Quote:PBS CEO Warns That Federal Cuts will Sink Some Stations
BEVERLY HILLS, Calif. (AP) - The chief executive for PBS is sounding the alarm about public broadcasting's future if federal funding is axed.
CEO Paula Kerger said Sunday that public TV stations heavily dependent on federal funds couldn't survive without it, including in rural or underserved areas.
Kerger acknowledged there have previous efforts to cut federal support for public broadcasting. But she said the latest one is occurring in a period of extraordinary events.
President Donald Trump has called for an end to federal funds for PBS and National Public Radio.
Kerger told a TV critics' meeting Saturday that she can make the case for the role PBS plays in American lives. But she said it's crucial that viewers let their congressional representatives know what it means to them.
Well, yeah. No, duh.
I'm not sure how I feel. I am a big NPRhead. It's my main radio jam. And I felt similarly about PBS, when I was a kid. That was early '80's. Since then, I have watched PBS all of once, and that was this year, and I forgot why I wanted to watch it.
But for me, the vibe had changed. At least on my local affiliate, those old 15-second advert spots that were done by the announcer (who had almost an NPR voice) have been replaced by full fledged commercials, a la CBS, NBC and the like.
Deep down, I know that PBS has always been unduly influenced by Big Corporate, but now it's in your face.
I do feel like a good government should have a mandate for educational media, but I sort of prefer the old days.
"For me, it is far better to grasp the Universe as it really is than to persist in delusion, however satisfying and reassuring." - Carl Sagan
