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CPB seeks to make public broadcasting more accessible to the public it serves. To do so CPB maintains a toll-free, 24-hour telephone line (1-800-272-2190), an online contact form, and accepts letters sent directly to CPB.

All comments are available on this website to be viewed by the general public. Each year, by statute, CPB transmits this public link to the White House for its report to Congress. Additionally, comments pertaining to programming are shared with the CPB Board of Directors and relevant public media staff.

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Proposal: A Public Option Social Media Platform operated by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

Michigan

Feedback:

Revelations concerning widespread abuse by many commercially available social media platforms are deeply troubling. These huge platforms have become purveyors of false advertising, both political and commercial, have participated in providing insidious foreign influence and become vehicles for rampant cyber-bullying as well as child pornography. Public trust has been violated in numerous ways, including the sale of private information, the reliance on a lack of user understanding regarding privacy settings and a paucity of legislative and self-regulation in the industry. We have all observed a failure to monitor policy and practice until finally compelled by public and political pressures. Most alarming is the willful use of the First Amendment as a shield to ignore or avoid actions that will eliminate abuse and regain public trust with ethical behavior.

There is an approach that would effectively address many of the aforementioned unacceptable realities. That approach would be a Public Option Social Media Platform. A nonprofit platform that would offer all of the original family and friend communication services that are not problematic. There would be no advertising and no ability to disseminate false, dangerous or destructive news sources.

Conveniently, the vehicle for this concept already exists. According to its published goals and objectives, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a private, nonprofit corporation created and funded by Congress in 1967. CPB’s mission is to ensure universal access, over-the-air and online, to high-quality content and telecommunications services that are commercial free and free of charge.

Just as National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) were originally designed as public options to commercial radio and television, so would this Public Social Media (PSM) option be available to those who choose to enroll.

It should be emphasized that this public option, as part of the Corporation For Public Broadcasting, like the proposals for a health care public insurance option, would be a choice to be made by each individual and would in no way be mandatory. In fact, there would be many who would want more than such a public option might offer and choose the commercial options that presently exist. It is also possible that enough individuals would support the public option so that market place forces could generate positive changes in the commercial environment.

There would certainly be many challenges to the development of an appropriate Public Option Social Media Platform but perhaps the time has come in this country for serious consideration.

Michael Rolnick Farmington Hills, Michigan 248-763-2916

Note from CPB: CPB promotes the growth and development of public media in communities throughout the country by providing funding to NPR, PBS, local public broadcasting stations (both TV and radio), as well as the Independent Television Service (ITVS), and five minority program consortia, which represent African American, Latino, Asian American, Native American, and Pacific Islander television producers. CPB itself produces no programming, but helps support the production of broadcast programs and other services for multiple digital platforms by thousands of producers and production companies throughout the country. CPB, PBS, and NPR are independent of each other and of the local public television and radio stations across the country. CPB neither owns, operates, nor controls broadcast stations. To learn more about the Corporation for Public Broadcasting please visit: http://cpb.org/aboutcpb/

newshour

Georgia

Feedback:

I am tired of the politics on newshour; please make the news more balanced. I can't believe the hole hour is covering the impeachment hearings. Lots of chit chat, politics and senseless conversations. Please cover more real news; there should be more to cover. Thanks.

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We welcome all comments about public media’s content and services. However, CPB is prohibited from interfering with editorial decisions related to programming on PBS or local public television and radio stations. Your comments will have more weight if you contact PBS directly: http://www.pbs.org/about/contact/viewer-services/

Impeachment coverage

Iowa

Feedback:

I treasure and look forward to PBS news broadcast since I feel it is the most objective. I must say though that I think much of the time of the reporting is focused on the small details who said what where did they say it. Equally important is the big picture. Take a step back and look at the president's behavior both verbal and actionable. The entire situation regarding the Ukraine demonstrate the behavior of a bully. He demeans any opponent, he deflects any criticism of him to be the work of others. He does not see the bigger picture. Certainly he does not see the importance of the big picture of the United States relationship to Ukraine. He reacts positively to other person's bully behavior and of course all his focus is on himself. How often has he used the term we or the term our? I would invite the NewsHour to interview behavioral professional. I see his overall behavior as typical of what we would expect from the mob boss. His behavior has been unlike any other president in the modern era. I invite PBS to take a long broad total look at his behavior in the context of the office of the President.

Ageless Living

Kansas

Feedback:

Hello! I have a request that regarding an upcoming new show "Ageless Living" a show that I beleive is in a few parts and scheduled to start airing in Febuary 2020 but only airing in Mexico at this time. It has any different speakers leading each episode such as Anita Moorjani, and Eben Alexander. My request is that my PBS bring this show to the United States. It will be beneficial for everyone and I have a feeling you will have many requests like this from many others like me. Thank you in advance and please dont hesitate to let me know if I need to do anything further to help this show make it over to the States. Have a wonderful day and thank you again. Nicolle Hartman

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). By law CPB is prohibited from producing or broadcasting programming. Please contact PBS with your suggestion at http://www.pbs.org/about/faq/contact-us/.

Community Advisory Board Mandates

California

Feedback:

My local community radio station has one signal, two repeaters and an FM translator covering our rural/semi-rural Northern California region. The station created three advisory boards for its three frequencies -- one original and two translators -- but recently consolidated them into one central advisory board. Consolidating the CABs into a central advisory board excludes reporting from most of the population it serves. Some listener areas -- including the county seat and a state university -- are a two-hour drive from the board meetings and there are diverse and distinct ethnicities, local traditions and economic, educational, and environmental concerns that I believe should be represented. Does each repeater/frequency require a community advisory board? Thank you, Emma Nation

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Per the Public Broadcasting Act, each public media station annually certifies its compliance with Community Advisory Board requirements. Stations are not required to establish more than one Community Advisory Board. For more information about the Community Advisory Board requirements, please visit https://www.cpb.org/stations/certification/cert3

Impeachment Hearings

November 2019

Feedback:

I would like to request that PBS show the hearings on impeachment in the primetime hours for people that are unable to watch during the day.

