PBS And NPR: Subsidiaries Of Koch Industries? (seems so)

[Triana]

Even on Diane Rehm in the morning, all I hear most often is RW talking heads squawking about how "unpopular" a President Obama is and how bad ACA is. They mention the great numbers of late (5 seconds) but then go on to talk for 15 minutes about the website - again - AS IF the SS or any other gov't website when it was launched was perfect either. They weren't. Any new launch of any new website - gov't or private - that is to be used by millions of people immediately - WILL HAVE PROBLEMS that need working out over the next 6 months - year. DUH. They ignored the good news and predictably focused on negatives. As they are paid and/or directed to do, no doubt.

I got lambasted a while back for suggesting the Kochs had significant control of PBS and NPR - which explains why Citizen Koch was sort of mostly ABSENT from any publicity or showings most places in NC. Well...

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/07/12/1223137/-PBS-And-NPR-Subsidiaries-Of-Koch-Industries

and

Did David Koch Kill Critical PBS Documentary? (Update)

http://www.dailykos.com/story/2013/05/21/1210748/-Did-David-Koch-Kill-Critical-PBS-Documentary

and

The Corporate Dictatorship of PBS and NPR

http://truth-out.org/opinion/item/16538-the-corporate-dictatorship-of-pbs-and-npr

So yea. I wasn't too far off base.

If anyone on here works for NPR or knows anyone who does, sorry. The truth hurts. But there it is.

[librechik]

1. heh, we've known that for years

My exec producer at a certain PBS news show (circa 2003) was once asked: Why do you have so many Republicans on? The answer was, well, they are in control in Washington, so naturally there are more. Asked again in 2009 why there are so many Republicans, the producer answered, well, they are the opposition, and it is our role to give a platform to the opposition.

Seriously. Check the numbers at Fairness and Accuracy in Media (a much -hated organization Upstairs) Over 70 percent Republicans, day in, day out, unchanged over decades. I screamed and screamed about it, but fortunately I was too minor to make a dent and I kept my job. Apparently, so was everyone else who asked, and the smart ones always noticed. That show scrapes by on NO money, despite being secretly owned by a Right Wing Billionaire--the stingiest billionaire on earth. Because we were always penniless, investigative journalism went away too.

NPR is a different matter. They were simply bought by the Crocs (mcDonalds) about 15 years ago, and have been complete right wing tools ever since.

[Triana]

3. Thanks for that insight and history. Very intereSTINK!

I know we've known it for years. To hear someone tell me "Well I don't think that's the case" when I groused about it is what's appalling. Say WHAT? Pfft. Somebody who lives under a rock, apparently.

[unblock]

2. yesterday i heard them give credit to reagan for volcker's ending inflation in the '70s.

this is an old canard that's even more wrong than crediting reagan with the fall of the berlin wall.


in fact, volcker was appointed fed chair be carter, and the bulk of his inflation-ending rate hikes came while carter was president -- which in fact was a big factor in carter not getting re-elected.

after the inflation was contained, reagan did reappoint volcker once, but then switched to greenspan in 1987.


credit for ending inflation goes to volcker, and if to a president, then it's certainly carter, not reagan.

[Triana]

4. Jeeeze.

I haven't googled it, but are PBO's approval ratings the same, worse, or better than Drinky Dumbass's around this point in his reign? They keep on and on and on and on and on - daily - about how unpopular Obama is. I never heard that from them about *resident Moron, interestingly enough. Nor do I hear much from them about how lazy and simultaneously unpopular the current congress is either.

They're so damn slanted and biased you could cross-country ski down it.

[unblock]

5. i'm pretty such obama's are better, shrub was in the crapper by this point.

but you're right, the media is ridiculously biased, they let the right-wing get away with murder.

[Mika]

8. You can't criticize a wartime president ...

[CK_John]

6. Koch brothers are probably their biggest donors, they know how to spread their money for maximum

effect. In the last couple of years they have replaced or out paced some other less controlling foundations and crossed the line into editorial supervision.

[Chathamization]

7. It’s been that way for a while. In ’04 PBS put on a Tucker Carlson show and a Wall Street Journal

Editorial Board show (which moved to Fox New later, apparently). NPR likewise has been terrible for a while. I noticed how a lot of their shows would have Heritage fellows or other right-wing hacks for “balance.” Last fall I finally cut it off after waking up every morning to hear about how terrible the ACA was and how the IRS was oppressing Conservatives.

Good riddance.

[2banon]

9. I had a regular show on small NPR station for several years

This back in the late 90's to about 2006/7 ..

I saw it happening before my very eyes, or I should say: ears. Lobbied to cut the ties with NPR and become an Independent community radio station.. to no avail. I left and quit my support.

[Triana]

10. I don't send them any money anymore and don't listen except...

...to turn on the radio when I'm out just to have noise - but I don't have to listen to it. I turn it off as soon as I get back. It's disgusting anymore. I caught the DR show this morning and these weasels grousing about ACA and how unpopular PBO is. It was ridiculous. Shut it off. It only took less than a minute to piss me off. I don't want to hear that propaganda.