Court reaffirms CPB's independence

[TheBigA]

When state funding for the network was abandoned, WNYC-FM took over the running of the public radio stations in northern New Jersey with Philadelphia's WHYY-FM taking over the stations in the southern part of the state.

Actually what happened was the state SOLD the stations to those two independent operators. So it was a very different process.

N.J. public television to undergo name change, cuts in staff

NJN will be reintroduced next month as NJTV, under a five-year agreement with WNET Channel 13 in New York.

www.nj.com

He wasn't trying to shut them down. The president says he wants to shut them down. The congress could do exactly what Chris Christie did, and transfer CPB to an independent group. There are operational ways they could provide direction in determining the future of public broadcasting. But instead, this president just wants the plug pulled.

A lot of the work was actually done by the Reagan administration in 1983. CPB by statute is an independent agency that has no presidential oversight. That's why his EO is being contested, and why this new rescission will be contested. He can't rescind money he doesn't control.

One other thing I'll bring up about the NJ situation. There's one public radio station in Newark that was never part of the state-run system. It's WBGO. It receives millions in federal funding, but doesn't run the national NPR news shows. It's an all-jazz music station. The station also receives grants from the National Endowment for the Arts, an organization that was shut down by the president. So there are concerns about the future of that station.

 

[vchimpanzee]

Correction. Many of the Spanish Christian stations now on the air and coming on the air are non-Catholic Protestant fundamentalist Christian outfits.

Charlotte NC has a 1000-watt AM with no translator (and now tower either) which seems to fit the description above. It was sold by a company that had white Christian talk stations.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Public media leaders look to Senate to preserve CPB funding - Current

“We urge the Senate to affirm the very real support for public media across the nation, and to reject rescission,” said NPR CEO Katherine Maher.

current.org

Here is more on how the chair of the Public Broadcasting Committee in Congress is making their case to the senate to save Public Broadcasting funding. Rep Amodei of Nevada made a statement over Public Broadcasting and views it as infrastructure for rural communities.

“I’m sure we will be voting on this again before the cake is fully baked, so I look forward to working with my colleagues to improve and protect this infrastructure our rural communities rely on,” Amodei said.

President Trump proposed clawing back $535 million annually in CPB’s forward-funded appropriations for fiscal years 2026 and 2027 as part of the package sent to Congress on June 3.

The measure needs only a simple majority to pass the Senate. Leaders of public media’s national organizations in Washington called on the Senate to preserve federal funding. “We urge the Senate to preserve the bipartisan support that has uplifted public broadcasting’s essential services in this country for the last 50 years, underscored press freedoms within every station and with each producer, and ensured the protection of the unique, universal, and lifesaving value of the public media system,” NPR CEO Katherine Maher said in a statement posted online. “We urge the Senate to affirm the very real support for public media across the nation, and to reject rescission, maintaining critical services for Americans across the nation.”

 

[boombox4]

Correction. Many of the Spanish Christian stations now on the air and coming on the air are non-Catholic Protestant fundamentalist Christian outfits. As to the growth of white fundamentalist Christian radio stations, I can tell you that groups such as the Bott Radio Network, the Calvary Satellite Network (CSN), the Educational Media Foundation, and the American Family Association (AFA) are chomping at the bit to take over frequencies formerly held by NPR outlets.

Correction. If you listen at all to Relevant Radio, a Catholic network, there are Latino air personalities, as well as Latino callers to their shows, being that many Catholics in the US are Latino (my friend's local parish is nearly half Hispanic). Relevant Radio is one of several Catholic networks that is expanding. There are also Catholic, Spanish language networks in the US.

Also, many NPR outlets are not in the non-comm band. And NPR stations, many of which have wealthy donors (like the station in my metro) will survive cuts more than smaller stations will.

 

[TheBigA]

Also, many NPR outlets are not in the non-comm band. And NPR stations, many of which have wealthy donors (like the station in my metro) will survive cuts more than smaller stations will.

Keep in mind that the targeting being done by this administration involves more than cutting federal funds. There is also the FCC investigation involving the way sponsors are identified. And then there's the overall attack on NPR's journalistic integrity. So they will continue attacking NPR and other news media after they defund CPB.

 

[umfan]

The House, by a narrow margin, voted to pass the rescission package that will cut funding for CPB. Here is a quote from NBC News



The bill now moves to the senate. The fact of the matter is that the CPB money isn't under the executive branch. So the president has no jurisdiction over the money, and can't request that it be rescinded. That will likely come out when a state sues over the matter.

The measure makes the false statement that the money "funds NPR and PBS." The money actually funds local stations, and they decide how its spent.

It's likely to pass in the Senate. If (When) it does, the President will almost certainly sign it.

Might be a very sifferent landscape of the CPB soon.

