Posted on 08/03/2005 6:22:26 AM PDT by Valin
In the run-up to its meeting in late June 2005, the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) was subjected to extraordinary pressure by the liberal media, left-leaning interest groups like Common Cause, Action for Children’s Television, “media watchdog” Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy, and a gaggle of sixteen Democratic senators who called for the resignation of CPB’s chairman, former Reader’s Digest editor-in-chief Ken Tomlinson. Their purpose was to prevent CPB from naming Assistant Secretary of State for Educational and Cultural Affairs, Patricia Harrison (a former Republican National Committee chairwoman), as the new president and CEO of CPB. Harrison, who had successfully presided over impressive growth in badly needed public diplomacy programs at State, had long been Tomlinson’s preferred choice for the role. Despite the opposition, on June 23rd Harrison was selected from over 200 candidates identified by the executive search firm Spencer Stuart and from sixteen final round interviewees.
This dispute was the climax of months of heightened tension over the issue of “balance” in public broadcasting. To Chairman Ken Tomlinson and the 4-3 majority Republican board of CPB, there was a clear need to restore a sense of even-handedness to a PBS schedule that often tilted left. PBS national executives and local station managers, however, perceived no such tilt and bitterly resented “interference” from CPB.
The story had grown more complex and overtly political as it developed, but the daily press missed the larger significance of what was really at stake for public broadcasting, and the true scope of the task Patricia Harrison will confront.
(Excerpt) Read more at newcriterion.com ...
One thing that is wrong...
I listened to a few minutes this morning while my favorite show was on commercial. They were talking to a Muslim about some music called "Killing the Infidel", I almost drove in the ditch I was so blinded with rage. To vent, I saw some loser still sporting a Kerry/Edwards sticker and flipped him off.
Tax payers footing the bill for enemy propoganda. I couldn't believe it.
Public broadcasting is just plan unnecessary now. The best programming would be bought in a second by History, Discovery, etc. As to the worst program - who needs it. With respect to liberal bias. Of course there is a liberal bias in anything funded through taxes. Duh! If you live off the dole you can't help but be in favor of higher taxes and all the socialistic policies that increase public dependence on government. I have no beef with unions - I have a big beef with PUBLIC unions. There's a world of difference.
It sure is good to hear of someone else that reacts the same way that I do. I thought I was the only one in the country! Amazing, isn't it? You mean, the country is not 99% Democrat after all? DOWN WITH PBS.
The first thing an alert conservative does when seeing the word "public" must be is to check the context of the word to find out whether it really means "publlic" - or whether, as is probable, the word actually is a euphemism for "government." The lattter happens to be the truth in this case.So the question is actually, "What's Wrong With Government Broadcasting?" And for any conservative who values the First Amendment, that question answers itself.
Ditto Seattle.
Wall Street Journal Editorial Board show is pretty good.
the Charlie Rose show is something I check out on a regular basis. Yes I know he's a lefty, BUT he does have people on that you won't really see anywhere else.
Some examples
Kiefer Sutherland talks about 24
King Abdullah II of Jordan
Former Secretary of State Henry Kissinger about Dr. Rice, a second Bush term, and global politics
Natan Sharansky
a discussion about blogs with: Glenn Reynolds, University of Tennessee, Editor of Instapundit.com; Ana Marie Cox, Editor of Wonkette.com; Andrew Sullivan, Senior Editor of The New Republic, Andrewsullivan.com
Zalmay Khalilzad, U.S. Ambassador to Afghanistan, talks to Charlie Rose about the challenges facing Afghanistan
General Jack Keane, retired Vice Chief of Staff of the U.S. Army and Member of the Defense Policy Review Board
Public Broadcasters are wood ticks (& leftist wood ticks at that) They engorge themselves at the public trough and they are really tough to dig out and get rid of
Meanwhile the victims give the ticks their life's blood while the woodticks give you back diesease and infection at the wound site
Not a real good deal for the host organism
One simple reason is that next to nobody listens to it. Without a federal subsidy for their "alternative" programming they could not operate as no business would sponsor such drivel with so meager an audience.
Sounds too good to be true!
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