Free Republic

KUED and KBYU, the two local PBS stations are having their Spring fund drives again. Again the quality of programs goes down and you see non stop every 15 minute hosts that have come out of the woodwork asking you the viewer to give to public television so they can continue to give us quality programming.

An analysis of the propaganda campaign to get Al-Jazeera carried by more cable and satellite systems reveals an interesting fact. The terrorist TV channel is already available through something called MHz Networks. And it turns out that the MHz Networks is supported by the American taxpayers at the federal and state levels. MHz Networks is a division of Commonwealth Public Broadcasting and receives over $2 million a year from federal and state governments. In this case, because Commonwealth is based in Virginia, the culprit is the state of Virginia. However, Governor Robert F. McDonnell has proposed eliminating state funding of...

(CNSNews.com) - Two Republican senators on Friday introduced a bill to stop taxpayer subsidies to public radio and television. Since 2001, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting has received nearly $4 billion in taxpayer money for National Public Radio (NPR) and the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). Sens. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.) and Tom Coburn (R-Okla.) said with the nation on the brink of bankruptcy, some decisions to cut spending are difficult -- but not this one: "Americans struggling to make ends meet shouldn’t be forced to fund public broadcasting when there are already thousands of choices for educational and entertainment programming on...

Sen. Barbara Boxer (D-Calif.) said Tuesday that House Republicans want to strip government funding of PBS because they have a "vendetta against Elmo." Boxer made the comments during a floor speech where she made the case for her bill that would ensure that the president and lawmakers are not paid if a government shutdown occurs. Boxer said that the cost of four hours of the Iraq war would be enough to keep PBS funded — and the popular fire-red children's character on the air. Boxer believes that the GOP has more than just a vendetta against Elmo. She added that...

"The Motown Sound: In Performance at the White House" is a PBS music special in the East Room of the White House. President and Mrs. Obama will host the event on Thursday, February 24 in celebration of Black History Month and the legacy of Motown, the distinctive soul-infused pop music sound, style and presentation that was born in Detroit and embodied by the Motown Records label. The evening will include program host Jamie Foxx and performances by Foxx, Natasha Bedingfield, Sheryl Crow, the group Gloriana, Nick Jonas, Ledisi, John Legend, Amber Riley, Smokey Robinson, Mark Salling, Seal and Jordin Sparks....

Puppet Pork: If you wonder why it's hard to cut spending, consider the throng of U.S congressmen lining up with Arthur the Aardvark to defend PBS funding from budget cutters. A $14 trillion deficit doesn't tickle us, Elmo. It wasn't an episode of "Sesame Street," but it might have been. There on the Capitol steps was Rep. Ed Markey, D-Mass., accompanied by fellow Democratic Reps. Paul Tonko, Bill Owens and Nita Lowey of New York and Betty McCollum of Minnesota, with a bevy of Muppets to fight against cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's budget. "This is an ideological...

Hours after the House passed aggressive cuts to public media funding, the organization that oversees government money for NPR and PBS is sticking up for federal funding. Patricia Harrison, the chief executive of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), made a case for public television and radio in a media landscape dominated by cable and migrating onto the Internet. Her selling points: public media is local, trustworthy, and educational.

Oregon Congressman Earl Blumenauer (D) says he knows there's a need to cut back, but doesn't understand why the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) got the ax. During a Saturday interview with Fox News, Blumenauer lamented, "It is unfortunate we are zeroing in on this little piece." The House of Representatives voted to eliminate the CPB's funding as part of a government spending bill that was passed in the early hours of Saturday morning. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides support for ventures like National Public Radio (NPR) and PBS, home of "Sesame Street." Rep. Doug Lamborn, R-Colo., says the...

On its Twitter account today, PBS explicitly thanked MoveOn.org for their campaigning to "save public broadcasting" from the conservatives who would cut the budget of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. A special thanks to @moveon for its help and support this week. www.moveon.org #savepublicbcasting This certainly clashes with a story on Wednesday by Katy Bachman of AdWeek, in which executives expressed a slight embarrassment to be so fervently associated with the radical-left promoters of Bush-is-Hitler ads: Public broadcasting executives appreciate the support—to a point. But several who spoke with Adweek wish MoveOn would have stayed quiet. They’re concerned that the...

PENDING A vote in Congress this week, public broadcasting could cease to exist. The House of Representatives will consider a budget resolution calling for the elimination of funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which in turn funds National Public Radio, Public Broadcasting Service, and public stations across the country, including WBUR and WGBH in Boston. Does the federal deficit need to be addressed? Of course. But gutting public radio and public television is not the answer. (snip) For $1.35 per year per American — less than a cup of coffee — people in cities and towns across the United...

