i agree that not a dime of taxpayer funding should go to any "public" radio or tv, and while you only imply it, c-span doesn't get a dime of taxpayer money
the cable-satellite public affairs network is completely privately funded by the industry
that said, they have gone totally into to the toilet since 1994 -- you could tell from the unscreened calls on their single line (since changed) what was going to happen in the '94 election -- it's become a parade of wimpy hosts taking vapid and tiresome calls, and hasn't been worth watching for many years