To the relief of many Big Bird fans, public broadcasting got a congressional reprieve this week when the full House restored $100 million in funding that had been cut by a committee.
Debate over the proposed cut came at a time when there’s also concern in some quarters about the politicization of public broadcasting.
Kenneth Tomlinson, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting chairman originally appointed by President Clinton and reappointed by President Bush, likes to talk about liberal bias in the Public Broadcasting System’s public affairs programming. Tomlinson is under investigation by the corporation’s inspector general for hiring a researcher from a conservative group to monitor the content of “Now” with Bill Moyers and the political leanings of show guests. Tomlinson claims he’s trying to bring greater balance to programming.
And, this week, his candidate, Patricia Harrison, was named president and chief executive of CPB. She’s a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee.
Those concerned about federal support of PBS shouldn’t breathe easy yet. The full House left intact an additional $102 million in cuts, so the CPB could end up with less federal money in the upcoming budget than it gets now. (Other programs, particularly in rural health and specialized education, also took hits in the omnibus spending bill that contains broadcasting.)
In past years, the Senate has been more generous than the House, so broadcasters are hoping for budget relief from senators.
We hope common sense prevails as the budget bill moves through Congress. Public broadcasting makes a contribution that most for-profit networks don’t, especially in children’s, cultural and public service programming.
Still, all the controversy makes some wonder if public broadcasting might eventually be better off on its own, not dependent on federal money and the political strings that can come with it. PBS receives about 15 percent of funds from the government. (Rocky Mountain PBS receives just 9 percent of its budget from the federal government, while Colorado Public Radio gets 8 percent.)
Public broadcasting has been successful in growing its base of corporate, foundation and viewer support. Loss of federal aid would hurt in the short run, but it might be a small price to pay for independence in the long run.
