Posted on 03/09/2011 2:30:27 AM PST by Libloather
NPR, PBS campaigns to keep federal funds called unlawful
By Seth McLaughlin and Stephen Dinan
The Washington Times
8:47 p.m., Monday, March 7, 2011
NPR and PBS stations nationwide are rallying their audiences to contact Congress to fight against Republicans’ proposed spending cuts, but some affiliates’ pleas may violate laws preventing nonprofits or government-funded groups from lobbying.
Interrupting popular programs, the stations air warnings that cuts could end beloved children’s television shows such as “Sesame Street.” Some stations urge their audience to call and let Congress know their feelings, while others go further, instructing viewers to “stop the Senate” or “defend federal funding” for public broadcasting.
The ad campaigns are a direct response to House Republicans’ push to eliminate all Corporation for Public Broadcasting funds for the rest of the fiscal year. Democrats have fought the cuts and President Obama asked for $451 million for CPB in his 2012 budget request — a $6 million increase.
But lawmakers and conservative critics argue the stations are breaking two laws, one that prohibits using taxpayer-funded grants to petition Congress for more taxpayer money and the other that bans nonprofits from doing much lobbying of any kind.
With upward of $190,000 riding on the congressional spending fight, KBIA public radio at the University of Missouri has run radio and website ads urging listeners to “tell Congress funding for KBIA and other public broadcast is important to you,” and also directed viewers to visit “170 Million Americans for Public Broadcasting,” a campaign created by public media executives that is fighting to save CPB’s taxpayer funding, which is distributed to more than 1,300 stations nationwide.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
Where they teach how to break the law?
Perhaps a more fitting punishment...coupled with some cuts...would be a mandate from congress that NPR must provide twenty hours a day of culture, classical music, opera, jazz and poetic readings. If you handicapped these guys to the point where the news angle was worthless...then they’d all pack up and leave...thus bringing “real change” to NPR. I’d also suggest moving NPR headquarters from DC to the middle of Iowa as well...but 98 percent of the team would never move.
Rupert Murdoch ought to announce that if PBS goes under, Fox will pick up "Sesame Street" and broadcast it on their network!
Mark Levin said he’s already prepared to organize an investment group to fund Sesame Street.
Except Big Bird Generates 211 Million dollars a Year in Revenue,Let them fend for themselves,if it is soooooooooooooo Popular why cant they make it without forced theft from the Taxpayers?
They are done. They always say they don’t need the money.
Except Big Bird Generates 211 Million dollars a Year in Revenue...
I was going to say, Sesame St. in no way will be cut, because it is too valuable to them. (But you said it first.)
Are they kidding? People were fighting over "Tickle Me Elmo"! How much shelf space in WalMart and ToysRUs is devoted to Sesame Street stuff? Where does that money go?
I wonder if Union labor makes any of that crap for their PBS comrades, by the way...
“I’d also suggest moving NPR headquarters from DC to the middle of Iowa as well...but 98 percent of the team would never move.”
If we could guarantee it would be 100%, it would be an even better thing!
All anyone has to do when confronted with the “Sesame Street in peril, Elmo is going to get fired” myth is simply say that any NPR executive that cancels it’s #1 cash cow when faced with a 2% funding cut is not worth the bloated salary they are making.
That rips their entire BS argument to shreds.
These “childrens’ shows” are such crapola. Don’t the kids grow up to replaced by different kids? Keep showing the same crapola over and over. Stop spending money producing these inanities. How will the kids know if the shows are old...they weren’t sround years earlier. These morons are acting like the kids won’t develop into functioning human beings if they are not continuously exposed to this garbage. On second thought, many infantile LIB young adults are probably sitting in their parents basements watching this drivel when they are in their 20’s and 30’s.
Most public stations are owned and operated by the states.
Republican governors can solve the problem by simply telling the station managers to drop NPR/PBS. It is that simple
If they have enough money to run political advertising, they don’t need federal tax dollars.
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