The other night I was sitting in my room watching a special on PBS on a new aquarium built in the US that houses the first, living, great white shark. The episode went on to talk about how having her in captivity is hope to scientists everywhere who wish to observe, test, and reveal the mysteries of a “killing machine”. Now the public image of these misunderstood creatures will change, or so they presume. As the show went into the lifecycle of barnacles, my cell phone rang. When the hello’s where through, my friend on the other line asked what I was up to. I told him I was watching PBS. He responded with,
“Why?”
I’ve been getting that response a lot.
Seems every person I talk to, or reference PBS to, suddenly acquire the look of being slightly disturbed; as if the channel prompts extreme boredom, dizziness, and pain. Many in University relate PBS to the shows watched when young. “Sesame Street”, “Arthur”, “Barney and Friends”, the staples of weekday mornings. What happens after toddler years? It’s as if by the age of 8, PBS disappears from the television forever.
Can you blame it though? Should there be another channel out there competing with the likes of VH1, MTV, Comedy Central and The Discovery Channel? The target market’s attention span might be of that of a shark, however, I feel to secure the future of PBS financially, shows addressing and appealing to a teen-preteen audience should be considered.
Daniellef said
I love PBS. I love to watch the specials and even my friend comes over and watches them because they are so informational. PBS actually has real meaning to it.
Jenny said
I definitely agree with your last statement. I know I don’t really watch PBS anymore because I don’t really know what they offer. there was such a gap between when we watched it as kids and where we are now, that PBS isn’t really a part of our lifestyles now. if they want to stick around, I definitely agree that they need to build a secure, loyal fan base that is applicable to all ages.