Mainstream media is sponsored by big corporations which means what ever is presented to us via mainstream media is all filtered in favor of the corporate world. Alternate media, on the other hand, are independent media outlets which run on public funding received from foundations or the government. Alternate media strives to present it's audience with plain facts or information mainstream media may restrain from.
PBS, Public Broadcasting Service, is an alternate media platform most people are familiar with. It receives funding from the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB), foundations, government agencies and private citizens (www.pbs.org). CPB is a not- for- profit foundation created by congress to facilitate the development of public media (www.cpb.org). In order for PBS to allow a program to air, it must pass a set of three tests before further evaluation; test 1 is the editorial control test which means producers cannot allow anyone including sponsors to exercise editorial control over content. Test 2 is the perception test in which PBS must guard against the audience's perceptions of editorial control; viewers should not feel as if what they are watching is filtered in any way. The third test is the commercialism test where programs must be commercial free including its characters.
With such tight regulations, PBS makes sure it's programs confine to the alternate media platform but a closer look at the system controlling the channel provides a different dynamic. The gender ratio of male to female as directors of programming is 4 to 3 (www.pbs.org) . This is better then boards which don't have a single woman but it still isn't fair considering that PBS has 2 men assisting/ working with their woman head of the department. PBS defiantly broadcasts amazing programs directed towards empowering women which are attract audience but the question then is how realistic are their messages? Is PBS just another male dominated channel which likes to fool its audience? How much do they actually believe and practice what they preach? To me they almost seem hypocritical in that sense but then again I don't know exactly what goes on in their board meeting or how they come to conclusions and that can't fully be judged based on numbers.
Do to financial crises funding for PBS has plummeted since 2007. According to Amy Chozick, New York Times reporter, in an effort to make a come back, the channel in trying to become more like HBO and Showtime, channels people are willing to pay for. In trying to do so, PBS seems to forgo the principles it used to be applauded for. It is now airing shows such as "downtown Abby" and " Sherlock" which are skewed more towards males. PBS's strategic attempt to increasing revenues is by holding branded nights airing clusters of shows on the same subject. This new approach is to attract well-off viewers, who in turn, have a greater chance of making donations (Chozick, PBS Takes on the Premium Channels). From a business perspective, male geared programs bring revenue but it defeats the essence of alternate media and becomes more like mainstream media. Although their argument is that the extra revenue goes towards PBS kids programmings that have been proven to help underprivileged children, how would we define the balance? Should and would PBS be considered alternate media or will it at some point converge with its counter mainstream media channels?
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxiG5XYJ000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbqGRLC_cWg
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=SxiG5XYJ000
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=LbqGRLC_cWg
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