“Don’t force me to read commercials”

I recently came across a blog post that quoted governor Romney as saying “We’re not going to kill Big Bird …But Big Bird is going to have advertisements. Alright?”

No,it’s not alright.

I’m all for commercial television (I work part-time for CBS News) but there also needs to be a place for commercial free viewing, especially for children.  PBS is a nice respite from the marketing drumbeat we see and hear on all media today (including the Internet) and children need spaces where they can learn and play without having to deal with commercial pitches.

It’s kind of ironic that a would-be President would be promoting commercials on PBS at the very time when the Federal Trade Commission is increasingly cracking down on marketing to children with its revised enforcement rules for the Children’s Online Privacy Protection Act (COPPA). Privacy is not just about information that flows from you to companies, but also about your ability to escape from having to consume corporate messages.  For better and worse, that’s how much of the Internet and most commercial broadcasting works, but when it comes to educating our children, we need alternatives.

I want Big Bird, Elmo and even Miss Piggy and Oscar the Grouch to be thinking about the needs of the children, not the financial needs of corporate sponsors?

Disclosure: I’m an unpaid member of a PBS Kids advisory board. 

PBS made a formal statement about governor Romney’s comments about defunding, saying they are “very disappointed that PBS became a political target in the Presidential debate,” adding ” governor Romney does not understand the value the American people place on public broadcasting and the outstanding return on investment the system delivers to our nation. We think it is important to set the record straight and let the facts speak for themselves.”

Here’s the full statement

Watch PBS CEO Paula Kerger respond on CNN

by Larry Magid
Disclosure: I serve in an unpaid capacity on an advisory board for PBS Kids. This article is not urging people to vote for or against any candidate.

Twitter lit up during the first presidential debate as soon as Mitt Romney suggested cutting funding for PBS even though he’s personally fond of Big Bird. As it turns out, only about 12% of PBS’s budget comes from federal sources through the Corporation of Public Broadcasting  (CPB).  The federal contribution to PBS, according to the Christian Science Monitor, is about $445 million a year or $1.35 per person. That’s less than 1/100th of 1% of the Federal budget or, as one might say, “bird seed.”

(Scroll down for video of PBS CEO Paul Kerger’s response to Romney’s comments)

According to a website posted by PBS, the TV network is “watched on TV by 236 million Americans annually.”  It adds, “in a month, Americans stream 145 milion videos on PBS’s Web and mobile platforms.”

Percent saying they trust the organization “a great deal” (on a 4-point scale: a great deal, somewhat, not too much, not at all) Source: Harris survey posted on PBS website

Big Bird is far from the only children’s star who would be threatened if PBS were to disappear. His show, Sesame Street, is one of several popular shows watched by millions of children in the U.S. and across the world.  Other PBSKids shows and web properties include Dr. Seuss’s Cat In The Hat, Arthur and the newest program, Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood, which is produced in cooperation with the Fred Rogers Company.

And this isn’t just about TV. PBS Kids publishes games, websites, smartphone apps and other learning resources for children.

Neither Big Bird nor I endorse political candidates but both of us have a keen interest in quality public television, websites and apps for adults and children.

PBSKids new show Daniel Tiger’s Neighborhood

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