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News :: Media |
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Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
Current rating: 0 |
by Kimberlie Kranich
Email: kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified!) |
17 Jun 2005
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Threats to totally eliminate funding of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would gut the services of many public and community radio stations, low-power FM stations and public TV stations including WILL AM-FM-TV and WEFT, 90.1 FM in Champaign-Urbana, IL. Funding of the CPB amounts to less than $1.20 per taxpayer per year. A vote in the US House of Representatives will take place next week.
Read what you can do to save public broadcasting and community radio. |
Both WILL and WEFT rely on funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Proposed cuts passed by the House Appropriations Committee yesterday would cut WILL’s grant by about $300,000. WEFT would lose thousands of dollars as well. Both station’s programming services would be drastically cut, if they would survive at all.
How would our democracy suffer without the watchdog programs and investigative journalism offered on and carried by WILL and WEFT on such programs as “Democracy Now!,” “NOW,” “Frontline,” “Free Speech Radio News,” UCIMC Radio News,” “Independent Lens,” and numerous local public affairs and call-in programs?
Backgound on the Proposed Cuts:
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting the US-tax payer funded agency that passes funds to public broadcasting stations in this country. The proposal to cut funding was authored by Ohio Republican Representative Ralph Regula and would eliminate $100 million in federal funding to CPB, 25% of the total allocation.
Regula's proposal also calls for all federal funding to the CPB to be eliminated in two years. The cuts, if passed, would represent the most drastic cutback of public broadcasting since Congress created the nonprofit CPB in 1967. Regula has defended the cuts as necessary to avoid reductions in federal support for vocational education, job and medical training.
And last week, it was reported that a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee is the leading candidate to take over the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Patricia de Stacy Harrison is reportedly the favored candidate of the CPB's Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson. Harrison is currently a high-ranking official at the State Department. She was co-chair of the RNC from 1997 until January 2001, helping to raise for Republican candidates, including George W. Bush.
And in the face of charges from CPB Chair Tomlinson that it is has a liberal bias, and threats to its funding from Congress, the Public Broadcasting Service on Tuesday adopted an updated set of editorial standards and announced that it would add an ombudsman who will report directly to PBS President Pat Mitchell.
Steps Needed Right Now:
1) CALL YOUR MEMBER OF CONGRESS now and tell her or him to preserve CPB funding and to investigate Kenneth Tomlinson, current CPB chair, for turning the CPB into a partisan political machine, which is against the law. For example, Tomlinson ordered a $14,000 study of the political persuasion of guests on "NOW with Bill Moyers." The public paid for the study but Tomlinson refused to release the results.
2) Contact the Democratic and independent members of the CPB, Ernest Wilson, Frank Cruz and Beth Courtney and demand that they speak out against what's happening at CPB. They may be reached at 202-879-9600 or go on-line and leave a comment: http://www.cpb.org/talktous/. They need your support to snap their backbones back in line!
3) Register your object to Tomlinson's attempt to hire as the new CPB president, Patricia DeStacey Harrison, former RNC co-chair. Her appointment would further seal the CBP as a political arm of the white house.
4) Forward this email to everyone you know. |
See also:
http://www.cpb.org/talktous/.
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Related stories on this site:
Congress Will Not Cut Public Broadcasting Funds
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This work is in the public domain. |
Comments
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by amazing powers
amazingpowersofobservation (nospam) comcast.net (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
18 Jun 2005
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Shame on you, Public Broadcasting Service. You know your federal funding will disappear if you continue to expose the blunders of the Bush administration.
There is one life certainty besides death and taxes: Radical conservatives will eventually get even. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Jun 2005
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Public broadcasting is extremely important. Radical conservatives (if it is their initiative and only their) seem to show their own bloopers even much more clearly when they are trying to eleiminate this type of broadcasting, don't others think so also? |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by it's sad
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Jun 2005
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curious, I agree that radical conservatives are shameless and obvious. However, they seem to get away with anything they want. When was the last time a popular protest reversed national public policy? I don't even remember. The only way the CPB cuts stand a chance of being reversed is if children and Sesame Street characters are trotted out in support of PBS and the conservatives are portrayed as meanies stealing candy from children. Forget Bill Moyers, the News Hour, and Frontline. Those programs aren't going to save PBS anymore--why would the government pay for such programs if networks like Fox and CNN provide similar programming at no taxpayer expense? (I'm being EXTREMELY sarcastic here, but that's the conservative logic that everyone needs to understand.)