 

[umfan]

Keep in mind that the targeting being done by this administration involves more than cutting federal funds. There is also the FCC investigation involving the way sponsors are identified. And then there's the overall attack on NPR's journalistic integrity. So they will continue attacking NPR and other news media after they defund CPB.

Is this really an attack or an audit of sorts to ensure that these publicly funded entities are operating IAW applicable law?

 

[TheBigA]

Is this really an attack or an audit of sorts to ensure that these publicly funded entities are operating IAW applicable law?

There are no exceptions to the first amendment. The president doesn't determine media bias. Which "applicable laws" do you mean?

It's likely to pass in the Senate. If (When) it does, the President will almost certainly sign it.

Might be a very sifferent landscape of the CPB soon.

Keep in mind that the rules of "rescission" only apply to budgets that are under the purview of the executive branch. This isn't.

The senate says they will postpone this vote until after the budget. The budget is bogged down. If they wait too long, the bill dies.

 

[Y2kTheNewOldies]

Indiana stations evaluate how to ‘evolve’ as state funding evaporates - Current

Station leaders are preparing for anticipated financial shortfalls and renewing conversations about shared joint master controls, among other services.

current.org

Here is more as Current has done for some time look at how states are affected by CPB cuts. In this case it’s Indiana that the example here.

 

[ted chittenden]

Correction. If you listen at all to Relevant Radio, a Catholic network, there are Latino air personalities, as well as Latino callers to their shows, being that many Catholics in the US are Latino (my friend's local parish is nearly half Hispanic). Relevant Radio is one of several Catholic networks that is expanding. There are also Catholic, Spanish language networks in the US.

Also, many NPR outlets are not in the non-comm band. And NPR stations, many of which have wealthy donors (like the station in my metro) will survive cuts more than smaller stations will.

Yes, Relevant Radio does (or did) have a Spanish service, and there are some other Spanish Catholic radio services in the U.S. as well. However, the main growth in Spanish religious radio is coming from the Protestant side. The fact that the Educational Media Foundation just purchased one of the major Spanish Protestant networks should give a clue as to where this is going.

 

[ted chittenden]

Is this really an attack or an audit of sorts to ensure that these publicly funded entities are operating IAW applicable law?

If you read the interview with Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez on another thread, you will know that she has described the FCC's probe into public radio as a "fishing expedition."

 

[b-turner]

The problem with many Spanish language Protestant groups, it's just their church. Thus, they tend not to get too big. WAY FM is doing an all music format that might do well.

 

[ted chittenden]

The problem with many Spanish language Protestant groups, it's just their church. Thus, they tend not to get too big. WAY FM is doing an all music format that might do well.

The same could be said for English Protestant churches. However, there are a handful of English Protestant religious networks covering the entirety of the U.S. or parts of it. These include American Family Radio (AFR) based out of Tupelo, Mississippi; VCY America, based, I believe, out of Wisconsin and which is growing fast; the Bott Radio Network, which, if memory serves, is based out of Minnesota and covers primarily the Plains States, as well as a few others.

Spanish Protestant radio also has a few networks. The three that immediately come to mind are the network led by KCZO in Carrizo Springs, TX, whose leader was Paulino Berlino before his death (I don't know who is leading the stations now); the stations that EMF took over whose network leader is KMRO-FM in Camarillo, CA; and a network whose flagship is KQUE-AM in Rosenburg, Texas, and which roughly covers the southeastern part of that state. Also, a lot of the new LPFM Spanish religious outlets are of the Protestant variety.

 

[radiofan2023]

Bott Radio Network

Is based in the Kansas City area and has been since Dick Bott bought KCCV and changed its format from country to Christian in the 60’s:

BRN History and Founder Mr. Dick Bott // Bott Radio Network History

BRN History starts with Dick Bott, Chairman and Founder with his son, Rich Bott, II President/CEO of the Bott Radio Network (BRN) with more than 100 stations in part of 15 states.

bottradionetwork.com

 

[ted chittenden]

Is based in the Kansas City area and has been since Dick Bott bought KCCV and changed its format from country to Christian in the 60’s:

BRN History and Founder Mr. Dick Bott // Bott Radio Network History

BRN History starts with Dick Bott, Chairman and Founder with his son, Rich Bott, II President/CEO of the Bott Radio Network (BRN) with more than 100 stations in part of 15 states.

bottradionetwork.com

Thanks for the correction--my memory doesn't always serve me well.

 

[boombox4]

Yes, Relevant Radio does (or did) have a Spanish service, and there are some other Spanish Catholic radio services in the U.S. as well. However, the main growth in Spanish religious radio is coming from the Protestant side. The fact that the Educational Media Foundation just purchased one of the major Spanish Protestant networks should give a clue as to where this is going.

So what? You don't think Spanish language (i.e., Latino) Christians should be able to have a radio station on the FM band? It sounds like you think they should stay on the AM band -- or stay away from radio altogether -- just stay where they belong, just because they are Protestant or evangelical -- whether Spanish or English language. Like they don't have a right to try to buy or operate a radio station.

