Big Bird gets career boost from debate mention

NEW YORK Big Bird has never been so hot.

"Saturday Night Live," Jimmy Fallon, Piers Morgan, the "Today" show and "Good Morning America" all asked for appearances from the "Sesame Street" character on Thursday after he was unexpectedly thrust into the presidential campaign by Mitt Romney. Sesame Workshop says the giant yellow Muppet is declining all appearances.

During Wednesday's debate with President Barack Obama, Romney called for cutting federal funding to PBS, despite saying, "I love Big Bird." It renewed a long-running debate over subsidies to public broadcasting.

Big Bird

/ Everett Collection

"I'm going to stop the subsidy to PBS," the former Massachusetts governor, a Republican, said during a deficit-cutting discussion. "I'm going to stop other things. I like PBS. I love Big Bird. I actually like you, too, Jim (Lehrer, PBS newsman and debate moderator). But I'm not going to ... keep on spending money on things to borrow money from China to pay for it."

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PBS chief Paula Kerger said she "just about fell off the sofa" when the issue suddenly came up during the debate. She said that if the subsidy goes, so will some PBS stations.

Federal funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting totals $450 million this year, accounting for about 15 percent of the CPB's budget, she said. Federal money supplements the budgets of PBS' 179 stations nationally. For some of the smaller stations in rural areas, this subsidy accounts for more than half of its yearly budget, so many can't operate without it.

Considering Romney stressed the importance of education, she said she hopes he realizes the extent of educational programming that PBS offers. Four out of five children under age 5 watch public television, where "Sesame Street" is a long-running hit, she said.

"To me, public television is like mom and apple pie," she said. "Maybe it's because I'm just too close to it. Maybe it's because I talk to so many people for whom public television is a lifeline."

But public broadcasting funding has been a frequent target of congressional Republicans, who believe PBS and National Public Radio favor liberal points of view.

"It is demoralizing to have our work put in the middle of this debate," Kerger said. "We don't belong here."

The issue quickly became a hot topic on social media, where Twitter reported a peak of 17,000 tweets per second about Big Bird. The hashtag (hash)SaveBigBird quickly sprouted up.

New York Times columnist Nicholas Kristof tweeted: "Hey, I figured out how Romney will balance the budget: sale of TV rights to broadcast the decapitation of Big Bird."

For several years, "Sesame Street" has produced videos and other materials for the Pentagon to help children deal with parents' absences during tours of duty as well as other stresses suffered by the children of troops. Asked at a Pentagon briefing whether the Defense Department wants to see its relationship with the program continue, press secretary George Little sidestepped the question.

"I will say that we've had a long-lasting and effective partnership with 'Sesame Street' and they have supported military children," Little said.""But I'm not going to get into politics here - I wouldn't want to ruffle any feathers, so to speak."

Sesame Workshop, the producers who make "Sesame Street," noted that while it is not part of PBS, it depends on the stations to distribute its work.

"Sesame Workshop is a nonpartisan, nonprofit educational organization," said Sherrie Westin, Sesame Workshop spokeswoman. "We do not comment on campaigns, but we're happy we can all agree that everyone likes Big Bird."

[larrylinn1]

Big Bird for President!

[Noval53]

Let's quit pretending that Big Bird needs ANY government support. The bird is a franchise and can make money quite well on its own. The Defense Dept, State Dept, etc, can take the cuts; so can PBS. They can "earn" money with sponsors. They can go to work and quit asking for hand outs from blue & white collar "working" taxpayers. Quit whining and get to work.

[bluejacket2-2009]

The poor kids who can't afford cable lose Big Bird so the rich can buy another boat.... Nice Romney, nice... idiot.

[walkthetalk]

Big Bird and His Public Bull S&*% alis PBS masters, Ray Juarez, Charlie Nose, Jim Lyer, Gwen Awlfill, John Frogby, Smiless Travisty,i.e. all need go in to a Chick Fil A deep fryer. These folks are so Stinkin, in the tank, for the Bummer. They have the audacity, to ask the American taxpayers, to fund their far left leaning, Gay and illegal immigrant loving broadcast. I just want to give them, one more Big Bird.

[Mick_from_Amsterdam]

Have you suddenly lost your weird preoccupation with posting freaky one-liners suggesting your favorite anal ointments and lubricants, walkthetalk?

Or were you a paid troll for Ben-gay and Preparation-H who got canned for proposing those alternate uses for their products?

True...this latest mean-spirited, reich-wing garbage of yours is far less suggestively homoerotic than your usual fare...

But no less telling...

Seek out the counseling you so obviously need, walkthetalk...and leave children's public education to those of less questionable character

Even in this more tolerant age...nobody respects or pays much attention to a shrill, hostile closet queen screeching denial of his own unclear sexual orientation by sneering that those he's disagreeing with are gay and therefore morally inferior and deserving of ridicule and abuse...

It may have been an effective means of diverting speculation away from yourself in the schoolyard, walkthetalk...but no longer...

[icenvon]

Big Bird is a NON-LIVING THING. REAL PEOPLE DON'T HAVE JOBS!!!!!!!

[ScorpioJax66]

There is a real person in that suit so that would be one more real person without a job.

[24zen]

Capitalism, Governor Romney, is not the end all to be all. There are certain institutions in society that a requisite for profits is counter intuitive. I'm sure that you would agree that churches should not be required to be profit centered. Well, PBS and perhaps even medicine, should also be spared from Ayn Rand precepts. Education is a necessity for life as well as medicine - perhaps they should be entitlements such as medicare and social security.

[walkthetalk]

Your statement might be true, if PBS didn't let their very left leaning, petticoat show, quite so much. DEFUND THEM NOW!

[rob1755]

PBS President Paula Kerger's yearly compensation is over $632,000.
She's a 1 percenter. Occupy Sesame Street!

[lesserof2evil]

Unlike Robmee, she's the 1 percenter who's paying her fair share of taxes.