To:         Cheryl Craigie, newly-hired director of KERA TV (PBS)
Date:      January 27, 1997
Subject: Funding for Channel 13 public television station
Result:   wrote nicely to say she had never heard of such a thing

Dear Ms. Craigie,

Welcome to Dallas and your new position. I want to join KERA at the opening level of a $35 membership. KERA is a station that I have watched and seen many enjoyable programs on over the years, but until recently I have not been in a financial position to join even at the minimum level. Now that I am able to join, I would also like to make some comments related to my perspective on how KERA operates, including its funding.

One really rather irritating aspect of watching programs on Channel 13 has always been that once the program begins, you must remain glued to the set for the next hour or often two without a break. The result is that if you so much as want to go use the restroom, you are in danger of missing perhaps the most important part of the show (though you never know what you actually missed, since you missed it). Recently this has occurred when I watched the two-hour special on Andrew Carnegie, and another program that I watched recently, but I can't recall what it was right now.

Another aspect of Channel 13 is something I find even more disagreeable is your fund drives, where you and your associates and volunteers go on and basically beg for support, with a strong effort to appeal to people's conscience and guilt to say how great your programming is, with the strong implication that anybody who does not pay up is a low-life slackard.

I am a person who, in general, is very generous with helping people as best I can, and have many times assisted people financially. I have always done this of my own volition, and I am happy to do it. But much as I like to help people when I can, one thing I hate is being asked for money. A similar example to Channel 13 is when, during the Christmas season, I cannot go into the grocery store without being accosted by a Salvation Army representative who is looking at me with forlorn, doleful eyes, forcing him or herself on my consciousness, saying "God Bless you" - which is all directed towards appealing to my guilty conscience. And I see little difference between that modus operandi and that of Channel 13.

In contrast to KERA/Channel 13, there is another station that often has what I consider very enjoyable programming of a similar kind to Channel 13, which is the Discovery Channel. There is a station I like. It has normal commercials, which I watch many of, but can get away from the television if I need to, and they apparently have no problems finding sponsors to support such programming without having to burden its viewers with their begging and guilt-inducement.

It is my feeling that if KERA were to operate on this basis, it would be a much better, happier, and enjoyable station.

Sincerely, John Vehon