Save Public Broadcasting

There's a purpose for public broadcasting just as there is for public safety, public education, public transportation, etc.

The FOTUS issued another one of his unconstitutional executive orders late Thursday that would end public funding for NPR and PBS. In both of those acronyms, the P stands for public.

There’s a reason why we have public radio and public television. They provide a much-needed news source for 99% of the country. The locations that will be most hurt by this EO are rural stations. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting supports local stations through Community Service Grants. For rural stations, these grants make up about 17% of their budget on average, around one-sixth of the total. However, nearly half of the rural stations rely on these grants for one-quarter of their budgets, and for 33 rural stations (many on Native American reservations), these grants make up one-half of their annual budget. In contrast, for urban stations, these grants account for around 9% of the budget on average.

As is typical for this administration, the people who will be most affected negatively by this policy are poorer folks in rural areas, the ones who were most likely to vote for the dude in the White House in the first place. I need to go to the chiropractor for an adjustment after shaking my head so damn much.

Our friend Tim Black, the President and CEO of WNIN, the public television and radio station in Evansville, Indiana, sent out an email to the viewers and listeners with a positive message as well as a plea for continued support.

Nothing in this executive order alters why we exist: to nurture and protect the Tri-State’s public square where people of differing perspectives can come together—digitally and in real life—to build trust and strengthen communities. Everything we do is in the spirit of helping to create a place where everyone feels seen and heard, and we do that by consistently demonstrating our core values in all we do: building cultural bridges, elevating multiple perspectives, and sharing power with the communities we serve in our desire for community-owned and community-driven local media that matters to all of us.

Public radio and television provide a lot more than just news. I grew up watching Julia Child on PBS - she and other television chefs before the Food Network came into existence taught me to love cooking and baking. Children who watch PBS shows like Sesame Street, Arthur, and other children’s programming increase educational and social emotional development outcomes. When I was working, I loved listening to The Diane Rehm Show before she retired. I subscribed to podcast versions of Wait, Wait…Don’t Tell Me and The Splendid Table and listened to them while I did household chores. I could go on and on about the ways that public broadcasting enriched my life.

We have access to Kentucky’s public television and radio through Kentucky Educational Television - one of our favorite programs is Kentucky Life which inspires us to travel around our beautiful state and discover all its unique treasures. It’s like a double bonus being right on the border between Indiana and Kentucky.

The moves by the administration to hamper CPB go beyond just stopping funding for PBS and NPR. He tried to fire three of the board members unlawfully. I wonder what his ultimate goal is. Does he want to create a propaganda machine not unlike Russian television and radio? Could he direct public broadcasting stations to only produce stories and news that casts the administration in a positive light? Could this be a public version of Fox News (which I call by another name that rhymes with trucks)?

I know that this is just another in a long stream of unconstitutional acts by the administration. I’m so tired of it all, but at the same time, I’m also furious. Separation of powers and of church and state, as well as ignorance of the equal powers of the three branches of government have combined to create the ultimate anti-democratic and fascist regime. As always, the best way to fight back against an authoritarian government is to protest, rely on the First Amendment, and speak loudly and often. Call or email your elected officials. Let everyone know how angry you are at what the administration is doing. Or, you could start your own Substack.

As always, thanks for reading. If you enjoy my writing, please feel free to forward this to your friends and encourage them to subscribe. And don’t forget to donate to your local PBS and NPR stations!