MT PBS was getting funding from the state of Montana for their satellite uplink service. Due to budget crisis, the state legislature just cut MT PBS funding out of the budget. The state was paying $200,000 a year for the uplink service. On July 1, 2009, MT PBS will have to figure out how to make up the difference. Will MT PBS have enough money to stay on the satellite?
MT PBS loses funding for satellite services
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A guess would be to serve rural Montana..Montana is a large state, so it would seem to take quite a few translators to cover the whole state. There would be no special reason to make it available nationally otherwise. I do hope they come up with a solution..It would be nice to have another PBS option.
Satellite is the cheapest way to interconnect the stations across the state of Montana, especially when you consider the infrastructure in place at remote locations for translators and cable headends. Hopefully the entire network does not disappear for sake of a $200,000 yearly satellite link expense....painful cuts could be made elsewhere in the state budget. I would suspect this is a power play by conservative politicians to squelch the often liberal voice of the state PBS network, and budgeting is a convenient time for the left and the right to go to battle. Politics aside, it would be a travesty to not fund the system, and I hope the people of Montana find a way to give priority to keeping things going. If the legislature won't fund it, there's always pledge drive time, and perhaps an emergency fundraising effort could fill in the gaps.
They'll really give those politicians hell now, haha. I bet they find the money somewhere, that's too important not to fund. I wonder how much we could raise to help, if all the fta-pbs fans were to contribute?
I made a rather substantial donation to MPBS last Saturday during the "Battle of the Britcoms". I always make it a habit to mention that I listen on FTA satellite. Saturday nights with Montana PBS has always been one of my favorite TV experiences. I'd hate to see it go away.
Some good info here;
Bozeman Montana Local News
Looks like this happened in 2005 as well.
Senate Appropriations Committee Suggests Restoring Funding
Bozeman Montana Local News
Looks like this happened in 2005 as well.
Senate Appropriations Committee Suggests Restoring Funding
It's been in the news recently that the left has been petitioning Montana PBS to carry Democracy Now, a show which might be considered incendiary in a conservative place like Montana.
I wonder if Montana PBS promotes FTA satellite on their station? Otherwise, how are they reaching their rural viewers, if the rural viewers don't have FTA systems?
The more viewers, the better the lobbying. Also, these viewers can send donations to help keep the station on satellite.
They should utilize the time they have to promote the heck out of the station on the air and ask the viewers to encourage and promote the station in their towns, businesses, and schools. It could be a good volunteer project for many HS students.
The more viewers, the better the lobbying. Also, these viewers can send donations to help keep the station on satellite.
They should utilize the time they have to promote the heck out of the station on the air and ask the viewers to encourage and promote the station in their towns, businesses, and schools. It could be a good volunteer project for many HS students.
on their website they promote it through 'over the air, cable, satellite, and dish network'. There's no specific mention of FTA or where it's available on satellite other than dish network.
Montana PBS has a heckuva translator system....around 60 of them so the stations get them via satellite. Lots of folks with cable too due to the remoteness
Not this Saturday you wont. They have pledge drive stuff going on. Looks like things will be back to normal the following week though.
I had no idea that a spot on a transponder cost that much. Guess I will have to rethink my plans for Bubba TV.
I had a pledge drive last year but I don't think $17.50 will cut it. Drat....
By the way, still waiting for that $17.50 to show up.
That's what they get for broadcasting state legislature sessions.
Elected officials do not care for that kind of exposure.
On a related note: Wow. After the programming massacre resulting from PBS NGIS, this is poor news.
That NGIS thing is ironic. After we the taxpayers fund PBS technoolgy improvements, we lose the ability to see much of the content.
PBS was the anchor tenant for AMC 21. What does that mean?
I wonder if other programmers have non real time systems comparable to PBSes? Wouldn't it be especially ironic if the Publicly funded broadcasters have better, more sophisticated systems as compared to for-profit self supporting media sources?
Elected officials do not care for that kind of exposure.
On a related note: Wow. After the programming massacre resulting from PBS NGIS, this is poor news.
That NGIS thing is ironic. After we the taxpayers fund PBS technoolgy improvements, we lose the ability to see much of the content.
PBS was the anchor tenant for AMC 21. What does that mean?
I wonder if other programmers have non real time systems comparable to PBSes? Wouldn't it be especially ironic if the Publicly funded broadcasters have better, more sophisticated systems as compared to for-profit self supporting media sources?
um, really hate to tell you this but the stuff on AMC21 (as with 95% of the stuff up there on FTA) isnt intended for us. So we really dont have anything to complain about
You want PBS SD...Watch Montana PBS or some of the feeds of it. But there is no 24/7 SD national feed on KU now.
PBS HD is STUNNING. Discovered that just this evening. Really shows off my new tv. Live on PBS....I have been watching you since the 70's. Now if I could catch Bert and Ernie in HD. hehe.
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