History Creator / PBS

* Creator/{{Sprout}} (digital cable channel)

* Creator/PBSKids
* Creator/PBSKidsSprout (digital cable channel)

->'''Onscreen Announcer:''' "You're watching [=PBS=]."
->'''Bart:''' "''You're'' watching [=PBS=]?!"
-->--'''''WesternAnimation/TheSimpsons'''''

* ''Series/AreYouBeingServed''
* ''Series/KeepingUpAppearances''

* ''Series/HouseOfCardsUK''

* ''Series/TheLawrenceWelkShow''

In 1967 the Ford Foundation, having invested over $130 million into a network that was still dependent on their contributions and grants, started to consider pulling its funding, causing many affiliate stations to consider turning to the federal government for financial assistance. As a result, the government passed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a semi-private[[note]]Its board is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.[[/note]] corporation to fund NET. While it did this for a few years, it soon became clear that NET's documentary programming had not only alienated many of its affiliates, but also infuriated RichardNixon, who saw the documentaries as nothing more than propaganda against his administration. As a result, the CPB created the Public Broadcasting Service in 1969 as a new entity to take over network operations, and in 1970 NET was dissolved and merged into WNDT in [[{{Joisey}} Newark, New Jersey]] (which became WNET), ending its existence as a formal network. NET's decentralized system was retained by PBS, largely because the existing commercial {{networks}} and conservatives in Congress did ''not'' want an American version of the BBC.

* PrimeTime brings entertainment for mature viewers, such as ''MasterpieceTheatre'' and ''Antiques Roadshow'', along with science documentaries such as ''NOVA'' and ''Nature''.

Many PBS stations also rely on content from the BBC, leading to a joke claiming that the network's acronym stood for "[[FunWithAcronyms Primarily British Series]]." For many years during its original run, PBS was the U.S. distributor of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Two other popular British imports are ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' and ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', which have been airing on a PBS station somewhere or other since they first acquired the programs in the mid-1970s. The sci-fi sitcom ''Series/RedDwarf'' was also broadcast on some PBS stations, on occasion being the focus of the aforementioned pledge drives. Finally, the [[LongRunner long-running]] ''MasterpieceTheatre'' (now known simply as ''Masterpiece'') consists mostly of British productions (including some from {{ITV}} and ChannelFour), the most popular of which currently are ''Series/DowntonAbbey'' and the revival of ''UpstairsDownstairs'', which have been among [[http://www.thedailybeast.com/articles/2013/03/19/downton-abbey-season-3-becomes-top-rated-pbs-drama-of-all-time.html the biggest hits]] the network's had in its history.

* ''Series/MasterpieceTheatre''

As a government-run television network, PBS has been subjected to fights within the government over funding as far back as TheSixties ([[MisterRogersNeighborhood Fred Rogers']] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q speech to the Senate]] in defense of the young network may just be his CrowningMomentOfAwesome). The usual cry of public television's opponents is that PBS was created in [[TheSixties a time]] when there were only [[Creator/{{CBS}} three]] [[Creator/{{NBC}} television]] [[Creator/{{ABC}} networks]] in the United States as opposed to over a hundred, and that the public need for it no longer exists in today's world of cable and satellite TV. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that PBS is essential for rural viewers and those who can't afford cable or satellite, that it provides things like science documentaries, hard-hitting investigative journalism and educational children's programming that would never last a day on commercial television, and that commercial educational channels are vulnerable to NetworkDecay.[[note]]The experience of the DiscoveryChannel, TheHistoryChannel, NickJr and TLC in the last several years bears that out pretty well.[[/note]] The large degree of control given to local affiliates is also a point of contention, with some people arguing that this is an outmoded, inefficient structure that should be replaced with something more centralized, and others saying that it's necessary for the community involvement for which PBS stations are known. Also, despite the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 prohibiting political bias in PBS broadcasting, it has been accused of such by both sides over the years ([[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment and let's just leave it at that]]). On at least one occasion, the reverse has happened: In 1982, Congress asked PBS to abandon its official neutral position in order to air the program ''Let Poland Be Poland'', which criticized the Soviet-enforced declaration of martial law in Poland in 1981.

The radio equivalent is {{NPR}}.

->This page was made possible by contributions to your TVTropes website from [[ViewersLikeYou viewers like you.]] Thank you.

->This page was made possible by contributions to your TVTropes website from viewers like you. Thank you.

PBS has gone largely unchanged since then. Programming and the stations themselves are sponsored by donations from corporations, charitable foundations and ViewersLikeYou. The federal government chips in, as well, by means of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which also funds {{NPR}} and public-radio programs. Instead of interrupting programs with commercials, PBS stations run a sponsor tag at the start and end of each program, and hype their other programs during a five-minute break at the end of each show. For a week or two every however-many months, they also run a [[{{Telethon}} pledge drive]], during which viewers are asked to donate money to help the station stay on the air. This is usually when they drag out their highest quality programs, such as concerts by the GratefulDead and [[Music/PinkFloyd David Gilmour]], and performances from the Austin City Limits festival; it's just a matter of getting through the lengthy pledge breaks or predicting when they will end and put up the next show.

