Here We Go Again

[TheBigA]

Once again, House Republicans are targeting NPR:

http://www.radio-info.com/news/npr-is-targeted-by-house-republicans

So they're not targeting public broadcasting as a whole, or CPB. Just NPR. Why? Because of some unproven mythology about liberal bias. It's one thing to believe the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business. Fine: defund the FCC too. It's one thing to want to cut down on unnecessary bureacracy. Eliminate CPB. But that's not what they're doing. It's continued retribution for Juan Williams. Talk about holding a grudge.

There's a reason why public broadcasting gets their funding years in advance. Appropriations to CPB and NPR were already made. The reason is to prevent short term politics from entering the funding process. But the House Republicans have shown they don't want to play by the rules.

It's really too bad, because in many markets, commercial broadcasters have chosen not to provide their communities with news coverage. They don't have news departments, don't do regular news coverage, and quite often operate with little or no staff at all. NPR provides a much needed service to those communities. And we're not just talking small markets. How about Houston Texas? Their only full time news station is KUHF.

I think it's time to hold Congressional hearings on NPR and really address this myth about liberal bias in reporting. Then these broadcasters can get back to the important work of serving the public.

 

[uncamark]

And recently, the far left was complaining about NPR ignoring the Wall Street protests (and now they're complaining about not taking them seriously). That in itself is proof that NPR doesn't have so-called "liberal bias."

If anything, the bias that NPR has is Official Washington Bias. They may've been hippie rebels back when they started in the 70s, but they are now part of the Washington establishment. It doesn't mean that they are hardcore conservatives, but as the government has leaned towards Republicans during NPR's period of growth, their tone is at least tolerant and civil towards the right and their think tanks and lobbyists. If Official Washington's tone turns towards the Democrats, NPR will reflect that. Outside of the good old "working the refs" stance the right takes towards the MSM to keep them respecting, the hardcore right-wing talk radio listener interprets the delivery of NPR's anchors and reporters (and the foreign accents of some of them) as "liberal" and even "effete," compared to what they hear from their stations, who are either traditional announcer voices or tough-sounding, growling voices (or those who aspire to be tough-sounding, like Hannity). And that's why you'll never convince a lot of the right that NPR isn't "liberal" (and those on the right who know better will continue to exploit this).

 

[radiocph]

And recently, the far left was complaining about NPR ignoring the Wall Street protests (and now they're complaining about not taking them seriously). That in itself is proof that NPR doesn't have so-called "liberal bias."

*Everyone* was at least two-three weeks late to the party on the Wall Street stuff--newspapers (both mainstream and alternative), TV, radio of all sorts....

 

[aaronread]

I'll bet a lot of NPR affiliates secretly LOVE it when Congressional Republicans attack their CPB funding; it usually translates into significantly more dollars at the next fundraiser. :

Yes, I'm saying that tongue-in-cheek. But I think there's a grain of truth in there, too...ya know?

 

[northwoods]

It's one thing to believe the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business. Defund the FCC.Eliminate CPB.

Sounds good to me. Eliminate the FCC, NPR, and CPB. Think of the amount of tax dollars that will be saved.

 

[uncamark]

It's one thing to believe the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business. Defund the FCC.Eliminate CPB.

Sounds good to me. Eliminate the FCC, NPR, and CPB. Think of the amount of tax dollars that will be saved.

And a world of unregulated pirate radio stations and a more crowded dial than we have now--just to keep liberals off the air. Moron.

 

[Bongwater]

It's one thing to believe the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business. Defund the FCC.Eliminate CPB.

Sounds good to me. Eliminate the FCC, NPR, and CPB. Think of the amount of tax dollars that will be saved.

And a world of unregulated pirate radio stations and a more crowded dial than we have now--just to keep liberals off the air. Moron.

As I tell all my starry eyed Libertarian idealist friends: There actually IS a country with NO big government whatsoever. No taxes at all. No pesky laws. No public radio/TV, no public education, no public health care, no welfare, no minimum wage, no federal regulations of ANY kind, no Social Security. Not even charities. Everyone rises and falls individually according to their own doing.

They are all self-reliant. And armed.

"Where IS this country?" they ask orgasmically "Tell me and I'll be on the FIRST plane out!"

So I smile and tell them.

"It's called 'Somalia'".

And the looks on their faces are PRICELESS.....

But back to the main point, public radio (and especially the FCC) will NEVER be abolished (or "defunded") and Mark nailed it. First, it has it's place. Of all the genres and subgenres of music, commercial radio only focuses on six basic, overresearched and generally narrow music formats: Rock, Country, Adult Pop, Urban/R&B, Classic Rock/Hits/Oldies and Religious

To get anything else, say, bluegrass, classical, punk, jazz, nostalgia, dance, new age, folk, world, industrial, polka, etc, you usually have to turn to public radio these days.

