VPT to replace show host after sponsorship controversy (PBS)

Vermont Public Television is replacing a controversial host after just two episodes of a weekly talk show.

The host of Connect, Kristin Carlson, is a spokesperson for Vermont’s largest electric utility — which is a corporate sponsor of the station. Her hire was announced July 8.

That same day, writer John Walters noted on his Vermont Political Observer blog that “Carlson will keep her day job as spokesflack for Green Mountain Power. Does that bother anyone?”

Vermont PBS CEO Holly Groschner told the Seven Days blog that Carlson would not report on “energy-related subject matter” and that the host would focus on “personalities, on people with a personal story to tell and on stories of cultural interest to Vermonters.”

That didn’t satisfy Vermonters for a Clean Environment Executive Director Annette Smith, who told Seven Days that “it is a free promotional piece for Green Mountain Power to have their spokesperson there.”

Former Vermont Gov. Howard Dean commented on a piece from Vermont Digger: “I am and will continue to be a long time supporter of Vermont ETV but I am afraid they are wrong about this. . . . Kristen [sic] is a talented journalist and GMP is great company, but none of this means there isn’t a potential conflict.”

By Thursday, Seven Days reported that VPT said it would replace Carlson as host. Carlson told the Burlington Free Press that she didn’t want the controversy to distract from the program’s focus.

The left claims another scalp.

Sometimes I miss the old days of FR...when we could effectively mobilize and produce change. ~ sigh. My view is the right is getting clobbered by the left. Their activist are engaged and fighting for their views. Wondering when we will fight fire w/ fire???

The tea party is over and we’ve not only forgotten how to fight, but who the real enemy is.

Oh, but we now have strongly-worded urinating contests over ideological purity and excellent circular firing squad practice sessions!

I can come up with plenty more. Used to work in public TV. The job itself was good with comical money but the office politics were unbearable after the first couple of years.

If you were a member of the in-crowd, it didn’t matter because things would come and if you weren’t, it really didn’t matter.

I don’t think the Tea Party movement is done. The problem is the left has infected every aspect of American life like a horrible cancer. When one chunk is removed, like the democrats in 2010, another pops up. When we destroyed democrats in 2014 we were all betrayed by the republicans. But the left is in everything. Every school, every TV station, every local dog catcher, every power hungry bureaucrat. They are everywhere and it’s like playing whack-a-mole without the whacker. One victory by the tea party causes 50 new attacks by the left. The left loves their pet projects. They want to save whales, save bees, save dolphins, save trees, etc while the Tea Party conservative focuses on big things in a united front.

Unfortunately we, myself included, don’t have a new offense for that. I can do what I can in my city and county but I can’t keep up with the minions with every fight the liberals pick. And that’s how they win.

Boehner and McConnel are an absolute disgrace. They are worse than Harry and Nancy. They won’t fight anything and they still fund the regulatory machine Obama is using to establish his dictatorship. I don’t know how to get rid of those two.

Onward to 2016. If we’re lucky Obama will allow a vote Nov 5th. Who would stop him otherwise?

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