Red and Rover by Brian Basset for August 26, 2016

You poor kids! Back to school stuff has been on the store shelves for about a month already!

This set in the 60’s, the public TV network back then was NET (National Educational Television), the forerunner to PBS.

The ads on television…the thought of returning to school…what a bummer!

LOVE & HUGS TO RED & ROVER

… viewers like you! Thank you!

well kid its that time of the year. so grin and bear it.

All those ads make kids seem like they like going back to school. What a scam!

There’s no escaping commercials, even if listening to the radio. And I don’t think they had Sirius XM back then.

It’s not me. I don’t have to go to school. I don’t have to worry. No school for me. (Back to school sales are still depressing.)

During random days off from school during “teacher planning day,” I would usually watch public television because it was better than commercial daytime television, which isn’t saying much.

The long commercials on public television are called “pledge drives,” where they sell insipid videos like “Fit or Fat.” It’s been a while since I’ve had to see them. They’re easy to avoid now.

School in every channel!

“Public” TV can be useful, and everyone should understand not all operating costs are underwritten by your tax “contributions”; however, the primary irritation my wife & I have is when a really good piece of entertainment is offered, it is interrupted every few minutes with a never ending plea for additional money out of your pocket!

Pledge time is when is when hour-long programs are expanded to hour and a half to make space for the commercials. Add that time to the time spent on “brought to you by” credits, and it is about the total of commercials on commercial stations. The main advantage is that outside of “pledge time”, there is negligible interruption of primary programing.

“School bells ring and children sing,’It’s back to Robert Hall again’.Mother knows, for better clothes,it’s back to Robert Hall again.You’ll save more on clothes for school;shop at Robert Hall”.

..and to think the feds give half a billion a year to PBS, and when they have those monthly fund raisers you’d think they’re down to their last few bucks..

cosmanHave you seen production costs for a TV show? Why do you think they have so many from Britain, or Canada? Those costs are already covered, leaving only foreign broadcast rights to be covered.