Public broadcasting, a 'luxury' we can't do without
By Ken Burns
WashPost
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Like millions of my countrymen, I am profoundly concerned that the debate over government spending, while necessary, has come to threaten the cultural, educational, informational and civilizing influences that help equip us for enlightened citizenship. Suddenly, these are dismissed as "unaffordable luxuries" when in fact we have never needed them more.
In the midst of the Great Depression, our government managed to fund some of the most enduring and memorable documentaries, photographs, art and dramatic plays this country has ever produced. Our need for such cultured and civilizing influences is no less urgent now.
Difficult decisions will have to be made - but not on the back of an infinitesimally small fraction of the deficit that the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and public broadcasting represent. These institutions are in their fifth decade of unmatched service. With minimal funding, PBS manages to produce essential (commercial-free) children's programming as well as the best science and nature, arts and performance, and public affairs and history programming on the dial - often a stark contrast to superficial, repetitive and mind-numbing programming elsewhere. PBS supplements the schedules of hundreds of other channels. It produces "classrooms of the air" that help stitch together statewide educational activities and helps create cradle-to-grave continuing education services that are particularly appreciated in rural states. Alaska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia are among the states that depend on PBS shows daily, belying the canard that this is just programming for the rich and bi-coastal.
Polls consistently show that huge majorities of all Americans support public broadcasting. And false arguments of bias in public broadcasting often cut both ways; members of the Clinton administration bitterly complained to me about criticism they perceived as coming from NPR. PBS is the place that gave William F. Buckley a home for almost 30 years. In an age when nearly everyone selects their media on the basis of their political views, it's refreshing to have an in-depth option that periodically upsets the powers-that-be in both parties. Our founders would be delighted.
(More here.)
WashPost
Sunday, February 27, 2011
Like millions of my countrymen, I am profoundly concerned that the debate over government spending, while necessary, has come to threaten the cultural, educational, informational and civilizing influences that help equip us for enlightened citizenship. Suddenly, these are dismissed as "unaffordable luxuries" when in fact we have never needed them more.
In the midst of the Great Depression, our government managed to fund some of the most enduring and memorable documentaries, photographs, art and dramatic plays this country has ever produced. Our need for such cultured and civilizing influences is no less urgent now.
Difficult decisions will have to be made - but not on the back of an infinitesimally small fraction of the deficit that the National Endowment for the Arts, the National Endowment for the Humanities and public broadcasting represent. These institutions are in their fifth decade of unmatched service. With minimal funding, PBS manages to produce essential (commercial-free) children's programming as well as the best science and nature, arts and performance, and public affairs and history programming on the dial - often a stark contrast to superficial, repetitive and mind-numbing programming elsewhere. PBS supplements the schedules of hundreds of other channels. It produces "classrooms of the air" that help stitch together statewide educational activities and helps create cradle-to-grave continuing education services that are particularly appreciated in rural states. Alaska, Oklahoma, Arkansas, West Virginia are among the states that depend on PBS shows daily, belying the canard that this is just programming for the rich and bi-coastal.
Polls consistently show that huge majorities of all Americans support public broadcasting. And false arguments of bias in public broadcasting often cut both ways; members of the Clinton administration bitterly complained to me about criticism they perceived as coming from NPR. PBS is the place that gave William F. Buckley a home for almost 30 years. In an age when nearly everyone selects their media on the basis of their political views, it's refreshing to have an in-depth option that periodically upsets the powers-that-be in both parties. Our founders would be delighted.
(More here.)
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2 Comments:
This battle has been fought before so maybe it’s time to change the funding mechanism.
Here are two thoughts.
#1. Private radio stations would pay a fee based on ad revenue with the monies going to public broadcasting. There are a number of federal agencies that rely on private business for funding … for example, I am thinking of The Overseas Private Investment Corporation, which helps U.S. businesses create revenue and jobs abroad, operates on a self-sustaining basis … other examples, would be Federal Housing Finance Agency, National Credit Union Administration, heck even the US Patent Office relies on private business for its funding.
#2. Let the individual states fund it … for example, in Minnesota, radio advertising is not subject to sales tax … include a sales tax on all radio ads and use a portion to fund Minnesota Public Radio and Independent Public Radio stations (like KMSU at Minnesota State – Mankato).
Why do we need public radio or public TV anymore? We have hundreds of radio stations and hundreds of TV stations and billions of web sites.
I can see the need for funding public radio back in 1905 and public TV back in 1955, but the funding for public radio and TV are relics of a bygone era. If there is a market for classical music and Prairie Home Companion and All Things Considered and Wall $treet Week and Masterpiece Theater, these programs will find a home on private TV and private radio.
Neither of your options are any better than what we do currently.
I mean, really, we have to look past the defense budget for things to cut and we can't just slap yet another tax on business. And, for crying out loud, if we can't cut public funding for radio and TV of all things, then we just may as well just race to bankruptcy.
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