Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get stat

[bigtalkradiofan]

Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get state funding

http://www.madison.com/tct/opinion/column/208062

Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get state funding

Ellen Rosewall and Thomas Basting — 8/30/2007 8:17 am
The Capital Times

It's not too much of a stretch to say that public broadcasting was invented in Wisconsin. Since the early experiments of 1917, the stations of Wisconsin Public Radio and Wisconsin Public Television have served the citizens of our state with distinctive and groundbreaking educational and informational programming.

On behalf of the members of the Wisconsin Public Radio Association and Friends of WHA-TV, we call on the Legislature to sustain state funding for our state's public radio and public televisions stations. WPR and WPT are nationally renowned public broadcasting services. As the license holder for those stations, the state has long recognized its obligation to provide the base funding that is the foundation for our public broadcasting service.

Members of the WPRA and Friends are recognized nationally for the outstanding fundraising and support they provide to the state's public broadcasting stations. And it's no wonder. Listeners and viewers know what a jewel they have and how important WPR and WPT are to their lives.

A storied history of outstanding public broadcasting is a great foundation for the service we value so deeply today. But outstanding, relevant and unique public broadcasting isn't fueled by history or good intentions. It takes money to make and deliver high-quality programming.

In Wisconsin, we have an outstanding public/private partnership to support our stations. That is the reason the WPRA and Friends were created. These volunteer organizations work hard and effectively to ensure that our stations have the funding to serve Wisconsin audiences.

And we know, just as our donors know, that the state's investment is critical to our stations' success and our state's quality of life. Our fundraising success depends on our partnership with the state to make the service truly special. Because while contributor dollars pay for some of our favorite programs like "A Prairie Home Companion," "All Things Considered," "Antiques Roadshow" and "American Experience," state funding pays for the infrastructure that makes it all possible. ...

Ellen Rosewall is president of the Wisconsin Public Radio Association and Thomas Basting is president of the Friends of WHA-TV.

[Click link above for the complete Letter to the Newspaper Editor.]

 

[icycool7227]

Re: Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get

Please stop posting The Capital Times over and over! It's really getting on my nerves that no one discusses anything good about radio here like on the Kentucky board and don't need this crap!

 

[bigtalkradiofan]

Re: Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get

icycool7227,

I strongly, strongly disagree with your comments!

I absolutely love radio! Given my different roles, I probably spend more hours in a week with radio than I do my family.

So I don't know what the heck you are insinuating, that I'm somehow criticizing radio.

I feel that posting a link to the newspaper articles - provides an avenue for everyone on here to read the articles. If people feel passionate one way or the other on the issue - then they can post their comments on it. I find that newspaper articles convey a lot of information and are good discussion generators.

If you don't like reading the articles - then don't open my posts; or at least don't open my posts that start with the name of a newspaper in the subject line.

Please stop posting The Capital Times over and over!

I post any relevant radio newspaper article - whether it be in the WI State Journal, Capital Times, MJS, Green Bay Press-Gazette, Isthmus, etc, etc, etc, any newspaper or news weekly magazine.

It's really getting on my nerves that no one discusses anything good about radio here like on the Kentucky board and don't need this crap!

If you haven't read anything good on here - than I guess you haven't been on here very long then.

You seem a little bit stressed out and on edge - maybe you should try some decaf tomorrow - to help calm the nerves down a bit.

 

[icycool7227]

Re: Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get

You seem a little bit stressed out and on edge - maybe you should try some decaf tomorrow - to help calm the nerves down a bit.

It does seem that way but it's this WLRS in KY that a ton of people are talking about and I never got to hear that station. I want to know why it's failing and to find out exactly that I have to hear the station. Then there's a whole lot of activity on that certain board that there isn't here. It's probably because there are no interesting stations in WI. The Lexington, KY ones are especially interesting because I haven't heard a lot of them before, thus when a particular station is discussed and I haven't heard it, I want to hear it. All the people on thsi board talk about is dumb WTMJ with it being a news station and not music and dumb TV stations. Like this is a TV board. Then you post articles over and over and hardly anyone replies to them to discuss things, so naturally to make a long story end, I got mad. Understand? I rest my case.

 

[bigtalkradiofan]

Re: Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get

so naturally to make a long story end, I got mad. Understand? I rest my case.

I understand - we're all good.

 

[bigtalkradiofan]

Re: Capital Times - Rosewall and Basting: Public radio and TV vital, should get

TO: Wisconsin Public Radio Membership
FR: Ellen Rosewall, President, Wisconsin Public Radio Association
RE: Wisconsin State Funding at Risk

I am writing today with an update for you on the state budget situation
in Wisconsin as it relates to Wisconsin Public Radio.

As you may already know, although the senate’s budget sustained state
funding for WPR the assembly’s budget proposal calls for significant
cuts to public broadcasting in the state. We are concerned about the
impact those proposed cuts will have on the service you have come to rely on
from WPR. Because of previous reductions in state funding, additional
significant cuts now would undermine our ability to sustain our
programming. We have spent a great deal of time during the past two months
talking with state legislators about the important roles that public
broadcasting has in the state.

Wisconsin Governor Jim Doyle and the members of the State Legislature
are now meeting to finish work on a state budget for the next two years.
The state budget may be finished as soon as the end of this week. Our
conversations with lawmakers have been encouraging. But we are not
certain that the cuts proposed in the Assembly budget will be fully
reinstated into the overall budget.

Please visit this web page http://wpra.org/fundingatrisk/ to voice
your support for Wisconsin Public Radio. From that page, you will be able
to find the e-mail address or phone number of your State Senator or
Representative, along with more information. We will keep you updated on
this situation as it develops but your action today is critical.

Thanks for your continued support of Wisconsin Public Broadcasting.