PBS strategically leverages esteemed filmmaker Ken Burns and his work as a tool for political outreach. By hosting screenings on Capitol Hill, they create a non-confrontational environment to engage with legislators who voted to defund them, subtly reminding them of the cultural value their vote threatened and using cultural soft power for lobbying.
Related Insights
Burns counters the cliché of historical reenactors as amateurs. He views them as deeply dedicated partners who provide authentic, evocative movements, focusing on intimate details like correct underwear, which adds a layer of "God is in the details" realism to his films.
When asked about modern historical disputes like the 1619 Project vs. the 1776 Commission, Ken Burns dismisses all ideological interpretations. He insists his job is simply to "call balls and strikes"—presenting the complicated, unvarnished facts without superimposing a left or right-wing narrative.
Despite competing with short-form content like TikTok, Ken Burns' long documentaries succeed because they are built on compelling storytelling. This challenges the myth of shrinking attention spans, suggesting instead that audiences demand more engaging content, regardless of its length.
Paula Kerger observes that past Republican opposition to PBS was often ideological but still allowed for bipartisan support. She argues the current defunding effort is different, driven primarily by a disciplined party-line adherence to the White House's agenda rather than a long-standing philosophical objection to public media.
Ken Burns refutes the common complaint that attention spans are shrinking. He points to binge-watching culture—where viewers consume entire seasons of shows in a weekend—as definitive proof that audiences still have an appetite for deep, long-form content. He notes this panic is not new, citing the telegraph's arrival in the 1850s.
Ken Burns argues that defunding the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not just an attack on primetime shows. The biggest victims are small, rural stations that often serve as the only local broadcast signal, providing everything from classroom education to emergency reports. Many will simply go out of business.
PBS CEO Paula Kerger notes many members of Congress who voted to eliminate funding were later surprised by the real-world consequences, such as the potential closure of their own local public stations. This highlights a significant disconnect between high-level political votes and their grassroots impact, revealing a failure in lawmaker education or awareness.
Burns doesn't plan his film subjects logically. Instead, he follows intuitive connections from his current project to the next, like seeing a parallel between a Vietnam battle map and the Revolutionary War, which sparked his latest film.
Ken Burns reveals that the true value of PBS is not just funding, but the luxury of time. He claims he could secure a $30 million budget from a streaming service in a single pitch meeting, but only PBS would grant him the decade required to produce a definitive work like his Vietnam series.
When meeting an influential person with opposing views, effectiveness trumps the need to be 'right.' The best strategy is to suppress personal indignation and identify a shared interest. Propose a policy or idea within that common ground that they might be receptive to and champion as their own.
