Why does Kimball charge for everything on the website?
He keeps telling us to get recipes from there, then after 14 days you have to join. Other cooking sites don't do that. Doesn't PBS pay him for the show, or is he just greedy?
shareYou can register for ATK and CC at their websites for no charge. Recipes (and videos) from the current season of each are free during that season. Anything older than that...you've got to have a paid subscription. I'm registered there with a free account and use it nearly every week to copy recipes I like from the show.
The print media (where Kimball's real talent is) is a powerhouse, and is regarded as very aggressive with keeping subscribers. In other words, once you subscribe (or order one of their cookbooks), it can be incredibly difficult (many feel purposely so) to unsubscribe. There are quite a few complaints about their subscription practices on the internet.
I've been a subscriber to the magazines and I've purchased one of the books, and that hasn't been my experience, though. I cancelled my subscription with no problem and the only thing that happened with the book is that if you order one, it defaults to sending you (and billing your card) every year. It did that to me, and when I got the book and video the following year, I just called them up, cancelled, and sent it back free of charge.