Same with news and information. Commercial stations focus on short, quick news and sports headlines and general traffic and weather reports. Public stations dig deeper into the stories, asking harder questions, giving a more well rounded analysis.

Commercial talk stations are usually a political bloodbath, right and left. Or sports. Or religious. All of it carefully formatted to appeal to a certain demographic.

Public talk stations focus on other topics. Environmental, gay/lesbian/racial issues, alternative religion, culture, global issues and pretty much everything else that usually winds up in the editor's wastebasket at commercial stations. Some people want to HEAR those stories.....

Second, if the FCC and public radio/TV were wiped out, you'll just encourage anarchy on the airwaves. Nobody will win. And nobody will stand for it. We LIKE civilization.

Do you really think Clear Channel or Entercom will set up shop in Kotzebue or Barrow, Alaska? They're served EXCLUSIVELY by NPR and public radio.

As long as commercial radio remains narrowly focused, there will always be a need for public broadcasting......And the ACTUAL government funding of it is EXTREMELY small. At least compared to what has been literally THROWN at private military contractors and Wall Street over the last decade.

 

[raccoonradio]

See the thread I just put up: a woman working for an NPR-related show has been fired (she was free-lancing for Soundprint, technically) due to concerns about her involvement with the Occupy movement.
Parts of the "NPR Code of Ethics" were read to her.

Juan Williams argues his dismissal from NPR is an example of the chilling effect on open debate.

Personally I would like to see NPR freed from public funding and they can proceed with their liberal-slanting programming with contributions from Listeners Like You, corporations (horror! NPR and other public
radio shows DO get money...in fact a 2008 report listed "Fox Broadcasting Company" as a donor),
and foundations. Just change the name: "This is NPR. National Progressive Radio" and let them
survive, or not, on their own. (btw there have been efforts to put commercial liberal radio on
and the free market has not been kind to it...Air America! But, the free market!)

>>you usually have to turn to public radio these days.
Or college radio. I have worked for years (volunteer) at a state university station that has nothing to
do with NPR and we do offer such alternative programming.

 

[TheBigA]

Personally I would like to see NPR freed from public funding and they can proceed with their liberal-slanting programming with contributions from Listeners Like You,

First of all, they really don't have any "liberal-slanting programming." This woman hosted NPR's World of Opera. What's liberal about opera?

The issue here is taking on outside work, and how that work affects another job. Freeing themselves from public funding won't change that. The policy of outside work needs to be explained to people who choose to work there. Engaging in protest or assembly isn't why she was fired. Being the spokesperson for a group is. Had she been the spokesperson for an anti-abortion group, she would have been treated the same way.

 

[raccoonradio]

What conservative-slanted programming do they have? Is there an NPR equivalent of Sean Hannity,
Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Goldberg, Laura Ingraham...?

As for getting rid of the FCC, that's ridiculous, as we need them to regulate frequencies so you don't
have unlicensed stations causing interference with licensed ones. In Boston, classical station WCRB 99.5,
owned by the famed WGBH, was un-listenable in some areas due to a pirate. The pirate also
interfered with aviation frequencies. I'm all for THAT bureaucracy, getting rid of illegal operators! The FCC
is needed in that respect.

As for funding, as a Free Republic comment says, "Stop accepting public funds and you don't have to answer to the government. Right now, you're a dancing bear wearing a muzzle. Free your mind NPR. Get off the dole."

 

[TheBigA]

What conservative-slanted programming do they have? Is there an NPR equivalent of Sean Hannity,
Rush Limbaugh, Bernie Goldberg, Laura Ingraham...?

They also don't have any liberal talk shows. They don't do that kind of "one side or the other" programming.

 

[TheBigA]

As for funding, as a Free Republic comment says, "Stop accepting public funds and you don't have to answer to the government. Right now, you're a dancing bear wearing a muzzle. Free your mind NPR. Get off the dole."

They're not answering to the government. No one in the government toild them to fire anyone or create a code of ethics. The money they receive does not come from the government but from CPB. The purpose is to insulate NPR from any form of government manipulation. For over 40 years, it's worked.

 

[northwoods]

It's one thing to believe the government shouldn't be in the broadcasting business. Defund the FCC.Eliminate CPB.

Sounds good to me. Eliminate the FCC, NPR, and CPB. Think of the amount of tax dollars that will be saved.

And a world of unregulated pirate radio stations and a more crowded dial than we have now--just to keep liberals off the air. Moron.

All my radio listening is done online, be it a OTA station that streams online or an internet radio website.

As for the Moron comment: Very Sophomoric.