Defund NPR and PBS

Lue C Fur

Evil member
When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.

While executives at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) are raking in massive salaries, the organizations are participating in an aggressive lobbying effort to prevent Congress from saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year by cutting their subsidies. The so-called commercial free public airwaves have been filled with pleas for taxpayer cash. The Association of Public Television Stations has hired lobbyists to fight the cuts. Hundreds of taxpayer-supported TV, radio and Web outlets have partnered with an advocacy campaign to facilitate emails and phone calls to Capitol Hill for the purpose of telling members of Congress, "Public broadcasting funding is too important to eliminate!"

PBS President Paula Kerger even recorded a personal television appeal that told viewers exactly how to contact members of Congress in order to "let your representative know how you feel about the elimination of funding for public broadcasting." But if PBS can pay Ms. Kerger $632,233 in annual compensation—as reported on the 990 tax forms all nonprofits are required to file—surely it can operate without tax dollars.

The executives at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes the taxpayer money allocated for public broadcasting to other stations, are also generously compensated. According to CPB's 2009 tax forms, President and CEO Patricia de Stacy Harrison received $298,884 in reportable compensation and another $70,630 in other compensation from the organization and related organizations that year. That's practically a pittance compared to Kevin Klose, president emeritus of NPR, who received more than $1.2 million in compensation, according to the tax forms the nonprofit filed in 2009.

Today's media landscape is a thriving one with few barriers to entry and many competitors, unlike when CPB was created in 1967. In 2011, Americans have thousands of news, entertainment and educational programs to choose from that are available on countless television, radio and Web outlets.

Despite how accessible media has become to Americans over the years, funding for CPB has grown considerably. In 2001, the federal government appropriated $340 million for CPB. Last year it got $420 million. As Congress considers ways to close the $1.6 trillion deficit, cutting funding for the CPB has even been proposed by President Obama's bipartisan deficit reduction commission. Instead, Mr. Obama wants to increase CPB's funding to $451 million in his latest budget.

Meanwhile, highly successful, brand-name public programs like Sesame Street make millions on their own. "Sesame Street," for example, made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales from 2003-2006. Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 in compensation in 2008. With earnings like that, Big Bird doesn't need the taxpayers to help him compete against the Nickleodeon cable channel's Dora the Explorer.

Taxpayer-subsidized broadcasting doesn't only make money from licensing and product sales. It also raises plenty of outside cash.
Last year, for example, the Open Society Foundation, backed by liberal financier George Soros, gave NPR $1.8 million to help support the latter's plan to hire an additional 100 reporters. When NPR receives million-dollar gifts from Mr. Soros, it is an insult to taxpayers when other organizations, such as MoveOn.org demand that Congress "save NPR and PBS" by guaranteeing "permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling," as the liberal interest group did last month. It was even more insulting when PBS posted a message on Twitter thanking MoveOn.org—the group that once labeled Gen. David Petraeus as "General Betray Us"—for the help.

The best way to stop the "partisan meddling" in public broadcasting that MoveOn.org complains about is by ending the taxpayers' obligation to pay for it. The politics will be out of public broadcasting as soon as the government gets out of the business of paying for it.

Public broadcasting can pay its presidents half-million and million dollar salaries. Its children's programs are making hundreds of millions in sales. Liberal financiers are willing to write million-dollar checks to help these organizations. There's no reason taxpayers need to subsidize them anymore.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703559604576176663789314074.html
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
Big Bird and Cookie Monster are major babysitters for most moms out there.....they can start paying a little if those characters are sooooo important.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
When presidents of government-funded broadcasting are making more than the president of the United States, it's time to get the government out of public broadcasting.

While executives at the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR) are raking in massive salaries, the organizations are participating in an aggressive lobbying effort to prevent Congress from saving hundreds of millions of dollars each year by cutting their subsidies. The so-called commercial free public airwaves have been filled with pleas for taxpayer cash. The Association of Public Television Stations has hired lobbyists to fight the cuts. Hundreds of taxpayer-supported TV, radio and Web outlets have partnered with an advocacy campaign to facilitate emails and phone calls to Capitol Hill for the purpose of telling members of Congress, "Public broadcasting funding is too important to eliminate!"

