Idolator

Next Saturday, New York public-broadcasting stations WNET and WLIW will host a one-day pledge drive where contributors can get the chance to attend the Police's final show on their reunion tour, which will take place in August at Madison Square Garden. (A pair of tickets will come with a $150 pledge; a $5,000 pledge will snag a VIP package that includes dinner, a party, and attendance at a soundcheck.) The goal, according to Educational Broadcasting Corporation CEO Neal Shapiro, is to "get in touch with the boomer generation," the 44-62-year-olds who are just a hair younger than PBS' current core audience and who clearly don't have enough music-related media directed at them right now. You'd think that the long-term growth of the channel would perhaps inspire them to look toward the generation after the boomers as well, but given that WNET has mysteriously decided to not air this season of Austin City Limits, a show that actually features musicians who aren't making the reunion-tour victory lap from time to time, the likelihood of the execs not wanting to rock the gray-haired boat is high. More »