Sour Notes on PBS

With the sole exception of his overly generous comment about Liberace’s pianistic technique, Steve Metcalf’s comments about “Excellence Suffers as PBS Pursues Dollars” (June 28) hits the nail on the head for KCET! Great music is suffering at the hands of KCET’s programmers!

Does anyone at KCET share the views of John Kerr at WGBH who said “. . . we sometimes stray from the mission of public television, which is excellence and education” and “are we unconsciously digging our own grave with this kind of programming?”

From firsthand experience as a volunteer at KUSC-FM for the last 18 years, I can assure you that trying to be all things to all people is not a good idea. It was not until KUSC restored an honestly classical music format in October 1996 that the shrinking subscriber base began heading upward for the first time in several years.

So, trash Tesh, yank Yanni, beach Bocelli and hope that KCET would let their prime-time viewers see a couple of hours a week from their fine overnight “Classical Arts Showcase.” While they’re at it, I would like to see all the fine programs available from Lincoln Center, Mostly Mozart and the Met instead of those KCET deigns to broadcast in their place.

P.S. Not wishing to be found guilty of unbecoming unfairness, lose Lotti and retire Rieu as well!

DAVID J. STILLER, Costa Mesa

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With the L.A. Philharmonic, the Center Theatre Group, the Ojai Festival, all the wonderful shows at Caltech and UCLA, just to name a very few, we have a promising arts community here that’s almost completely ignored by KCET. Personally, I’d rather support National Public Radio through KCRW and KPCC, both of which are much more attuned to L.A. life than our terribly inadequate KCET.

MICHAEL SILVERSHER, Van Nuys

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I am a subscriber to PBS and, yes, we suffer through the pledge drives. But Metcalf does a grave injustice to the efforts of public television. In addition to fine musical presentations, who else offers the variety of educational, scientific, social and other redeeming entertainment? And that is with very little governmental aid.

Compare commercial TV with unlimited funds: They offer sex, violence and more of the same, season after season, year in and year out, ad nauseam.

MARY ANN RAMBEAU, West Covina

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Believe it or not, some of us who compose the unenlightened upon whom Metcalf looks down--and who happen to like Yanni (hey, Mr. Metcalf, he’s different, creative) and Bocelli (hey, Steve, he’s good)--also recognize that familiar tune as “Dance of the Hours” rather than “Hello Muddah, Hello Faddah.”

EARL EAGER ALBERT, Temple City