PBS to the Rescue
A few weeks ago I posted a rather bit of a rant on one of my other blogs about how the History Channel really had little to offer any more in the regards of actual history. You can read that over on Eligius and specifically at the post NOT-History Channel. Anyway, the point is I have rediscovered an old friend in PBS. I used to be a PBS junkie prior to the explosion of things like Discovery and History channels on cable/satellite networks. My recent reentry into the PBS world with the National Parks has had me making a much greater effort at what is available.
Let me be clear from the get go that I do not think that all of what is offered on PBS and certainly not even the local KET network is historical in nature. In fact, a good deal of it is really not all that interesting to me at all these days – though I say that with the caveat that Sesame Street and Reading Rainbow, and to a lesser extent Mr. Rogers and the Electric Company were childhood favorites. They clearly kindled my fondness for both reading and the imagination, making me a at least a part of who I am today.
I am also reminded of all the things in the past that I have enjoyed on KET/PBS. Like the series of historical survivors a few years ago that did things from settlers on the prairie to living in Victorian London and many different stops in between. And unlike the backstabbing high drama that eventually turns into a popularity contest as there is no real survival skills, there really were measures of what if and would they have survived. A couple of others that I am very fond of include the wild horse documentary that follows a group of mustangs around for a couple of years in the wild, a very old one about the guy who built a cabin in the wilds of Alaska and filmed it his survival over the years, and of course pretty much any of the Ken Burn’s special presentations.
Anyway, they have a number of regular shows that appeal to me in a big way and fill in the voids that the History Channel and others are leaving in big huge gaps. One of the favorites that I have found of late is the American Experience. It is almost always a historical look back on what has made us Americans, well, American. Sometimes a single episode will deal with a single issue and other times a series of episodes will deal with things for several in a row.
Ad to that one something like Masterpiece, which I admit I am only occasionally interested in, as I think most of the things they do are indeed better revealed to the audience on a more intimate level like the live stage. That being said, sometimes they have presented things that I just would not pay for the live experience or would more than likely just not have the opportunity.
Include Nova – which often time does appeal to the scientific inner geek in my soul on levels that nothing else can and I am set. But then sprinkle in a liberal dash of the specials from both the national PBS and the regional KET and I am set with more things to watch on video that I have generally have time to for anyway.
That in itself is not a problem though, as the very nature of PBS lends itself well to expanding into the web in a big way. Without the need to be driven by advertising, but rather just generous notes of sponsorships and the occasional fund drive they are easily able to push their content to the web without interfering with revenue streams. This is great as it allows me to catch up on things when I want to and have the time. And better than a DVR system, I can do it literally anywhere I want.
-
Cicilia
