Thirty paintings created by thick hair and a quiet voice by Bob Ross will soon be put up for auction to cover the costs of programs for small and rural public television stations suffering from Reducing federal financing.
Ross, a persistent adherent of public television of the 1980s and 90s, “devoted his life to make art accessible to everyone,” said Joan Kovalski, president of Bob Ross Inc. “This auction guarantees that his heritage will continue to support the very environment that for decades brought his joy and work in American houses.”
30 paintings put up for auction cover his entire career. Most of them were created on the air during separate episodes of the Ross show “Joy of painting.” Ross was known for his calm behavior. During the show, he often said that he draws happy small clouds and trees and does not make mistakes, but only “happy accidents”. He died of cancer complications in 1995.
Bonhams in Los Angeles will put up three paintings by Ross on November 11. The remaining auctions will be held in London, New York, Boston and online. In August, Bonhams sold two Ross scenes shot in the mountains and lakes of the early 1990s, for 114,800 and 95,750 dollars.
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According to Bonhams, the total cost of 30 paintings, which will soon be sold at the auction, is estimated in the amount of 850,000 to 1.4 million dollars. All profit is transmitted to stations using the content of the American Public Television distributor.
The idea is to help needing stations pay licensed fees that will allow them to show popular programs, including “Best of the Joy of Drawing”, based on the Ross show, “Test Kitchen of America”, “Classics of the French chef Julia Child” and “This Old House”.
At the request of President Donald Trump Congress canceled the allocated 1.1 billion US dollars For public broadcasting, as a result of which about 330 PBS and 246 NPR stations are forced to look for alternative sources of financing.
Many stations launched funds for emergency needs. Some stations received more help than they expectedThis was previously reported by CBS News. The public radio station of Northern Carolina WQHR raised more than $ 200,000 in just three days, exceeding the amount of $ 174,000, which they needed to fill out. The public radio Hawaii lost $ 525,000, but donations raised $ 650,000.
NPR also called on donors in richer areas to support stations in the regions that most need it. PBS and NPR also worked on reducing annual stations for programs and other services to reduce their costs. Some stations are working on cooperation to see if they can share services and reduce costs.
However, federal abbreviations had influenced. Not at all stations there was an influx of donors. PBS Cut off my budget 21% and About 100 employees fired In September. Radio stations also had to dismiss staff and reduce programs, as CBS News previously reported. Not a single station has yet closed, but the operators are concerned about what will happen if the money of the donors has run out.
“I am a realist,” said PBS president PBS Paula Kerger in September. “I have to believe that there are some vulnerable stations that will not survive.”
President and General Director of National Public Radio Catherine Maher told CBS News in July that the cessation of financing state media “is a real risk to the public security of the country.”
“Public media, public radio, public television are an important part of the plans for reacting to emergency situations almost half of the states of this country,” Maher said in an interview with CBS News. “If these types of emergency notification disappear, you will have less opportunities to react in real time” to future natural disasters.
