Big Thoughts About Little Drawings: Pledge!

Look, I'm not an expert on public TV fundraising or anything. I interned at a public TV station once. That's the extent of my knowledge.
But, for gosh sakes, there's GOT to be a better way to do pledge breaks. They are painful. They are awful. And they are sad, because you can tell these people really, really need your money.
But why aren't pledge breaks like the Jerry Lewis Telethon? Why aren't they entertaining? Why don't they bring in local bands who need a break or have karaoke or throw Jell-o at people or something? Wouldn't you pledge a few bucks to your public station if it meant they'd dump guacamole on someone in your name? Wouldn't you even send money if they put on some high school garage bands that were so bad they were good? It could be like Pledge Idol - they've got the airtime, they need to attract attention, and shoot, isn't all of network TV at this point shows about people willing to humiliate themselves in public? PBS needs to tap into this goldmine and quick. Maybe I'll call em up and tell em about it. Then again, maybe you can, next time you're calling in your pledge.