In an interview in today’s (Jan. 17) Broadcasting & Cable, KCET Board Chairman Gordon Bava insists the station has not “terminated” its relationship with PBS, but “we have suspended it indefinitely. We aren’t sure PBS is willing to accept that distinction, but that is our express intention. So that when the dust settles and we see maybe in a couple of years what the future of PBS holds and its role will be, we certainly would be open to returning on a reasonable and sustainable basis.”
He also calls the system of PBS member stations “vulnerable” since it has been losing money for years. Also, if government funding dried up, “I think that the system would be reduced by at least half. I think a lot of those stations would probably go out of business.”