General Manager's Message

Generally Speaking...

 

Every so often, someone questions the value of public television.  Recently, this topic was raised in an essay in The New York Times.  The essay questioned whether PBS is necessary in an environment where viewers have hundreds of channels, and, thus plenty of options.  The author asserts that there was a time when PBS was a necessity – a time when viewers had just a handful of choices and, outside of public television, no regular arts and educational programming.  The author’s opinion is essentially, that maybe PBS is not necessary in today’s media landscape.

Needless to say, we disagree with the author’s sentiment, and we are not alone in that assessment.  As quickly as the question was uttered, the responses came flowing in – both to The New York Times and to PBS.  The vast majority of these responses were a resounding, “Yes, PBS is still necessary!”  If there was any doubt in our (or anyone else’s) mind about the value of public television, this outpouring of support silenced it.  The response varied from “I go into panic mode every time there is a challenge to the usefulness of PBS programming …  Don’t even suggest abandoning us” to “Are you kidding? PBS is the only reason I have TV.”

Supportive messages like these reinforce what we know to be true about public television.  It is an important platform for programming that enriches the lives of viewers.  We’re always proud to provide public television to our community; but, it makes us stand even taller when our viewers rally to support that effort.  As a member of OPT, you can play an important role in providing public television to our community.  Rest assured, thousands of people across the Ozarks deeply value OPT.  We can continue to make a meaningful difference in the lives of children and adults throughout the Ozarks because of your faithful support.

 

 

Arlen Diamond

Tammy WileyGeneral Manager