PBS Faces New Threat in Federal Budget

By ELIZABETH JENSEN
NYT

WASHINGTON — In 1995, Newt Gingrich, then the speaker of the House, failed in his attempt to eliminate federal financing for public broadcasting, thwarted by the timely appearance of “Sesame Street” characters and by panicked supporters who filed petitions and flooded Congressional offices with calls.

Over the years, supporters’ success at fending off proposed cuts became so predictable that to some it began to seem as though the broadcasters were crying wolf.

With the new Congress, Republicans again have made public broadcasting a target for cuts, and the petitions and on-air appeals are back. This time, however, even a recent Capitol appearance by Arthur, the booking-loving aardvark, may not be enough to fully stave off a reduction in financing.

Mike Riksen, NPR’s vice president of policy and representation, told member stations in January that a confluence of events — the growing deficit, questions about the role of the government in media, budget concerns on both sides of the political isle and in both houses, objections to a perceived left-wing bias — had created “the most determined, organized and sophisticated challenge to federal funding for public radio — ever.”

(More here.)