PBS President Paula Kerger even recorded a personal television appeal that told viewers exactly how to contact members of Congress in order to "let your representative know how you feel about the elimination of funding for public broadcasting." But if PBS can pay Ms. Kerger $632,233 in annual compensation—as reported on the 990 tax forms all nonprofits are required to file—surely it can operate without tax dollars.

The executives at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which distributes the taxpayer money allocated for public broadcasting to other stations, are also generously compensated. According to CPB's 2009 tax forms, President and CEO Patricia de Stacy Harrison received $298,884 in reportable compensation and another $70,630 in other compensation from the organization and related organizations that year. That's practically a pittance compared to Kevin Klose, president emeritus of NPR, who received more than $1.2 million in compensation, according to the tax forms the nonprofit filed in 2009.

Today's media landscape is a thriving one with few barriers to entry and many competitors, unlike when CPB was created in 1967. In 2011, Americans have thousands of news, entertainment and educational programs to choose from that are available on countless television, radio and Web outlets.

Despite how accessible media has become to Americans over the years, funding for CPB has grown considerably. In 2001, the federal government appropriated $340 million for CPB. Last year it got $420 million. As Congress considers ways to close the $1.6 trillion deficit, cutting funding for the CPB has even been proposed by President Obama's bipartisan deficit reduction commission. Instead, Mr. Obama wants to increase CPB's funding to $451 million in his latest budget.

Meanwhile, highly successful, brand-name public programs like Sesame Street make millions on their own. "Sesame Street," for example, made more than $211 million from toy and consumer product sales from 2003-2006. Sesame Workshop President and CEO Gary Knell received $956,513 in compensation in 2008. With earnings like that, Big Bird doesn't need the taxpayers to help him compete against the Nickleodeon cable channel's Dora the Explorer.

Taxpayer-subsidized broadcasting doesn't only make money from licensing and product sales. It also raises plenty of outside cash.
Last year, for example, the Open Society Foundation, backed by liberal financier George Soros, gave NPR $1.8 million to help support the latter's plan to hire an additional 100 reporters. When NPR receives million-dollar gifts from Mr. Soros, it is an insult to taxpayers when other organizations, such as MoveOn.org demand that Congress "save NPR and PBS" by guaranteeing "permanent funding and independence from partisan meddling," as the liberal interest group did last month. It was even more insulting when PBS posted a message on Twitter thanking MoveOn.org—the group that once labeled Gen. David Petraeus as "General Betray Us"—for the help.

The best way to stop the "partisan meddling" in public broadcasting that MoveOn.org complains about is by ending the taxpayers' obligation to pay for it. The politics will be out of public broadcasting as soon as the government gets out of the business of paying for it.

Public broadcasting can pay its presidents half-million and million dollar salaries. Its children's programs are making hundreds of millions in sales. Liberal financiers are willing to write million-dollar checks to help these organizations. There's no reason taxpayers need to subsidize them anymore.

http://online.wsj.com/article/SB10001424052748703559604576176663789314074.html

The real reason that you want to de-fund PBS is it's "liberal agenda". Having intelligent programming that isn't about Jesus, war, or guns doesn't have much appeal in a Republican household.
 

Lue C Fur

Evil member
The real reason that you want to de-fund PBS is it's "liberal agenda". Having intelligent programming that isn't about Jesus, war, or guns doesn't have much appeal in a Republican household.

Thanks for confirming what we already know.

I would think that the MSM already being Liberal that you would not need NPR and PBS. Why should tax payers have to fund Liberal TV? Im sure Soros has enough money to advance the Liberal agenda. You can donate your money to help them out if you like. :wink2:
 

moreluck

golden ticket member
Jesus programming?? What the hell is Jesus programming?
I'd appreciate Jesus Christ, Superstar........but that about does it for me for Jesus programming.
 

wkmac

Well-Known Member
Did you watch the tape? Was the older lady "speaking in tongues"? I couldn't make-out the language.

