Re: How does the BBC work? (was Jazz)

From: GlesneM@aol.com
Date: Wed Jan 10 2001 - 19:22:00 CET

  • Next message: Elson Trinidad: "Re: How does the BBC work? (was Jazz)"

    just my two cents having lived in england (sheffield) and traveled the
    continent for a bit - now in chicago. both systems have their faults but the
    american has many, many more. i just got digital cable with like 300 channels
    and i still can't find a thing to watch. i miss the documentaries of channel
    4 in the uk and the state european tv stations. stuff about thigns that
    matter like tricky (in 97) and land mines. they have most of our good shows
    over there - the simpsons, Plus I loved the British comedy shows, the game
    shows, the travel shows, the news is great - but mostly the documentaries.

    our documentaries are either complete shit (95% of those on commerical tv) or
    decent yet almost irrelevent. in america, public tv (and radio) they have
    scrapped the idea of producing anything remotely controversial or mildly
    political. this was a result of funding pressure and congresses impositions.
    there is an excellent book that talks about what happened to public
    broadcasting in america - Air Wars - The Fight to Reclaim Public Broadcasting
    by Jerold Star - it should be in hardcover at you local library.

    national pubic radio (1 national station with local and national programmers)
    really great in a lot of ways. it's music programming suffers worse. it has
    to cater to a high end, affluent white man or woman as its average listener.
    it caters to stressed out managers who want to unwind after work to some
    lightweight jazz - almost 1/2 vocals. as someone mentioned i think, a public
    radio jazz "dj" can not choose his/her own songs. America's salvation for
    music is really solely a funciton of community and college radio.



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