Whose Will Be The Next Head on the NPR Block?

[OKCRadioGuy]

Yeah. What I'd like to see Congress do is pass a mandate that NO federal funding shall be used for external (to local affiliate) programming. You could buy equipment, staff the place, or whatever with CPB/PTFP funds, but Vivian and friends would have to be paid for strictly out of the donations, foundation, and underwriting bucket.

 

[OKCRadioGuy]

With that being said, it seems to be that NPR is a pretty bloated organization on how they run things anyway. Without federal funding to affilate stations, it might make them re-think how many layers of bosses they have up there getting big saleries. Welcome to 2011 NPR. You're going to have to start cutting some of the big saleries with little return soon...

 

[TheBigA]

Yeah. What I'd like to see Congress do is pass a mandate that NO federal funding shall be used for external (to local affiliate) programming.

I think if you look at the actual system that is in place right now, most of the federal funding stays in the local station. As you said, for equipment, personnel, etc. And a big chunk goes to the satellite interconnection system. But there are lots of non-NPR sources of programming (independent producers) who would get hurt by such a mandate. For a lot of them, federal funding is the ONLY source. There becomes an element of discrimination in targeted defunding.

With that being said, it seems to be that NPR is a pretty bloated organization on how they run things anyway.

Once again, the stations themselves are on the Board of Directors, so they see the actual budgets. They know who gets paid what, and have the right to object. I'd suggest they have a better idea about how to spend their appropriation than an outsider.