

I don't know how Ovation and Classic Arts Showcase survive. The former has very low cable penetration and the latter seems dependent on partial carriage on PBS stations.<P ID="signature">______________


</P>
 
It looks like they are killing the channel alltogehter.
It is sad that DirecTV is replacing it with the Christian Television Network, which is they feel is a "public interest programming" channel. From that network's website, the channel looks like it is all pay to pray crap, some of it airing on other networks. It is a waste of bandwith.
 
TW in my area had a 24 hour network that had 12 hours of PBS You and 12 hours of PBS Kids, they switched it to 24 hours of PBS Kids, and discontinued the service all together in September... I think there is a new network coming out, "PBS Kids Sprout"??
 
> TW in my area had a 24 hour network that had 12 hours of PBS
> You and 12 hours of PBS Kids, they switched it to 24 hours
> of PBS Kids, and discontinued the service all together in
> September... I think there is a new network coming out, "PBS
> Kids Sprout"??
>

The Time Warner here gets both PBS-U and PBS Kids on Digital cable. I think its part of WMVS/WMVT Milwaukee's HD and they just run it over basic non HD digital cable.<P ID="signature">______________

</P>
 
> TW in my area had a 24 hour network that had 12 hours of PBS
> You and 12 hours of PBS Kids, they switched it to 24 hours
> of PBS Kids, and discontinued the service all together in
> September... I think there is a new network coming out, "PBS
> Kids Sprout"??
>

I think Sprout is aimed at preschoolers...everytime I run across it, they're showing Teletubbies.
 
> The Time Warner here gets both PBS-U and PBS Kids on Digital
> cable. I think its part of WMVS/WMVT Milwaukee's HD and they
> just run it over basic non HD digital cable.

PBS is ending completely its PBS YOU service.

In Milwaukee, Jeremy, PBS YOU has been run on WMVS-DT as one of their multicast digital stations, over-the-air (channel 10-3) and on Time Warner Cable (channel 553). On January 9, Milwaukee Public Television will replace PBS YOU with CREATE, a new 24-hour channel of public television "how-to" programming.
 
> I don't know how Ovation and Classic Arts Showcase survive.
> The former has very low cable penetration and the latter
> seems dependent on partial carriage on PBS stations.

I get Ovation, but have never found anything of much interest on it. Seems to be a mix of true cultural programs (ballets, operas, etc.), specials about popular musicians, and acquired UK programming (Antiques Roadshow UK & various music specials).

Classic Arts Showcase, IIRC, relies on a non-profit foundation for its financial support.

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Classic_Arts_Showcase

Wikipedia entry claims there is at least 20 years of funding provided for CAS. Presumably they would at some point seek foundation/other funding before the 20 year period expires.

Also, CAS is available as a Public Interest channel on Dish Network.

Furthermore, it appears that PBS will (later in 2006?) offer the new "PBS Public Square" service as a multicast option for their affiliates.
http://www.knightfdn.org/default.asp?story=news_at_knight/releases/2005/2005_12_14_pbs.html<P ID="edit"><FONT class="small">Edited by jegrant on 12/18/05 07:58 AM.</FONT></P>
 
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