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House Panel Cuts CPB Funding By 25%, Eyes Zero-Fund Future
The subcommittee in charge of finding money to help fund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) decided to cut that agency’s 2006 budget by 25%—$100 million—from $400 million to $300 million. President Bush had only recommended a slight, $10 million cut in the CPB budget for the upcoming fiscal year.
If those same lawmakers can maintain their vision of CPB’s future as the budget package winds through the House and Senate, the CPB will receive no government funding in future fiscal years.
The CPB’s government funding comes out of the subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, which functions under the full House Appropriations committee. There is a comparable Senate panel that has not weighed in with its own vision of the CPB’s future funding. That won’t happen until a budget package is approved by the entire House and sent to the Senate for negotiation.
It’s still early enough in the game for those cuts to be rescinded in a later version of the CPB budget, either in the House or in a House-Senate conference, but how much of a change is made, and exactly how much of that $100 million is restored, will depend on political negotiating and lobbying from both sides of the aisle and both chambers of Congress.
Conservative lawmakers have used this sort of tactic in the past and targeted the CPB or other organizations, such as the National Endowment for the Arts, for total budgetary elimination.
The chairman of this subcommittee, Rep. Ralph Regula, R., Ohio, maintains that the cuts are not due to attempts to curtail the CPB’s editorial viewpoint but are the outgrowth of the stringent requirements of a budget process that continues to face increasing deficits.
The ranking Democrat on the subcommittee, Rep. David Obey, D., Wisc., was quoted in the Washington Post saying “Americans overwhelmingly see public broadcasting as an unbiased information source,” adding that “Republican leaders are trying to bring every facet of the federal government under their control [and are now] trying to put their ideological stamp on public broadcasting.”
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"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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As far as I'm concerned, the CPB hasn't had an unbiased Public TV Broadcast in years, so these Democrats can cry all they want - truly Public Television as become like te rest of the popular media outlets across this great nation - all to often left-leaning and definitely not "an unbiased information source.”
I live in NY, and I get to see both Connecticut Public TV and WPBS out of NYC, and trust me - you can almost not even see Sesame Street anymore without hearing some left-wing rhetric.
As we are seeing in the schools, this is an institutionalized programming for the pro-left side at its finest.
I hope the fuding DOES get cut until balanced and unbiased viewpoints are a part of these Pblic TV stations.
Just my 2 cents . . ."I've got a present for ya!" - TTWC
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PBS is dieing for one reason other channel that you pay for have better shows on now.
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Public broadcasting, especially channels like PBS are starting to piss me off from both a corporate perspective as well as programming. They don't want to use big time sponsors who have helped them in the past like Mobil oil probably because of some liberal thumbing-of-the-nose at Bush, so they expect the viewers to donate more, but the donations obviously aren't flooding in to compensate for lack of major sponsorship, so PBS insists on cutting their new programming for repeats, therefore, they only have to hire part time producers on contract so PBS doesn't have to pay for benefits. They really are a bunch of stubborn asses who will find themselves in financial trouble soon enough if they keep it up.
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Member
- Nov 2002
- Jacksonville, FL
Some people see a "gay agenda" in the Teletubbies, too, not to mention those who like to read similar undercurrents into Bert and Ernie's "relationship" on Sesame Street. I know a lot of kids who grew up watching Sesame Street and who are now very loyal Republicans.Originally Posted by TaoTeWingChun
Beyond that, it's interesting to note that the leftist crowd (those who actually refer to themselves as such) accuse PBS of being a vehicle for right-wing "rhetric". In any event, there are plenty of other choices these days, such as TBN, EWTN or Fox....
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One reason Public Broadcasting has difficulties is because we have an uneducated public. If the truth hurts you, that too bad. America is in decline. Our institutions are in trouble. We have to turn to India and China to get technical help because the Americans are too busy chasing MBA's instead of entering Engineering & Science professions. We are preoccupied with material triviality. Family life is in the sewer- nobody home to watch the kids. Divorce rate up and Bastardy is in. The Ring Bearer, in the wedding, is their kid. Honesty is a serendipitous act. They tell you what you want to hear or what will sell you, but not the truth, and they don't know the difference. Our taste have grown vulgar. Music terrible! Try and hum this crap fifty years from now. Boom! Boom! Boom! Personaly, most TV is pure garbage, with PBS as an exception. There are many knowledgeable and humane people in America, but the trend is down and must be reversed. If not, we will become a hard and nasty people, with little humanity. I could go into the political arena and ask why a C student is the President? Intellect is not valued in America. We will take a good Saleman to an Intellectual anyday. We don't like to think. That is why PBS is in trouble. I will cut this off now as it could easily become a book, which in not my intent.
