roundtable: End of Public broadcasting

roundtable: End of Public broadcasting

End of Public broadcasting

Peter Franck (pfranck@igc.apc.org)
Mon, 20 Feb 1995 10:57:20 -0800 

Date: Mon, 20 Feb 1995 10:57:20 -0800
From: Peter Franck <pfranck@igc.apc.org>
Message-Id: <199502201857.KAA11298@igc2.igc.apc.org>
To: roundtable@cni.org
Subject: End of Public broadcasting


Posted by Peter Franck <pfranck@igc.apc.org>

/* Written 10:52 AM  Feb 20, 1995 by pfranck in igc:nlg.cdc */
/* ---------- "Public Broadcasting Dead?" ---------- */
>From cemnet@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu  Mon Feb 20 07:05:43 1995
Reply-To: cemnet@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu
To: Multiple recipients of list <cemnet@mcfeeley.cc.utexas.edu>
Subject: Grinchnik Sez It Again
X-Comment: Cultural Environment Movement Network

        The following appeared on the front page of the Style
Section in Friday's Washington Post.  I am distributing it to
several key Republican congressmen w/comment.  I urge the
net to give this the widest possible distribution.

        I have checked its veracity.  It was published as
stated.  - Jerry M. Landay -

     ---

 DT:  February 17, 1995
 RE:  Newt Gingrich Vows To Zero Out CPB in a Speech
      yesterday to GOP Staffers

 LEGISLATIVE UPDATE   LEGISLATIVE UPDATE LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
           LEGISLATIVE UPDATE  LEGISLATIVE UPDATE

 An article in today's Washington Post quotes House Speaker Newt
Gingrich saying "the CPB still hasn't seen the light." ... "They
still don't realize that the appropriation is gone, that game is
over."  He goes on to say, "The power of the Speaker is the power
of recognition, and I will not recognize any proposal that will
appropriate money for the CPB." ... "What they should be doing is
planning the future."

 The Speaker's comments go well beyond his earlier statements on
elimination of funding for CPB and completely contradict his
statements last month that he was "not fixed in concrete" on the
issue of CPB funding.

 Privatization is clearly on the Speaker's mind.  Talking about
the spectrum allocated to public broadcasting, the Speaker said:
"They're sitting on very valuable assets. Channel 8 in Atlanta is
choice spectrum.  Sell that slot to a commercial operation, move
PBS to Channel 36, and Georgia public broadcasting could live
forever on the interest from that trust fund."

 He went on to say "I don't know why they call it public
broadcasting.  As far as I am concerned, there's nothing public
about it; it's an elitist enterprise.  Rush Limbaugh is public
broadcasting."

 This is clearly the hardest line the Speaker has drawn yet
regarding funding for public broadcasting.  It comes at a time
when the House Appropriations Committee is beginning work on a
rescission bill(reduction or elimination of already
appropriatedfunds).  Next week the Labor, HHS, Subcommittee will
mark-up their portion of the rescission bill which includes
funding for CPB.

 Members of Congress will be in their districts begining today
for a long weekend.

end------------------------------------------------

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