* Children's shows in the daytime. Over the years, this block, known as Creator/PBSKids since 1993, has included ''Series/SesameStreet'', ''MisterRogersNeighborhood'', ''ReadingRainbow'', ''WordGirl'', ''BillNyeTheScienceGuy'', ''TheMagicSchoolBus'', ''WesternAnimation/{{Arthur}}'', ''DragonTales'', ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' and ''TheTeletubbies''. PBS has generally placed a strong emphasis on [[EdutainmentShow education]] and [[AnAesop Aesops]] with its kids' shows, even when children's programming on other networks started getting more geared towards [[MerchandiseDriven selling toys]]. People who grew up before children's programming started proliferating on cable (or even after, if they had parents who [[TheMoralSubstitute objected to]] the MerchandiseDriven nature of many {{Saturday morning cartoon}}s) were probably raised on PBS.

Currently, they have branched out to the Internet, creating a well-received informative WebOriginal show on Website/{{Youtube}}, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsideachannel The PBS Idea channel]].

----

* PrimeTime brings entertainment for mature viewers (such as ''MasterpieceTheater'' and ''Antiques Roadshow'') and science documentaries (such as ''NOVA'' and ''Nature'').
* Saturdays and Sundays usually bring out content meant for older audiences, such as repeats of ''The Lawrence Welk Show'' and {{BritCom}}s such as ''AreYouBeingServed'' and ''KeepingUpAppearances'' that have been run so much by the stations the tape is nearly worn out.

Many PBS stations also rely on content from the BBC, leading to a joke claiming that the network's acronym stood for "[[FunWithAcronyms Primarily British Series]]." For many years during its original run, PBS was the U.S. distributor of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Two other popular British imports are ''Series/MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' and ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', which have been airing on a PBS station somewhere or other since they first acquired the programs in the mid-1970s. The sci-fi sitcom ''Series/RedDwarf'' was also broadcast on some PBS stations, on occasion being the focus of the aforementioned pledge drives. Finally, the [[LongRunner long-running]] ''MasterpieceTheater'' (now known simply as ''Masterpiece'') consists mostly of British productions (including some from {{ITV}} and ChannelFour).

Some local PBS stations create their own content, but most buy content produced by others. The largest content producer in the country is UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}'s WGBH, which has produced shows like the science documentary series ''Nova'' and the {{edutainment}} show ''Series/{{ZOOM}}''. And while we're on the subject, WGBH's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=HEAQn1Zle5s ident]] (which has remained unchanged since ''1977'') happens to be pure [[NightmareFuel/VanityPlate Nightmare Fuel]] (as were some of PBS's [[VanityPlate own early logos]]). Some noteworthy programs broadcast throughout PBS' history include many of Ken Burns' documentaries and the controversial show ''AnAmericanFamily'' in 1973, which is now viewed as the UrExample for the entire genre of [[RealityTV reality television]]. (The {{irony}} of a network with a reputation as highbrow as PBS inventing the RealityShow is not lost on some of us.)

In 1967 the Ford Foundation, having invested over $130 million into a network that was still dependent on their contributions and grants, started to consider pulling its funding, causing many affiliate stations to consider turning to the federal government for financial assistance. As a result, the government passed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a semi-private[[hottip:*:Its board is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.]] corporation to fund NET. While it did this for a few years, it soon became clear that NET's documentary programming had not only alienated many of its affiliates, but also infuriated RichardNixon, who saw the documentaries as nothing more than propaganda against his administration. As a result, the CPB created the Public Broadcasting Service in 1969 as a new entity to take over network operations, and in 1970 NET was dissolved and merged into WNDT in [[{{Joisey}} Newark, New Jersey]] (which became WNET), ending its existence as a formal network. NET's decentralized system was retained by PBS, largely because the existing commercial {{networks}} and conservatives in Congress did ''not'' want an American version of the BBC.

PBS has gone largely unchanged since then. Programming and the stations themselves are sponsored by donations from corporations, charitable foundations and ViewersLikeYou. The federal government chips in, as well, by means of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which also funds {{NPR}} and public-radio programs. Instead of interrupting programs with commercials, PBS stations run a sponsor tag at the start and end of each program, and hype their other programs during a five-minute break at the end of each show. For a week or two every however-many months, they also run a [[{{Telethon}} pledge drive]], during which viewers are asked to donate money to help the station stay on the air. This is usually when they drag out their highest quality programs, such as concerts by the GratefulDead and [[PinkFloyd David Gilmour]], and performances from the Austin City Limits festival; it's just a matter of getting through the lengthy pledge breaks or predicting when they will end and put up the next show.