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You probably think Fox News is fair and balanced... right?Originally Posted by TaoTeWingChun
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Some very negative opinions here!
All I can say is that PBS has always provided a great variety of wonderful programs that I have truly enjoyed, HEY! "Ken Burns" folks. I would really hope that there is a solution to the financial problems presented by this typical republican move to take from the people and not give back.
Ya see, it's 'our money' that they are going to not give to 'public' TV. Get it?Old home videos are historical documents that may be best used to annoy your children.
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Fox network is NOT a public channel. Its a CABLE channel and NOT receiving our tax money. So it can be anything it wants to be.
The high cost of living has not affected its popularity :-)
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<deleted>
nevermind. (wrong thread)
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Some interesting thoughts there...Originally Posted by pepegot1
For the record, I don't think we are turning to China and India for technical help because we lack the ability. We (or more appropriately large corporations) are doing it because the perceive a cost savings in doing so. Whether its true or not, it sounds good to investors who (quite unrealistically) demand double digit returns every year. I remember a time when 7% was considered a really good investment, now...
The real reason PBS is going away is because other corporations are picking up the programming - Discovery for the science and medical related, Disney (ugh!) for the kids programming (how apt a term) and countless others that run political and financial type stuff.
The president a C student? Naturally, all the better student are busy running the country from boardrooms.
The simple fact is that society has been in decline since homosapien first learned to form society.
Personally I say good riddance. We've had a long enough run, time to give the cockroaches a shot at it (and no, I'm not referring to lawyers, they are one of the more prominent reasons for the mess we are in now.)
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I think the only agenda that the Right Wing has is to make it look like the Left Wing is the one with the agenda, and vice-versa. From where I sit its just about the money. The budget needs balancing and public TV is expendable.
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Sad to see PBS biting the dusk....
During my college days in the early 80s in the US, I really enjoyed Carl Sagan's COSMOS... where he described the billions & billions & billions of everything. James Burke's Connection where he linking historical events in an interesting way. Many... many... many interesting programs.
No budget ! It's matter of priority.
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I like PBS for kids, well my 4-year old son does. Especially, "Clifford The Big Red Dog", "Dragon Tales", "Thomas the Tank Engine" and "Author". Other than that we don't watch it. We get our news from Fox, our science from the Science Channel and our health from the Health Discovery Channel. Ten or so years ago, PBS was a source for Science, Health and News (e.g., Frontline) programming that you couldn't get elsewhere. Now with other alternatives, that pay their own way, the need for a public funded PBS is questionable. We will miss PBS for kids though.
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Originally Posted by frob1Fox network is NOT a public channel. Its a CABLE channel and NOT receiving our tax money. So it can be anything it wants to be.
they can be anything they want to be - but should clearly indicate that they are editorializing , instead of reporting ..
big difference between the two .....
not to say that other news stations also 'slant" the news .... just that FOX is so blatantly and well known obvious about it ... way beyond good journalism(which should be neutral) .."Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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DISAGREE with this statement ... and by the way many Millions of Fox News viewers do also ... Maybe Fox News seems slanted to you because they do present the other side to issues that PBS, Broadcast News and CNN won't touch. Issues such as the other side to abortion, ... I better stop here ...Originally Posted by BJ_M
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I agree with BJ_M. The people who think that Fox News is "fair and balanced" also probably believe the same thing about DrudgeReport.comOriginally Posted by rkr1958
But like it's been said, everything has a slant these days. You see into it what you want, I guess. But I'll stop before this turns the wrong way.
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Funny we are hearing $300 Million is too much for PBS, but $300 BILLION and counting, for a war what hasn't quite been what it was sold as, is just fine. No questions asked, thank you very much.
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Is it premature to think this is IBTL?
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I don't care for the DrudgeReport and I don't care for Rush Limbough. Isn't choice great ... I'm not forced to watch and listen to what news you think is "fair & balanced" and you're not forced to watch Fox News. The more points of view and the more choices that are out there the more that we, as a public, are informed. The only thing I ask is that the various news outlets pay their own way.Originally Posted by shelbyGT
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What do you want, do you think PBS will protect us from the terrorists, and other real bad dudes that the good men and women of the armed forces do? Who are you going to ask to protects us, France or the UN?
PBS is a biased organization which should not be funded with tax payer money. The government should not be in the TV or radio business period. No one who is really speaking the truth is going to say that public radio is not extremely left wing. The dems would have as big a problem as the right does know, if PBS or public radio was as right leaning as it is now left leaning.Some days it seems as if all I'm doing is rearranging deck chairs on the Titanic
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edit - screw it, not getting into politics here. You see what you want, I see what I want, nothing gets done. Round and round we go...
