Bloggers for SDPB
What is public broadcasting?
Public broadcasting is informative news and though-provoking entertainment without commercials, without interruptions, and without the biased slant that prevails throughout cable television and AM talk radio.
It’s education through knowledge, driven by the truth and by people that believe spin shouldn’t be part of the system. It’s entertainment through cerebral process, the idea that funny can also be smart, and vice versa.
To me, public broadcasting is Rick Steeves. It’s Robert Siegel and Michele Norris. It’s Wait, Wait, Don’t Tell Me! and Fresh Air. It’s an intelligent discussion of the day’s events, and it’s the only way I can keep myself reasonably informed.
Best of all, it’s a free service to everyone. Each of us has access to public broadcasting of some sort, no matter where we are, no matter our social standing, our financial abilities, or our mental capacities. We all have a group of shows, personalities, and subjects that we all love – a group that is not necessarily commercially viable and, therefore, not necessarily ready for commercial television.
Of course, who are we kidding – there’s no such thing as a free lunch, right?
SDPB needs our support. Each of us, regardless of what we can offer, should give to public broadcasting, especially if we’re diehard listeners or viewers. We don’t need to. But we should. Because without our help, public broadcasting loses its main source of funding, which leads to a loss of its best programming and its uniqueness. It is up to us to give back in any way we can.
Join with the rest of the South Dakota Blogosphere and pledge to South Dakota Public Broadcasting during its current “Winterfest” fundraising. For more information on this giant blogathon, check out Douglas Wikan’s post on his blog, Dakota Today. I can thank him for my new SD Bloggers Support SDPTV button on the right.
The goal is for all blog readers to contribute to SD Public TV on the evening of Friday, December 8, 2006, 7pm-9pm CST (during the Williams and Ree special.) Make your voice known. Mention you read about it through the South Dakota Blogosphere. And support the public broadcasting we all take for granted, every day.
Give to SDPB at SDPB.ORG or call 1-800-777-0789.
(Update: the SDPB link has been updated to a direct link for Member Support. If you want to pledge, you can also click on this link to do it.
Fritz Miller, marketing director for SDPB, had this to say (from S.D. Watch):
For those who want to call during pledge, the toll-free number is 800-777-0789. We will be informing the folks answering the phones to be prepared in case people identify themselves as bloggers, or readers of blogs.
Finally, as you can tell, the logo has been updated. Thanks again to Douglas Wiken (Dakota Today) and Todd Epp (SD Watch) for helping to spearhead this campaign! And, thanks to everyone who donates!)