Issue Position: Public Broadcasting is a Critical National Resource
Issue Position
In every community across the country, people can turn to over 1,000 public radio and television stations for programs that inform and inspire; for help with reading or job training; for the latest digital services; for local news and information. More than 87 million Americans tune into public television each week, and 30 million listen to public radio. These critical services will be jeopardized by the $100 million in cuts to CPB's budget. As co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus I will fight to defeat this cut and continue to advocate the necessity of fully funded public broadcasting.
The Board of Directors of NPR (National Public Radio) presented the 2005 Public Radio Leadership Award to Congressman Earl Blumenauer, (D-Oregon, 3rd District) and to Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-Ohio, 5th District).
The Public Radio Leadership Awards were inaugurated in 2004 to recognize outstanding public service contributions to public radio. Tim Eby, NPR Board Chairman, and Kevin Klose, NPR President and CEO, presented the award during a gathering of public radio leaders.
Reps. Blumenauer and Gillmor are widely acclaimed throughout the public radio community for their unwavering of support for America's public radio stations. Today, more than 780 NPR stations serve a weekly cumulative audience of 30 million listeners with news, talk, information and entertainment programs. Increasingly, public radio is known not just as the only remaining source of local, regional and national news and information programming, but also as the source of choice. Stations rely on grants from the federally funded CPB (Corporation for Public Broadcasting) for essential operating costs. On average, about 14 percent of a station's overall annual budget is funded by the CPB.
Congressman Blumenauer helped to create and later became the co-chair of the Congressional Public Broadcasting Caucus, a forum for members of Congress to discuss and advocate for public broadcasting and the important public services it provides. He has been a champion of public broadcasting year after year, leading others in urging the Chairs of the House Appropriations Subcommittees to approve funds for public broadcasting.
Congressman Gillmor, co-chair of the Public Broadcasting Caucus, supports the important partnership between public radio stations, listeners and the Congress that has been the cornerstone of financial stability and expanded public service for the past three decades. He has brought leadership and bipartisanship to congressional support for public broadcasting.
"All of us in public radio express our deepest thanks to representatives Blumenauer and Gillmor for recognizing our value and promoting and advocating for our system," said Klose. "For four decades, public broadcasting and the Congress have worked together to bring distinct programs and diversity of opinion on the airwaves of public broadcasting stations. Our partnership, and our relationship with listeners, works because friends like these step forward to lead."
Madam Speaker, we of the Public Broadcasting Caucus are pleased to share with our colleagues this evening some very good news from the world of public broadcasting. The Overseas Press Club has presented NPR with the 2002 Lowell Thomas Award for the series "The Mideast: A Century of Conflict." This groundbreaking seven-part series, which aired on NPR's Morning Edition last fall, tells the history of the conflict between the Israelis and Palestinians.
Veteran NPR News correspondent Mike Shuster researched, reported, and chronicled this in-depth series on the key moments in the history of the struggle between the two peoples. It covered the early Zionist movement during the turn of the 20th Century and traced the intensifying conflict between Jews and Palestinians during the years of the British mandate, leading up to David Ben-Gurion's announcement of the establishment of the State of Israel in 1948.
"The Mideast: A Century of Conflict," also explored the events that led up to the Six-Day War, the Yom Kippur War, the first Intifada, and the Oslo Peace Process. It concluded with investigations on the reason why the Oslo Peace Process collapsed and how and why the second Intifada started.
Kevin Klose, NPR's president and CEO, put it best when he said, "This series tells the history of the confrontation using radio to bring the views of leading historians of the region to air, documenting the deep and conflicting roots of today's Middle East. The series touches on the beliefs and emotions that motivate both sides."
Madam Speaker, it was no surprise when the Peabody Awards were recently announced for excellence in television and radio; public broadcasting was honored with one-third of those over-30 awards. This is part of why one in seven adults listens to public radio by tuning into more than 700 stations which carry NPR programming. Each week, over 20 million Americans listen to NPR, an audience that exceeds the top 35 U.S. daily newspapers combined.
When we consider this figure, along with 100 million people who watch public television each week, we see the profound reach of public broadcasting stations. They connect people with their local community, their Nation, and their world in a way that no other outlet can or does.
The caliber of public broadcasting is unmatched by any other programming. Public radio and public television provide valuable commercial-free educational, informational, and cultural programming for communities all across America.
