Relay-Version: version B 2.10 5/3/83; site utzoo.UUCP Posting-Version: version B 2.10.2 9/12/84; site mit-hermes.ARPA Path: utzoo!watmath!clyde!burl!ulysses!allegra!bellcore!decvax!genrad!mit-eddie!mit-hermes!jpexg From: jpexg@mit-hermes.ARPA (John Purbrick) Newsgroups: net.tv.drwho,net.flame Subject: Re: Re: Government funded TV. Message-ID: <2276@mit-hermes.ARPA> Date: Tue, 8-Jan-85 15:16:52 EST Article-I.D.: mit-herm.2276 Posted: Tue Jan 8 15:16:52 1985 Date-Received: Fri, 11-Jan-85 07:19:42 EST References: <296@wjvax.UUCP> <1007@ihuxe.UUCP> <536@ncoast.UUCP> Organization: The MIT AI Lab, Cambridge, MA Lines: 21 Xref: watmath net.tv.drwho:738 net.flame:7544 > [Original message commented that BBC is government-run] > > Can you imagine Reagan's government supporting Dr. Who? Or NOVA, for > that matter? But it doesn't, and that's the point. (British Gov't run the BBC, that is.) The BBC is Govt *supported*, via license fees, but it is a matter of great pride that it is independent in direction. Whether the American government would have the forbearance and wisdom to refrain from blackmailing PBS if it didn't like its tone is debatable. Look at France--they have a government-run TV setup, and people complain that it carries propaganda. The current (socialist, sort-of) government complained loudly when they were in opposition, but hasn't done much to change things, and the other parties are only complaining for ritual's sake, as they expect to be back in the driver's seat soon. Incidentally, am I the only person on the net who saw the original Dr Who premiere on the BBC in 1963(?), in glorious black&white? It was so popular that they repeated it the next week before starting episode 2.