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I'm conflicted about this. The best PBS programming was very good indeed, for example Cosmos, The Civil War (K.Burns), Nova, et. al. Nothing else compares, and the absence of adverts makes them all the better. On the other hand, the political stuff (particularly Bill Moyers) I find really tedious.
True, the Discovery Channel, History Channel, etc., put on some intelligent programming, just wish the adverts would go away (Hey! I pay for cable, how come I gotta suffer from advertising? Oh well...) But now the PBS fundraising marathons are pretty annoying as well.
Philosophically, I'd like to see fewer mouths on the government tit. It's my money they apportion, so in a way it's MY tit they're sucking on. Dunno, wouldn't want them to disappear completely.
Pull! Bang! Darn!
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Corporate “news” IS the problem. While some may say PBS is to the left, it only represents the content presented to it. If you have a point of view you don’t think is being represented, create a show and submit it. If it passes the same bar as any other independent program and is still rejected THEN tell me they are biased. But if you have not even tried, I don’t know what you want them to do about it. The sad fact is that the corporate owned media in this country only serves their corporate masters. With the multi-national companies not owing any allegiance to the USA or anyone else for that matter, this shouldn’t come as a surprise. Using the internet I have the opportunity to read news from around the world. Some days when one compares what the rest of the world is saying to what is reported on our domestic corporate news you’d wonder if they were talking about the same planet. Bias is in the eye of the beholder. Truth is there for all to see. Listen to what is said and then compare it to what is done. That will bare out any biases. And as always follow the money. PBS is there to serve the people, if you have something to say, say it. That’s what it’s there for. The only ones who don’t like to have their positions challenged are those who can’t support them.
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Mbellot, Right on!!
I attended a Statistical Seminar some 10 + years ago at the University of Wisconsin in Madision. The world's most renowned Statisticians were present-G.E.P. Box, et tal. It was a memorable experience. Being a Graduate Statistician, I visited the Department of Statistics one afternoon. I noticed on the board a list of all Graduate Students at the University. The only Anglo Saxon name I found, on a list of 25 odd, was Jones. Gee wiz at least we have one! Next morning Jones was to give a talk on Design Matrices. I attended, but after his first words I knew we struck out - he was an Englishman! I would think the situation is worse today. Though this is not a stratified random sample or even a simple one, it does gives us means to pause.
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I Love PBS and hope it will continue. It is the best news channel out there. It reports the stories the best it can no matter what side is offened. The right is just upset at this time because they want another spin machine. I prefer to watch inteilgent people discuss issues without all the ranting and fighting that happens on all the other 24hr cable news shows.
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Video Restorer
- Jun 2003
- dFAQ.us/lordsmurf
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That's the problem. There is ONLY one side. The problem with news watchers these days if that they believe there are "two sides" to every story. Sometimes there is, often there is not. It is what it is, be it good, bad or ugly.Originally Posted by rkr1958
Fox is very sneer/smirk/wink-n-nod about "fair and balanced" because everybody knows that's a joke ... except for many of the viewers that are being brainwashed by that crap. Fox viewers like Fox because it tells them what they want to hear. The facts are secondary. We live in a society full of pusses. They sue, they complain, and they choose to only watch things that "make them feel better". The entire media outlet is also being ruined by self-proclaimed "journalists" that use blogs. Most mainstream media has checks/balances and rules on how to do things. Some bend them (Fox News), some break or ignore them altogether (blogs, Drudge). People like Dan Rather make a mistake (intentional or not) and suddenly "evil mainstream media" is the cliche of the day. Again, world of pusses and twits.
Anyway...
PBS, much like NPR and ABC, are some of the last mainstays in excellent mainstream broadcast journalism. PBS as a whole is an excellent network full of quality learning materials. It's a sad day to see such a bastion of television pushed aside. We live at a time where culture and art is no longer valued. It is pushed aside for money (copyright laws, PBS funding, etc), or because a few people whine about things they imagine (this is gay, that is immoral, blah blah blah).Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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well said
"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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in fact this is how many people view real news media: they wouldn't know what it is even if it bit them in the ass ..
http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn/content/article/2005/06/13/AR2005061301520_pf.html"Each problem that I solved became a rule which served afterwards to solve other problems." - Rene Descartes (1596-1650)
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Video Restorer
- Jun 2003
- dFAQ.us/lordsmurf
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Please don't remind me.Originally Posted by BJ_M
Want my help? Ask here! (not via PM!)
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