Public Broadcasting Service

I watch PBS often and have mixed reviews. Amanpour and Company is very good but one reporter who is not a regular named Hari Sreenivassan has a nasty habit of looking away from his guests (and viewing audience) as he is talking to them, which is very rude. I think he was spoken to about this because he has been better lately, and actually looks much better when he does it correctly by facing the interviewee and viewing audience via camera, and looks even better when he smiles which can cause him to go from looking uninterested and distracted to involved and pleasant. Big difference. Hope they continue to monitor him and correct as needed. Rick Steves Europe TV show has excellent visuals and is well-produced, but what ruins it is the boring and stiff host himself who only tells of the good sides and not the realistic hazards of going to some dangerous places he discusses, plus he hawks his merchandise which is not fair to the viewers. PBS needs a younger, energetic, non-stiff to host the show because Steves is boring even to an older audience in my opinion. I turn him off immediately. His voice also needs work. Ken Burns has some excellent programs but he can be long-winded and too soupy. He's good, but not as good as he's claimed to be. I have seen better documentaries about the same and similar topic that are more compelling, authentic and less or non-Hollywood which gets old after a while. I'm also not sure that Burns gets his facts right. In his Jackie Robinson documentary now airing he claims that *** Wee Reese never put his arm around Jackie to accept him. This is known as "one of the most famous moments in baseball history" with a memorable statue to honor the occasion. If Burns is wrong about this or is not portraying it properly, what else is he missing? PBS should confirm or deny before letting Burns make this claim, as he is refuting one of baseball's greatest moments, perhaps to make a bigger name for himself which would seem rather amateurish, egotistical and incompetent. Overall, PBS is good, not great, and can be improved. User's recommendation: PBS Is Good, Not Great, And Has Things Wrong With It