I don't think that WILL could survive such cuts, but WEFT could probably pull through. If PBS goes down the tubes, networks like FSTV and LINK, and local public access cable TV will rise in importance and may be the last bastion of progressive views for a long time to come. If you don't have cable or satellite, your viewing options will be much more limited.
If anyone writes Tim Johnson and receives one of his form letter replies, please post it. I'd like to know where he stands and how he's rationalizing this. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Jun 2005
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I've sent e-mails to all of my area representatives and others, as it is asked by this article. Let us see what it'd lead to.
The important thing here is, "There is no such thing as free media(press) in one party system". And that is what we have under the ideological unification of CNN and FOX.
You are not sarcastic 'it's sad', unfortunately, you are simply logical and precise! |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
18 Jun 2005
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http://www.freepress.net/lpfm/
This is the web where one can sign the petition to preserve and promote low power radio stations. I am very puzzled though why congress is interested to shut down such powerful and beloved channel as WILL, but is promoting simultaneously local low power radio stations. Is it because someone on the top thinks that it is much easier to corrupt little low power radio stations than such pretty serious channels as WILL , or what? What do others think? |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by it's sad
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
19 Jun 2005
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Hi curious. The government wants to shut down public radio stations because they are funded by taxpayers and compete with privately owned stations for listenership, which is bad for business (and campaign contributions). I don't think that it has anything to do with what kinds of stations are easier to corrupt. If anything, smaller stations would be harder to corrupt because there are so many more of them.
Another aspect is compartmentalization. Small progressive low power FM stations won't be able to broadcast their signals more than a few miles, so the news and issues won't be able to spread regionally or nationally, they will stay within the community and be "forgotten" to the outside world (and therefore not become a problem for the federal government). Communities are being compartmentalized, put into tiny "shoeboxes." In the meantime, clear channel stations are sanitizing and homogenizing public opinion on a national scale. The government doesn't need to go in and corrupt individual stations--the large privately owned stations are doing a good enough job of propagandizing on their own. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
19 Jun 2005
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You might be right, but it seems to confirm my point also. WILL is not doing the same as FOX and CNN (left and right wings unified together). That is why it is stated to be shut down, as would, probably, all other nationwide channels which have some degree of independence. I use to respect PBS I still don't understand fully how this entire story is expected to work, don't have the picture in my head yet. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by Christopher Alix
alix (nospam) prairiecity.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
19 Jun 2005
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An important item is missing from the list of action items in the original post:
(5) Contribute financially, to the best of your ability, to the public broadcasting outlet(s) of your choice.
This isn't the first attempt to eliminate or significantly reduce federal funding for the CPB. To the extent that public broadcasting is dependent on federal funding, it will always be influenced by politics, just as commercial broadcasting is influenced by its owners and advertisers. Unlike the affiliates of commercial networks, public broadcasting outlets generally determine their own programming, and must pay content producers (NPR, PBS, other networks, and other stations) for the programs that they broadcast. The financial stability of an individual station heavily influences its ability to choose the content it broadcasts. The combined financial stability of all stations determines the ability of content producers to produce content of national interest, whether it is children's programming, news, or entertainment.
Virtually everyone who listens to commercial radio or watches commercial television is participating in the revenue model by listening or watching the advertisements. Most households subscribe to cable television, at a cost of hundreds of dollars per year. Unfortunately, only a tiny percentage of the listeners and viewers of public broadcasting contribute financially. The dollar or so per capita that the federal government provides to public broadcasting would be utterly irrelevant if a majority of public broadcasting's listeners made a minimal direct financial contribution (say, an annual contribution equivalent to one month of their cable bill) to their local public broadcasting stations. And since contributions to public broadcasting are tax-deductible, the federal government is basically "paying" a sizable chunk of your individual contribution anyway, depending on your tax bracket.
