DCI on PBS

[Fred Windish]

As far as I’m concerned, the FLO component of DCI’s entertainment distribution system is SAVING Drum Corps International.  Think about it. It’s entirely possible the viewing audience on FLO is greater in number than the audience actually seated in attendance at each competition venue!

One FLO subscription could well be enjoyed by up to 6 viewers at one billing address. 

As to quality of the FLO product, I see no negative technical characteristic that would lead to serious damage to the impression of our performers as anything but excellent in what they do.

I expect some less than ideal camera shots. I expect variance in sound volume projected by the corps. Each corps brings its own amplification equipment into the same output with no real time to adjust. 

The quality of our own A/V equipment at home also plays a part in the experience. I happen to use high-end gear across the board. Haven’t experienced any buffering this year, enjoy accurate colors and rich, detailed sound.

I find the FLO subscription to be not just a good value, but also quite satisfactory. Frankly, at age 72, I no longer choose to attend in person more than once or twice. I do enjoy FLO broadcasts 10-12 times, however.
 

 

[RiverCityAndTroopersFan]

2 hours ago, Grandpa Joe said:

I thought that PBS was brought to us by members just like us? Thank you? 

😂

[RiverCityAndTroopersFan]

2 hours ago, MGCpimpOtimp said:

Flo currently PAYS DC (a large amount of money)I simply for the right(s) to stream their shows. Flo also handles as many of the rights to legally show groups after the fact. These rights are crazy expensive, can easily be north of $15k PER INDIVIDUAL SHOW.

Why would DCI turn down all that money, take on production costs, AND the copyright costs?

Simple. PBS can pay more. Flo makes 16 million ish a year while pbs makes 834 million a year

[MikeN]

PBS will not show anything in the Saturday night slot that would pre-empt their existing lineups.  That's part of why they cut DCI in the first place - British mysteries draw an order of magnitude more viewers.  Plus, DCI had an unsavory reputation with PBS of donors making pledges and then not following through.  That ship, sadly, has long sailed.

Mike

 

[Grandpa Joe]

16 minutes ago, RiverCityAndTroopersFan said:

😂

I'm so glad someone got that joke! Lol.

[Vuitton]

3 hours ago, DFA1970 said:

These online petitions are just there to make some people feel like they did something. It does nothing and now they can share your information.

Exactly. What a waste of time and a waste of a thread.

[wigwam]

signing that petition is a waste of time.  I suggest you get a flo subscription instead. 

[Tim K]

1 hour ago, MikeN said:

PBS will not show anything in the Saturday night slot that would pre-empt their existing lineups.  That's part of why they cut DCI in the first place - British mysteries draw an order of magnitude more viewers.  Plus, DCI had an unsavory reputation with PBS of donors making pledges and then not following through.  That ship, sadly, has long sailed.

Mike

 

I don’t recall if it was “Ghost” or “Brasso” who manned the phones at WGBH Channel 2, Boston’s PBS affiliate in the earliest days of the broadcast. He told all sorts of horror stories of unpaid pledges and I know he was correct, but that did not make it different from a lot of PBS pledge drives. It was also in the dark ages of PBS fundraising/development and long before the huge endowments some affiliates have, and of course lack of endowments of smaller stations. Today they are much more sophisticated and successful and in general do not depend on donors supporting a particular show. PBS looks for more variety hoping to entice donors who want a wide range of shows. 

PBS does not do live broadcasts all that often. Usually an affiliate produces a program and distributes it to other affiliates. Live broadcasts are expensive and unpredictable. So even if they did broadcast finals, it would not be live. This is not all that different than before. I think 1980 was the last time DCI was live in the Boston area. The challenge today could be licensing and broadcasting rights. 

something that could be a possibility is a PBS crew covering a general overview of a drum corps season. They have done similar endeavors with theater camps, science camps, and different sports. 

[Tim K]

36 minutes ago, wigwam said:

signing that petition is a waste of time.  I suggest you get a flo subscription instead. 

I’m not holding my breath, but I signed it. Since I go to Indy, I don’t need the PBS broadcast, but I signed it anyway. 

[Rylan]

I was just talking about the days when PBS showed DCI finals to my group at DCI West and how that’d be great to see again. But then I thought about it and realized it wouldn’t work for today’s audience. It’s just not how we consume media anymore. You’d be better off doubling down on YouTube, TikTok, and Insta.