Looks like it’s Jim DeMint vs. Elmo. To fight back against Republican plans to cut funds for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Democrats and other supporters have been enlisting the help of the lovable creatures from Sesame Street and other popular public broadcasting programs. Today, Arthur the aardvark appeared at a Capitol Hill press conference.

House Democrats made their case for continuing taxpayer funding of public media outlets such as NPR and PBS with a little help from Arthur the PBS cartoon character, who visited the Capitol Wednesday morning. The friendly but silent aardvark joined Democratic Reps. Edward Markey of Massachusetts, Earl Blumenauer of Oregon and others to hit back against Republicans who have pledged to cut the funding from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in the next budget. “We need your help today,” Markey said as a person dressed as the character walked toward the Capitol building. “We can’t leave Arthur and all of...

The liberal group Moveon.org has been sending out e-mails to warn that Republicans are back in control of the House and to ask recipients to sign a petition that states, "Congress must protect NPR and PBS and guarantee them permanent funding, free from political meddling." Of course, the best way to guarantee no political meddling would be to eliminate some $500 million in federal funds allocated annually to these media's parent organization, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Also of course, the fact that Moveon.org wants to keep federal tax dollars pouring into the public broadcasting bucket should end any question...

MoveOn.org has created a petition to pressure congress into stopping their efforts to defund NPR. We can't let them win. Be sure to visit the link attached and let them know what you think! Save NPR and PBS www.pol.moveon.org The Republicans just released their budget proposal, and it zeroes out funding for both NPR and PBS--the worst proposal in more than a decade. Tell Republicans that cutting off funding was unacceptable last time they were in charge, and it's unacceptable now. Sign the petition to save NPR and PBS.

This month, there are four bills pending in Congress that would eliminate federal funding for the most trusted institution in America. For the last seven years, according to the annual Roper opinion poll, more Americans put their trust in this institution than any other. In 2010, it ranked two times higher than the criminal justice system, 2-1/2 times higher than network television and a whopping 7-1/2 times higher than Congress. One hundred and eleven million Americans use it every month, yet the U.S. spends less per capita on this institution than any other First World country spends on the equivalent....

In the aftermath of last weekend’s tragedy in Arizona, we are left to wrestle with the question of how best to prevent these kinds of violent incidents in the future. Gun control advocates say that with 80 to 90 gun deaths each day in the U.S., the best answer is more regulations and fewer guns on America’s streets. But gun rights advocates think just the opposite — that more guns make us safer. Back in May, we introduced you to some advocates of what’s called the “open carry” movement. If you’re a gun owner you may already know the term....

For fans of PBS's "McLaughlin Group" that have for years put up with Eleanor Clift screeching and rudely interrupting other guests, a marvelous moment happened Friday that is guaranteed to put a smile on your face. While the group discussed gun laws in the wake of the Arizona tragedy, the Newsweek columnist started talking over Pat Buchanan who finally quipped to the delight of all in attendance, "The President told you to cool the rhetoric now Eleanor" (video follows with transcript and commentary): Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2011/01/16/pat-buchanan-newsweeks-clift-president-told-you-cool-rhetoric-eleanor#ixzz1BHmOqOsx

On the late-night PBS talk show Charlie Rose on Monday night, the debate about who to blame for the Tucson shootings was a unanimously liberal media panel. NBC anchor Brian Williams and Washington Post columnist Ezra Klein tried to be careful, but recently departed Newsweek editor Jon Meacham wanted to push blame on “hot talk.” As Rose interviewed Williams (from a remote in Tucscon), Meacham jumped in to ask: “Brian, is it your sense that there was anything particular about the climate in Arizona, the political climate, that may have put fuel on the garage floor here?” Williams claimed “I’m...

You can add another Republican name to the growing list of those who want to either slash or completely cut out government funding for National Public Radio. The Friday edition of the Daily Caller says Doug Lamborn has introduced two bills into the House that would completely eliminate NPR funding. H.R. 68 calls for the end of all funding to NPR's parent, the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, while H.R. 69 would eliminate any government funding for NPR only, by 2013. Lamborn says "NPR claims that less than 2 percent of its total annual budget comes from the federal government. But...

Starting Jan. 1, KCET-TV Channel 28 is severing its relationship with PBS to become the nation's largest independent public TV station. Los Angeles' flagship PBS channel will begin airing local programs, BBC repeats, news and documentaries made elsewhere, as KOCE-TV Channel 50 in Orange County carries most of the PBS shows for Southern California. If major cities such as New York and Washington, D.C., can sustain a PBS player, why not Los Angeles?