Since WQED is allowed to abrogate a (deeded free by the federal government) public television license to sell to a commercial station and WQEX's license will be generating to WQED a profit and the people of the Pittsburgh region have for 50 years supported the stations, how can WQED legally now be considered a not-for-profit company?
And if there is a profit from a sale of a community station license, why wouldn't the proceeds of the sale go back to the people who supported WQED?
Seems to me to be a bit of a farce to hold 14 program-interrupting pledge drives a year (some two days and some for up to two weeks), begging for funds to hold off creditors and then not reimburse supporters when the ship comes in.
It also seems to me to be more than a tad unfair when the money does finally come through that the supporters get no option of financial return for their support.
How is this so?
Who makes those decisions?
Is it the board of directors?
How does one get appointed/elected to the board of directors at WQED?
For a public entity, why is it that only selected people have the opportunity to run?
For a public station, there seems to be precious little public participation except, of course, for supporting the station with cash.
Why aren't there a majority of randomly chosen or publicly elected "citizen" board members?
We have been told for years that it is "our" station, but now that there is the likelihood of solvency, it is not "our" station after all.
WQED has for too long coasted on a reputation of community service. It appears to be all horse pucky. Face it, people, the Pittsburgh region has once again been fed a story that enables a core group of high rollers and "arteeests" to maintain a stranglehold on the "culture" of the city.
The writer, a marketing consultant, lives in McMurray.
