The failure of PBS, the Public Boradcasting Service, to answer the telephone cost it very dearly. A New York Times article describing the (left wing) Ford Foundation's new commitment of $50 million to non—profit (left wing) television production lets slip a revealing nugget of information.

Joan Kroc, the billionaire widow of McDonald's founder Ray Kroc (a conservative), wanted to leave a substantial chunk of her fortune to both PBS and NPR:

Dick Starmann, a former adviser to Ms. Kroc who helped direct her charitable giving, said he called both NPR and PBS in either late 2002 or early 2003 at Ms. Kroc's request. At PBS, "I got into the electronic queue and I never got through to anyone live," he said. He said he left one message, perhaps two. No one responded.

Ed Lasky  5 10 05