Danny Schechter: Where do you go when PBS says no?

Critical filmmakers like myself, who are shut out of

commercial TV for all intents and purposes, need robust

public television because it is often the only game in

town when you want a program you’ve made to be seen.

And when you do, you want it on their national program

service, what they call the “hard feed,” because that

guarantees it will be carried by all public stations

nationwide. If the keepers of the PBS gates turn you

down, you can still get your show on the air, but you

have to try to sell it, or more likely place it for free, on a

“soft feed” that gives stations the discretion to run it or

not. This can mean it’ll be on at different time periods,

making a national promotion campaign very difficult. You

have to lobby station by station across the nation like a

beggar selling his wares. The Media Channel