 | Don Checots
(CHEE-CAUGHTS) is a native of Pennsylvania. He left there in 1965 to join the United States Air Force. While in the Air Force Mr. Checots became involved with Armed Forces Radio and Television, and helped install AFTN radio and television services in Thailand. From there, he assumed more responsible management positions in public broadcasting stations and eventually moved to Bemidji, Minnesota where he built a full-service public TV station. While there, he received a Bush Foundation Summer Fellows Award and attended the Harvard Business School's Public Broadcasting Executive Management Program. After Bemidji, he moved to South Bend, Indiana as President/General Manager of public television station WNIT. In January 1997, he moved to Wichita as President/General Manager of KPTS and works with the Board and community to reinvent public broadcasting in South-Central Kansas. Don may be contacted by phone at (316) 838-3090, or by e-mail at dchecots@kpts.org. |
Media
2001-10-01 17:43:00
Public & commercial TV
Answer: The most obvious difference is the fact that Public Television Service (PBS) programming is non-commercial in nature, which means the revenue stream for support is completely different. Cultivating support for this type of programming, in a world of rapidly expanding broadcast, cable & satellite, TV is the charge of the public television network. To this day, PBS is available in 99% of all America's households free of charge. To make this possible, public television relies on a combination of viewer, corporate and tax-based support, and not commercials, to make programming possible. A commercial is defined as a qualitative and/or quantitative message that has the intent to create a sense of need or urgency and is designed to create a call to action for a product or service. Public television was chartered to provide TV programming that is void of commercial influences and is educational in nature.The public television revenue stream is a complex system that has evolved over the past three decades. Currently, over half the dollars raised by public television come directly from viewers or individual supporters, 20 percent results from corporate and foundation gifts and less than 20% is provided by federal and state governmental agencies. Built on a mission of public service, PBS also differs from commercial counterparts as a non profit entity. Because of this mission, PBS strives to provide the highest quality and educational value for television programming. Public opinion would suggest that PBS has evolved into the community steward of our national airwaves. Today, the fastest growing segment of PBS is Outreach Services. "Outreach" extends the message of the television program into the communities served in a variety of ways and through a variety of partnerships with both commercial and non-profit institutions. The goal of Outreach is to help communities look at issues in new ways and, because of the interactive ability of Internet and other technology, hopefully change the community.PBS also takes the initiative to address what might be viewed as controversial or sensitive topics. Public television does this not for the purpose of sensationalism, but instead to foster understanding of the world in which we live. Taking the lead in presenting discussion about topics of community interest and promoting social capital sets PBS apart from its commercial counterparts.Through local programming initiatives, PBS dedicates broadcast time to local arts, humanities and public affairs issues that effect the masses and possibly lead to public change. In its truest sense, while not perfect, PBS strives to promote the collective social consciousness as seen through the lens of the television camera. Perhaps Edward R. Murrow’s remark that "television is the worlds largest classroom" says it best, and PBS emphasizes this with their mission to educate and inform.
