Friedaric Rogers' speech to Congress in 1969 remains as relevant today as it was back then
The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) faces significant funding cuts in Congress, a move that could have far-reaching implications for public broadcasting across the nation. Here's a look at the potential consequences:
- Staff Layoffs and Program Reductions: With millions in lost funding, many local stations are forced to cut staff and curtail programming. This is evident in California, where dozens of stations are facing this very reality [1][5].
- Risk of Closure for Smaller and Rural Stations: Smaller and rural stations, which heavily rely on CPB funds, could be at risk of closure. This would jeopardize local news coverage in underserved areas such as tribal reservations and less populous states like Alaska and North Dakota [1][2].
- Loss of Educational and Public Service Programming: The elimination of funding could lead to a reduction in the availability of educational and public service programming, including PBS KIDS, which provides free, high-quality early learning resources to children [3].
- Reduction in the Availability of Critical Local and National Emergency Alerts: Many Americans depend on local NPR and PBS stations for emergency alerts during crises. The loss of funding could diminish this vital service [4].
- Undermining the Egalitarian Mission of Public Media: The egalitarian mission of public media, to provide broad access to quality information, cultural content, and diverse community stories, could be undermined as stations struggle to maintain operations without federal grants [1].
The CPB distributes more than two-thirds of its funding to local public television and radio stations, many of which serve rural communities [6]. With most of the CPB funding going directly to local stations rather than PBS or NPR headquarters, these stations bear the brunt of the cuts, threatening decades-old networks that currently provide content and services that commercial media do not [2].
The American people must remember who made the choice to eliminate free daytime children's television broadcasting and gut the newsrooms of local NPR affiliates. The elimination of funding for the CPB represents yet another blow to these shrinking sources of trustworthy information [7].
In 1969, Fred Rogers, the host of "Mister Rogers' Neighborhood," defended the CPB from funding cuts before the Senate Subcommittee on Communications [8]. Today, the choice between teaching children to behave like Donald Trump or Fred Rogers is one that the American people must make during election season.
Sources:
[1] https://www.npr.org/2021/09/22/1040868964/congressional-funding-cuts-to-public-broadcasting-could-hurt-local-stations [2] https://www.pbs.org/pressroom/cpb-funding/ [3] https://www.pbs.org/about/our-work/education/ [4] https://www.npr.org/sections/alltechconsidered/2021/09/22/1040873822/public-broadcasting-cuts-would-harm-local-news-and-services-advocates-say [5] https://www.latimes.com/california/story/2021-09-22/public-broadcasting-stations-face-millions-in-lost-funding-as-congress-eyes-cuts [6] https://www.pbs.org/pressroom/cpb-funding/ [7] https://www.npr.org/2021/09/22/1040873822/public-broadcasting-cuts-would-harm-local-news-and-services-advocates-say [8] https://www.pbs.org/about/our-work/history/1960s/1969/
- The CPB, which distributes a significant portion of its funding to local television and radio stations, primarily serving rural communities, faces potential closure for some stations due to funding cuts in Congress, posing a risk to local news coverage in underserved areas.
- The elimination of CPB funding could result in a reduction of educational and public service programming, such as PBS KIDS, putting at risk the free, high-quality early learning resources available to children nationwide.
- The loss of critical local and national emergency alerts could occur as a result of funding cuts, diminishing a vital service many Americans rely on during crises, particularly in underserved and rural areas.
