Since November, there's been much news coverage on proposed cuts in federal
funding for the arts, humanities, and for public broadcasting.
None would argue with the need to spend federal tax dollars wisely. How to
spend them, however, is another matter, fraught with disagreement. One
person's art is another's garbage; one person's history is another's
propaganda; one person's favorite program is another's reason for
"defunding" public broadcasting.
While I am a public TV professional, I speak here for the millions of people
nationwide who rely every day on public TV and radio for programs and
related non-broadcast services that educate, inform and entertain.
The American public has invested billions in taxes over the years to
establish a nationwide system of locally controlled public radio and TV
stations, over 900 total. They already represent a strong public/private
partnership. Each station relies on secure federal funding as the "seed
corn" with which they raise other necessary funds in their own communities.
At my station, KVIE in Sacramento, CA, for example, federal funding
represents 10% of our station budget. We use it to raise the other 90%
locally.
Public TV and radio were the first national broadcast organizations to
distribute national programming regularly by satellite, thereby improving
technical quality and cutting costs. Public broadcasting uses tax dollars
for research in telecommunications technologies which pay off quickly, not
"trickle down" eventually, to end users. In addition to satellite program
distribution, specific technical improvements for consumers include closed
captioning and descriptive narration for the blind, on selected programs.
Finally, bullets from the "Truth Squad":
* Neither Sesame Street nor Barney makes a billion dollars a year in
profits from product sales. They each make about $20 million per year.
Sesame Street revenue goes back into production of Sesame Street and
other children's shows. Some Barney revenue does come back to PBS, to
pay for other programming. The charge that PBS doesn't get any of the
revenue from ancillary product sales is out of date, by two or more
years.
* CPB overhead is not 75%. It's limited by statute to no more than 5% of
total revenues, and is currently at about 4 1/2%.
* 75% of your federal tax dollars for public broadcasting are spent by
local public TV and radio stations. Of the remaining 25%, much goes to
producers, and the programs air on your local public TV and radio
stations.
* That's it, your tax dollar--$1.12 per year, per person--at work. Think
about it.
Susan Prince is at KVIE Public Television in Sacramento.
� 1995 Educom.