I doubt very serious they could either!

BTW: The video is from a documentary called Camp Jesus. Youtube it because what little I posted is the very mild stuff.
 

Jones

fILE A GRIEVE!
Staff member
I doubt very serious they could either!

BTW: The video is from a documentary called Camp Jesus. Youtube it because what little I posted is the very mild stuff.
It's Jesus Camp, Mr Dyslexia :happy-very:. And I agree that it's pretty disturbing.
 

bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
Anyone wanting to defund these organizations under the pretense of a "liberal agenda" hasn't listened or watched them. They are simply the most objective news outlets available. Sad to think that that fact does not constitue a national interest with the government providing some of the support.
 
Anyone wanting to defund these organizations under the pretense of a "liberal agenda" hasn't listened or watched them. They are simply the most objective news outlets available. Sad to think that that fact does not constitue a national interest with the government providing some of the support.
Don't even try to blow that smoke up my pant leg, NPR doesn't even know the meaning of the word objective. They fired Juan Williams because he was too conservative to be on their little network.
 

bbsam

Moderator
Staff member
Don't even try to blow that smoke up my pant leg, NPR doesn't even know the meaning of the word objective. They fired Juan Williams because he was too conservative to be on their little network.

LOL. Spoken like a person who has never listened to NPR. Juan Williams got exactly what he wanted and he played it perfectly.
 
LOL. Spoken like a person who has never listened to NPR. Juan Williams got exactly what he wanted and he played it perfectly.
Maybe I just tuned in at the wrong times, all I heard was the same worn out rhetoric I read from a few on here. Don't wanna mention any names.
 

MrFedEx

Engorged Member
Don't even try to blow that smoke up my pant leg, NPR doesn't even know the meaning of the word objective. They fired Juan Williams because he was too conservative to be on their little network.

Like FOX is objective? "Fair and Balanced". Uh, no, not even close. I agree that Juan Williams made out like a bandit. Most people would accept the dumbing-down that it requires to work for FOX in return for a big payout. Do you really think O'Reilly, Beck, and Hannity even believe half the utter nonsense they dispense? It's entertainment for low information, low IQ viewers. I'm glad you enjoy FOX so much, because they enjoy cashing-in on your brilliance.

Sure, PBS and NPR have a bias toward the liberal side of the spectrum, but when it comes to pulling blather out of your ass, nobody beats FOX, a dubious distinction at best.
 

tourists24

Well-Known Member
Fox is public broadcasting?.... there is no need to take any taxpayer dollars to run a radio or tv broadcast.... its called waste. I think big bird can survive if its that important
 
Like FOX is objective? "Fair and Balanced". Uh, no, not even close. I agree that Juan Williams made out like a bandit. Most people would accept the dumbing-down that it requires to work for FOX in return for a big payout. Do you really think O'Reilly, Beck, and Hannity even believe half the utter nonsense they dispense? It's entertainment for low information, low IQ viewers. I'm glad you enjoy FOX so much, because they enjoy cashing-in on your brilliance.

Sure, PBS and NPR have a bias toward the liberal side of the spectrum, but when it comes to pulling blather out of your ass, nobody beats FOX, a dubious distinction at best.
What evidence do you have showing that Fox is supported by tax dollars???? I'll say it for you...NONE. They may enjoy a few tax breaks just like NBC,MSNBC, etc etc, but that isn't the same as getting a big check from Uncle Sam.
Where do you get the idea that it is OK for tax dollars to support a bias either way??? I wouldn't like it if NPR and/or PBS was conservative biased either.

You should recognise someone pulling blather from where the sun don't shine, you do on most everything you post.
OH and BTW, I have never said, implied nor pretended that Fox was not biased.
 
Top