As American as Apple Pie

Like many of you, I grew up with public media. Together, my siblings and I would practice our ABCs and counting drills to songs sung on our favorite public TV shows. They exposed us to different forms of music and art. They taught us about science, the natural world, and about global and American history. Our family considered public media trusted sources for local, national and global news. I am a public media native. So, to me, they are as American as apple pie. 

Of course, as an adult, I’ve come to understand that not everyone has the same affinity for our public media system. As our national leaders consider its fate, I thought I’d take a minute to reflect. 

Baked In

My mom loves to bake. She is especially revered for her apple pies. She taught me that the perfect pie involves bringing together a disparate array of ingredients in just the right way. Public media is a lot like that. 

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, laid the foundation for the public media system we know today. If you aren’t already familiar with its history, I recommend consulting this timeline. You’ll discover, it is a very American story. Over the decades, the system has expanded and contracted with the changing priorities and communications needs of viewers and our government. Those of us working within the system are unsettled by the current political wrangling over its future. Still, this is not the first time. Sometimes, meaningful growth and improvement only come when there’s an existential threat.

Public media comprise the slice of our nation’s robust media landscape that I and millions of others count on for free content on just about any topic, from an array of perspectives. When I need content that helps me understand the world around me, the public media system delivers. It’s where I know I can discover new ideas, people and places that I might never encounter in person. It’s where I find stories that resonate with my own lived experience. And it’s where I can experience art, literature and scholarship that I might otherwise not be able to access or afford.

PitchBLACK, A Public Media Showcase

BPM’s relationship to public media has been long and fruitful. Our PitchBLACK Forum and Awards program is where we showcase projects that are being created by independent media makers for distribution via public media. These productions provide a valuable infusion of capital and opportunity for people in the communities where their creators work. I hope you’ll join us at this year’s PitchBLACK in Harlem. Tickets for the awards program are now on sale. The forum is an invitational, but if you believe you’re eligible and have not yet been invited, please complete our accreditation form.  

Is our country’s public media system perfect? No. But isn’t imperfection part of the American experience? Ours is a nation of amazing people who have made and are making tremendous achievements — both individually and collectively. But it is also a nation rooted in lofty ideals that we’ve yet to fully realize. Manifesting these requires an ongoing commitment to balancing our eclectic array of ingredients so everyone can claim a slice. Public media have always played a role in this effort. I have every confidence we’ll continue building toward something even more delicious. That’s the American way.