Save PBS from Right-Wing!

[Ian David]

Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005
From: People For the American Way <[e-mail]>
Subject: Save PBS from Right-Wing!

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PEOPLE FOR THE AMERICAN WAY June 14, 2005

The New CPB: Conservative Propaganda for Bush

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Elmo and Big Bird might soon be homeless if the right wing's latest base-rousing political ploy goes unchecked.

Last week, the House Appropriations Subcommittee voted to slash the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget for next year by $100 million and eliminated another $23 million used to pay for shows such as "Sesame Street." (http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/10/arts/television/10pbs.html?) To make matters worse, the subcommittee also voted to entirely eliminate federal funding for the CPB -- the government agency that dispenses public funds for PBS stations across the nation -- within two years.

This is simply the latest attempt by politicians to eliminate public broadcasting as an independent voice; one not controlled by far-right pundits or corporate owners. The American people have defeated such attacks before, but the right wing's grip on power in Washington, D.C. is stronger now -- it will take a powerful outcry from the American public to save the independent voice of public broadcasting.

Send a letter to Rep. Lynch right away:
http://pfaw.kintera.org/pbs

This administration signaled its campaign to undermine PBS's independence in 2003, when President Bush named Kenneth Tomlinson, a close friend of Karl Rove, to the chairmanship of the CPB's Board of Directors. An avowed fan of FoxNews' "The O'Reilly Factor," Tomlinson has recently attacked PBS for an allegedly liberal bias and signaled steps to make the institution more Republican friendly.

Claiming to have concerns about the "objectivity and balance" of the CPB and PBS, Tomlinson has taken a series of steps to ensure that their programming better reflects the Republican mandate. He has

- Created programs to showcase conservative views such as "Tucker Carlson Unfiltered" and "The Journal Editorial Report."

- Hired a White House staffer to draft guidelines for a new PBS ombudsman to monitor programs for bias.

- Filled the ombudsman positions with one conservative and one "liberal" who endorsed Bush's former Office of Management and Budget director Mitch Daniels in his run for governor of Indiana.

- Replaced the CPB's chief executive officer with a top Republican advisor to former chairman of the FCC, Michael Powell.

And now, Tomlinson is pushing for the appointment of Patricia Harrison, a former co-chair of the Republican National Committee, to serve as the board's next president. So much for political independence!

Public broadcasting icon Bill Moyers calls Tomlinson's crusade to remake PBS a "contemporary example of the age-old ambition of power and ideology to squelch and punish journalists who tell the stories that make princes and priests uncomfortable."

That's speaking truth to power. Now it's your turn. Please contact your Representative now. Rep {name} will be voting on the proposed abolition of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting soon and you need to get the message across that supporting these draconian cuts will not go unpunished. Click here to send that message now. It's worth the minute it will take.

Having fought for nearly a quarter century against efforts to intimidate and suppress sources of fact and dialogue, "People For" has helped defeat previous attacks on public broadcasting. But the latest threats have more teeth. So must our response.

Contact your U.S. Rep. NOW! Then pass it on, and on, and on...
http://pfaw.kintera.org/pbs


- The "People For" Online Team

[Ian David]

1. Save Big Bird from the chopping block

Date: Mon, 13 Jun 2005
From: "Timothy Karr, Campaign Dir." <[e-mail]>
Subject: Save Big Bird from the chopping block

Dear Media Reformer:

The partisan attack on public broadcasting continues. First, they targeted PBS and NPR news programs for signs of "liberal bias." Now they're sharpening their knives for Big Bird.

A congressional subcommittee has voted to slash more than $200 million in funding for public broadcasting, including $23.4 million earmarked for "Ready to Learn" children's educational programming -- the money that keeps shows like "Sesame Street," "Arthur," and "Clifford the Big Red Dog" on the air.

Thousands of phone calls are needed today to save public broadcasting. Call your member of Congress now. (Find their contact information at Go to www.freepress.net/act/savepbs .)

The subcommittee slashed the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget by $100 million and voted to "zero out" all federal money for CPB within two years. Small television and radio stations that serve rural communities and minority audiences will be devastated by these cuts.

The CPB is already embroiled in controversy over Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's attempts to withhold funding from PBS programs that don't follow his conservative political line. Apparently dissatisfied with this effort to make public broadcasting more "fair and balanced," the Republican majority is now trying to bankrupt the entire system.

