Republicans want to kill PBS and NPR!!!

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

House Republicans just voted to slash funding for NPR and PBS this year. We stopped them last year. We can stop them again.

Everyone expected House Republicans to give up efforts to kill NPR and PBS after a massive public outcry stopped them last year. But they've just voted to eliminate funding for NPR and PBS—unbelievably, starting with programs like "Sesame Street."1

Public broadcasting would lose nearly a quarter of its federal funding this year. Even worse, all funding would be eliminated in two years—threatening one of the last remaining sources of watchdog journalism.2

Can you ask 3 friends to sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS again this year?

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-3096401-3l8VpaMEnt43MMyDC9Uahw&t=2

Last year, over 1 million of us signed the petition, and Congress listened. We can do it again if you pass this message along to any friends, neighbors, or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS for news or children's programming.

This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. The Boston Globe reports the cuts "could force the elimination of some popular PBS and NPR programs." NPR's president expects rural public radio stations may be forced to shut down.

The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren't just trying to save money in the budget—they're trying to decimate any news outlets willing to ask tough questions of those in power. Americans trust public broadcasting more than any corporate news media.3 This is an ideological attack on our free press.

President Bush's budget proposed cuts to NPR and PBS4, but Congress is going even further: slashing 23% of this year's public broadcasting budget—$115 million—and denying NPR and PBS any funding in two years. The cuts immediately terminate support for commercial-free children's shows like "Sesame Street," "Clifford," and "Maya and Miguel."

The House and Senate are deciding if public broadcasting will survive, and they need to hear from viewers like you. Ask 3 friends to sign the petition at:

http://civic.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=7965-3096401-3l8VpaMEnt43MMyDC9Uahw&t=3

Thank you for all you do.

–Noah, Eli, Adam G., Tom, Marika and the MoveOn.org Civic Action Team

Thursday, June 8th, 2006

P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our

friends at Free Press at:

http://www.freepress.net/publicbroadcasting/

Sources:

1. "GOP takes aim at PBS funding," Boston Globe, June 8, 2006

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1864&id=7965-3096401-3l8VpaMEnt43MMyDC9Uahw&t=4

PBS' Ready to Learn program (funds "Sesame Street" and other children's shows)

http://www.pbs.org/readytolearn/

2. "CPB Responds to House Appropriations Subcommittee's Proposed Funding Levels for Public Broadcasting," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, June 7, 2006

http://www.cpb.org/pressroom/release.php?prn=551

3. "2005 'Open to the Public' Objectivity and Balance Report," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, January 31, 2006

http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/goals/objectivity/

4. "Bush Budget Pumps Propaganda, Slashes PBS," MediaCitizen, February 7, 2006

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=1865&id=7965-3096401-3l8VpaMEnt43MMyDC9Uahw&t=5

[Guest pod]

I'd like to see a controlled divestiture of NPR and PBS from government control.

[V. Barbarino]

NPR is a joke, it's a left wing organization that tax payers pay for. As for PBS, I do watch it on occasions, but I see no need for it to be funded by tax payers...

goodbye npr and pbs, no one gives a damm!

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

NPR is a joke, it's a left wing organization that tax payers pay for. As for PBS, I do watch it on occasions, but I see no need for it to be funded by tax payers...

goodbye npr and pbs, no one gives a damm!

We'll see what you think about PBS if you ever have kids. It's nice to have a station that your kid can watch TV on that has no advertising during the programs...

[Guest tres-b]

Why should tax dollars fund NPR? I just dont get your beef other than the fact NPR is a liberal media outlet.

As for PBS, it can be reorganized to run strictly off donations.

End of story.

[Guest swirlundergrounder]

Why should tax dollars fund NPR? I just dont get your beef other than the fact NPR is a liberal media outlet.

As for PBS, it can be reorganized to run strictly off donations.

End of story.

Do you have any kids?

[Guest JMT]

i could care less about NPR, but not having PBS would be utter bullshit. aside from sesame street, they show a lot of great documentaries and even have some good concert specials from time to time.

[Guest pod]

Do you have any kids?

I can see the point from that perspective. But the fact that PBS and NPR derive a good portion of their funds from the government makes them automatically suspect. Our government is corrupt' date=' and it would be too easy for them to make NPR and PBS into a version of [i']Pravda.

Tres has a point. Both organizations could be restructured to run far more efficiently and cheaply off of donations only. It would be a combination technological solution/organizational planning solution.

And yes, they could remain on the primitive analog airwaves for the time being.

[Guest rhythmburn]

PBS is good -- NPR is a crock of shit

[Guest pontifex]

All I can say is the Jim Leher NerdHour. Yeah, its boring as hell, but they do go way more in depth on current events than any of the cable networks

[Guest jamu]

Well there went the only news worthy station out there. Probably because they spoke the truth... Hmm telling the truth... hmmm that would go against the grain of conservative agenda... push religon and usrup as much power as your can from the federal goverment to push your religous and poorly thought through economic ideas. I wonder why they cut spending there insted of certain other places.... :

Then again we are talking about the same goverment that outted their OWN CIA agent because of their own agenda. Which signaled a red flag about Iraq. But then again I mean who really cares. I am sure not the "educated" group of individuals who represent our conservative republican party. Who are so sure that they are doing the right thing for our country :

By the way Terry your also right. You know that quality children's television will be out there door. That means their loved Christian Coallition will start shouting because there is nothing on TV for kids. And turn their kids to The 500 club channel to educate them. Then they will grow up to become slaves to the Chinese Empire's outsourcing cause they were to busy praying to god rather then learning about Math and Science in school because those are the Devils workings. Shhhhhh its a liberal idea to provide quality education.

