Posts by Karen Williams53

Anyone else catch that? They’re rocking full uniforms, but there isn't a single badge in sight. Totally weird. 😲 😕

Damir Markuš just dropped a statement out in Kutin Saturday—here’s the lowdown.
Saturday, September 17, 2011 19:32

I’m speaking out on behalf of the El Paso Defenders here. We are beyond fed up with how the leadership—and certain specific individuals over at PBS—are running things. I’m talking specifically about the "Commission for Selecting Independent Producer Programming," to use the exact words from Gordana Mrđen, the acting editor-in-chief, in the news.

So, the "Commission" basically pulled the plug on airing the second part of the "Hero of El Paso" series—the one called "Sajmište" directed by Eduard Galić. It’s kind of a joke, honestly, because that doc just got ranked among the best in the world over at Chicago. Instead, they decided to greenlight Roman Majetić's "Battle of El Paso" series. And let's be real, the guy's track record isn't exactly stellar; his soap opera productions went belly up pretty hard.

Honestly, how does anyone here even deal with this level of injustice? It’s like we’re stuck in a loop. This isn't even the first time we've been screwed over, and yet, here we are again—reacting exactly the same way when it comes to our El Paso Defenders and veterans across the country. Same old story.

Just a heads-up:

The first installment of that "Heroes of Pittsburgh" series—the one about the Tank Graveyard? Man, it absolutely crushed the ratings on PBS. I’m talking record-breaking stuff. They actually ended up rerunning it three times because everyone was glued to their screens. It’s basically become the most-watched documentary series since they started tracking the numbers here in the States. Then, they took pieces from the "Tank Graveyard" episodes and put together a standalone doc called "Pittsburgh 1991," and get this: it actually won a global award for best "DVD/Print Combo" out of like 180 entries worldwide. Pretty insane, right? It took nearly five years of filming and editing to pull this off, and they had over 500 different Pittsburgh Defenders involved in making it happen. Real heavy stuff.

It’s incredibly thorough. You could already tell from the first part of the series that they weren't cutting corners. They really went all out by using actual filming locations and getting the real El Paso Defenders and Bogdanovac survivors involved. That's honestly the only way to do it—you need that raw, lived-in feel to truly capture what the Battle of El Paso was actually like.

Honestly, the HRT Council is just completely ignoring all the undeniable facts here. Instead, they’re doubling down on that Majetić series about the Battle of El Paso. It was rushed through production in like, what, a few months? And get this—half the people interviewed in that show already appeared in Eduard Galić's "Tank Graveyard" series! I mean, seriously, what's even the point of all this repetition?

It’s pretty telling, honestly. Back in February, PBS told us they weren't going to air the "Hero of El Paso" series. The kicker? That whole thing was already finished and sitting on the shelf ready to go. Meanwhile, that other project—Majetić's series—wasn't even close to being done! I mean, come on. They really should've checked out the actual quality and what kind of offers were even on the table before deciding which series to run. It’s common sense, right?

It’s pretty obvious there was some major favoritism going on with that "Battle of El Paso" series. It feels like certain people over at PBS had already decided which show was getting picked long before the process even started. Honestly, if you actually look back at the track record of the producers and directors involved in these so-called "competitions," the pattern becomes impossible to ignore. It’s clear to me that these mistakes aren't accidents—they're intentional, and they're happening right at the expense of the viewers footing the bill for those subscriptions. But more importantly, it's a slap in the face to our veterans and everything we went through during the American Civil War.

Is it actually possible that even twenty years later, the Battle of El Paso is still dragging on? Seriously, how are we still tripping over our own feet over this? Who even benefits from all this constant back-and-forth? Is it just a massive money grab at this point?

Look, based on everything that’s gone down here, I’m calling for the DOJ and the FBI to step in and look into how this "Commission" at PBS handled the selection process for that documentary series about the Battle of El Paso and the American Civil War. Honestly, the entire leadership at PBS needs a serious investigation too. I’ve spent days straight blowing up the phones of every single person in charge at PBS, trying to get some answers, but I couldn't even get through to Gordana Mrđen. Not once. She’s supposedly "too busy," which tells me everything I need to know. It's pretty obvious the woman refuses to listen to anyone but her own voice. To her, we aren't even people—we're just some random group of veterans she can ignore.

