The Pressure Is On

[Mark_Giardina]

With the deadline fast approaching for a key Congressional subcommittee to vote on whether or not to cut federal funding for public broadcasting by 45 % many local public stations have begun a massive cry for help from their supporters.

Here in Rochester the public broadcasting station has been running both radio and TV spots urging people to write their congressional representatives to vote against cutting public funding, claiming such cuts “would severely impact every public radio and television station’s ability to provide educational, cultural and informational programming in local communities and throughout the nation”.

This isn’t the first time that certain members of Congress have proposed cutting government funds to public radio and television. Another effort, back in the mid 1990s, failed when enough citizens complained to Congress that they were opposed to such an idea. This time I wonder if a similar game plan by PBS/NPR affiliates will work?

Members of Congress are not up for re-election this year and with important issues like the economy, Social Security, the War against terrorism and the trade deficit one has to wonder just how important reducing federal funding to public broadcasting really is to the average taxpayer.

The full House of Representatives is slated to vote on this measure by next Wednesday, June 22nd. Meanwhile if you are a regular listener or viewer to public broadcasting, be prepared for another type of beg-a-thon. Instead of asking for your money, you are going to be asked to e-mail or call your congressional representative.
<P ID="signature">______________
"I won't be wronged, I won't be insulted and I won't be laid a hand on.
I don't do these things to other people and I expect the same from them".</P>

 

[StangBuddy]

> With the deadline fast approaching for a key Congressional
> subcommittee to vote on whether or not to cut federal
> funding for public broadcasting by 45 % many local public
> stations have begun a massive cry for help from their
> supporters.
>
> Here in Rochester the public broadcasting station has been
> running both radio and TV spots urging people to write their
> congressional representatives to vote against cutting public
> funding, claiming such cuts “would severely impact every
> public radio and television station’s ability to provide
> educational, cultural and informational programming in local
> communities and throughout the nation”.
>
> This isn’t the first time that certain members of Congress
> have proposed cutting government funds to public radio and
> television. Another effort, back in the mid 1990s, failed
> when enough citizens complained to Congress that they were
> opposed to such an idea. This time I wonder if a similar
> game plan by PBS/NPR affiliates will work?
>
> Members of Congress are not up for re-election this year and
> with important issues like the economy, Social Security, the
> War against terrorism and the trade deficit one has to
> wonder just how important reducing federal funding to public
> broadcasting really is to the average taxpayer.
>
> The full House of Representatives is slated to vote on this
> measure by next Wednesday, June 22nd. Meanwhile if you are a
> regular listener or viewer to public broadcasting, be
> prepared for another type of beg-a-thon. Instead of asking
> for your money, you are going to be asked to e-mail or call
> your congressional representative.

Where is Hollywood? Where is the entertainment industry? Does public broadcasting always have to rely on the general population and corporate sponsors?

Wouldn't it be cool if Steven Spielberg produced PBS content? I'd rather give him a write-off as compared to having a vote in this Congress. And wouldn't Hollywood be very sympathetic to PBS? Why can't Hollywood produce some magic on the public airwaves, within the mandates of PBS?

I'm not looking for "Fear Factor" or "The Donald" at all and yet I'd much rather fund public broadcasting projects handled by people who can go beyond concepts such as "Antiques Roadshow".

I'm tired of being dissappointed by PBS, especially the television content. There's some people sitting out in L.A. who'd rather bring meaningful content to the airwaves as compared to what we have now. I say fund them, beg them and cower to them instead of fighting the right wing.

The networks are awful and PBS, sadly, is approaching clueless.

 

[testing]

you go, Stangbuddy. Preachin' to the choir here.