Big Bird has bigger problems than Mitt Romney

During last week's presidential debate, Republican Mitt Romney horrified some fans of "Sesame Street" when he said he was going to stop federal subsidies of PBS even though he likes Big Bird. Many pundits seemed to think the beloved children's character was headed for the barbecue.

"A collective stab pierced the heart of Generation X, who grew up with Big Bird, Bert and Ernie, and Oscar the Grouch as their best friends. I immediately thought, 'Oh no, Big Bird will be unemployed if Romney wins,'" Suzi Parker wrote in the Washington Post.

The Democratic Congressional Campaign Committee formed "Team Big Bird" to rally the troops around public broadcasting, asking pointedly, "What did Big Bird ever do to Mitt Romney?"  "Saturday Night Live" even allowed Big Bird a chance to rebut the former Massachusetts governor.

But they're missing a bigger point. Mitt Romney is not as big of a threat to Big Bird as for-profit rivals such as "Yo Gabba Gabba" and "Dora the Explorer." Sesame Workshop, the nonprofit that produces "Sesame Street," gets very little direct support from the government. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting awarded the show $1.25 million in funding through a National Program Service grant to PBS in fiscal 2011 and $1.4 million under the same program a year later, according to a CPB spokesperson. Those funds represent about 2% of Sesame Workshop's annual budget.

Sesame depends on PBS to distribute its shows and would be hurt if government funding for public television ended, as Romney and others have advocated. But PBS is just a gnat on the elephant of federal spending. Zeroing it out would not do squat to alleviate the deficit. A scaled-back PBS would prompt Sesame Workshop to find alternative routes to distribute its show, which might be more expensive and may not reach the low-income viewers the organization tries to reach. Though the organization has a licensing arm, it cannot rely solely on the private sector to fund its operations.

Though someone on Twitter created a Fired Big Bird account that has attracted more than 31,000 followers, dark clouds have been forming for a while over "Sesame Street," where the sun is always supposed to shine. Competition for the preschool market is tough and getting harder. Sesame Workshop reported a loss of more than $10.8 million in 2011. Early this year, the organization announced plans to lay off about a dozen workers, its second staff reduction since 2009.

Sesame Workshop reported more than $132 million in total operating revenue, including $46.9 million in licensing revenue for toys and other merchandise, in 2011. About 35% of its revenue comes from corporate, foundation and government support, according to its annual report, posted on its website.

Like for-profit media companies, Sesame needs to pay top dollar to attract talent. Carroll Spinney, who has played Big Bird and Oscar the Grouch since the show's inception, earned more than $314,000 in compensation in 2011, according to the organization's 990 form. Former Sesame Workshop head Gary Knell earned $988,456, including $270,000 in bonus and incentive compensation. Knell became the head of National Public Radio last year.

  A reality  check is in order. Big Bird and friends have been around for more than four decades and it will take more than a cut in government support to erase the impact they have had on generations of children.  Sesame Street may be a beloved children's show but its also a big business.   The show's biggest challenge is attracting young viewers who have plethora of entertainment choices.  Politics is secondary.
 

Follow Jonathan Berr on Twitter@jdberr.