Public Broadcasting

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Some updates on what's been going on with public broadcasting.


Public Broadcasting Chief Is Named, Raising Concerns (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/24/politics/24broadcast.html?ei=5094&en=fd3f8da8e23f74b1&ex=1119672000&%20hp=&oref=login&partner=homepage&pagewanted=print) NY Times
By STEPHEN LABATON and ANNE E. KORNBLUT

WASHINGTON, June 23 - The Corporation for Public Broadcasting on Thursday appointed Patricia S. Harrison, a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, to be its next president and chief executive.

In acting, the corporation board brushed aside concerns from many public television and radio stations and Democratic lawmakers that choosing Ms. Harrison threatened to inject partisanship into an organization that is supposed to shield public broadcasting from political pressures.

Later on Thursday, the Republican-controlled House, by a vote of 284 to 140, approved a measure to restore $100 million that had been cut from the corporation's $400 million budget last week by the House Appropriations Committee.

The selection of Ms. Harrison comes at a time of political strife over the direction of public broadcasting. The corporation's chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, has taken steps to correct what he and conservative critics see as liberal bias. Television and radio executives have responded by accusing Mr. Tomlinson of threatening their editorial independence.

Ms. Harrison's backers said her Republican credentials would help her win new support for public broadcasting. In a statement accompanying the announcement of her selection, Katherine Anderson, one of the Republican members of the board, praised Ms. Harrison, saying she "has demonstrated great strength in coalition building."

"She knows Capitol Hill and is devoted to public broadcasting and the mission," Ms. Anderson said.

Ms. Harrison, an assistant secretary of state, has no significant broadcasting experience, however, and her selection instantly met with new political criticism as broadcast executives and Democratic lawmakers called her too partisan for the post.

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The public helps public broadcasting regain funds (http://seattlepi.nwsource.com/tv/229797_pbsmoney24.html) Seattle Post-Intelligencer

THE ASSOCIATED PRESS
WASHINGTON -- Big Bird and National Public Radio won a reprieve yesterday as the House restored $100 million that had been proposed as a budget cut for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.

The 284-140 vote demonstrated the enduring political strength of public broadcasting, whose supporters rallied behind popular programs such as "Sesame Street," "Postcards From Buster" and "The NewsHour With Jim Lehrer."

The Public Broadcasting Service undertook a high-profile campaign to rescind the proposed cut. Lawmakers were flooded with letters and phone calls.

The vote came as the House worked on a $142.5 billion spending bill for health, education and labor programs for the budget year beginning Oct. 1. Dave Reichert (R-Wash.) joined the state's six Democratic congressmen in voting to restore the funds, while two Eastern Washington Republicans favored the cuts.

The Republican-controlled House Appropriations Committee had cut $100 million from $400 million in previously enacted support. The committee also eliminated subsidies for educational programs and technological upgrades.

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Controversy Continues Over US Public Broadcasting (http://www.voanews.com/english/2005-06-25-voa3.cfm) Voice of America
By Dan Robinson
Washington
25 June 2005

Controversy continues over U.S. public broadcasting as opposing sides argue over the question of balance in news and other programming. The chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which distributes federal funds to these non-commercial broadcasters, has faced sharp criticism in Congress, but continues to enjoy White House support.

The chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which channels government funds to the non-commercial radio and television stations throughout the United States, has been trying to correct what he sees as liberal bias in their programming.

zalewski tomlinson 150 eng 3jul03.jpg
Kenneth Tomlinson (VOA Photo - M. Zalewski)
Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson, a member of the Republican Party, believes the CPB needs to exert more control over public broadcasting news and other content.

His actions provoked a flurry of criticism that he has tried to carry out a political agenda with the support of the White House, something he firmly denies.

This past week, the controversy moved into the U.S. Congress, as the House of Representatives considered a proposal to cut 100-million dollars from the 400-million dollar public broadcasting budget for 2006. The stations affected are mainly supported by corporate and private donations.

Republicans cited a tight federal government budget as justification for eliminating the funding, and sought to portray public broadcasting as a successful financial enterprise fully capable of withstanding such cuts:

Congresswoman Ginny Brown-Waite said "this is the height of absurdity. A massive corporation, shielding its profits, so it can continue to feed at the federal trough. Where is the Democrat outrage at this?"

Members of the opposition Democratic Party said public broadcasting was in danger of being politicized. Michigan Democrat John Dingell said "public broadcasting must remain not only fully funded, but insulated from the political pressures which are now being placed upon it."

The House of Representatives rejected the Republican-backed attempt to slash money for public broadcasting, an action that makes any new attempt to reduce funding in the Senate more unlikely.

However, controversy over Mr. Tomlinson's actions continues.

The selection of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, as president of CPB, has brought new accusations of political bias.

Addressing CPB board members this week, Mr. Tomlinson repeated his view that the debate must be seen in the context of a legal requirement board members have to ensure balance, and a need to attract broader support from conservatives for public broadcasting. "If we want to continue to have broad-based support for public broadcasting, across the political spectrum, we in public broadcasting must do everything we can to demonstrate that we take our obligations under the law very seriously. At CPB that means we have to accept our responsibility under the public broadcasting act to encourage public broadcasting to offer balanced perspectives on controversial topics," he said.

Ernest Wilson was one of two CPB board members voting against the Harrison appointment. "We should especially stay away from partisanship in the selection of our next Chief Executive Officer. There is a flood of letters that says do not select someone who has been a high-level political appointee for one of the [political] parties, for either of the parties, and I think that is wise counsel," he said.

Linked to the debate over his actions regarding public broadcasting has been Mr. Tomlinson's other role as chairman of the Broadcasting Board of Governors, the nine-member bipartisan board overseeing all U.S. government-funded international broadcasting, including the Voice of America and other radio and television stations.

In calling for Mr. Tomlinson's resignation from the public broadcasting board, one lawmaker asserts his other role with government-funded broadcasting validates concerns about alleged political bias.

Congressman Ed Markey, a Massachusetts Democrat, called for Mr. Tomlinson to step down from both his public and government broadcasting positions. "Ken Tomlinson has facilitated the attack upon the institution (CPB) that he was tasked with protecting. If [the] PBS is saved this week it will not be because of Ken Tomlinson, it will be in spite of Ken Tomlinson, and as a result he should resign, and in my opinion because of his ideological attack on the other international broadcasting board, he should resign from that as well," he said.

The reference to ideological attacks refers to allegations there have been attempts to skew programming of the Voice of America to more closely reflect administration views. VOA officials have strenuously denied this. The White House has said it continues to support Mr. Tomlinson's role at both the CPB and the Broadcasting Board of Governors.

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Battle lines are forming over public TV, radio (http://www.chicagotribune.com/news/nationworld/chi-0506250084jun25,1,2440891.story?coll=chi-newsnationworld-hed) Chicago Tribune

By Sam Singer
Washington Bureau
Published June 25, 2005
WASHINGTON -- Reeling from a House effort to cut its funding and a series of attacks over perceived political bias, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting faces a set of difficult challenges in coming weeks that could determine the nature and financial strength of stations around the country.

Conservative criticism of public broadcasting is a longstanding feature of the political landscape. But several factors are converging to suggest that this time the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio could be affected in ways they have so far avoided. And the Senate that next month will consider whether to retain the House budget cuts is more heavily Republican and conservative than during past disputes.