#76 Educational Television

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T.V. used to be just for fun. We watched light fiction like Lucy, or Newhart or the CBS Evening News. We could flip on the T.V. knowing that we wouldn’t be troubled by thought. Then PBS came along. All of a sudden, thought was a requirement for watching television. You had to think if you were going to watch intellectual fare like Masterpiece Theatre, Jeeves and Wooster, or Sesame Street.

Home video briefly helped to stem the tide of intelligent programming. A trip to the video store allowed you to rent shows starring comic geniuses like Harold Lloyd, Mel Brooks and Arnold Schwarzenegger.

While rentals were growing more popular, the Federal Government gently encouraged PBS to find ways to survive on its own by thoughtfully reducing its funding each year. The entire annual PBS budget wouldnât cover the catering at Brittany Spearsâ next wedding.

Looking to get its share of the video pie, PBS starting selling boxed set. You can buy Ken Burns’ The War for a mere $130 — which works out to approximately fifteen cents per thoughtful hour of entertainment.

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NOTES:

• Although I poke fun at PBS in this episode, I really do appreciate many of the great shows and my life wouldn’t be as rich without them. If you want to show your support for PBS, join your local affiliate station or shop at the PBS store at http://www.shoppbs.org

Tags: humor essay | humor column | tv | pbs | education | comedy