UNC TV is indeed for NC, imagine that

Wilmington Star News Forums
RE: Letter to the Editor

EDITOR: (On May 2) I settled into my easy chair to watch Atlantic Records: The House that Ahmet Built.
It wasn't on. There was something about dogs. The program was on across the rest of the U.S. … We have a censored, University of North Carolina-controlled PBS.
Just look at the May 5 programs: N.C. Now, Our State, Exploring N.C., N.C. Folkways, then, at 10 p.m., Live from Lincoln Center. Do you think the rest of the U.S. is watching Exploring N.C.?
I was told the original program last night had "objectionable language." Who determined that?
Our cable subscription pays for PBS. We are not getting PBS. We are getting a censored version, abridged version of PBS.
I think it must be illegal. It's certainly archaic and suppressive.

Donald DiGiulian
Leland

I don't know which state this writer recently moved here from, but public television is pretty much the same all over - and in fact, the way the programming is slotted is very similar to the commercial networks and their affiliates. PBS and other sources make programs available. The PBS programming feed is much more varied and the scheduling is much more flexible - local affiliates run many programs as they are fed, but some are run at other times and some don't air at all. There is absolutely no such thing as a required national PBS schedule, very much less so than the commercial networks. Programming decisions at the local affiliates are based on finances, local tastes and needs, and getting some different kinds of programming on the air - different from the commercial offerings and diverse within the schedule.

First, I watched that program. I won't swear it was that day, but it did indeed air on NC Public Television. My schedule - which I receive because I am a subscriber to public television, not cable - shows that it was on May 2, and I haven't seen many times that the printed schedule was ignored. There is no indication in the detailed listing of any problem with language, etc. So you may actually have had a problem with your calendar or your clock.

That likelihood is borne out by your second problem with the UNC-TV schedule. The list of May 5 programs provided above is actually for May 3. Regardless of the date, though, what on earth is wrong with the NORTH CAROLINA TAXPAYER-supported UNC Public TV running North Carolina-oriented programming? If your cable company told you you would receive a direct feed of programming straight from PBS, not the very highly acclaimed programming from the public broadcasting network in this state, then your problem is with the cable people.

To answer your question about what people in the rest of the country watch: on the New Jersey Network, they're watching State of the Arts: The life and unique history of Peters Valley Craft Education Center, New Jersey Network News, Caucus New Jersey, Ask the Governor, Here Comes the Weekend, and other NEW JERSEY-oriented programs. Tonight, they're also watching Tracks Ahead, about the Wisconsin and Southern Railroad, and on May 13 they will finally get the chance to watch the Ahmet Ertegun program that got you so riled up.

I'd like to be clear - I don't now nor ever have had any connection to UNC-TV, beyond supporting it both as a North Carolina taxpayer and as a member. I don't think it's perfect and quite frankly I don't like a lot of the stuff they air, both locally produced and from PBS or other national sources. But that's when I watch another channel, and when I complain, I prefer to have at least the first freaking clue what I'm talking about!