lets see how liberally deviant the left wing nuts can force monty python to become-

The subsidy is not free you see, we will all have to pay for it by watching new characters, one of every skin color, living in a "non-traditional" "family".

The subsidy is not free you see, we all have to pay for it by watching what the religionists want us to watch.

Which oughta tell you something of the quality of what they're turning out currently.

Let's put it this way; if it wasn't govenment owned and run it'd have been out of biz a long time gone.

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Yes, absolutely. The brilliance in these skits is utterly astounding.

(eyes rolling)

I am not justifying subsidies to anyone. James expressed concern about why "taxpayer subsidies" were going to prop up a show with commercial appeal and wondered why a "commercial or cable network [would] not produce this show."

My point in bringing up Cox's critiuqe is that if a commercial network was producing the show they would be receiving subsidies as well.

In discussions of PBS and NPR there is a tendency to set them up in distinction to commercial broadcasters who operate by "market" principles. The important thing to realize is that the latter are highly subsidized and that the notion that a "free market" dominates the economy of commercial broadcast media is a myth.

Anyone concerned with subsidizing the broadcast industry should listen to Reupblican Representative Chris Cox who has been critical of the $100 billion in digital spectrum subsidies given to private broadcasters over the past few years. This far outstrips the indirect money going to PBS.

I don't see how criticizing the subsidy that PBS receives is equivalent to defending any other subsidy -- and I don't see how pointing out those other subsidies justifies the one to PBS.

The article doesn't indicate the funding source for this show. PBS is a private, non-profit broadcaster which receives most of its money from private sources and royalites. Most government money comes in the form of grants geared toward particular programming.

Anyone concerned with subsidizing the broadcast industry should listen to Reupblican Representative Chris Cox who has been critical of the $100 billion in digital spectrum subsidies given to private broadcasters over the past few years. This far outstrips the indirect money going to PBS.

*** 25 years for the 63 year-old Ebbers, huh? That's no joke. *** More Kansas Creationist hijinks. No State Board of Education statements on the evils of Harry Potter ... yet. *** Fantastic news! *** Item: "Revenue Surge Shrinks Deficit."...

NEA: Defending Mediocrity in Education since 1857 ...as well as extorting money from teachers to give to Liberal politicians Michelle...

James Joyner notes that PBS will have six Monty Python specials next spring. Then observes: ...one can not help but wonder why we need taxpayer subsidies for this sort of thing. Python (admittedly shown originally on the British Government-owned BBC)...