Debbie Downer on SNL is a direct spoof of this stooopid b!tch oxygen thief!!!
Posted on 05/12/2005 11:36:21 AM PDT by Jean S
On Wednesday, Reps. David Obey (D-WI) and John Dingell (D-MI) called for an investigation of the Corporation Public Broadcasting. This comes following accusations that the CPB has been largely taken over by conservatives who are influencing programming and hiring decisions. Obey requested that the Inspector General for the CPB, investigate whether the CPB is violating the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 that prohibits interference by federal officials over the content and distribution of public programming, and forbids "political or other tests" from being used in CPB hiring decisions.
We speak with Obey as well as PBS host Tavis Smiley, PBS board member Norman Ornstein, Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy and media analyst Robert McChesney, who is organizing this weekend’s National Conference on Media Reform. [includes rush transcript - partial]
Wisconsin Democrat, David Obey, and Michigan Democrat, John Dingell, requested that the Inspector General for the CPB, investigate whether the CPB is violating the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. This act prohibits interference by Federal officials over the content and distribution of public programming, and forbids "political or other tests" from being used in CPB hiring decisions.
The letter from the congressmen came after a flurry of high profile personnel changes and revelations that have sparked controversy and charges that CBP is moving to the right. In April, the CBP board did not renew the contract of its chief executive, Kathleen Cox. Board Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson tapped Ken Ferree -- a former top aide to Michael Powell at the Federal Communications Commission – to be her temporary replacement. Ferree alarmed many when he suggested in a recent New York Times magazine article that he didn’t watch much PBS or listen to NPR.
Also in April, CPB appointed a pair of veteran journalists to review public TV and radio programming for evidence of bias - the first time in CPB’s 38-year history that it has established such positions. In an article in the Washington Post, an anonymous senior FCC official was quoted as saying that the CPB, "is engaged in a systematic effort not just to sanitize the truth, but to impose a right-wing agenda on PBS. It’s almost like a right-wing coup. It appears to be orchestrated."
And last week, a report in the New York Times revealed that Tomlinson hired an outside consultant last year to keep track of the political leanings of guests on the PBS program Now! With Bill Moyers. The paper also reported that Tomlinson had worked to kill a legislative proposal that would have required more radio and TV veterans on the CPB Board and he has made clear that a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee, Assistant Secretary of State Patricia Harrison, is his preferred choice for the vacant CPB presidency.
In response to the Times article, Tomlinson published an Op-Ed in the Washington Times writing "To me and many other supporters of public broadcasting the image of the left-wing bias of "NOW" -- unchallenged by a balancing point of view on public broadcasting’s Friday evening lineup -- was unhealthy. Indeed, it jeopardized essential support for public TV."
Coup or no Coup, the government has no business operating a radio/television network.
The goverment needs to get out of the broadcasting business. NPR and PBS can do just fine on their own.
The same thought within 12 seconds!
"...CPB has been largely taken over by conservatives who are influencing programming and hiring decisions."
And the problem is?
if it's good for MSM to be taken over by liberals, what's the prob?
Obey is still p**sed that PBS doesn't broadcast in Russian!
I'm with you folks. Mass media does not need to be subsidized by the government, and if their programming has a following and is worthwile it should prove itself in the open market. Nobody would be having this discussion if CPB was truly a private entity.
"forbids "political or other tests" from being used in CPB hiring decisions"
It seems that in practice the only test is to promote extreme leftist politics to the exclusion of all else. Pretending that PBS and the CPB is even remotely neutral, or thet ANY effort is made to avoid politics, is beyond laughable.
In all fairness, I have watched The News Hour with Jim Lehrer for years. It's one of the finest news programs currently on TV. My sense is that if one of the networks, perhaps CBS, were to hire Lehrer their ratings would go through the roof.
/sarcasm
Please don't convey that to CBS!
Ah. I see. But the total takeover of CPB by Leftwing Lunatics since 1969 is something he has no problem with...
Maybe if PBS has some conservative anchors on it, then the rats will kill PBS and cut its funding along with NPR. Maybe its a good thing.
Well Johnny and Davy, if you ever win another election, you get to take it back. Thought you knew how it worked.
Debbie Downer on SNL is a direct spoof of this stooopid b!tch oxygen thief!!!
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