As a government-run television network, PBS has been subjected to fights within the government over funding as far back as TheSixties ([[MisterRogersNeighborhood Fred Rogers']] [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=yXEuEUQIP3Q speech to the Senate]] in defense of the young network may just be his CrowningMomentOfAwesome). The usual cry of public television's opponents is that PBS was created in [[TheSixties a time]] when there were only [[{{CBS}} three]] [[{{NBC}} television]] [[{{ABC}} networks]] in the United States as opposed to over a hundred, and that the public need for it no longer exists in today's world of cable and satellite TV. Supporters, meanwhile, argue that PBS is essential for rural viewers and those who can't afford cable or satellite, that it provides things like science documentaries, hard-hitting investigative journalism and educational children's programming that would never last a day on commercial television, and that commercial educational channels are vulnerable to NetworkDecay.[[hottip:*:The experience of the DiscoveryChannel, TheHistoryChannel, NickJr and TLC in the last several years bears that out pretty well.]] The large degree of control given to local affiliates is also a point of contention, with some people arguing that this is an outmoded, inefficient structure that should be replaced with something more centralized, and others saying that it's necessary for the community involvement for which PBS stations are known. Also, despite the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 prohibiting political bias in PBS broadcasting, it has been accused of such by both sides over the years ([[RuleOfCautiousEditingJudgment and let's just leave it at that]]). On at least one occasion, the reverse has happened: In 1982, Congress asked PBS to abandon its official neutral position in order to air the program ''Let Poland Be Poland'', which criticized the Soviet-enforced declaration of martial law in Poland in 1981.

In 1958, ETRC changed its name to '''National Educational Television and Radio Center''' (NETRC), and then to just '''National Educational Television''' (NET) in 1963. Under new network president John F. White (formerly the station manager at WQED in {{Pittsburgh}}), it tried to shake off its ultra-academic reputation and become America's "fourth network". It expanded from five hours of programming a day to 10, imported shows from TheBBC and other international networks to fill those hours, and became more centralized. It created a slew of programming, such as the adult drama program ''NET Playhouse'', the seminal children's show ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', and a hard-hitting, controversial TVDocumentary series called ''NET Journal'' that frequently explored social issues like poverty and prejudice. This last program outraged NET's more conservative affiliates, especially those in the Southern United States, and despite its critical acclaim would lead to the network's downfall once it became government-funded.

Currently, they have branched out to the Internet, creating a well-received informative WebOriginal show on YouTube, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsideachannel The PBS Idea channel]].

* Children's shows in the daytime. Over the years, this block, known as Creator/PBSKids since 1993, has included ''Series/SesameStreet'', ''MisterRogersNeighborhood'', ''ReadingRainbow'', ''{{WordGirl}}'', ''BillNyeTheScienceGuy'', ''TheMagicSchoolBus'', ''{{WesternAnimation/Arthur}}'', ''DragonTales'', ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' and ''TheTeletubbies''. PBS has generally placed a strong emphasis on [[EdutainmentShow education]] and [[AnAesop Aesops]] with its kids' shows, even when children's programming on other networks started getting more geared towards [[MerchandiseDriven selling toys]]. People who grew up before children's programming started proliferating on cable (or even after, if they had parents who [[TheMoralSubstitute objected to]] the MerchandiseDriven nature of many {{Saturday morning cartoon}}s) were probably raised on PBS.

* {{Prime time}} brings entertainment for mature viewers (such as ''MasterpieceTheater'' and ''Antiques Roadshow'') and science documentaries (such as ''NOVA'' and ''Nature'').

Many PBS stations also rely on content from the BBC, leading to a joke claiming that the network's acronym stood for "[[FunWithAcronyms Primarily British Series]]." For many years during its original run, PBS was the U.S. distributor of ''Series/DoctorWho''. Two other popular British imports are ''MontyPythonsFlyingCircus'' and ''Series/AreYouBeingServed'', which have been airing on a PBS station somewhere or other since they first acquired the programs in the mid-1970s. The sci-fi sitcom ''Series/RedDwarf'' was also broadcast on some PBS stations, on occasion being the focus of the aforementioned pledge drives. Finally, the [[LongRunner long-running]] ''MasterpieceTheater'' (now known simply as ''Masterpiece'') consists mostly of British productions (including some from {{ITV}} and ChannelFour).

