More PBS conflict woes as activists move to eject David Koch from board of “NOVA” station

[ErikJ]

Last edited Mon Mar 3, 2014, 07:57 PM - Edit history (1)

David Sirota 3/3/14

Last month, Pando’s “Wolf of Sesame Street” investigation broke the news that one of PBS’s flagship outlets had inked a secret deal with anti-pension billionaire John Arnold. That deal, which was not explicitly disclosed to viewers, was designed to broadcast anti-pension programming on public television stations throughout the country. ............


The campaign’s target is David Koch, who serves on the board and the Science Visiting Council of Boston’s WGBH. These are particularly powerful posts for the conservative financier — one of the infamous Koch brothers — because, like the Arnold-infiltrated WNET in New York, the Boston station produces many of the national PBS network’s programming. In fact, according to its own website, WGBH is “PBS’s single largest producer of Web and TV content.” That includes PBS’s iconic science show, NOVA.

Pando has learned that along with online ads and a new website, Forecast the Facts’ campaign plans to unveil a prominent billboard right outside of WGBH’s offices, demanding Koch’s removal. The new ad campaign is being launched following protests outside the WGBH offices and a petition signed by tens of thousands of viewers that calls for Koch to be ousted.

Koch’s role at WGBH may conflict with PBS’s own rules prohibiting editorial control and funding from donors who have a political or financial interest in the PBS they oversee. In this case, Koch is on the board of the station that produces PBS science content. He has also funded some of that content. Yet, he owns a fossil fuel conglomerate and has bankrolled the fossil fuel industry’s campaign to deny climate change.

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http://pando.com/2014/03/03/more-pbs-conflict-woes-as-activists-move-to-eject-david-koch-from-board-of-nova-station/

[jsr]

1. Recommend

[nilram]

3. ++

[L0oniX]

34. ++++

[Pretzel_Warrior]

2. Best thing of the whole article was "Wolf of Sesame Street"

[FailureToCommunicate]

38. +1

?c=a4514c0ef69350e7981ea2333889018e

[Pretzel_Warrior]

39. nice! good to see Elmo doing something good in public rather than fighting with fellow icons

[truedelphi]

4. David K either produced, or wrote and directed and produced a recent episode of Nova

That dealt with tornadoes. Among the ideas he used that program to disseminate is that many lives could be saved, if we allowed for radar stations to exist every so many miles across the many places in the country where tornadoes occur. Nothing at all in the program let the viewer know that zapping the populace continually with beams of radar in order to posssibly site tornadoes a tiny bit earlier might not be wise.

But guess who holds the rights to that radar technology?

[JJChambers]

6. Is there not already an incredible amount of radar present?

[Archae]

9. We're surrounded at all times with many different radiations.

Mostly radio.

No, this is just the usual alarmist bullshit, same people who rant and scream about WiFi, cellular, and such.

[Scootaloo]

10. According to Richard Feynman, radio is just hte smallest piece of what's smacking us all the time

The electromagnetic spectrum is all around us... and it's all really there!

[BrotherIvan]

26. Feynman Lives!

Sorry, involuntary reaction...

[truedelphi]

29. A lot of radar signals are beamed up to great heights.

Radar used in this style of tornado warning system would not be beamed up to such great atmospheric heights. So more people on the ground would be affected.

[JJChambers]

33. Affected how? Nt

[truedelphi]

46. Independent researchers looking into radar studies on effects of

a surrounding population have long expressed have concerns regarding risks to health in terms of the cardiovascular system, and cancers of the blood. Also cataracts.

The military used to say, as it went about installing the radar systems, that it would have such important studies done, but such verbal commitments were always put off and forgotten.

It is ironic that Americans have to rely on Ukrainian scientists for info on many scientific studies involving radar:

http://exp-oncology.com.ua/article/1845/long-term-exposure-to-microwave-radiation-provokes-cancer-growth-evidences-from-radars-and-mobile-communication-systems


Here is an article from East Coast Sierra club, with this as the link:

http://www.sierraclubmass.org/groups/ccg/mmr.html

scroll to bottom of page, to section labelled --
PAVE PAWS Radar

The Air Force (AF) operates the PAVE PAWS phased array radar on land at the MMR that they own. This radar system is designed to detect ballistic missiles fired from submarines and track objects in space. This system became operational in 1978 and the AF never followed up on its promises to examine possible adverse effects from the phased array radar system, which exposes our citizens to side lobe radiation 24 hours per day, seven days per week. Given the high cancer rates on Cape Cod, our Congressional delegation (Senators Kennedy and Kerry; Congressman Delahunt) arranged for federal funding to examine this problem, a full 20 years after the system was installed. This eventually led to the formation of the the PAVE PAWS Public Health Steering Group (PPPHSG) which has overseen studies on the radar exposure patterns on Cape Cod (Broadcast Signal Laboratory) and potential health impacts study (International Epidemiology Institute). On a separate track the National Research Council/National Academy of Sciences (NRC/NAS) received governmental funding (arranged by our Congressional delegation) to examine the PAVE PAWS radar, issuing reports in 2005 and 2006.

