skip to main content

The Kitchen Table

Losing local PBS station

13 years ago

Our local PBS TV station is stopping broadcasting the end of this month. Community support has been declining for several years, and although the station is supported by a local college, it isn't enough to keep the station alive. We will have the national PBS broadcasts until the end of June when the contract with national expires.

There is no public outcry--folks seem more interested in whether their cable suppliers will carry the Dallas or the Austin PBS.

My husband and I talked it over, and other than not viewing Miss Marple for the umpteenth time, and watching Jacques Pepin on the computer instead of the TV, there's really no great loss to us. We say Lawrence Welk when we were pups, and one can only watch the Gaither Homecoming so many times.

How is the health of your local PBS TV station?

Sort by:Oldest

Comments (10)

iowagirl2006
13 years ago
I hope ours will never end! Iowa Public Television is awesome! The one good thing about the digital TV switch-over is that we get 3 PBS stations now, including the Create! channel.

IPTV does some fantastic coverage of Iowa events also.
dotmom
13 years ago
We used to have two, but the local one complained that the pledges they got were being divided because of the two stations, so one got cut (at least to our area). We pledged to both, but when this happened, I called them and told them we would no longer pledge to them because they got greedy. Now I don't care if they are on or not. Dottie
Related Discussions
PBS Victory Garden
Q
Comments (64)
I have to add my little voice to the "I miss the old Victory Garden" song. It's been some time since it's been worth watching. Jamie Durie is so annoying I want to bash him with a shovel. I think it's been a couple of years since they even made a new show - they just recycle the same boring old things over and over. I didn't like the previous host much either - too fat & effeminate (he couldn't possibly have spent THAT much time gardening!). I don't know the name of the next previous host, but his were the last of the worth-watching Victory Garden shows, in my opinion. With his overalls and hillbilly beard, he looked like you couldn't get him OUT of the garden.
...See More
Great Program on PBS this Weekend Plus Addtnl Airings
Q
Comments (4)
In case you missed the TV airing, you can watch both of them online, highly recommend: BOTANY OF DESIRE is a documentary which tells the utterly original story of everyday plants and the way they have domesticated humankind. An interpretation of the relationship between plants and people. This two-hour documentary explores plant evolution and takes viewers from the potato fields of Peru and Idaho, the apple forests of Kazakhstan, and the tulip markets of Amsterdam. View online in it's entirety:here This is another related program by the same presenter on LINK TV (a cable access channel) which is timely: Deep Agriculture Traditional methods of agriculture in most developed nations have long ignored environmental concerns. Factors such as soil erosion, water shortage and the impact of chemicals on bio-systems have been overlooked in favour of massive crop yields and cheaper food. But what impact does this have on our health and our environment? View online in it's entirety: here
...See More
Quilts of Valor/PBS Program
Q
Comments (7)
It was on TV here earlier this summer during a telethon. I didn't see the entire program but did see the end. The QOV that Mark Lipinski and his quilter made is in the last issue (Sept./Oct.) of "Love of Quilting". Linda OH
...See More
PBS Nature Premier Program About Butterflies ...
Q
Comments (10)
Hi, Iris. 'Early' might be only in my head...my mindset: as the weather permits (we've already seen mid-80s and humid...and mosquitoes!), I sit in my yard and watch for butterflies -- specifically monarchs. I either see none or one that might periodically just pass through. I really didn't think there would be any eggs (let alone cats!) on my milkweed. I've been busy in the yards this past couple of months (first attempt at gathering bagged leaves from the neighborhood, shredding, and using as mulch), and haven't paid much attention to the lone milkweed. At the first sign of leaves over a month ago, I mentally checked that box and moved on. What made me look today: I wondered why the milkweed hadn't taken off, given our warm weather. That's when I saw the munched leaves (yay!) and cats (yay x a million). Sorry to hear you don't have an immediate source for milkweed. Our local nursery's flooded with them. I'm half considering returning to the nursery and rescuing more cats: the checkout guy had not clue what the chrysalis was; and the way pots are moved around, the chrysalis has a little dent in its side. I hope it survives. :/
...See More
cynic
13 years ago
Ours is great. With the digital conversion it went from essentially 1.5 stations to 7, then dropped to 4. It's well supported around here but that's not surprising.
Marilyn Sue McClintock
13 years ago
I think we have 3, but they all show the same old shows at the same time. Nothing much I really even care to watch for the most part. I used to enjoy them when they had a lot of the British shows, but now I think there are only 3 of those. I sure don't like the digital conversion.

