Pbs. Behind the Screen

by Laurence Jarvik

PBS originataed with good Making the world better through education. But according to media analyst Laurence Jarvik, America's only taxpayer-supported public broadcasting network has gone astray. " ... must reading for anyone who is interested in how the public broadcasting system was created, what it achieved, and where it has gone wrong."— David HorowitzIn his new book, Behind the Screen, Jarvik provides the first independent, historical account of our nation's television network. Based on years of research and scores of interviews, he tours readers through PBS's evolution, from the early days, when the network was a shining vision in the minds of educators and philanthropists, to later years, when it became the focal point of a never-ending, sometimes ugly tug-of-war between opposing political camps. Behind the Screen answers the following Does Sesame Street really educate? What political agenda underlies PBS's hard-hitting documentary programs? Is the real Bill Moyers the carefully crafted image viewers see on the screen? What challenges did William F. Buckley Jr. have to overcome before Firing Line could be broadcast? Just how much did America's favorite chef, Julia Child, really know about cooking when she started out?

Hardcover

First published October 23, 1996

Reviews

[Carol Mann Agency]

" ... must reading for anyone who is interested in how the public broadcasting system was created, what it achieved, and where it has gone wrong."
— David Horowitz

"Jarvik shows what a racket PBS is, how an elitest group of politically correct millionaires got even richer with taxpayers' money. Even the biggest PBS fans will learn something new. Buy this book."
— Rush Limbaugh

"A splendid, hard-hitting, yet fair-minded statement of the case for subjecting public broadcasting to market discipline."
— Milton Friedman

[Patricia H · Rating 3 out of 5]

Highly critical of PBS and the concept of PBS.
Has interesting historical perspective of some on my favorite shows and personalities -- including the great Julia Child and the Pythons. Worth reading for those bits.