Without wanting to discourage anyone from pursuing the strategies suggested in the original post, by far the most efficient way to ensure the viability and independence of public broadcasting in this country is direct contributions. Help support your local public and independent broadcasting stations directly and cut out the federal middleman! |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
20 Jun 2005
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Unfortunately, people who mostly love public broadcasting are usually on very limited budgets. There are exceptions, of course, but money are still a number one problem for all media public channels even before this upcoming (I hope not) cut of federal funds. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by black helicopter watch
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 Jun 2005
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How come everything conservative Republicans try to do is seen by you folks as a giant conspiracy?
Ending subsidies to PBS and NPR is very consistent with small-government conservative principles, and has little to do with their content. Remember, conservatives think that the main-stream media has a huge liberal bias already.
And someone please explain to me "the ideological unification of CNN and FOX". Does that mean that CNN has been morphed into a right-wing mouth piece for GW? Please explain this to a simple conservative who just doesn't get it. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by malatesta
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 Jun 2005
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"Small government conservative principles?" By this, I presume, you mean an illegal war that consumes the entire annual budget for CPB in a few hours? Or a vast and ever-growing internal security apparatus that injects government scrutiny into every aspect of our lives? Or Department of Agriculture "infomercials" that pass themselves off as "news?" Or billions of dollars of tax subsidies to multi-national corporations that despoil the environment, exploit workers, and commit fraud?
Or what? |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
21 Jun 2005
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'black helicopter watch', I don't think that it is the surprise for any person, who is not blind, deaf, and has no brain damage, to hear that CNN leadership has done everything prior to the presidential election of 2004 to assure the reelection of Bush. Everybody who was at least slightly interested in this issue knows it. This is one example of 'left' right' unification. I can give a lot more which are not less widely known than the one I have given. By the way, I like FOX choice of pure entertainment more than CNN's. FOX management, I think, has better test and artistic talent. But political and scientific orientation of both -sucks pretty much equally. That is why WILL and others like WILL are so important. They are intelligent, and promote truth and humanity. |
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Solution: build independent political parties |
by a green
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jun 2005
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> There is no such thing as free media(press) in one party system
Exactly. So quit voting for representatives of our corrupt dominant parties and help build the Green party, which is committed to public access to the airwaves. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by black helicopter watch
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jun 2005
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Malatesta, one issue at a time please.
Curious, I guess I must fall into that brain damaged category, because I just didn't see CNN working hard for Bush. I watch Lou Dobbs running his "Outsourcing of America" piece non-stop for months - I am pretty sure he wasn't complimenting our current President. I thought I saw a lot of coverage of anti-war rallies, in the US and abroad. What pro-Bush propoganda did I miss? |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by Kimberlie Kranich
kakranich (nospam) yahoo.com (unverified) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jun 2005
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A bi-partisan amendment has just been introduced in the House that would restore the cuts made to the Corporation for Public broadcasting that were made last week in a House subcommittee.
Please call your US Representative in Congress and ask him/her to support the Obey-Lowey-Leach amendment to restore funding for Public Broadcasting.
Details in email below.
Thanks!
Kimberlie
-----Original Message-----
From: Jeffrey Davis [mailto:jeffrey (at) apts.org]
Sent: Wednesday, June 22, 2005 1:02 PM
Subject: Update: BIPARTISAN Public Broadcasting Funding Amendment to be Offered
Importance: High
BIPARTISAN Public Broadcasting Funding
Amendment to be Offered in the House
APTS, NPR and PBS has just learned that Rep. David Obey (D-WI) and Rep. Nita Lowey (D-NY) have been joined by Rep. Jim Leach (R-IA) in offering an amendment to restore $100 million in FY 2006 funding for CPB that was rescinded by the House Appropriations Committee.
In a "Dear Colleague" letter that was sent to every House office moments ago, the three co-sponsors indicated that the restoration of funds "will be fully offset by shaving administrative accounts in the bill that can afford it so that the additional funding does not add to the deficit." In short, this means that the amendment will be paid for using small reductions in administrative overhead accounts.
Please Contact Your Representatives
Please contact your Members of Congress ASAP and urge them to support the Obey-Lowey-Leach amendment to restore funding for Public Broadcasting. We know from your reports and from the face-to-face visits that have been going on this week that the number one concern among potential supporters of the amendment has been whether the amendment would be bipartisan and what the offset would be. We can now point to a definitive, bipartisan amendment with a reasonable offset.
