• by John Gaffney , November 13, 2002

Sure Beats A Pledge Drive: PBS CEO Pat Mitchell has been speaking out lately in interviews and a mini-speaking tour about the dangers of mega-mergers in the media. “These mergers affect all aspects of the media," Mitchell said. "It's not only going to affect the media we get but how we get it and if we get it at all." Mitchell says she is happy to be in a boardroom where profit pressure is minimal. However, the financial pressures of funding PBS are well documented. I say it’s time for PBS to take some merger medicine for its own sake. Corporate sponsors are tougher for PBS in today’s economy, just like they are for CBS. I’m not advocating any straight up buyouts or high-level, consolidation. But on a production cost level, sharing some programming with Discovery, NatGeo and even ABC could result in a watchable blend of PBS detail with network on air talent. It wouldn’t work with every company all the time. But PBS has made a history, if not a History Channel, of making the right choices of teammates. I would also argue that some PBS talent, like Moyers, Lehrer and even Alan Alda could add some class and experience on the cable dial. Selling the occasional kids program is working for me too. I think PBS is critical as an independent programming source. It’s also a critical source for high-end brand advertising. It can turn up more revenue and stay independent. And shorten the fall pledge drive.

What Mr. Eisner Said Was: Around 2 pm yesterday the Internet was blazing with a quote from Michael Eisner apparently telling a college audience that ABC had about “four or five years” left in its lifecycle. By 4 pm that quote was gone and Forbes replaced it with a “clarification.” Regardless of what was really said, here’s why I think Eisner is off his game. He is a genius of content, branding content and marketing content. Seems to have turned his energy toward distribution and economic formulas. Other comments attributed to him seem to show that a CNN/ABC news merger is really no big deal. Mike! Where’s your content chops? Make great movies. Make challenging TV shows. Watch the rest of your problems disappear like fairy dust.

The Jesse Springer Show: I’d watch a Jesse Ventura talk show, I guess. Reports yesterday had him going to MSNBC. But what’s he gonna do with a bleeding heart liberal on the show? Piledrive him? Or her?