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daily nebraskan
tuesday, march 17, 1981
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Subscriptions needed to keep PBS above water
A plan to form a television subscription net
work in hopes of rescuing the floundering Public
Broadcasting Service may be just the life preserver
needed to keep public television afloat.
The proposed Public Subscriber Network,
already approved by the PBS board, would be
initiated to be a money-making network. Sub
scribers would be provided a certain hourly am
ount of programming each day for a monthly
subscription fee. These programs then would
be broadcast at a later date over PBS stations for
nonsubscribers.
Obviously, the subscription characteristic goes
auainst some of the basic attributes many PBS
viewers and Contibutors have found appealing
about public television.
But viewers who enjoy the unique, entertain
ing and informative programming of noncommer
cial television may be forced to compromise to
keep it alive even if that means sustaining public
television in an amended form.
A variety of difficulties is causing PBS to
thrash desperately for support if it is to keep the
head of public television above water.
The livelihood of public broadcasting currently
is being endangered by Reagan administration
threats to severely reduce federal assistance for
public television.
L. Salvador is our kind of guy
(The scene: The White House Bar and Grill in Washing
ton. D.C. It is St. Patrick's Day, so the place is filled to
capacity with beer-guzzling merrymakers. There is a long
line outside the bar.)
"i ley bartender, let's have a refill over here," says a
voice at one end of the bar. The bartender, an elderly,
smiling chap named Ronald Reagan, saunters down the
length of the bar to the man from whom the voice came.
dark
"Don't believe I've seen you in this bar before," says
Reagan. "What '11 you have?"
"Oh, I'm not picky on a holiday like this," says the
man. "I'll have whatever everyone else is having."
Reagan makes a couple of swipes at the bar with a rag.
'Not everybody in here is drinking the same thing," says
Reagan, looking at the man suspiciously.
"In that case, I'll just have whatever is on tap then,"
ays the man, starting to sweat a little.
"Let me get back to you in a minute," says Reagan.
Reagan glides out from behind the bar, and goes to
one of the corner tables.
"Hey Al," says Reagan. "Al Haig."
The man at the table looks up. "What can I do for you
Ronnie?" he says.
"See that man at the bar?" says Reagan, indicating the
man he had just abandoned.
"I see him, but I sure don't know anything about
him."
"Neither do I. Listen, there's a couple of free drinks in
it for you if you'll go over and start a conversation with
him. Find out who he is. what he is like . . . you know, see
if he's one of us."
"Gotcha," says Haig. standing up to shove through the
crowd to get to the stranger at the bar.
An hour passes as Haig plies the visitor with alcoholic
beverages and happy conversation. Reagan supplies the
drinks, free of charge. At one point Haig leaves his new
found friend, ostensibly to go the bathroom. Reagan
follows after a one-minute delay.
"What do you have on the guy?" says Reagan.
"Last name is Salvador. L. Salvador. Won't give me
his whole first name," says Haig.
"Is that all?" asks Reagan. "That's not worth any
free drinks."
"Oh, there's plenty more. The guy is kind of down on
his luck. But he's our kind of guy, though."
Reagan looked hesitant. "How can he be our kind of
guy if he's down on his luck? We don't like anybody else
who is down on their luck "
Haig waves his arms to quiet Reagan down. "Listen,
listen, maybe 1 got ahead of myself there a little. It seems
this guy is from south of here, and he wants to open a
franchise in your name. He says that if you'll supply him
with enough capital to get started, he can put Castro's
Tavern out of business in a year and he'll split the profits
with you. Labor is real cheat) down there, he says "
"How is he going to put Castro's out of business?"
"Well, let me put it this way. We are not dealing with
the most scrupulous of businessmen. Like I said he's
Compounding the problem even further is an
increase in competition caused oy tne recent
growth of cable broadcasting companies
and rapidly rising operating costs. These dismal
conditions facing public television service proves
changes of some kind are necesarry to save the
television service.
The Public Subscriber Network would pro
vide PBS with a steady income, which would
make its existence more stable since it wouldn't
have to rely just on the unpredictable financial
support of individual contributors and the federal
government.
Although it would be ideal to maintain PBS as
it now exists; that is, as a true public broadcasting
system, viewers also must be realistic.
Since the president's budget-cutters in Wash
ington already have chosen to make PBS a pub
lic sacrifice, efforts should now be channeled
toward keeping the badly needed and much
appreciated television service from going under
all together.
Tinkerbell's theory of
voodoo economics
saves Ronnie Pan
Michael, John and Wendy Darling were just settling
down to sleep when the window blew open and in Hew
a handsome figure in pea-green tunic, matching tights
and boots.
"Hi, I'm Ronnie Pan," he said, striking a pose. "Come
fly away with me to Never-Never Land, where I will cut
your taxes 27 percent and thereby defeat Captain Hook,
his evil pirate band and double-digit inflation."
aotoF hoppe
"Oh, how wonderful, Ronnie," said Wendy, clapping
her hands. "But how will cutting our taxes do all that'.'"
"By giving you more money to spend, of course," said
Ronnie. "Anyone can see that."
Michael frowned. "But Ronnie," he said, "if we have
more money to spend, we'll buy more things and prices
will go up and inflation will only get worse. Won't it?"
Ronnie scowled and scuffed the toe of his boot on the
carpet. I lute details," he said. "Where is that Tinkerbell
Stockman, niv oodoo economist, when I need him.'"
As though in answer to a prayer, a little glowing figure
with ; $25 haircut and a bone in its nose flitted in the
window, darted about the room and settled on the bed
post. "Ixplain my plan, Tinkerbell," commanded Ronnie,
retiring to a corner, folding his arms, standing on his
head and closing his eyes. "But not too loudly."
"Oh, it's really quite simple, children," said Tinkerbei!.
"You won't spend the money Ronnie's going to give you.
You'll put it in the bank."
"But we always spend our money," protected Little
John.
Continued on Page 5
Eisbraslian
thought
our kind of guy," says Reagan, finishing Haig's
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