“This past November marked the 50th anniversary of the signing of the Public Broadcasting Act,” PBS President Paula Kerger (pictured at top) reminded us Tuesday during her session. “When President Johnson signed that landmark legislation, he envisioned a public media that would ‘elevate and enrich’ our national life; a media that would inspire and educate, as well as entertain.
“Not only is public media relevant for these modern times, I believe that our work is more important than ever,” she continued. “In this era of deep division, public broadcasting does not separate audiences into categories based on who they are, where they live, or what they believe. We are unwavering in our service to all Americans, helping to understand our past, informing our present, and working in communities to create a brighter future.”
Kerger noted that Tuesday didn’t simply mark the first day of PBS’ portion of the Winter 2018 TCA tour. It was also the first anniversary of the launch of its 24-hour PBS Kids service, which now reaches 95% of U.S. television households via broadcast and streaming through local stations. Of most importance, she stressed, the free service “is making a difference in the lives of millions of families, especially those in rural and underserved communities.”
As always, essential federal funding and the threat of budget cuts was top of mind. Since she last met with TCA in August 2017, Kerger noted, “the key Senate committee recommended full funding for this fiscal year, and the House of Representatives passed an omnibus bill with significant funding. As the House and Senate work toward a final appropriations package, we are hopeful that it will include full funding for public broadcasting. Despite our progress, we expect that some in Washington will again attempt to eliminate funding in the next budget, a process that begins in just a few weeks, so it is important that we continue to demonstrate our value and share stories of impact.”
To judge by the broad range of panels PBS presented during its two days at TCA – from documentaries about unknown civil rights activists and the history of black colleges and universities to concerts by Nas and Sutton Foster to the usual top-shelf British dramas and so much more -- it is hard to imagine anyone not appreciating its value and impact. (That's the legendary Angela Lansbury, below center, being applauded by her young co-stars from the upcoming Masterpiece limited series Little Women at a PBS panel for the program.)