Saving public T.V.

tyreay · 06-10-2006, 08:11 AM

There is a very real threat to Public Broadcasting. Some may not like the sources but the threat is real.

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."1
Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years—threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.2
Last year, over 1 million of us signed the petition, and Congress listened. We can do it again if you pass this message along to any friends, neighbors, or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS for news or children's programming.
This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.
The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in the budget—they're trying to decimate any news outlets willing to ask tough questions of those in power. Americans trust public broadcasting more than any corporate news media.3 This is an ideological attack on our free press.
President Bush's budget proposed cuts to NPR and PBS4, but Congress is going even further: slashing 23% of this year's public broadcasting budget—$115 million—and denying NPR and PBS any funding in two years. The cuts immediately terminate support for commercial-free children's shows like "Sesame Street," "Clifford," and "Maya and Miguel."

You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our
friends at Free Press at:

http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting/

Sources:
1. "GOP takes aim at PBS funding," Boston Globe, June 8, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864&id=79...uzDBLUNEJg&t=4

PBS' Ready to Learn program (funds "Sesame Street" and other children's shows)
http://www.pbs.org/readytolearn/

2. "CPB Responds to House Appropriations Subcommittee's Proposed Funding Levels for Public Broadcasting," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, June 7, 2006
http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=551

3. "2005 'Open to the Public' Objectivity and Balance Report," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, January 31, 2006
http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/goals/objectivity/

4. "Bush Budget Pumps Propaganda, Slashes PBS," MediaCitizen, February 7, 2006
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1865&id=79...uzDBLUNEJg&t=5
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The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers and concerned citizens like us. Please sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadc...uzDBLUNEJg&t=2

This is an attempt to do away with the last media source that is honest. Our other media companies are controlled by the government and print or broadcast what ever is passed down to them. Please help save the only honest media group out there!!!

hevusa · 06-12-2006, 10:43 AM

This is something we can all get behind!

sgtdmski · 06-14-2006, 01:50 AM

Many of these public TV shows bring in millions if not billions of dollars in funds. Sesame street toys like talking Elmo are always popular. Truthfully, Sesame Street could be fully funded without taxpayer dollar off the sales of these items. Instead, it is funded by taxpayer dollar, and the money goes to the creators of the show. Hev you always complain about the rich, where is your outrage now?????? Instead, you support the continued funding.

dmk

hevusa · 06-14-2006, 12:12 PM

Quote:

Originally Posted by sgtdmski

Many of these public TV shows bring in millions if not billions of dollars in funds. Sesame street toys like talking Elmo are always popular. Truthfully, Sesame Street could be fully funded without taxpayer dollar off the sales of these items. Instead, it is funded by taxpayer dollar, and the money goes to the creators of the show. Hev you always complain about the rich, where is your outrage now?????? Instead, you support the continued funding.

dmk

Government money for public television is something I will always get behind. I think the more fair news this country gets the better off it will be.

onthefence · 06-14-2006, 01:04 PM

The Mister Rogers Neighborhood sweaters were a real big money maker too.

tyreay · 06-14-2006, 01:18 PM

Seems kind of strange that after The Republican conservatives bid to change PBS, from the inside out failed, suddenly funding should be cut.

Kenneth Tomlinson, who took over in 2003, began his tenure by asking for Karl Rove's assistance in overturning a regulation that half the CPB board have practical experience in radio or television. Later he appointed an outside consultant to monitor the regular PBS program NOW with Bill Moyers. Told that the show had "liberal" leanings, Moyers eventually resigned after more than three decades as a PBS regular, saying Tomlinson had mounted a "vendetta" against him. Subsequently, PBS made room for conservative commentator Tucker Carlson (now of MSNBC, a former co-host of CNN's Crossfire), and Journal Editorial Report with Paul Gigot, an editor of the Wall Street Journal editorial page (this show has since moved to FOX News Channel). On November 3, 2005 PBS announced the resignation of Tomlinson and the investigations of improper financial dealings with consultants
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/PBS

Kenneth Y. Tomlinson replaced most of the staff at PBS with other Conservative Republicans.

http://www.nytimes.com/2005/11/15/bu...rssnyt&emc=rss

http://refuseandresist.org/dt/archiv...ourna.php#more

http://www.washingtonpost.com/wp-dyn...110302235.html

As for the profit:

http://www.answers.com/topic/public-...asting-service
PBS, the Public Broadcasting Service, was founded in 1969, taking over from the National Educational Television (NET) network. Actual broadcasting on PBS started in October, 1970. Since public television is non-commercial, most of its funding is provided by donations of viewers, corporate and non-profit organization sponsors, and grants given by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, as well as state governments, colleges and universities.

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Profits are made by unaffiliated private Companies.
PBS has already been paid for these rights. Current licensors include Nakajima USA, Build-A-Bear Workshop (Build-An-Elmo and Build-A-Cookie Monster), Hasbro (Sesame Street Monopoly), Wooly Willy, and Children’s Apparel Network. For Sesamstaat(Germany), Rubotoys is a licensor since February 2005. In recent years adults have been encouraged to remember their childhood through retro-targeted products, like action figures from Palisades. Figures include (order of release) Super Grover, Ernie, Guy Smiley, Oscar the Grouch, and the Two-Headed Monster. Basicly PBS relies on sponsors, donations, grants, and Government funding to pay for broadcasting and overhead.
Seems a little funny that PBS, the last network not totally controlable by the current administration, suddenly is to have it's funding cut. I also find it strange, with the multi-millions we borrow each day, that there is no room in the budget for something like educational television. I guess the Government feels a need to tell us what education is ok and what is not.

sgtdmski · 06-23-2006, 06:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hevusa

Government money for public television is something I will always get behind. I think the more fair news this country gets the better off it will be.

Fair news???? When was the last time you watched the public television or listened to NPR???? That is like calling Dan Rather a great journalist. Get for real..

dmk

sgtdmski · 06-23-2006, 06:57 AM

Everyone has failed to answer where do all those dollars from the sale of items go???? About three years back during Christmas time, stores could not keep Talking Elmo on the shelf, what happened to all that money??? What about all the money Moyer himself put into his pocket from the sales of his books and videos on his program???

How come none of this money is ever used to fund the very tax-payer supported programming that actually makes the money. Unlike private companies, these public programs are paid for by the tax-payer, and all the profit they make off of sales goes into their own pockets. Perhaps George Lucas should have had the government pay for the making of Star Wars, or better yet, Mel Gibson could have saved $25 million of his own money in funding the Passion, then instead of the pultry $575 million he grossed it would have been the even $600 million in sales he had.

dmk

Jefferson · 06-23-2006, 10:51 AM

Quote:

Originally Posted by hevusa

Government money for public television is something I will always get behind. I think the more fair news this country gets the better off it will be.

...and you think the news will be "better" and more "fair" if/when government money is behind it?

Unbelievable!

alias · 06-23-2006, 11:37 AM

Someone is confused and I think their name begins with H. We are getting more news than every before and the reason is the internet, cable, and bloggers.

The MSM has shown it's true colors in the recent years with the lies of the New York Times, the bias of Reuters, CNN caught with Anti-American Peter Arnett who they had to flush during the invasion, Dan Rather defending forged documents and the coverup (He should have known better after his reports on Nixon), etc, etc. It's not an accident Fox news is #1. The liberals say it's because the American people are stupid. Keep calling Americans stupid and you will keep losing elections. Stupid is as stupid does and that is stupid.