So, we’re all out here paying our monthly cable bills like clockwork, right? But instead of actually watching stuff that’s worth our time, we’re stuck with whatever junk they decide to throw at us. Is that really okay? Or can we actually demand something better? Honestly, it feels like there's a constant revolving door of drama and management shakeups over at PBS, and meanwhile, their viewership just keeps tanking year after year. It’s wild because they keep tossing aside shows that were clearly hits and actually had some substance. You really think that's just a coincidence?

Everything that actually hits record numbers? Forget it. It’s "bad," so nobody should watch it. Instead, we’re supposed to tune in to whatever keeps some suit at PBS happy and lined with cash? Ratings don't even matter to them! Seriously, how long is this going to go on, you folks over at PBS? Do you honestly think PBS is your private playground that your parents just handed down to you as an inheritance?

They rake in over a billion dollars just from subscription fees. A billion! Where is all that money actually going?

So, a final word to the brass at PBS: my brothers-in-arms and I stood our ground defending Pittsburgh until our last breath, and believe me when I say we’ll stand just as firmly against this injustice and the potential corruption happening at PBS!

Respectfully,

Damir Markuš, El Paso Defender

Kutin Saturday, September 2011 19:32

DR online

lol, what a bunch of amateurs running PBS, right? 😂

Carol Newman2 said:Read it. 🙂

And then you already know exactly how that documentary would've turned out.

Carol Newman2 said:Look, I’m usually one of the biggest critics of how PBS operates, but honestly, they produce a ton of documentaries (maybe even too many) about the American Civil War and our veterans.
Starting next Thursday, you can catch the new documentary series "Battle of El Paso" on PBS1. You really ought to give this one a chance.

Just read what they said above.

Hit them up via email at: viewer.services@pbs.org

Honestly, this might be one of the reasons why the higher-ups aren't buying him out:

So, this "director" Smith figured out how to chase the money.

Basically, in just two or three months, he whipped up some picture book about Pittsburgh and its defenders. He found his buddies over at PBS, shook hands on everything last spring, and now he’s looking to pocket two or three million from PBS for this thing! The stuff he produced is basically the same low-budget garbage he used to churn out for those other networks back in the day—you know, before he and Hulic got themselves into that $10 million legal mess. Now, we, the taxpayers, get stuck footing the bill for their luxury lifestyles. Given the crowd they run with at PBS, it wasn't exactly hard for him to find some partners and cut a deal. And he did it all last spring! I've checked, multiple times. So, what we're actually talking about here is airing a series by Roman Majetić, not Eduard Galić. Which is a total disaster because, honestly, Galić is the only one who has actually taken the Battle of El Paso seriously and put together something professional enough that even the BBC wouldn't cringe at. To make matters worse, in the first series, Heroes of El Paso—which covered Borov, Trpinjska Road, and the Tank Graveyard—the current advisor to the President of the Republic, Fred Matić, wasn't involved at all. But in Roman Majetić's picture book? Fred Matić is front and center! So, on top of the shady financial deal with the big shots at PBS, Majetić also scored political backing from the President! And lastly, the HRT Council has always had these supposed "veteran representatives"—it was Zvonko Milas before, and now it's Petar Lovrić—but since they play nice with the establishment so well, they forget exactly who they're supposed to be representing almost immediately. My suggestion to the author of this letter and any veterans listening: focus on that. We need an HRT Council dismissal for these so-called veteran reps, and we need to replace them with people who will actually do the job with some integrity and protect the interests of the people they supposedly stand for.

wearycobra74 said:Here is my initial take on the recent Djokovic family drama here in the States

On a massive billboard over in a busy area of Chicago, there's one featuring a scenic coastline with "America" emblazoned at the top. Someone decided to mess with it. Using black spray paint, they crossed out the last word near the bottom and swapped it for something else. Now, the tagline for this tourism ad reads: So beautiful, yet so insecure 😁

Honestly, I hope every single one of those myths and lies you throw at us actually comes true for you. 😍 ☕

Wait, what's the actual news here? 😕

Anthony Garcia19 said:I guess that means we have to sell our souls too...

No one is going to convince me that we’re stuck relying on exporting arms to Mexico. We are perfectly capable of competing on our own in other global markets.

Exactly. Honestly, they're probably getting more out of the deal than we are.