Corporation for Public Broadcasting News
This article was posted today in “Student Life”–the independent newspaper of St. Louis University. It is gratifying to see that US students are actively engaged in the reporting and support of initiatives which affect local community arts, cultural and media organizations.
Bill threatens future of public radio
March 23, 2011 | Chloe Rosenberg News Editor
A bill cutting funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was passed by the U.S. House of Representatives last week.
The legislation would cut funding to the Public Broadcasting System and to local affiliates of National Public Radio.
St. Louis Public Radio is already considering the ramifications the bill would have on its programs if it becomes law. The airing of the St. Louis Symphony, Cityscapes, St. Louis on the Air, and the station’s seven-person news department would all be affected.
St. Louis Public Radio received $360,000 in federal funding in 2011, which totaled seven percent of its budget.
“It would have a direct effect on our ability to serve the local community,” said Tim Eby, general manager of St. Louis Public Radio. “We would have to move funds around or get more money from the local community. A lot of that money would be hard to replace on the local standpoint.”
Students said that they would be disappointed by a change in content.
Paul Gross, a computer science graduate student at Washington University who donates to National Public Radio (NPR), listens to St. Louis Public Radio during his daily commute to and from campus. He is against the bill.
“It would make me sad. I don’t want to see the loss,” Gross said.
He thinks that the benefits of public radio far outweigh the costs.
“It is a small amount of money to pay to support quality local news coverage. I am happy to contribute more than my share because I think it is valuable,” Gross said.
Other students look to public radio for balanced news.
Freshman Ashley Gray grew up in St. Louis listening to St. Louis Public Radio. She tunes in to public radio if she wants to learn all facets of a news story.
Gray thinks that the proposed budget cuts could impede her ability to receive such news stories.
“It would mean that I would have to search harder for that type of information. It is a useful resource,” Gray said.
According to Eby, the budget cut would have the greatest impact on public radio stations in small rural communities where public radio may be one of the only media sources available.
“We think the big impact is the effect it would have on smaller stations. One of the hallmarks of public radio is to provide universal service across the country, and the big impact of the loss of federal funds would be to those stations that provide stations to local and rural areas,” said Eby.
The House vote, which took place on March 17, was split mostly along party lines. No Democrats voted for the bill that would cut the funding. Seven Republicans voted against it.
The vote was 228-192.
According to Eby, the Senate, which is dominated by Democrats, is less split.
He hopes that a bipartisan effort will help to halt the bill.
“We have friends on both sides of the aisle in the Senate. We are hopeful that we can sustain the funding on these levels,” Eby said. The amount of money we get in term of the federal budget is very small, but what it means in terms of public service is very, very important.”
______
To lend your voice to the debate and for further information.
