Public Enemy

This past Monday an editorial in the Chicago Tribune called for the “liberation” of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting- the entity responsible for overseeing the Public Broadcasting System and National Public Radio- from public funding. The article cited the pronounced left-wing political bias that has steadily infiltrated the organization, specifically the hiring of Bill Moyers, who did the biddings of the left at taxpayer expense. The Tribune is correct in their demands for the removal of government funding from public broadcasting, albeit for the wrong reasons. No matter how unbiased the stations and programs may be, government should not be funding domestic public broadcasting.

In 1995, newly-elected House Speaker Newt Gingrich promised to do just this, telling Americans to be surprised if the Corporation for Public Broadcasting outlived his tenure as Speaker. While CPB won that round, now may be the appropriate time. The reasons for doing so are numerous and more appropriate than at any time in the history of public broadcasting. First, take the current state of the federal budget. The left loves pointing out the massive government deficits but often hesitates when asked what to do about it, especially when they are required not to mention the word “taxes.” Many millions of dollars are spent funding CPB, PBS, and NPR, and if legislators are looking for a superfluous program in order to save money, these should be among the first.

This is so because of all the organizations and programs currently receiving federal funding, public broadcasting is probably the one most able to afford to take such a hit. While the amount of federal money spent funding public broadcasting is very large ($350-$400 million), the percentage funding from government on any level makes up as a part of a public broadcaster’s budget- be it CPB, PBS, NPR, or WOSU- is minimal. The overwhelming majority of such funding comes from members, individual and corporate donations. The percentage received from government can run in the single digits.

Even if the doomsayers’ predictions were correct and public broadcasting would entirely cease to exist, few would realize it had disappeared. PBS’ programming, for example, is currently in competition with a multitude of cable channels such as the History Channel, the Discovery Channel, the Learning Channel, Arts and Entertainment, National Geographic, 24-hour news channels, and networks focusing on children’s programming. Indeed, many children’s programming networks already syndicate programming from the Children’s Television Workshop, the folks who brought us Sesame Street. I dare say many of NPR’s most popular programming, such as A Prairie Home Companion, Car Talk, and All Things Considered, could in fact survive in a commercial format. Satellite Sisters is an example of such a program that has successfully converted over from public to commercial radio.

Judging by the hate mail that other columns have generated, I venture to guess that many readers would be quite upset if government funding for their favorite public radio and television stations were dried up. This could also work in favor to public broadcasting as angered or frightened listeners and viewers would be all the more compelled to increase their annual donations in order to “save public broadcasting.” The fundamental reasons for establishing such broadcasting in the 1960’s have long since outlived their original intent. People no longer live in markets with only three television stations and a handful of radio stations. Given the current reality of 500 cable channels and satellite radio, the supply for educational, children’s, and news programming, and the performing arts would not simply go away by any stretch of the imagination. The federal government should not be involved in keeping these programs on the air as they are already quite successful without it.