Ebert Needs Someone To Pay for 'At the Movies'

If you're up for more heartbreaking news from Roger Ebert, he has some for you: unless someone will finance his latest iteration of his thumb-based review program, it's going off the air. Though Ebert Presents: At the Movies is a success by Ebert's own measure, with "a coverage of more than 90% of the country, and all of the top 50 markets" and a group of "loyal and vocal followers," in the world of public television, that does not translate to sustainability. Ebert and wife Chaz have been paying for the entire cost of production out of their own pockets, but they can't afford to keep it going for another season unless some other entity comes in with some money, in exchange for which Ebert offers a 15 or 30-second spot on the show as compensation--a system I refer to as "advertising."

Many commenters on Ebert's heartfelt plea are calling for crowdfunding model through Kickstarter, though others have pointed out that it might make more sense to first shift the series to the internet, where practically non-existant standards could make production cheaper. Anyway, if you have any ideas and/or moneys that would help Christy Lemire and Ignatiy Vishnevetsky to continue bickering about movies in the televised style popularized by Ebert and the late Gene Siskel, please send them over Ebert's way. The guy lost his jaw, alright? He doesn't need to deal with this crap.

(via!)