So Embarrassing

So here's the headline...

'Downtown Abbey' Begins Its Sixth And Final Season

Of course NPR meant "Downton Abbey." I have to admit, the first time I saw the title I thought it should be Downtown Abbey. That's before the program really took off. I had not watched it. I thought it would be something about a gritty inner-city church. That assumption was really off.

I don't care to reveal how many times I made a silly error in my time while writing and editing content for public radio. Listeners were always quick to respond. Some of them were critical. Others over the top. One even said that I had torn the fabric of public broadcasting with my careless error. Listener expectations are high. 

Mistakes like this are easy to fix...before they're made. That's why I used to be so embarrassed when something like this happened.  I feel empathy and a little embarrassed for whoever did this. Laugh at yourself. Resolve to step back a moment before hitting enter. 

This too shall pass.

Public TV's (only) Ratings Winner

Downton Abbey is proving to be a ratings winner. According to the New York Times, 10.2 million viewers tuned in to the season premier.

The total number of contributors for Public TV have been in decline since 2002. The number of contributors for Public Radio has been increasing. In fact, the number of contributors for Public Radio and Public Television intersected in 2012. (Look Here)

Reversing the trend for Public TV will take more than Downton Abbey. PTV could use three or four more programs like this to create positive buzz and create consistent growth. Growth in audience around compelling programming will result in growth of viewer support. Fundraising is effective when the development department has great content driving audience.

Fundraising - Do we talk about ourselves or the donor?

Focusing on Donors, Not the Charity, in Your Appeals

Check out this podcast from the Chronicle of Philanthropy. So much of what I hear and read...especially on public radio and television...is all about "we need." "Another big pitch is, "We're great! Support us!" There's also an addiction to the premium. There's a fear nobody will give unless we're immersed in the give and get. I'm hearing this on both radio and TV.

We can go beyond fundraising that annoys and drives listener's and viewers away? Public radio loses half its audience as soon as it opens its mikes during a fund drive. Public Television can't raise money around its core programs. Is it the programming creating the problem for Public TV? 
When something compelling hits the air like Downton Abbey, the funds flow in. 

Answer this, "What are the positive outcomes from the listener's or viewer's point of view?" 

A thank you gift or a pair of tickets is not a positive outcome. It is an inducement.

Downton Abbey Inspires Jewelry Line Controversy

The popularity of Downton Abbey on PBS has inspired a jewelry line being sold through PBS.
The creators of the show are apparently unhappy because PBS did not get clearance to do so.
Producers Carnival were forced to call in lawyers to stop the Public Broadcasting Service, the US network that airs Downton Abbey, from naming jewelry after the show’s most famous character, Lady Mary Crawley. PBS is being asked to pull the items. 


According to the Daily Telegraph, PBS is continuing to sell the jewelry as part of its Downton Abbey collection, but has now agreed to remove direct references to Lady Mary and other characters from the show – and all mentions of Downton characters have now been deleted from the website.

There are articles in the Daily Mail and the Telegraph.

Is this worse than Barney-Gate? Here's a link to that mid-nineties scandal!

http://www.current.org/mo504.html

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