Despite Gingrich, Pbs Is On The Rebound

Newt Gingrich has been called many things, but one of them is not “friend of public television.”

Last December, the House Speaker called for Congress to “zero out” funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Things looked pretty bleak for Big Bird and the gang as a fierce national debate on the very existence of public television ensued.

The debate hasn’t totally ended, but the picture at the Public Broadcast System has brightened considerably. Gingrich has backed off in the wake of several public opinion polls showing widespread support for public television. An August pledge drive raised $22 million, up 13 percent from last year. And Congress has just approved full funding for 1996.

Most important for viewers, though, PBS has emerged from the debate with stronger and more focused programs than it has in years. It is in the midst of launching one of its finest seasons ever.

Those who saw last month’s “History of Rock & Roll” or “Listening to Children: A Moral Journey with Robert Coles” have a sense of what’s right with public television these days. Programs premiering this week provide an even better window on the new, improved PBS.

Sunday through Tuesday, “Masterpiece Theatre” began with Edith Wharton’s “The Buccaneers” - for my money, the richest television production in the distinguished 25-year history of the series. A wonderful new kids’ show, “Wishbone,” starring a dog who reads and lives the literary classics, joins “Sesame Street” and the rest of PBS’ admirable children’s lineup (The show airs on Spokane’s KSPS-Channel 7 weekdays at 4 p.m. and Wednesday nights at 7.) And Wynton Marsalis takes up the baton left behind by Leonard Bernstein in a series of smart and swinging music programs for young viewers called “Marsalis on Music” (Mondays at 8 p.m. through October on KSPS).

Affirming the maxim “What doesn’t kill you will make you stronger,” PBS executives and underwriters say the debate started by enemies of public television is responsible for the improvements in PBS programming.

While PBS executives can be as prone to hype as their commercial brethren, the two new series are worthy of it.

“Wishbone” is a near-perfect PBS kids’ show. Geared to children ages 6 to 11 and their parents, it stars an adorable Jack Russell terrier. Each episode finds Wishbone transported from his modern-day world into a work of literature.

Wishbone plays Sancho Panza in “Don Quixote,” Odysseus in “The Odyssey” and Sherlock Holmes in “The Hound of the Baskervilles.” An upscale version of Frasier Crane’s Eddie, he’s designed to get kids fired up for books and the adventure of great literature.

“Marsalis on Music” is a four-part series no music lover will want to miss. While it’s targeted at young viewers - as was the late Leonard Bernstein’s unforgettable “Young Peoples’ Concerts” on CBS it plays just fine for adults.

The list of new PBS programs that are worth making a point to see is long. Here are a few I’ve seen, airing in upcoming weeks.

On Monday, the “American Experience” series opens with “Murder of the Century,” a compelling 1906 case involving an eccentric heir to a railroad fortune, one of New York City’s leading architects and the showgirl they fought over.

“Mr. Rogers’ Neighborhood” spends the week of Oct. 16 on programs devoted to helping children understand their anger and express it in ways that don’t hurt others. If you haven’t seen Fred Rogers in a while, sit down with your kids and watch. You’ll be amazed at how much socialization and culture-work goes on in a typical half-hour show.

For a decidedly more adult audience, Helen Mirren returns on Oct. 22 as Police Inspector Jane Tennison in the first of three “Prime Suspect” movies, which will be shown as part of “Masterpiece Theatre” this year. “Prime Suspect - The Stolen Child” opens with Tennison having an abortion. As good as “NYPD Blue,” “Homicide” or “Murder One” are, they simply are not in the same league.

Public television does seem to be more in tune with its public these days. Its critics are going to find that charging PBS with being “elitist” will be harder to sell in the face of this year’s lineup.