Advertisement

How did L.A. lose its major PBS flagship affliate?

Share

This article was originally on a blog post platform and may be missing photos, graphics or links. See About archive blog posts.

Starting Jan. 1, KCET-TV Channel 28 is severing its relationship with PBS to become the nation’s largest independent public TV station. Los Angeles’ flagship PBS channel will begin airing local programs, BBC repeats, news and documentaries made elsewhere, as KOCE-TV Channel 50 in Orange County carries most of the PBS shows for Southern California.

If major cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., can sustain a PBS player, why not Los Angeles?

Advertisement

In our Sunday Calendar feature, Melissa Maerz and Scott Collins look at KCET’s dilemma. Critics complain that the station could have done much more with its resources. Howard Rosenberg, former television critic for the Los Angeles Times who now teaches at USC, noted that ‘you have this great creative community in Los Angeles, and KCET did very little to capitalize on the local entertainment industry.’ Meanwhile, insiders point to the complicated financial and power structure of the PBS-affiliate structure.

You can read more about why KCET split with PBS here.

RELATED

Tavis Smiley -- KCET relationship ending badly

KCET divides new programming into themed blocks

KCET exits network fold to go independent

Advertisement
Advertisement