I want to preface this post by saying I one hundred perecent, with my right hand in the air and the other on my heart, believe in public television. If I had to make specific television channel choices, I would put PBS first on my list, and then consider other networks and cable TV stations. PBS is my lifeline to what is going on in the world. But that does not mean that every state's public televison network is the same.
But before we go too far and get all sentimental about public television, let's take a look at a few things. First, during a pledge break they will tell you that 64% of their budget comes from viewer donations. Well you need to read the small print. Other than grants and income sources from places like the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and a plethora of foundations, there is indeed a gap when compared to their budget. But MPBN is using this number of 64% as their gap in a way that I find misleading. I don't have the MPBN budget sitting in front of me but I can tell you that if you really pay attention to what they are saying, 64% of their budget comes from "viewers AND businesses". That means corporate sponsors. There is a big difference between a family who decides to donate $35 for their annual "basic membership" and a corporation like Mutual of America who funds a particular program of their choice. MPBN make themselves sound so desperate for dollars, but I find it hard to believe that if they had fewer pledge drives and/or received fewer donations, that they would go out of business.
Here's another thing to think about. MPBN, and other public television networks, give the impression that if you donate money and become a "member" that you actually have a say in what programs are aired or other financial decision that are made. You don't. For example, as many know by now, the television industry is converting to digital. The deadline for this conversion is February 17, 2009. Many broadcast networks, including PBS, already have most of their structures in place and are broadcasting in digital. This means they can also broadcast in High Definition. But if you compare Maine Public Broadcasting to New Hampshire Public Broadcasting, New Hampshire is WAY ahead of the curve. Before I would ever pledge money to MPBN, I would want some say in how my dollars are spent.
Why is it that NHPTV can broadcast the national PBS High definition channel 24 hours a day IN ADDITION TO the regular programming originating from New Hampshire (also in digital) but Maine can't yet do that; or won't do that. I have written to MPBN and keep getting the brush off. MPBN has the capabilities to broadcast a show like The News Hour in HD, but they don't. New Hampshire public television, on the other hand, does. I won't get into all of the technical details but MPBN is behind the times and I don't believe that simply feeding them more piles of money every time they ask is really helping the matter. Rather, on their website, I'd like to see their budget, expenses, and how many dollars are spent on technology. This is, after all, a public corporation we are talking about. They already get some money from the U.S. government so in essence, each of us already is a "member", has ownership in their network, and we should have some say in how it is run.
I live in southern Maine. I am lucky in that even over the air with an antenna I can receive both Maine and New Hampshire public television. Further, if you have cable TV in southern Maine, you will also get PBS from Boston, who also is very adept at technology and high definition. That's a lot of choices for public television.
The president of the Maine Association of Broadcasters, Suzanne Goucher, went on TV (Channel 6 - WCSH) urging people to invest money in a high definition television because she feels that being able to see the fine details of Tom Brady's scruffiness is something to behold. (You need to see the interview to believe it). But if there isn't enough High Definition broadcasting to support your investment. On MPBN or anywhere else. Trust me, I own a high definition TV and the station with most high quality, consistent high def programming is New Hampshire Public Television. Good luck in finding much programming that is truly in high definition anywhere else; even on regular TV networks.
So my hope st that for those who feel they want to donate to public television, and I really like that idea, give it to those that have earned it and deserve it like New Hampshire Public Television or WGBH in Boston.
2 comments:
I live in Portland, and this is what Joe Riley of MBPN stated in his recent response:
-----
It is true that a significant number of off-air viewers in the Portland
area (and in the Bangor area) are having difficulty picking us up since we
turned off our digital transmitters. We had no way of knowing ahead of
time how many people would not be able to get our digital signal, although
we knew some would have a problem. We did blanket our breaks (on both TV
and Radio) with spots alerting our audience of the switch. We also ran an
in-depth half-hour program over the two weeks prior to the switch that
detailed steps to take to find our signal -- and acknowledging that some
would not get us at all.
Our signal to Portland is provided by a VHF transmitter in Litchfield
(channel 10) as well as a UHF transmitter in Sanford (channel 45). We are
required to keep our transmitters close to their cities of license;
however, Portland is not the city of license for either station -- WMEA-DT
45 is licensed to Biddeford; WCBB-DT 10 is licensed to Augusta. We have
petitioned the FCC for an increase in power to WCBB, and we hope this will
be implemented by late February.
We wish everyone could receive a perfect signal from us, but this isn't
possible with current technology. We do broadcast our signal with the
best quality and highest power allowed within the guidelines of the FCC.
We have great hopes that consumer technology (for converter boxes and
digital TVs) will improve significantly over the next year. In the mean
time, short of purchasing cable or satellite service, finding the most
appropriate antenna is your best bet. You can find more information at
antennaweb.org or tvfool.com .
I hope this is helpful. I am very sorry you cannot receive our signal
now.
Thank you for your years of support for public broadcasting.
--Joe.
Joe Riley
VP Director of Television
Maine Public Broadcasting Network
1450 Lisbon St.
Lewiston, ME 04240
Phone: 207-783-9101 or 1-800-884-1717 ext. 5116
Fax: 207-783-5193
www.mpbn.net
Ryan, thanks so much for your comment and for quoting MBPN. I am so "on the fence" about MPBN and the digital transition. I believe that MPBN has tried very hard to make things go smoothly. And they are part of the short list of Maine TV broadcasters who have stuck to their original schedule of a 2/17/09 conversion. They have also openly told the public to call them directly with any reception problems or questions about digital transition. On the other hand, they are also part of the group that had no foresight in testing what would happen to the viewers ability to see their channels under lower power conditions on the transmission towers. And even if they were at full power, some Mainers would still not get MPBN due to the analog signals superior ability to travel long distances when compared to digital.
As copied your comment to the "Update" comment dated 2/12/09 because it has more to do with the current state of Digital TV in Maine. I gave you credit for the comment there as well.
As much as I hate to say it, MPBN is doing their best. Joe Riley's comments may seem a bit "political" in their rhetoric but I know from speaking with folks at MPBN and even Joe himself (if I remember correctly) that MPBN is as concerned about viewers receiving the digital signal as the viewers themselves. It's not a good answer and I am always the first to point fingers but I do think they are trying. At least they didn't copy out by latching on to the FCC's fake extension. They are going with 2/17 come hell or high water.
Just my 2 cents.
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