So-called public TV isn’t worth the trouble

Judging by the response to my Aug. 20 column, I believe it’s safe to

say that everyone is now back from vacation. I was beginning to

wonder what it was going to take to get some momentum going on a good

argument.

What finally got things rolling was a favorite subject of mine,

for which I can thank Joe Bell for initiating.

The Communications Act of 1934 forbade noncommercial broadcasters

(in this case, stations such as KOCE) from airing advertisements

defined as messages that “promote any service, facility or product”

for profit.

Due to stations’ inability to attract the federal and private

funds necessary to sustain themselves, the FCC has been relaxing that

rule for many years, to the point where so-called public stations are

now broadcasting 30-second commercials. Lots of 30-second

commercials.

Children’s programs on public television (you know, the shows that

were supposed to nourish our children and protect them from the

influence of Madison Avenue) seem particularly susceptible.

Today, children’s shows on public television are loaded with ads

from companies such as Pfizer (pharmaceuticals), which reminds kids

and parents after “Sesame Street” that “Pfizer brings parents the

letter Z -- as in Zithromax.”

Stay tuned and you’ll also see commercials from Juicy Juice,

Healthtex, Kellog’s Frosted Flakes, Post Alpha Bits, McDonald’s and,

my favorite, Chuck E. Cheese’s, which proudly proclaims on this

special network that it is a place “where a kid can be a kid.”

These ads are not the old, quick, quiet “sponsored by” spots that

public stations used to run, these are all-out commercials.

The other stake in the heart of public television is the

availability of similar programs on the several hundred cable

stations to which viewers have access. The chances are good that with

the massive choice of channels we have these days, you can find as

good or better programming on cable channels, such as the Discovery

Channel, the History Channel, A&E;, or many others.

It’s time to stop this charade over the special nature of a

“public” station or even that it offers “good” or “better”

television.

What’s so special any more about public television? Nothing. It

has sold out. And any public station that has not sold out to try to

pay its bills is probably sucking funds out of some bottomless

taxpayer pit, as is the case with KOCE. KOCE is a huge drain on the

Coast Community College District budget. That’s why they want to sell

it.

In 1993, there were about 5 million donations to public

television. Ten years later, that figure dropped to about 4.3

million. And even with a bump in KOCE donations a couple or three

years ago, the station still cannot make ends meet.

Either KOCE does not have enough viewers or those who do are not

sending enough money to support it. Any way you slice it, it’s a

loser.

There is no such thing as good television and here is why: TV has

a very serious effect on your brain. In technical terms, it turns

your mind to mush. It is as powerfully addictive as opium. And that’s

not just me talking; it is a fact.

Unfortunately, your brain cannot distinguish between good and bad

programs. To your brain, it’s all good. In fact, it’s all really,

really good and makes you crave more.

Want to see someone simulate drug withdrawal symptoms? Take away

his TV.

If you want to learn more about TV’s addictive nature, just type

in a few key words on a search engine. Try “television effects on the

brain.” But if you are the parent of a developing child, be careful

because what you will read may scare you.

What is shown on KOCE, whether it is Jimmy Swaggart or Jimmy

Carter is, to me, secondary to the bigger issue -- that is, do we

need this station at all?

Please don’t offer that we need it for instructional reasons. Any

community college telecourses offered on KOCE can be set up to be

accessed on a home computer or one at a public library or offered on

disk.

Settle the argument by shutting down KOCE. Don’t even sell it.

True, the Coast Community College District won’t get any dough,

but it won’t squander any more of our money, either.

Shut it down so the folks who know what’s best for us will have

succeeded in preventing the preacher du jour from begging for

dollars.

Shut it down because the concept of a commercial-free station with

special programming is a dinosaur that has been forced into

extinction by the existence of hundreds of other viewer options and

simple market forces.

Shut it down because when we’re watching it, we are not

exercising, reading or having a conversation with another human

being. Or going on vacation.

Nice to have you back.

* STEVE SMITH is a Costa Mesa resident and a freelance writer.

Readers may leave a message for him on the Daily Pilot hotline at

(714) 966-4664 or send story ideas to o7dailypilot@latmes.com.

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