But it is not just an addition; it is not just an add-on and a frill. Many communities rely on public broadcasting stations as their only source of news and information. Some even use the public broadcasting system for day-to-day or emergency communications, such as AMBER Alerts and severe weather detection. As we work to improve our hometown security, Federal funding for these services is increasingly important.
Sadly, the future is cloudy. Nationally, while 41 States have public broadcasting operations, the source of the State support, which averages $7 million a year, is in jeopardy. Given the current times of economic slowdown and State budget crises, many stations are facing severe financial cuts.
I am sad to say in my home State of Oregon, which faces one of the Nation's worst budget deficits, our State is considering eliminating funding for Oregon Public Broadcasting altogether. Even though only 6 percent of that $33 million budget for the last 2 years comes from State funding, slightly more than $2 million, right now the loss of any of that funding is compounded by the recession and the squeeze on corporate and individual donors.
Oregon is not alone in its public broadcasting cuts. Minnesota's Governor has recommended a 25 to 35 percent reduction in its public broadcasting budget. But there are some States that are standing firm. I was pleased to note that Nebraska, for example, reaffirmed its commitment to public broadcasting. Despite a 14 percent shortfall in its biannual budget, it will maintain its yearly State funding of approximately $8 million.
Madam Speaker, we are all in this together: the Federal and State governments, our listeners, viewers and private sector donors. This is all the more reason for us to keep our commitment to public broadcasting. If we do not, many of the award-winning programs, like the one I just mentioned, "The Mideast: A Century of Conflict," will be at risk. All of us need to do our part, whether elected officials or individual listeners, to support this critical national resource.
Overview of Public Broadcasting and the Public Broadcasting Caucus
Public broadcasting provides valuable commercial-free educational, informational, and cultural programming for communities all across the country. Many communities rely on public broadcasting stations as their only source of news and information. Some even use the public broadcasting system for day-to-day or emergency communications. Public broadcasting connects people with their local community, their nation, and their world in a way that no other outlet can or does. Because American citizens have come to rely on these services and programs, the U.S. Congress has a responsibility to support public broadcasting.
Congressman Earl Blumenauer created the Congressional Public Broadcasting Caucus in the 106th Congress, and currently co-chairs the bi-partisan Caucus with Congressman Paul Gillmor (R-OH). The Caucus has over 100 members committed to ensuring the continued services of local public television and radio stations.
The Members of the Public Broadcasting Caucus Support:
A strong and financially sound non-commercial, universal, educational broadcasting service for the American people;
Policies that ensure the continued growth and vitality of public broadcasting programs and services;
A high-level of financial support for public broadcasting's transition to digital production and transmission;
Increased funding for the role that public broadcasters play in ensuring our hometown security; and,
Strategies and policies that allow the public broadcasting community to take full advantage of new technologies to produce and deliver quality educational, cultural, and informational programs and services.
The Public Broadcasting Caucus has undertaken a variety of activities, including briefings and information sessions on public broadcasting issues, congressional communications and information efforts such as dear colleagues and congressional record statements, and general support for legislative a nd regulatory initiatives that serve to promote and enhance public broadcasting's programming and services.
Learn More About Public Broadcasting
Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) http://www.apts.org/ -- APTS is a nonprofit membership organization that provides advocacy for public television stations at the national level.
Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) http://www.cpb.org -- CPB is a private nonprofit corporation created by Congress in 1967 and is a source of funding for public broadcasting program development, production and local public radio and television stations across the country.
Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) http://www.pbs.org/ -- PBS is a private, non-profit media enterprise owned and operated by the nation's 349 public television stations, which provides quality TV programming, oversees program acquisition, distribution and promotion; education services; new media ventures; fundraising support; engineering and technology development; and video marketing.
National Public Radio (NPR) http://www.npr.org/ -- NPR is a private, non-profit organization, which provides leadership in national newsgathering and radio production and serves a permanent nationwide interconnection of non-commercial radio stations.
Oregon Public Broadcasting (OPB) http://www.opb.org -- OPB is an independent not-for-profit public broadcasting corporation that has served communities in Oregon and Southwest Washington for eight decades. It is a successful membership organization, a public broadcaster of radio and television, a content producer and distributor for television, radio and the web, as well as a statewide resource service for teachers and educators.
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