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). Although CPB does not produce or distribute programming, we welcome all comments about public media’s content and services. Each local public broadcasting station makes its own programming choices, as CPB is prohibited from interfering with editorial decisions related to programming on local public television and radio stations.

Questions on bequests

North Carolina

Feedback:

Please have someone call us (or give us their telephone number). We would like to make a bequest or a trust for your company in our wills and wonder also if you do estate administration. Thanks, Susan Gouger, 973 328 8551

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). While CPB does accept donations, we encourage you to consider donating to your local public broadcasting station first. Should you wish to donate to CPB, our address is: 401 9th Street NW, 3rd floor Washington, DC 20004

Pinkalicious

Maryland

Feedback:

I watch Pinkalicious with my biracial granddaughter. One particular episode featured the little girl going to the hair dresser. After getting her hair done, Pinkalicious thanks the hairdresser by her first name. It may be coincidental that Pinkalicious is white and the hair dresser is black, but it made me very uncomfortable that this little girl would refer to the adult by her first name, without a title. Does Pinkalicious call all adults by their first name? I don't know but it seemed odd that she would refer to her African American elder by her first name. Perhaps I'm being overly sensitive, but I would hate to think that either Pinkalicious is allowed to call all adults by their first name, or perhaps just the black ones. This is Just a word of concern from the grandmother of a little biracial child who will have a whole world of prejudice to learn about. Hopefully she won't learn about it from PBS.

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). We welcome all comments about public media's content and services. However, CPB does not produce Pinkalicious or any other programming. If you have questions or comments about the show, please contact PBS at http://www.pbs.org/about/contact/viewer-services/. We have shared your concerns with WGBH and someone from the station will follow up with you.

Broadcast the Impeachment Hearing

Ohio

Feedback:

As a “viewer like you” and a contributor not only to our local PBS station but to three public radio stations, I encourage PBS to broadcast gavel-to-gavel coverage of the upcoming impeachment hearing for the reasons as cogently expressed in the full-page ad published in today’s New York Times (and I presume in other newspapers as well). Regardless of one’s position on the matter, access to the information to be developed serves the very purpose for which public broadcasting was established and which is presented absent bias and spin.

Impeachment hearings

California

Feedback:

I agree with the call for pbs to broadcast these hearings in the evening, just like you did the Nixon hearings. Serve the public by allowing the majority of working Americans to watch these hearings for themselves! Please! Regular programming won’t forward democracy; these hearings will. Judy Johnson

Reception in my area

California

Feedback:

As of Friday, I have been unable to pick up your stations. Wonder if it's just me or problem in my area. Thank you!

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). CPB does not broadcast programming. Please contact your local station.

Upcoming Hearings on Impeachment

California

Feedback:

PBS rebroadcasting the hearings in prime time evening hours would allow working persons unable to see the morning broadcasts ( keeping commentary to a minimum) would be a service to our nation. Just do it!

The criminal Jamie Diamond

Feedback:

Gee seeing on your program allowing g him to speak about his helping Detroit is such bullshit. Why didn’t you ask him about his Rico charges or his gold fixing schemes. When did pbs become a PR puppet for Jamie Diamond?

Impeachment Hearings

South Carolina

Feedback:

Thank you so very much for providing live coverage of the hearing today. It's vital that Americans get to see such events in real time without the filter of reporters / pundits, and only CPB was willing to do this on air and not just streaming. We live in rural SC without cable and with only limited bandwidth. Without your service, this important event would have been unavailable to us.

We are grateful for CPB, PBS, and WETV-Greenville, SC.

PBS News Hour Judy Woodruff

Illinois

Feedback:

Over the years, I have been proud to support PBS. Public has always remained the important element. However, and especially during the PBS News Hour with Judy Woodruff, public has transcended into partiality. What happened to the second voice? With almost every airing, Ms Woodruff's reporting appears one-voiced. We miss Gwen Eifel, and would like to see and hear another opinion. Please give us balance once again. We don't all hate nor disrespect our President. Most all her stories suggest all Americans hate it's President.

Ken Burns Country Music series

Indiana

Feedback:

We watched it every night and enjoyed it very much. Really in depth and compresensive. We learned many interesting tidbits and facts about many of the early countyry/ hillbilly/blue grass stars we'd heard of but didn't know much about. Thank you and Ken Burns for producing such wonderful mini-series.

Ken Burns 8 part 2 hour series - country music

Pennsylvania

Feedback:

Really enjoyed the Burns series. It was great. Did not miss any of the series. We were glued to our seats for each evening. Thank you for such a quality presentation. We love public tv.

Mark Shields

California

Feedback:

Lately, some news people have admitted that they spent too much time and placed too much significance on Hillary Clinton's email. Near the election, Mark Shields was very, very, very critical of her. He was not that extreme to Trump. It was infuriating and sexist. I wrote several emails at the time. He really needs to apologize. He said after the election, that he was just so surprised not taking any responsibility for the terrible things he said.

hoax

Georgia

Feedback:

have fun covering this impeachment because its boring already

House of Rep

South Carolina

Feedback:

will CPB report that Adam Schiff is a witness in his own hearing?

Note from CPB: Thank you for contacting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. We welcome all comments about public media’s content and services. However, CPB is prohibited from interfering with editorial decisions related to programming on PBS, NPR, or local public television and radio stations. Your comments will have more weight if you contact your local station directly.