KNME-TV, Channel 5, is Albuquerque’s public television station (PBS). The station is to be praised for many things and thumped for a few.

In particular, I hope people make time to watch NOW, with David Brancaccio, each week (Friday night 7pm and sometime Sunday morning). One small example of NOW’s value is that months ago they reported the details of the odious Jack Abrahmoff, Tom Delay’s buddy and bagman.

I feared the departure of Bill Moyers and the shortening to a half hour would ruin NOW. Instead, it is still a great show. This week, immediately following the Supreme Court decision on eminent domain, there was a very moving piece on the real people — decent, middle-class, ordinary folks — whose homes can be taken simply to improve the tax base. Out with the poor(er) in with the rich(er).

In the two weeks prior, NOW has dealt with the rising Christian Theocracy in America and its full assault on the independence of the judiciary. Heavy stuff.

NOW has an OK website which tends to lag the shows. To date, they don’t have video, but claim it is coming.

Recently, in the 8:30pm Friday slot, KNME has aired Foreign Exchange with Fareed Zakaria, subtitled appropriately as “Where America Meets the World.” It is novel enough to see a host of Zakaria’s ethnicity, which I wish were unremarkable. He is not only quite a capable journalist but you may not see subjects or guests like his anywhere else. Recently, he interviewed a Palestinian and an Israeli journalist on the never-ending conflict. He dedicated an entire show to interviewing young entrepreneurs in China.

The website for Foreign Exchange is perfect with video and transcripts up to the minute. Excellent.

Now to give KNME the finger: what happened to In Focus with Kate Nelson, editor of the Albuquerque Tribune? In Focus is a show that concentrates on New Mexico and some of the people involved. Nelson has a knack for choosing guests and getting exactly what she wants out of them.

Moreover, the big question is why do we see this single half hour shared by Foreign Exchange, In Focus and Colores! (the latter two very much about New Mexico). Is that the “Minorities and Women half hour”? Would anyone really hate to see McLaughlin bumped? I would briefly miss the aptly named, preening snot, Tony Blankley, model for our new Republican Lords. I would briefly miss the genuinely unique, strange and frightening Patrick Buchannan. I would not miss the shrill liberal caricature of Eleanor Cliff or the tension of ‘who will fill the 5th chair?’ McLaughlin and Buchannan are veterans of the Nixon White House, as are most of Duhbya’s inner circle. Fresh, they ain’t. Bye-bye.

KNME: dump “the yelling people” (as MR calls them) and give us a whole hour of color, OK? Even white people get tired of what white people think — especially the bellicose ones.

Or, get rid of the tedious Charlie Rose and free up hours for more fresh views. mjh