The Sierra Club hopes to spur a public discussion on how to convert these scientific studies into public health policy. This is a challenge since scientists and regulators don't want to take action unless a statistically significant cause/effect relationship can be established.

Given the long delays between exposure to agents that can promote cancer and the incidence of the disease, meeting this level of scientific certainty is unrealistic and rarely achieved (note how long it took to connect cigarette smoking with lung cancer).

Massachusetts is in the top ten states in cancer incidence and Cape Cod has elevated rates of some cancers compared to other areas in the Commonwealth. Thus the Sierra Club feels that a precautionary approach should be adopted for factors that appear to elevate cancer rates (but are not statistically significant) in developing public health policy. We applaud the Silent Spring Institute's (SSI) Cape Cod Breast Cancer and Environment Study, which has been attempting to link indoor pollution by endocrine disruptor chemicals with increased breast cancer rates. SSI's website contains practical action that citizens can take to reduce their exposure to these chemicals, while the Massachusetts Department of Public Health (Ma. DPH) awaits definitive scientific studies before taking action. We need to develop a more precautionary approach to protecting public health.
####

One important component in a person maintaining optimal health is the ability of the body to "rest' from any stressor, ideally for at least twelve hours a day, including respite from MicroWave and radar microwave frequencies.

Since our population is already under siege from continual electro-smog, that comes at us from antennae on cell phone towers, from our close proximity to our cell phones and PDA's, etc, few of us get any respite from the new forms of radiation that assault us 24/7. Add yet another burden on the body, this time in terms of a David Koch installed tornado alert system, and there will be consequences.

[LiberalArkie]

11. The main problem is, Radars can not see up close, they do a fantastic job at a distance

[truedelphi]

30. Quite true. But what millionaire cares about

The efficacy of what they' re proposing, if there is money to be made!

[LeftyMom]

44. "beams of radar"????

I believe the phrase you are looking for is "radio waves" but I guess that doesn't sound scary enough.

[mwooldri]

52. How about "leaky microwave ovens" ???

After all, microwave ovens were developed out of radar research. And microwave ovens cook things.

Exposure to microwave radio radiation at a high enough power is hazardous to your health. That's why microwave ovens are in mostly metal boxes.

[Curmudgeoness]

47. And how does he propose that we pay for this?

We know that all these conservatives are opposed to the government spending any money at all, so where would the money come from?

Oh, I see, if it will benefit him, it is ok for the government to spend the money.

[awoke_in_2003]

66. With more tax cuts on the rich, silly

[Pretzel_Warrior]

5. This should be kicked by everyone at DU. And REC'D. This is what we're up against

when they try to prey upon the institutions that have still been free of money influence in their news gathering and reporting.

[classof56]

12. Agreed. I therefore heartily K&R.

[marions ghost]

14. Absolutely

Go activists.

[2banon]

15. Absolutely, sir! Kick Kick Kick and Rec

[Warren DeMontague]

7. Unless I'm mistaken, his name has been attached to it for a long time.

[2banon]

17. yes..too long.

[calimary]

8. Kicking.

I'd love to see this guy run outta town on a rail. And his brother, too.

[2banon]

18. Indeed!

[ReRe]

40. Outta' town?

We need to run them off the planet!

[calimary]

70. I like your idea better.

Can I add a few ted cruz-types, too? Get rid of 'em ALL! OR how 'bout we ship 'em to Somalia? That sounds like their kind of "government" anyway… (and all the guns and anarchy you can eat!) That's an entire country full of "nobody tells ME what to do!!!!!"

[2banon]

13. YESSSSSSS!!!!!!

Get THEE OFF TO THE GREATEST PAGE!


OUT F**KING STANDING!!


And it's about freaking time!

Kick kick kick for exposure folks!!!

[okaawhatever]

16. K & R nt

[Sarah Ibarruri]

19. The Koch Brothers have been financing climate-change deniers for a long time

It's a mockery that either of those two should be on the board of anything even remotely associated with science.

[2banon]

20. wish i could give more rec's

let's bump this up for attention, we can follow the ukraine saga anytime..

THIS IS A BIGGER DEAL....

[Enthusiast]

21. K&R! This post should have hundreds of recommendations!

[rurallib]

22. standing up and calling the bullshit. Thank you WGBH!

the boulder to bring these bastards down rolls a little bit further.