Amendment to Be Offered as Early As Thursday
The House is expected to take up the Labor-HHS-Education and Related Agencies bill on Thursday. The amendment may come up on Thursday, but given the size of the Labor-HHS bill, consideration may run into Friday, and they may not get to the Obey-Lowey-Leach amendment until then.
Your Efforts Are Paying Off
We have been hearing directly from Members of Congress and their staff - from both sides of the aisle - that the calls, e-mails and personal visits have made a significant impact. We would not be in this position were it not for your efforts. But in order to translate this into a floor victory, it is imperative that every station keeps the pressure up. Please continue to communicate with your viewers and supporters and ask them to call their members in support of the Obey-Lowey-Leach amendment.
Meanwhile, Good News in the Senate
Yesterday, the Senate Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science Appropriations approved $22 million for the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP) in FY 2006. As we reported previously, the House last week eliminated funding for PTFP. This Senate action is critical, and sets the stage for a House-Senate conference to decide the final outcome of PTFP in FY 2006. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by malatesta
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jun 2005
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black helio watch --
here's the deal, asshole: you stop paying that portion of your taxes that supports CPB, and I'll stop paying that portion of mine that supports the war.
Go to Iraq. I'm sure you'll find plenty of pro-bushies ready to speak on behalf of his campaign for democracy. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
22 Jun 2005
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'black helicopter...'. I am not ready to answer, as I DON'T watch CNN after what they had been doing prior to 2004 presidential election and especially during the democratic primary. To criticize Bush now when there is solid Republican majority in congress has NO PRACTICAL sense. Besides, it is working well for those of our leading so named liberals who are going to finally run this time for USA presidency. CNN had done even more than FOX for Bush victory in 2004 election with all current consequences of this victory! That is what you missed!!! It is more than enough for me!
Kkranich, I am so glad that this funds' cut is not going through, at least for now. I would call representatives again. It is so good to see that at least some parts of democracy are working. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by black helicopter watch
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
23 Jun 2005
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curious, are you mad that CNN featured the Dean 'Scream", and torpedoed his chances?
Interesting.
As a conservative, I always looked at CNN as trying to help the Dems by getting rid of Dean in favor of Kerry, a candidate that had a better chance of beating Bush. I guess you saw it different.
Always good to get a view of the world thru someone elses eyes. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by curious
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2005
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Yes, 'black helicopt...', I saw it differently. Kerry wasn't able to beat Bush. This man has had a pretty bad records of being not trustworthy and changing his positions on everything with changes of wind directions. Actually, his behavior just after election confirmed it one more time. you, obviously, wanted Bush to be re-elected, all those who didn't want it to happen, even if they didn't realize what the failure of Dean's nomination meant at the moment (I think that there were very few of such people) saw it clearly after they got another proof of their correct approach just after the election. I don't know whom dems are going to nominate now, but the democratic nominee should have PROVEN records of accomplishments in all areas, which democrats promote, other way it would be another speculation, and obvious failure , even if such possible nominee is elected. Dean was and is the only one with the proven records of accomplishments, that is why I wanted and want him as a president. And , by the way, Americans are good shoppers, they don't want 'the same as Republicans, but slightly worse, as Kerry and later Edwards presented themselves. Better to buy original than the copy. Dean was the only real thing in that story, and is by now as well. It seems to me that you are trying to find for your approval of CNN behavior at the time of dems primary. You liked it, actually, because it increased Bush chances drastically, and that is why I didn't like it at all. It is usual approach during the primary to vote for candidate(s) who has (have) no chance to beat the one you really stay for. That is what CNN did, and that is why I don't trust this station any more no matter what. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by black helicopter watch
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
24 Jun 2005
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thanks for the feedback, curious. |
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Re: Threats to Public Broadcasting and Community Radio Funding: WILL and WEFT would suffer |
by internetster
(No verified email address) |
Current rating: 0
26 Jun 2005
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WILL's signal is spotty, even in west Champaign. Anyhow, I know they have an internet feed that I can use, at least when I am not on the road. If the issue is having smaller stations spread their word out farther, have they considered taking out online ads? Or it that not realistically an option? |
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