COMMENTARY:
During a recent committee meeting at Las Cruces Community Radio, we discussed what impact the closure of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will have on us.
Since the mid-1960s, the CPB has provided funding and stability for public radio and television stations throughout the nation. Today, there are more than 1,000 member stations for National Public Radio and more than 350 public television stations, reaching nearly every corner of the nation.
But that’s about to change.
After voting for a spending bill that forever locks in tax cuts for billionaires, adding an estimated $5 trillion to our debt, shamed Republicans who have spent their entire career lamenting the burden we’ve put on future generations were desperate for something to cut.
And so they clawed back $1.1 billion that had been appropriated to the CPB for distribution to National Public Radio stations and the Public Broadcasting System. You can do the math as to how that will resolve a $5 trillion problem.
It wasn’t about the money, it was about the politics.
Conservatives believe, with some justification, that news and public affairs shows on NPR and PBS tilt toward the left.
I don’t think those shows have changed much over the years, but the viewing habits of news consumers have. With so many options now available, viewers can simply change the channel anytime they are confronted with a news report that challenges deeply held beliefs.
Shuttering the CPB won’t mean an immediate end to NPR and PBS stations throughout the country. But it will mean immediate instability and chaos, which seems to be the hallmark of this administration in all areas of public policy.
Another hallmark is those who supported the administration on election day are now the first to be harmed. Private donations will keep the NPR and PBS stations going in big cities. It’s in the rural areas of the country where the smaller stations will be closed.
Getting beyond the outrage of all the spending cuts to services for the working poor that will be needed moving forward to protect tax cuts for billionaires, there is a larger philosophical question as to whether taxpayers should be funding radio and TV stations.
My earliest recollection of PBS was as a supplement to the school curriculum. I have vague recollections of my older sister having to watch a show as part of her homework.
I was 11 years old when Jim Henson introduced us to this wonderful place called Sesame Street. Not only did it help kids learn about letters and numbers, it also presented a world where people of all races and cultures lived together with respect and friendship. Sesame Street will live on, with or without the CPB.
TV has a lot more channels now than it did then, making it more difficult for PBS to stand out. And, the problem with government-funded news is it can pull the funding if the reporting gets too unfriendly.
As for what all this means for us at our tiny community radio station, KTAL, we’re not sure yet. We use some of the same shows that run on NPR stations, and are hopeful that will continue.
What we do know is it will bring more uncertainty and instability. At least we won’t be in that boat alone.
Walter Rubel can be reached at waltrubel@gmail.com
Walt Rubel's opinions are his own and do not necessarily reflect the views of KRWG Public Media or NMSU.