Sue
marilyn_c
13 years ago
I love our PBS stations. There are three...one in Spanish and one that has kid programs in the mornings and other things like documentaries in the evenings. The other one is all house, garden, travel and food. I watch it all the time...or, have it on all the time. I don't care very much for television, and except for a couple of programs, PBS is the only thing I am interested in.
maryanntx
13 years ago
I hope ours is doing well. I watch it quite often. Maybe I need to donate.
bee0hio
13 years ago
Oh I love our PBS. We have 3. I think the support is pretty good in our area.
jaybird
13 years ago
DH and I are having a fit, but that won't raise money:^(
Can you get 13 out of DFW????
It's pretty good, but not as good as the Baylor one.
I'm sad!!!!
marlingardener
Original Author
13 years ago
Jaybird,
We don't have cable so when Baylor goes, so goes our PBS watching. Frankly, I'm not all that fond of the local PBS programming, so we won't miss it. We'll just have more evenings sitting on the patio watching the cows across the field!
terilyn
13 years ago
I don't know what I would do without the children's programming, we support our station and love it. My gripe is our tvs without satellite can't pick it up on the HD antenna. Of course that's the one in Kali's room, can't sit in bed in the morning and snuggle with her watching Sesame Street!

Related Stories

REMODELING GUIDES Lose It: What to Do With Leftover Building Materials

By Vanessa Brunner

See how to properly dispose of your extra brick, wood and paint — or make something cool with it instead

FUN HOUZZ Everything I Need to Know About Decorating I Learned from Downton Abbey

Mind your manors with these 10 decorating tips from the PBS series, returning on January 5

INSIDE HOUZZ Decorating Trends: A New Houzz Survey Shows What Homeowners Want

By Mitchell Parker

Is the TV gaining or losing ground? Are women or men trendier? Find out and learn more about people’s decorating plans right here

BATHROOM DESIGN Bathroom Beauties From Around the World

By Susan Redman

Soak up some divine bathing spaces in locales ranging from the tropics to urbane settings, rural outposts and the chilly north

DECORATING GUIDES Celebrating the Great American Quilt

By Becky Dietrich, Interior Designer

They speak of family, history and beauty. Is it any wonder quilts transcend design styles?

INSIDE HOUZZ Inside Houzz: A Walnut Wall of Storage Opens Up a Kitchen

By Mitchell Parker

A 30-foot wall of storage frees up cooking areas and counters for food prep and entertaining

GARDENING AND LANDSCAPING How to Make a Pond

By Mitchell Parker

You can make an outdoor fish paradise of your own, for less than you might think. But you'll need this expert design wisdom

HOME OFFICES The 20 Most Popular Home Office Photos of 2015

By Becky Harris

Technology paves the way for space-saving work areas, while designers make up for small sizes with style

APARTMENTS Houzz Tour: In Tel Aviv, a Warmly Modern Pied-à-Terre

By Becky Harris

A mix of glossy new finishes and vintage finds creates a textured yet sleek apartment for a single father

SMALL HOMES Houzz Tour: A Family of 4 Unwinds in 540 Square Feet

An extraordinarily scaled-down home and garden for a couple and their 2 kids fosters sustainability and togetherness

Sponsored

More Discussions

Oh no! Another one!

704

Want A Special Hat For The Derby?

14

I'll show you mine/you show me yours - Th 5/2/24

20

Credit Freeze - Who's Done This

15

Smile today - 5/3/24

6