PBS recently deemed the documentary, "Islam vs. Islamists: Voices from the Muslim Center" unacceptable for broadcasting because they find it to be "incomplete" and does not meet "editorial standards." The documentary is part of a $20 million series funded by the Corporation for Public Broadcasting that examines problems facing the nation following the September 11 attacks. After spending $675,000 on the show and receiving a letter from eight members of Congress, CPB will not be letting the show be shelved despite PBS' concerns, and has decided to take matters into their own hands. CPB will be releasing "Islam vs. Islamists" to Oregon Public Broadcasting for distribution to other public stations.

Cross-posted on the Working Assets blog.

You may have heard that President Bush wants to cut about $145 million from the budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). That's the agency that distributes federal funding to public radio and TV stations.

That's small potatoes in a federal budget of nearly $3 trillion, and maybe you're even thinking we have more pressing problems. And that is precisely why this is a critical issue now.

Consider what's going on: We're debating how to proceed in Iraq and many other difficult domestic and foreign issues. We're entering into another presidential campaign. It is especially important that Americans have access to the diverse viewpoints and hard-hitting journalism that public broadcasting provides.

Public broadcasting was founded about 40 years ago to provide quality commercial-free programming. The idea was that without having to depend on ads for their revenues, the shows could be free to speak truth to power.

We need that today too.

Please join us in urging your representatives in Congress to restore funding for CPB and to preserve its editorial independence.

From the Senate Commerce Committee's website:


The Senate Commerce Committee heard from tens of thousands of you that Warren Bell was simply not qualified to serve on the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. According to a Hill staffer cited in Communications Daily today, Senators will try to get the White House to "just remove him [Bell] from consideration." We couldn't have achieved this victory without your activism. Thanks for all you do to keep our media system and our democracy strong.

Warren Bell, a nominee to serve on the board of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting: 

• thinks sports talk radio is more interesting than NPR.
• wants PBS to spend more time on "scripted programming" and move away from unscripted broadcasts - like news and documentaries.
• has zero professional experience in public broadcasting, education or public service.

The producer of According to Jim, Bell says that "creating pop culture has been the focus of my adult life." That's not quite the sensibility needed at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the agency in charge of "facilitating the development of ...non-commercial high-quality programming."

The Senate Commerce Committee will vote on whether or not to recommend Bell's nomination to the full Senate. If you think that our PBS and NPR stations deserve better than Warren Bell, go here to contact your Senator.

Ken Tomlinson, former chairman of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting and current head of the Broadcasting Board of Governors (the agency in charge of Radio Free Europe, Voice of America, etc.) just can't keep his nose clean.

He stepped down from the CPB Board when an investigation revealed that he had used partisan litmus tests in to make hires, meddled in programming decisions, and violated the organization's contracting rules.

Apparently the firestorm of negative publicity wasn't enough to put Tomlinson on the straight and narrow. According to the New York Times, a new report from the State Department's Inspector General reveals that Tomlinson:

"improperly hired a friend on the public payroll for nearly $250,000 over two and a half years"

"used his government office for personal business, including running a horse racing operation in which he supervised a stable of thoroughbreds he named after leaders from Afghanistan"

"used government employees to do his personal errands"

"requested and received pay from both the broadcasting board and the Corporation for Public Broadcasting for the same days worked on 14 occasions"

Tomlinson's term at the BBG is about to expire and he's been nominated to continue serving in that role. In light of these findings, the Senate should take a pass.

July will prove a significant month for public broadcasting, and efforts to protect the public's airwaves will take on great significance.  The bill approved by the House Appropriations Committee in June with $95 million in cuts to the budget for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will soon be up for debate on the House floor - and so will the future of public television and radio.

In a July 3 National Review article, Kate O'Beirne & Richard Lowry wrote:

But saving the CPB is about far more than saving Big Bird.  (Though it is important to note that the proposed budget cuts will eliminate funding for Ready To Learn, the service that produces shows like Sesame Street and characters like Big Bird.)  The CPB is important not only because of characters like Big Bird, Clifford, and Elmo, but because public broadcasting is a critical source of public affairs and election coverage. Public broadcasting connects people to their communities, by airing local news and artists.  Moreover, when a few media conglomerates control the vast majority of our airwaves, public broadcasting is one of the few remaining outlets for journalists to report the news, unfettered by concerns of angering their corporate owners.

Last week, a House subcommittee voted along party lines to eliminate nearly one-quarter of public broadcasting's budget for next year. The cuts would completely eliminate public broadcasting's "Ready to Learn" program,  which produces beloved shows like Sesame Street, Clifford the Big Red Dog and Reading Rainbow that have educated and entertained generations of children.

In an age of consolidated, profit-driven media, public broadcasting remains one of the few outlets where you can find independent news and public affairs programming, as well as quality educational programming for children. In poll after poll, the American people have said that public broadcasting is a good investment of their public tax dollars.

The House Appropriations Committee can and should reverse course, and vote to restore full funding to public broadcasting. Lend your support to that cause today.  Tell us what you value about public broadcasting in the Comments section below.

If new Public Broadcasting President Paula Kerger performs half as well as she gives speeches, public television, a political football and favorite punching bag of former Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) Chairman Ken Tomlinson, may be in for a renaissance.

In one of her first major speeches, after serving just ten weeks as PBS president, Herger said all the right things at the National Press Club on May 23.

Kerger noted that "at a time of unprecedented media consolidation," the local public broadcasting station often was the only locally owned and operated station in a community. "Localism is our calling card," she told reporters at the Press Club luncheon.