Some local PBS stations create their own content, but most buy content produced by others. The largest content producer in the country is UsefulNotes/{{Boston}}'s WGBH, which has produced shows like the science documentary series ''Nova'' and the {{edutainment}} show ''Series/{{ZOOM}}''. And while we're on the subject, WGBH's [[http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=NHyxC5PoaOU ident]] (which has remained unchanged since ''1977'') happens to be pure [[NightmareFuel/VanityPlate Nightmare Fuel]] (as were some of PBS's [[VanityPlate own early logos]]). Some noteworthy programs broadcast throughout PBS' history include many of Ken Burns' documentaries and the controversial show ''AnAmericanFamily'' in 1973, which is now viewed as the UrExample for the entire genre of [[RealityTV reality television]]. (The {{irony}} of a network with a reputation as highbrow as PBS inventing the RealityShow is not lost on some of us.)

* Children's shows in the daytime. Over the years, this block, known as PBSKids since 1993, has included ''Series/SesameStreet'', ''MisterRogersNeighborhood'', ''ReadingRainbow'', ''{{WordGirl}}'', ''BillNyeTheScienceGuy'', ''TheMagicSchoolBus'', ''{{WesternAnimation/Arthur}}'', ''DragonTales'', ''Series/BarneyAndFriends'' and ''TheTeletubbies''. PBS has generally placed a strong emphasis on [[EdutainmentShow education]] and [[AnAesop Aesops]] with its kids' shows, even when children's programming on other networks started getting more geared towards [[MerchandiseDriven selling toys]]. People who grew up before children's programming started proliferating on cable (or even after, if they had parents who [[TheMoralSubstitute objected to]] the MerchandiseDriven nature of many {{Saturday morning cartoon}}s) were probably raised on PBS.

!!The NET era (1952-1970)

PBS' first incarnation was the '''Educational Television and Radio Center''' in 1952, originally a private network set up by the Ford Foundation's Fund for Adult Education in order to serve as an educational television service complementing the entertainment programming of the commercial networks. Unique among American networks, content was produced not by the network itself, but by the individual stations -- a model similar to that of the (then {{West|Germany}}-) [[GermanTVStations German public broadcasting]], which had been imposed on them at the end of WorldWarII by the Western Allies. This led to content that was ''very'' in-depth in its subject matter, but also very dry, academic, low-budget and dull. As a result, ERTC floundered in its early years, earning the nickname "The University of the Air".

In 1958, ETRC changed its name to '''National Educational Television and Radio Center''' (NETRC), and then to just '''National Educational Television''' (NET) in 1963. Under new network president John F. White (formerly the station manager at WQED in {{Pittsburgh}}), it tried to shake off its ultra-academic reputation and become America's "fourth network". It expanded from five hours of programming a day to ten, imported shows from TheBBC and other international networks to fill those hours, and became more centralized. It created a slew of programming, such as the adult drama program ''NET Playhouse'', the seminal children's show ''Series/MisterRogersNeighborhood'', and a hard-hitting, controversial TVDocumentary series called ''NET Journal'' that frequently explored social issues like poverty and racism. This last program outraged NET's more conservative affiliates, especially those in the Southern US, and despite its critical acclaim would lead to the network's downfall once it became government-funded.

In 1967 the Ford Foundation, having invested over $130 million into a network that was still dependent on their contributions and grants, started to consider pulling its funding, causing many affiliate stations to consider turning to the federal government for financial assistance. As a result, the government passed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, creating the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a semi-private[[hottip:*:Its board is appointed by the President and confirmed by the Senate.]] corporation to fund NET. While it did this for a few years, it soon became clear that NET's documentary programming had not only alienated many of its affiliates, but also infuriated RichardNixon, who saw the documentaries as nothing more than propaganda against his administration. As a result, the CPB created the Public Broadcasting Service in 1969 as a new entity to take over network operations, and in 1970 NET was dissolved and merged into WNDT in [[{{Joisey}} Newark, New Jersey]] (which became WNET), ending its existence as a formal network. NET's decentralized system was retained by PBS, largely because the existing commercial {{networks}} and conservatives in Congress did ''not'' want an American version of TheBBC.

!!The PBS era (1970-present)

PBS has gone largely unchanged since then. Programming and the stations themselves are sponsored by donations from corporations, charity foundations, and ViewersLikeYou. The federal government chips in, as well, by means of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which also funds {{NPR}} and public-radio programs. Instead of interrupting programs with commercials, PBS stations run a sponsor tag at the start and end of each program, and hype their other programs during a five-minute break at the end of each show. For a week or two every however-many months, they also run a [[{{Telethon}} pledge drive]], during which viewers are asked to donate money to help the station stay on the air. This is usually when they drag out their highest quality programs, such as concerts by the GratefulDead, [[PinkFloyd David Gilmour]] and performances from the Austin City Limits festival; it's just a matter of getting through the lengthy pledge breaks or predicting when they will end and put up the next show.

In 2011 PBS launched a UK cable and satellite channel, carrying a broad cross-section of its US programming.

Currently, they have branched out to the internet, creating a well-received informative WebOriginal show on YouTube, [[http://www.youtube.com/user/pbsideachannel The PBS Idea channel.]]