One more time for those in the back: DON’T RUIN IT FOR OTHERS… especially me…

July 13, 2024 Off By Eric O'Brien

By the time you read this post, the offending statement and the conversation leading up to it has been hidden, so don’t even begin to look for it. I will tell you all you need to know right here. This serves as further proof that “social” media is often times anything but!

I am not going to detail the conversation on the PBRTV Facebook Page (where else?) in the comments section of a post (which, thankfully Facebook hasn’t removed… yet… for some phony reason). In short the original commenter had their thinking challenged by another commenter, and the exchange quickly delving into political idealogy took a disastrous turn when the original commenter suggested the challenger take their opposing view off the side of of a tall mass of land and onto another mass thereof at a level closer to that of the sea. (Except it was said in more certain and abrupt terms.) SERIOUSLY?!

Now, maybe I overreacted to the post, but I don’t think so. I’ll get to that in a second. This website, along with the help of a few contributors (you know who you are), is literally MY space. The content within the corresponding Facebook, X-Twit (X, nee Twitter), Threads (which few seem to notice), and (to the extent I use it) Instagram pages is stuff for which I consider myself responsible. I’m fine with friendly conversation. I am even fine with a little debate here and there as long as it remains friendly and preferably non-political. (After all, this is not the Rachel Maddow Show or the Wendy Bell Show.) But to suggest – metaphorically or otherwise – someone do something to injure themselves… or worse… is not an option here.

As I said, maybe I overreacted. In fact, I may have under-reacted. I was fired up and wrote a strongly-worded response, but in the end I gave the original poster a warning that if this happened again they would be banned from the Facebook page. They have since removed the comment, and I have hidden the comment thread altogether.

Therefore, from this point forward, there is a ZERO TOLERANCE policy for anyone who suggests someone do something to injure or “off” themselves and/or their ideologies in any manner – even if it is metaphorical – on this website and its corresponding anti-social media pages, that person and their comment will be removed from the page.

In conclusion, I know full-well even for its age (in the home stretch of it’s 26th year) this is nothing more than a two-bit, niche audience website primarily about radio and television in Western Pennsylvania. We may try to sell some hats and t-shirts (The PBRTV store on Bonfire) with the logo on them on occasion just for fun. And while it is slowly expanding to include some of my other interests in life (Smooth, Relaxing & Easy and Shakin’ Not Stirred), I have no delusion of grandeur about this small, homespun site on a worldwide network. (Although it would be nice to have a teeny bit more recognition every now and again… and a “few” more actual participants in the PBRTV podcast…) This can still be a fun and safe place for the relatively few people in this world who come here to stay informed about a business we love.