[Guest saintjohn]

Here's a link to today's Diana Moon Glampers, I mean Diane Rehm show with Art Buchwald. Listen to this in its entirety, and then tell me if you think taxpayers are getting their money's worth:

http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/06/06/r2060608-10879.asx

[Guest Spankmeister]

They have been trying to do this for a long, long time....

[V. Barbarino]

Here's a link to today's Diana Moon Glampers, I mean Diane Rehm show with Art Buchwald. Listen to this in its entirety, and then tell me if you think taxpayers are getting their money's worth:

http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/06/06/r2060608-10879.asx

DUDE THIS IS PAINFUL! WTF ARE WE FUNDING THIS SHIT FOR???

KILL ME NOWWWWWWWWWWW!

WHO THE FUCK WOULD TUNE INTO THIS SHIT???

[Guest saintjohn]

So many opinions, but only Saleen bothered to listen to the link?

[Guest coach]

I can't stand Diane Rehm. I've never figured out why she is so respected by the world community. But, she does get some amazing people pinned down for interviews.

Other than that, I find all of the NPR news programs to be quite well done. I mean, if we didn't have public radio, where would we go for in-depth news? And TV doesn't count.

[Guest pod]

The internet, like any 21st century citizen.

[Guest saintjohn]

I can't stand Diane Rehm. I've never figured out why she is so respected by the world community. But, she does get some amazing people pinned down for interviews.

Unfortunately, those interviews are often unlistenable, due to her saccharine demeanor and halting speech. I'm sorry she's sick, but if you host a talk show, you need to be able to talk.

Also, her gushing "interview" with Buchwald was an embarrassment. Would a conservative solumnist like William F. Buckley have received a similar reception, even if he was terminally ill? Rehms is welcome to her opinions (even if her more right-wing guests aren't), but she doesn't seem to care about NPR's politically diverse listenership. She assumes that everyone listening (and contributing to NPR) shares her world view.

Other than that, I find all of the NPR news programs to be quite well done. I mean, if we didn't have public radio, where would we go for in-depth news? And TV doesn't count.

There's little actual news on the radio, but lots of loudmouths (of every political persuasion) trying to interpret events for us. NPR should serve the public interest and quit trying to shape public opinion.

And why are we all paying for Prairie Home Companion?

[Guest coach]

The internet, like any 21st century citizen.

Cool, you get that in your car?

[Guest saintjohn]

Cool, you get that in your car?

I wander how many road rage incidents that Diane Rehm interview prompted.

Seriously, though, I do appreciate WLRN's frequent traffic reports.

[Guest pod]

Cool, you get that in your car?

Actually if I had a car, yes I could and would. EV-DO, a inverter, a cheap laptop or microATX PC, and boom.

NPR might do good stuff now, but their proximity to the government means they are absolutely not to be trusted.

[Guest obby]

It's all Bush's fault.

;D

[ryan2772]

Here's a link to today's Diana Moon Glampers, I mean Diane Rehm show with Art Buchwald. Listen to this in its entirety, and then tell me if you think taxpayers are getting their money's worth:

http://www.wamu.org/audio/dr/06/06/r2060608-10879.asx

listening now (God help me)....so....which one of the people talking is dying? both? yep, that's what it sounds like.

[Guest saintjohn]

If Rehm really cared about Buchwald's legacy, she would've transcribed this interview and published it somewhere so we could read it and skip over all of the awkward pauses. Presenting it in this uedited form is bad for both of them. Unless you already know this guest and appreciate his work, the slow, stumbling interview itself is just incredibly annoying.

Buchwald can be funny (I thought the bit about charging his grandchildren for rides on his motorized staircase lift was pretty amusing, for example), but an NPR broadcast was an inappopriate medium for this message.

The fact that they're both ill is sad, but that doesn't make it a good radio show.

In the interest of full disclosure, I should explain why I was so irritated by this particular broadcast:

I was working on some last-minute writing assignments the morning the Al-Zarqawi news broke, so I missed out on the initial flurry of reporting. The first opportunity I had to catch up on the news was while I was driving to take a friend to the airport. I tuned in to WLRN, expecting to hear some decent (if cynical) BBC-style reporting from Iraq.

Instead, I got the Diane Rehm show and Art Buchwald characterizing the war on terror as "a disaster." I understand that many well-meaning, well-informed people share his view, but given the context of the day's events, the timing of his simplistic criticism seemed, at best, strange.

I didn't realize until I got home and listened to the beginning of the show (via the link) that the whole thing had apparently been pre-recorded. For listeners like me who only heard part of the interview while driving, though, it made Buchwald sound like an uninformed grouch. I doubt that was what Rehm was trying to accomplish.

And why are we all paying for Car Talk?

[Guest jamu]

Okay so you don't like a particular segment of the radio station big F'in deal. Christ do you want me to get out a bottle of red wine for all of you. :

But I bet that 93.1 is your favorite source of radio news :

and I bet you can't wait to hear Rush L. very enlightening and very sober speech about liberals :