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From: rsk@stat-l (Rich Kulawiec)
Newsgroups: net.tv.drwho,net.flame
Subject: Re: Lost episodes and Crassness at pledge time
Message-ID: <239@stat-l>
Date: Fri, 21-Dec-84 01:28:55 EST
Article-I.D.: stat-l.239
Posted: Fri Dec 21 01:28:55 1984
Date-Received: Sat, 22-Dec-84 02:40:03 EST
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	I am a former volunteer/employee from public tv station WTVP-47
and public radio station WCBU-FM in Peoria, Illinois...and I spent a fair
amount of time asking for money on the air, or answering phones to collect
it.  I will give you the same suggestions that I gave to irate listeners
or viewers when they called complaining about the disruption that pledge
drives inevitably caused:

	1. Think in relative terms: most stations run pledge drives 3 or
4 times a year for one week.  During that period, the fraction of air time
occupied by pledging hoopla is typically 1/2 that occupied by commercials
on non-public stations; thus you see about 2 weeks "worth" of non-program
material in the course of a year...assuming your viewing habits are
(a) constant and (b) extensive.

	(Site note: In the WTTW-11 (Chicago) viewing area, what seems more
tolerable?  A week of Marty Robbins asking for money for the station, or a
week of Empire carpet, K-tel, and Bert Weiman Ford commericals?)

	2. PBS stations are not out to inconvenience the viewers any more
than they have to; they depend *directly* on them for support, and thus
tend to be appreciative and eager to accomodate.  Compare their motivations,
to those of network/local stations competing for ratings.

	(Side note: Compare, if you will, the case of Doctor Who, a perenially
supported show whose future seems assured for the next decade, with that of
NBC News Overnight, a critically acclaimed show that was cancelled in a
network fit of pique.  Assess the Doctor's chances on NBC, and Overnight's
chances on PBS.)

	3. And finally, nobody is making you watch, and nobody is forcing
you to contribute.  If you are really unhappy with their mode of operation,
you are always free to turn the dial and withhold your funds.
-- 
Rich Kulawiec @ Purdue C.C. Unix Systems Group	rsk@purdue-asc.arpa
(decvax,ihnp4,uiucdcs)!pur-ee!rsk.uucp (decwrl,hplabs,ucbvax)!purdue!rsk.uucp
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