PBS Concerned with Conservative Push

Washington Post ^ | April 22, 2005 | Paul Farhi

[Eric in the Ozarks]

$30 million ? Why a freekin dime ?

[Irontank]

So stop taking taxpayer money...easy

[DumpsterDiver]

...people inside the Public Broadcasting Service, see these recent developments as troubling.

...about $30 million in federal funds [goes to PBS].

Pay your own bills, PBS, and then you can make the rules.

[kingu]

Aww.. Poor folks, having to present both sides of an issue. Now, about that 30 million.. How about we chop it in half for every bonehead report on 'art' that under almost any other circumstance would require the response - 'Honey? Where's the plunger?' Or 'Sweety? Did you take out the trash?'

[Irontank]

In negotiations with PBS earlier this year, the corporation also insisted, for the first time, on tying new funding to an agreement that would commit the network to strict "objectivity and balance" in each of its programs -- an idea that PBS's general counsel described in an internal memo as amounting to "government encroachment on and supervision of program content, potentially in violation of the First Amendment.

potentially in violation of the First Amendment? The federal funding for PBS and the CPB itself is definitely in violation of the 10th Amendment

[traderrob6]

If your that dedicated to promoting your own ideolgies via the airwaves....do it gratis

[Puppage]

PBS, they say, is being forced to toe a more conservative line in its programming by the Republican-dominated agency that provides about $30 million in federal funds to the Alexandria-based service. .......

Go ahead PravdaBroadcastingSystem..bite that hand that feeds you.

[dts32041]

Just remember every time they come begging for money, just ask if they are still receiving tax dollars, and they say yes, you have my contribution.

Po's the caller, and they never call back.

[bubman]

Why isn't PBS a Conservative Public Network? Shouldn't it reflect the demographic reality of the US?

Why should PBS be a repository for Liberal ideas only? Why should the likes of Bill Moyers have more currency than say Britt Hume or Bill Kristol?

It isn't their money. It's yours!!

[ocr1]

When I flip through channels and for some reason stop on a pbs station: I see full length commercials from corporate donors, infomercials for some new age "doctor Phil" kinda guy, donation drives. That and the taking peoples money in taxes is a pretty sweet scam.

[tobyhill]

PBS is the funniest show I've ever seen. It's about these idiots who criticize the Conservatives 50 weeks out of a year then begs them for money during a two week fund raiser. The funniest part of this is the Conservatives keep giving. It's like being a white guy paying to go to a black comedy show knowing your going to get ripped on.

[DumpsterDiver]

If your that dedicated to promoting your own ideolgies via the airwaves....do it gratis

Was that comment for me, or for PBS?

I can always go on the local public access cable channel if I want to run off at the mouth.

[Aleighanne]

I say its long overdue to give conservatives a voice on PBS!

[EternalVigilance]

pBS:

Eschew taking tax dollars and just have an extra Telethon.

After all, there are always plenty more liberals who are stupid enough to pay a hundred bucks for a coffee mug that says, "I love Castro!"...

[dfwgator]

I say its long overdue to give conservatives a voice on PBS!

I say its long overdue to get rid of PBS.

[Eric in the Ozarks]

It began with LBJ and was populated with his acolytes.

[hermgem]

While feeding from the public trough and under obligation to be balanced, they nevertheless run a propaganda machine.
Let's drop the charade, get off from pretending and off of existing from public money.
With their staffing they could not be impartial, even if they wanted to.
These people will find out if their services are worth wile of being funded by private monies.
Soros and cohorts just might find funding this machine to be beneficial for the party.

[RexBeach]

If PBS programming is so dad-gummed superior to the fare on cable or over-the-air commercial stations, let's see 'em sell those shows and get PBS hands the hell out of our pockets. Same deal with NPR.

After all, if the nerds at PBS are concerned that the tone of their progamming may be getting a titch more conservative, well, I guess PBS doesn't maintain a very balanced blend of programmiing - does it?

Whiners. Nothing but whiners.

[Beth528]

Mr. Moyers is very, very well funded. He is paid $200,000 by The Florence & John Schuman Foundation. As the president, Moyers oversees $75 million in grant money. Much of it flows into some very interesting hands. In addition, Moyers has a production company that is paid by PBS, which, of course, gets taxpayer money. It is time to abolish PBS. The Real PBS