[dorkzilla]

25. WGBH hasn't done anything *yet*

He's still there! But I hope they'll FINALLY see the light and kick this asshole out of there.

I think Neil deGrasse Tyson should have the honor of kicking Koch in the ass on the way out the door.

[ErikJ]

53. WGBH has a Koch problem

http://4.bp.blogspot.com/-1QmukC7dOP0/UlWEHUqba0I/AAAAAAAABxE/mUXmu8WStf4/s1600/WGBH+David+H+Koch.jpg

[dorkzilla]

62. Love it!

I don't know how this jerk is STILL with WGBH. Every time I watch Nova and they flash his name across the screen I cringe; did WGBH learn nothing from WNET? Why haven't the "PBS viewers like you" made their opposition crystal clear or is it just a select group of us that care?

I'm still super-pissed that this asshat has a theater at Lincoln Center named after him. Disgusting.

[justhanginon]

23. K & R

They are like a goddamn octopus. Their tentacles reach everywhere.

[bloomington-lib]

24. k/r

[JDPriestly]

27. Forget PBS. It's a lost cause.

Support Pacifica Radio and help it grow into a responsible media organ.

The Ian Masters show in the evening is a good source of in-depth information on current news stories, and need I say more than simply "Democracy Now."

Pacifica needs public support and money to help it become the premier media source in the US without corporate interference.

The programming for the LA station is here:

http://www.kpfk.org/

No. I don't work for the station or run it or anything. I just support it because it is generally good although I do not agree with the most common stance on the station toward Israel. I am a supporter of Israel and peace between Palestine and Israel. Other than that, I like Pacifica's news programs.

[navarth]

63. You might be right, but

I still like the idea of purging PBS of Koch bastards if it can be done.

Thanks for the link to Pacifica. I hear it mentioned all the time on DemocracyNow! but I hadn't visited their site. Very worth while, not compromised like PBS.

[2banon]

28. kick..

[N_E_1 for Tennis]

31. I have loved NOVA for a long time...

and I threw up a little every time I saw his name as a sponsor.

Yea and kick, kick, kick!!!

[2banon]

42. Nova used to be fabulous..

but it's been noticeably on the decline for the past decade.. can't watch it anymore.

[JaneyVee]

54. Same here I grew up watching NOVA and Frontline.

[geardaddy]

32. Big K and R.

Love to see him ousted.

[daleanime]

35. K&R....

[Rex]

36. I hate Kochroaches.

nt.

[warrprayer]

37. kick

out damn Koch's!!!

[ReRe]

41. K&R

WGBH is great, but it will be greater without Koch on the board. Give him the whole-body boot. NOW!

[BodieTown]

43. A Koch-Sponsored "Nova" Is Untrustworthy

I continue to not watch Nova, not until that filthy Koch name is gone.

Nova is the world according to Koch, which means it can harm you.

[tofuandbeer]

45. Those Koch's are sick people. The extent to which they'll go to control things is obsene!

(I hope many sentence was formed correctly...it sounded right).

[dreamnightwind]

48. K & R

I hate that PBS takes money and ads from him. Didn't know he is on the board of the Boston station that produces NOVA, though NOVA prominently displays his name before every episode as a supporter.

[MindMover]

49. Dinosaurs, getting exposed for who and what they are ....

[Isoldeblue]

50. Kick n/m

[frwrfpos]

51. fuck the Koch assholes with all my might

I will kick this every time I see a response

[blkmusclmachine]

55. ,

,

[kelliekat44]

56. It's about damn time!!! nt

[Cha]

57. thanks ErikJ

[ErikJ]

58. Its a pleasure. The Kochroaches must go!

Last edited Tue Mar 4, 2014, 04:10 AM - Edit history (1)

I've been battling one of their local tentacle organizations for a decade or more. Despise them.

[ctsnowman]

59. K & R

[cantbeserious]

60. The Oligarchs, Corporations And Banks Own And Control The Airwaves That Own And Control Us

eom

[blackspade]

61. Run roaches run!

The sun, it burns!

[Faryn Balyncd]

64. WGBH's telephone number is 617-300-5400

[QuestForSense]

65. When did PBS become propaganda for Koch's personal ideology?

When they ignored their own rules to whore after his money. Disgraceful.

[greatlaurel]

67. Kicked and recommended

Thanks for the link.

[illachick]

68. What kind of world do we live in when we can't even trust PBS!

I love PBS, watch a lot of programs on there, even children's programs (its because of nostalgia of course *wink*) and to think that the good info I think I'm getting could be compromised sucks. Dumb publicans say keep government out of Medicare, I say keep (bad)Corporations out of PBS!!

[shanti]

69. k&r

it has always irked me to see his name up there as one of NOVA's "supporters".