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Republican Lobbyists' Role for Public TV Is Investigated
WASHINGTON, June 15 - Investigators at the Corporation for Public Broadcasting are examining $15,000 in payments to two Republican lobbyists last year that were not disclosed to the corporation's board, people involved in the inquiry said on Wednesday.
One of the lobbyists was retained at the direction of the corporation's Republican chairman, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, they said, and the other at the suggestion of his Republican predecessor, who remains on the board.
The investigators, in the corporation's inspector general's office, are also examining $14,170 in payments made under contracts - which Mr. Tomlinson took the unusual step of signing personally, also without the knowledge of board members - with a man in Indiana who provided him with reports about the political leanings of guests on the "Now" program when its host was Bill Moyers.
While the amounts of the contracts are relatively small, the issues they pose are part of a broader examination by the inspector general of Mr. Tomlinson's efforts to bring what he says is more political balance to public television and radio and what critics say is political interference in programming.
It comes as Republicans in Congress are threatening to cut support for public broadcasting sharply, and as a number of crucial staff members at the corporation have quit and privately cited concerns on Mr. Tomlinson's leadership.
The people who described the inquiry and the declining morale include officials unhappy with the corporation's course under Mr. Tomlinson. Concerned about retribution, they spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mr. Tomlinson, a former editor of Reader's Digest appointed to the board by President Bill Clinton in 2000, said on Wednesday that he would not comment on details of the investigation but was certain that he had done nothing improper.
"We are confident that the inspector general's report will conclude that all personnel arrangements were and continue to be made in accordance with the statutes and rules governing CPB's use of funds," he said in an e-mail message.
Corporation officials said the two lobbyists did not approach lawmakers but provided strategic advice on handling a bill last year that would have given public radio and television stations more representation on the corporation's board. The measure, which died, was opposed by the White House and Mr. Tomlinson but was supported by stations.
One of the lobbyists, Brian Darling, was paid $10,000 for his insights into Senator Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who sponsored the provision. This year, he briefly served as a top aide to Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida, but resigned after the disclosure that he had written a memorandum describing how to exploit politically the life-support case of Terri Schiavo.
Read More
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/16/politics/16broadcast.html
The investigators, in the corporation's inspector general's office, are also examining $14,170 in payments made under contracts - which Mr. Tomlinson took the unusual step of signing personally, also without the knowledge of board members - with a man in Indiana who provided him with reports about the political leanings of guests on the "Now" program when its host was Bill Moyers.
While the amounts of the contracts are relatively small, the issues they pose are part of a broader examination by the inspector general of Mr. Tomlinson's efforts to bring what he says is more political balance to public television and radio and what critics say is political interference in programming.
It comes as Republicans in Congress are threatening to cut support for public broadcasting sharply, and as a number of crucial staff members at the corporation have quit and privately cited concerns on Mr. Tomlinson's leadership.
The people who described the inquiry and the declining morale include officials unhappy with the corporation's course under Mr. Tomlinson. Concerned about retribution, they spoke on condition of anonymity.
Mr. Tomlinson, a former editor of Reader's Digest appointed to the board by President Bill Clinton in 2000, said on Wednesday that he would not comment on details of the investigation but was certain that he had done nothing improper.
"We are confident that the inspector general's report will conclude that all personnel arrangements were and continue to be made in accordance with the statutes and rules governing CPB's use of funds," he said in an e-mail message.
Corporation officials said the two lobbyists did not approach lawmakers but provided strategic advice on handling a bill last year that would have given public radio and television stations more representation on the corporation's board. The measure, which died, was opposed by the White House and Mr. Tomlinson but was supported by stations.
One of the lobbyists, Brian Darling, was paid $10,000 for his insights into Senator Conrad Burns, a Montana Republican who sponsored the provision. This year, he briefly served as a top aide to Senator Mel Martinez, Republican of Florida, but resigned after the disclosure that he had written a memorandum describing how to exploit politically the life-support case of Terri Schiavo.
Read More
http://www.nytimes.com/2005/06/16/politics/16broadcast.html
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Since right-wing ideologue and corrupt member of Congress, Newt Gingrich, took up the anti-PBS standard in 1994, it appears they may now have finally won.
A House subcommittee voted last week to reduce federal funding for public broadcasting and the underwriting of popular children’s shows like Sesame Street, Reading Rainbow, Arthur and others.
If this version of the bill makes it into law, within two years all federal money for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) would be eliminated. Next year, the CPB would see their funds cut by 25%.
The CPB was created in 1967 as a non-profit and federal funds that support it are crucial for small TV and radio stations to stay afloat.
Supporters of PBS have accused the GOP of aiming their guns at public broadcasting because of a perceived "liberal bias." The CPB’s chair Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, an avowed Republican, initiated the effort to eliminate funding.
Rep. David Obey (D-WS), the ranking Democrat on the House subcommittee that voted to cut the funding, said, "Republican leaders are trying to bring every facet of the federal government under their control."
Obey added, "Now they are trying to put their ideological stamp on public broadcasting."
To be frank, the GOP just doesn’t like publicly funded or subsidized programs – unless the beneficiaries of public funds are very large corporations or very wealthy people who are oppressed by taxes, regulations, and labor unions. After all, they don’t really mind giving huge tax breaks, subsidies, and special inside deals to large corporations like big media companies or Wal-Mart.
While the Republicans claimed that fiscal problems required that cuts be made (no mention of repealing any tax cuts for the rich) and that they weren’t doing this out of ideological motives, the record is clear. Republicans have historically attacked public television and National Public Radio for not advancing biased views that slant to the political right.
Gingrich led the charge against public TV because it was a symptom of "big government." Jesse Helms took on the purple TeleTubby (Tinky-Winky) because Helms thought he was gay. More recently Republican-affiliated groups again criticized PBS shows for advancing the "homosexual agenda" or for presenting less-biased views about the Israel-Palestine conflict.
Supporters of public television and radio insist that mostly commercial free educational programs deserve full funding. Where else can children get such programming?
Another important part of the GOP cuts targets small TV and radio programmers. This version of the bill cuts support for smaller projects such as a $39.6 million public TV satellite distribution network and a $39.4 million program that helps public stations upgrade their technology.
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http://www.politicalaffairs.net/article/articleview/1305/1/32/