We must stop these cuts from passing in the House of Representatives. Here's what to do:

1. Call your U.S.representative and ask him or her to restore full funding for public broadcasting. Tell your representative: "Like millions and millions of other Americans, I rely on public broadcasting's superb children's programming and trustworthy news and information. Please protect public broadcasting and restore full federal funding for PBS, NPR and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting."

2. Send a letter to Reps. Jerry Lewis (R-Calif.) and Ralph Regula (R-Ohio), the chairman and vice chairman of the House Appropriations Committee, letting them know that the American public opposes these cuts and doesn't want partisan interference in public broadcasting. The letter is available at www.freepress.net/act/savepbs .

Congress needs to hear from the tens of millions of Americans who tune in every day -- whether it's for Big Bird or Bill Moyers, "Reading Rainbow" or "Morning Edition." Despite overwhelming popular support for public broadcasting, the Republican leadership and partisan board members at the CPB are attempting to gag and starve public media in America.

Don't let them. Call your representatives right away -- and forward this message to everyone you know.

Onward,

Timothy Karr
Campaign Director
www.freepress.net

P.S. To learn more about Free Press' campaign to put the public back in public broadcasting, visit our new Web site at http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting .

P.P.S. More than 85,000 concerned citizens have signed our petitions calling for CPB Chairman Kenneth Tomlinson to resign. Free Press will deliver the petitions on June 20, when the CPB's board of directors meets in Washington. Sign the petition now at http://www.freepress.net/action/pbs .

[Ian David]

2. This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS

Date: Tue, 14 Jun 2005
From: "Noah T. Winer, MoveOn.org" <[e-mail]>
Subject: This time, it's for real: Save NPR and PBS

Dear MoveOn member,

You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how Congress is
slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it's actually true. (Really.
Check the footnotes if you don't believe us.)

A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS,
starting with "Sesame Street," "Reading Rainbow," and other
commercial-free children's shows. If approved, this would be the most
severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull
the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:

http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-4180348-6.JEquC4hq0_.ioSTJPGxg&t=3

If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we'll put
Congress on notice. After you sign the petition, please pass this
message along to any friends, neighbors or co-workers who count on NPR
and PBS.

The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year -- $100
million -- and end funding altogether within two years <1>. In
particular, the loss could kill beloved children's shows like "Sesame
Street," "Clifford the Big Red Dog," "Arthur" and "Postcards from
Buster." Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might
not survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate
sponsorships.

This shameful vote is only the latest partisan assault on public TV and
radio. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which exists to shield
public TV and radio from political pressure, is now chaired by Kenneth
Tomlinson, a staunch Republican close to the White House. Tomlinson has
already forced one-sided conservative programs on the air, even though
Tomlinson's own surveys show that most people consider NPR "fair and
balanced" and they actually trust public broadcasting more than
commercial network news <2>.

Tomlinson also spent taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to root out
"liberal bias," including a secret investigation of Bill Moyers and PBS'
popular investigative show, "NOW." Even though the public paid for the
investigation, Tomlinson has refused to release the findings <3>.

The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in
the budget -- they're trying to decimate any news outlets who question
those in power. This is an ideological attack on our free press.

Talk about bad timing. Every day brings another story about media
consolidation. Radio, TV stations and newspapers are increasingly
controlled by a few massive corporate conglomerates trying to maximize
profits at the expense of quality journalism. Now more than ever, we
need publicly funded media who will ask hard questions and focus on
stories that affect real people, instead of Michael Jackson and the
runaway bride.

As the House and Senate consider this frightening effort to kill public
broadcasting, they need to hear from its owners -- you.

http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-4180348-6.JEquC4hq0_.ioSTJPGxg&t=4

Thank you for all you do,

--Noah, Wes, Jennifer, Eli and the MoveOn.org Team
Tuesday, June 14th, 2005

P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our
friends at Free Press at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748

Sources:

1. "Public Broadcasting Targeted By House," Washington Post, June 10, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745

2. "CPB's 'Secrets and Lies': Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls Revealing
Broad Public Support for PBS and NPR," Center for Digital Democracy, April
27, 2005
http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746

3. "Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases," New York
Times, May 2, 2005
http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm

[Independent_Liberal]

3. Kick!

[Hippo_Tron]

4. You mean the Wrong Wing