I need my MPR, Dammit!

[RadioRobbie]

From the Front Page of Radio-Info...

Minnesota Public Radio and other public broadcasters are "zeroed out" of Governor's new budget

Minnesota Public Radio, with its more than two dozen stations and a big presence in St. Paul, has long been a target for politicians who want details about its spending. Now it and other radio (and also TV) pubcasters face a total elimination of state funding under Republican Governor Tim Pawlenty’s Fiscal 2011 budget. David Brauer at the online MinnPost.com says Pawlenty would strike the entire $2,015,000 allocation from an earlier version of the budget, costing Minnesota Public Radio $250,000 and other individual public radio stations $387,000. The stations are planning to fight back by pointing out that lost state funds will mean they won’t qualify for federal matching funds.

[Bengalsfan]

Then I guess you need to figure out a way to pay for it.  Looks like the free ride is about to come to an end.

[JimmyJames]

The "free ride" for EBS and reading for the blind services?

That's what the state was funding with that money to MPR.

[bturner]

Has anybody looked at the fiscal year statements for MPR?  Seems tax dollars are less than 10% of their revenue.  Don't forget they have commercial (for profit companies) too.  They run a slick operation anybody would envy and they take advantage of the right opportunities as well.  They have a great radio programming option for other stations as well.  The lack of those tax dollars would hurt but I think they can get that money from private funding if they had to...they have such a following I think they'd be just fine without it.  Vertainly such a successful operation has a contingency plan if funding was dropped.

[Goat Rodeo Cowboy]

We need an update from our friends in Minnesota.  The original post was almost three years ago.

What did happen in the legislature?  Did they come to terms with MPR?

The Politicians need to be careful.  Garrison Keillor might just buy the state and make the legislature a division of MPR.

What is the current mood on funding issues?