Communications theorist Marshall McLuhan* once quipped that television is known as a medium because it's neither rare nor well done. And the partisan Republican who's running PBS these days appears to be doing his level best to keep it that way:

Without the knowledge of his board, the chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, contracted last year with an outside consultant to keep track of the guests' political leanings on one program, "Now With Bill Moyers."

In late March, on the recommendation of administration officials, Mr. Tomlinson hired the director of the White House Office of Global Communications as a senior staff member, corporation officials said. While she was still on the White House staff, she helped draft guidelines governing the work of two ombudsmen whom the corporation recently appointed to review the content of public radio and television broadcasts.

Mr. Tomlinson also encouraged corporation and public broadcasting officials to broadcast "The Journal Editorial Report," whose host, Paul Gigot, is editor of the conservative editorial page of The Wall Street Journal. And while a search firm has been retained to find a successor for Kathleen A. Cox, the corporation's president and chief executive, whose contract was not renewed last month, Mr. Tomlinson has made clear to the board that his choice is Patricia Harrison, a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee who is now an assistant secretary of state. . . .

Mr. Tomlinson said he understood the need to reassure liberals that the traditions of public broadcasting, including public affairs programs, were not changing, "that we're not trying to put a wet blanket on this type of programming."

But his efforts to sow goodwill have shown that what he says he tries to project is sometimes read in a different way. Last November, members of the Association of Public Television Stations met in Baltimore along with officials from the corporation and PBS. Mr. Tomlinson told them they should make sure their programming better reflected the Republican mandate.

Mr. Tomlinson said that his comment was in jest and that he couldn't imagine how remarks at "a fun occasion" were taken the wrong way. Others, though, were not amused.

No, they probably weren't. But you know those Democrats -- no sense of humor at all. Fortunately, the reeducation camps should take care of that. . . .

POSTSCRIPT: Mr. O'Toole said that his comment about reeducation camps was in jest and that he couldn't imagine how remarks on a "fun weblog" were taken the wrong way. Others, though, were not amused.

*CORRECTION: Tom Johnson, who has a much better memory than your (appropriately) humble correspondent, emails with a correction: The "neither rare nor well done" crack is actually from Ernie Kovacs, not McLuhan.

Perhaps I should quit punning on the term "educational television" and actually, well, you know . . . watch a little.