Saturday, April 23, 2005

Unqualified? An idiot? You're hired!

The most astonishing interview in the NYT magazine with the new president of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Ken Ferree. Just, really, nuts. Here's an excerpt:
Q. What PBS shows do you like?

A. I'm not much of a TV consumer. I like "Masterpiece Theater" and some of the "Frontline" shows. I like "Antiques Roadshow" and "Nova." I don't know. What's your favorite show?

Q. It would probably be "The News Hour with Jim Lehrer."

A. Yes, Lehrer is good, but I don't watch a lot of broadcast news. The problem for me is that I do the Internet news stuff all day long, so by the time I get to the Lehrer thing...it's slow. I don't always want to sit down and read Shakespeare, and Lehrer is akin to Shakespeare. Sometimes I really just want a People magazine, and often that is in the evening, after a hard day.

Q. For the head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, you don't sound like much of a PBS viewer. Perhaps you prefer NPR, which your organization also finances?

A. No. I do not get a lot of public radio for one simple reason. I commute to work on my motorcycle, and there is no radio access.

Q. Can't you install a radio on a motorcycle and listen with headphones?

A. One probably can. But my bikes are real cruisers. They're stripped down deliberately to look cool, and I don't want all that electronic gear.

Wow. Wow. Wow. The idiots have taken over. Hey, but the motorcycle is, like totally boss, so that's OK.

LATER: Next time, on "Frontline." The rise and fall of Lindsay Lohan's frontmeat.

Permalink posted by Jonathan : 8:49 AM



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