Just another adventure in PBS land

Perhaps this is the saga of a public television station in non-PBS land.

In January 2011, KCET quit PBS.  It was not a snap decision by the KCET Board and station leader Al Jerome.  It was the end of a protracted battle between the station and PBS.  KCET was one of the stations that produced high quality programs for the public television system.  (NOTE: No matter what PBS would like stations and viewers to believe, it is not a network.)

The station objected to a substantial raise in its dues due to the success and profitability of one of its series not distributed by PBS.  When a station makes money it is part of a report that the Corporation for public Broadcasting (CPB) and PBS use to determine money received through CPB and the station's PBS dues.  If you are successful in raising money locally or by creating a program or series that brings in money, you success is modified by an increase in dues.

KCET's increase was so much, the station was unable to pay it with hurting the operations of the Los Angeles based station.

After failed negotiations, KCET announced it would leave PBS and become a truly independent public television station.

Now 18 month later, KCET is making slow progress to better serve the LA area, but continues to have big ambitions.

As I said when this was happening, I believe KCET did a brave thing and continues to survive.  I also said what KCET is a model for other stations who would rather keep money from CPB locally instead of returning the bulk of it to PBS.  There is enough content available from sources with better content.  It is possible to survive without PBS.  KCET is proving it.

More from Current