Posted on 02/10/2006 8:00:19 PM PST by FreeManDC
Administration renews attack on public broadcasting with funding cuts similar to those rejected by Congress and the American people in June
WASHINGTON February 6, 2006 John Lawson, president and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS), condemned cuts in federal funding for public broadcasting recommended by the Bush Administration earlier today. Lawson said: By submitting a budget proposal with cuts of this magnitude, the Administration is completely ignoring the will of the American people as they expressed it quite vocally last June. In now renewing the attack on public broadcasting, the Administration is saying the opinions of the American people do not matter.
The Administrations budget proposal would rescind more than $100 million in federal funding for public broadcasting over FY2007 and FY2008. Lawson said: In addition to drastic cuts over the next two years, the budget proposes no federal funding for FY2009. With this tactic, the Administration may be laying the foundation for the elimination of all federal funding for public broadcasting. The Administration declined to recommend advance funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides grants for local station operations and national programming. Among other things, the practice of advance funding which has been in place for the past thirty years protects public broadcasting from political abuse.
The Administration also proposes completely eliminating funding for the highly-successful Ready To Teach program, which provides funding for online resources for teachers seeking quality professional development that is easily accessible, flexible and tailored to local, state and national standards. In another section of the Presidents budget, the Administration requests funds to upgrade the skills of tens of thousands of math and science teachers.
The budget also proposes the elimination of targeted grants for the federally-mandated digital conversion of stations, and funding for the satellite interconnection system that distributes PBS and other programming to local public television stations. Lawson said: Its not just ironic, its sad that the Administration wants to eliminate federal support for local public televisions digital conversion at the same time that Congress has set February 17, 2009 for the end of analog broadcasts.
Finally, the budget proposes the elimination of the Public Telecommunications Facilities Program (PTFP). As Gulf Coast stations struggled to meet local communications needs in the wake of the devastation caused by Hurricanes Katrina and Rita, PTFP was the only source of emergency federal funding to help. Lawson said: The decision to eliminate PTFP is a serious blow to a program that played an indispensable role in Gulf Coast recovery. PTFP is essential, as this program is an investment in public broadcasting stations physical capital, enabling them to deliver expanded programming and services tailored to the needs of local communities.
Lawson said: The cuts, amounting to $157 million, or 30 percent less this year than in FY2006, are devastating. As we did last year, our stations will work together with our supporters across the country to fight these cuts vigorously. In one bright spot for public television, the Administration proposed level funding for the Ready To Learn program at the Department of Education.
Hey PBS... isn't the free market a bee-otch?
FINALLY!
I JUST KNOW IT!
IT'S REALLY GOING TO HAPPEN!
My thoughts indeed. Why is President Bush continuing to go soft on them? :p
He's gonna pluck poor big bird's feathers out and fry Kermit's legs at the ranch. Soccer moms...DO SOMETHING!!!!
Vote for Ted Kennedy.
Bush is a liberal. Why not 100% ?
LMAO!!! Good one.
Whew - note to self, read whole article before commenting. But, of course, public broadcasting is just a drop in the bucket. Good place to start, though. The only reason to listen to NPR is if you need an emetic.
I believe this is just an election year ploy. There will be no cuts to PBS.
This cut might be a drop in the bucket but watch the panic from the left.
This is going to be a real entertaining month on the MSM channels. The hysteria will be unreal.
Just in time to scoop the Olympics. Which is another America bash fest for the MSM and the euro-trash snobs.
Let's defund the NEA too while we're at it.
GOOD!!
"Lawson said: By submitting a budget proposal with cuts of this magnitude, the Administration is completely ignoring the will of the American people as they expressed it quite vocally last June."
Yeah! 30% isn't what Americans wanted...We wanted a 100% cut.
(Denny Crane: "I Don't Want To Socialize With A Pinko Liberal Democrat Commie. Say What You Like About Republicans. We Stick To Our Convictions. Even When We Know We're Dead Wrong.")
You know there was a special where Charlie Brown did finally kick the football, don't you? He was invisible and successfully kicked the football in 1981's "It's Magic, Charlie Brown."
I am thrilled. I never thought that they should be paying for TV channels and it doesn't even have to due with content. I just don't see why we need to pay for a TV channel that nobody watches.
If funding is cut, PBS will never be able to finish their analysis of why Al Gore lost.
Anybody want to bet how much the budget actually proposes increasing spending on Public Broadcasting by?
Every little thing ever supported must be supported forever (and at an ever-increasing rate), and everything new is just deferred support for something that should have been funded years ago.
You just gotta think like a Lib!
....They won't be able to afford the ten billionth rerun of "Are you being served?"!!!!......
My wife had a series on the local PBS channel that ran for 25 years. She taught the Mother/baby care course that ran at odd times but went on and on and on. It was the longest coutinuous running show on the station.
It may still be on.
.
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