If more Spanish (and other) Christian FM stations is 'where this is going', then so be it. If some non-comm FM'ers go off the air, it'll be due to their listeners not ponying up enough donations, or colleges deciding that the college radio station is past the pull date -- as has happened to one station locally recently.

After all, as has been said elsewhere here on RD, 'there is no free lunch'.... a statement that is entirely accurate.

I don't agree with the Feds cutting CPB money at all. But radio takes money to operate. The money has to come from somewhere. I've seen at least one college station in my metro go off the air in the past 6 months. It was an AM'er. The FM'er was off the air and then came back on, but it is on life support, because the college is considering cutting the radio class altogether due to lack of student interest, as well as costs of operation.

Radio is a slowly dying industry, and as it recedes, more stations will go to those organizations -- religious or otherwise -- that have the will, and the money, to buy and run a radio station. Undoubtedly, many college and small community stations across the US are on life support, due to lack of money, and lack of interest. This comes both from the funding side, and the staffing side, as college students aren't into radio like they were in the 1980's. They are into using their smartphone to make a podcast. Many of them don't use radio, or even know what a 'radio' is.

It's the nature of the business. And there's nothing wrong with that.

 

[ted chittenden]

So what? You don't think Spanish language (i.e., Latino) Christians should be able to have a radio station on the FM band? It sounds like you think they should stay on the AM band -- or stay away from radio altogether -- just stay where they belong, just because they are Protestant or evangelical -- whether Spanish or English language. Like they don't have a right to try to buy or operate a radio station.

If more Spanish (and other) Christian FM stations is 'where this is going', then so be it. If some non-comm FM'ers go off the air, it'll be due to their listeners not ponying up enough donations, or colleges deciding that the college radio station is past the pull date -- as has happened to one station locally recently.

After all, as has been said elsewhere here on RD, 'there is no free lunch'.... a statement that is entirely accurate.

I don't agree with the Feds cutting CPB money at all. But radio takes money to operate. The money has to come from somewhere. I've seen at least one college station in my metro go off the air in the past 6 months. It was an AM'er. The FM'er was off the air and then came back on, but it is on life support, because the college is considering cutting the radio class altogether due to lack of student interest, as well as costs of operation.

Radio is a slowly dying industry, and as it recedes, more stations will go to those organizations -- religious or otherwise -- that have the will, and the money, to buy and run a radio station. Undoubtedly, many college and small community stations across the US are on life support, due to lack of money, and lack of interest. This comes both from the funding side, and the staffing side, as college students aren't into radio like they were in the 1980's. They are into using their smartphone to make a podcast. Many of them don't use radio, or even know what a 'radio' is.

It's the nature of the business. And there's nothing wrong with that.

If you are asking for my viewpoint, I really don't believe that the growth of religious broadcasters, no matter which religion and no matter which language, should be supported.

 

[umfan]

There are no exceptions to the first amendment. The president doesn't determine media bias. Which "applicable laws" do you mean?



Keep in mind that the rules of "rescission" only apply to budgets that are under the purview of the executive branch. This isn't.

The senate says they will postpone this vote until after the budget. The budget is bogged down. If they wait too long, the bill dies.

The laws relating to a ban of advertising and attempting to get around that with going beyond simply noting a donor as a source but promoting the source.

This link explains it well:

As FCC Chairman Announces an Investigation into Alleged PBS and NPR Advertising, a Look at the Underwriting Requirements for All Noncommercial Broadcast Stations

Yesterday, the new FCC Chairman Brendan Carr sent a letter to NPR and PBS announcing that he has asked the FCC’s Enforcement Bureau to launch an

www.broadcastlawblog.com

It is not an abrogation of free speech to expect non-commercial broadcast entities to comply with the law, particularly when they are recipients of public funding in addition to a subsidy via tax exempt status. You continue to roll that argument with no substantiation. No one is interfering with free speech in this matter.

How do you figure that recission doesn't apply here? The funds are part of the budget that a President signs into law. The Senate will vote on this within the 45 day window, and the funds very likely will be clawed back. There will be an adjustment to receipients of the funding, but they most likely will find a way to endure.

 

[umfan]

If you read the interview with Democratic FCC commissioner Anna Gomez on another thread, you will know that she has described the FCC's probe into public radio as a "fishing expedition."

Not a surprise given her viewpoint. Her personal assessment of the investigation as such doesn't make it factual.

 

[davideduardo]

If you are asking for my viewpoint, I really don't believe that the growth of religious broadcasters, no matter which religion and no matter which language, should be supported.

First, a question: Why do you oppose the growth of religious broadcasting?

Second, an observation: most stations converting to religion in the last decade or so have done so because no commercial broadcaster wanted to buy the station when it was for sale.