Grrrrr........Cookie Monster, Big Bird and Oscar need to be saved yet again!

The BBQ Pit
1

I remember when this happened when I was in jr high…they’re pushing it AGAIN!!! What is this? Some idoit fallout from that stupid Postcards From Buster shit? (Oh no! They’re using our public money to support abbervant lifestyles!!!)
A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS, starting with “Sesame Street.” This would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting. NPR and PBS are under attack, but Americans trust them over the commercial networks. Sign the petition to save NPR, PBS and our local public stations from losing their funding.

Dear MoveOn member,
You know that email petition that keeps circulating about how Congress is slashing funding for NPR and PBS? Well, now it’s actually true. (Really. Check the footnotes if you don’t believe us.)

A House panel has voted to eliminate all public funding for NPR and PBS, starting with “Sesame Street,” “Reading Rainbow,” and other commercial-free children’s shows. If approved, this would be the most severe cut in the history of public broadcasting, threatening to pull the plug on Big Bird, Cookie Monster and Oscar the Grouch.

Sign the petition telling Congress to save NPR and PBS:

http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-2482199-.VV78cF.HDVmBRsZnZieNg&t=3

If we can reach 250,000 signatures by the end of the week, we’ll put Congress on notice. After you sign the petition, please pass this message along to any friends, neighbors or co-workers who count on NPR and PBS.

The cuts would slash 25% of the federal funding this year—$100 million—and end funding altogether within two years.1 In particular, the loss could kill beloved children’s shows like “Sesame Street,” “Clifford the Big Red Dog,” “Arthur” and “Postcards from Buster.” Rural stations and those serving low-income communities might not survive. Other stations would have to increase corporate sponsorships.

This shameful vote is only the latest partisan assault on public TV and radio. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which exists to shield public TV and radio from political pressure, is now chaired by Kenneth Tomlinson, a staunch Republican close to the White House. Tomlinson has already forced one-sided conservative programs on the air, even though Tomlinson’s own surveys show that most people consider NPR “fair and balanced” and they actually trust public broadcasting more than commercial network news.2

Tomlinson also spent taxpayer dollars on a witch hunt to root out “liberal bias,” including a secret investigation of Bill Moyers and PBS’ popular investigative show, “NOW.” Even though the public paid for the investigation, Tomlinson has refused to release the findings.3

The lawmakers who proposed the cuts aren’t just trying to save money in the budget—they’re trying to decimate any news outlets who question those in power. This is an ideological attack on our free press.

Talk about bad timing. Every day brings another story about media consolidation. Radio, TV stations and newspapers are increasingly controlled by a few massive corporate conglomerates trying to maximize profits at the expense of quality journalism. Now more than ever, we need publicly funded media who will ask hard questions and focus on stories that affect real people, instead of Michael Jackson and the runaway bride.

As the House and Senate consider this frightening effort to kill public broadcasting, they need to hear from its owners—you.

http://www.moveon.org/publicbroadcasting/?id=5663-2482199-.VV78cF.HDVmBRsZnZieNg&t=4

Thank you for all you do,

–Noah, Wes, Jennifer, Eli and the MoveOn.org Team
Tuesday, June 14th, 2005

P.S. You can learn more about the threat to public broadcasting from our friends at Free Press at:

http://www.moveon.org/r?r=748

Sources:

  1. “Public Broadcasting Targeted By House,” Washington Post, June 10, 2005
    http://www.moveon.org/r?r=745

  2. “CPB’s ‘Secrets and Lies’: Why the CPB Board Hid its Polls Revealing Broad Public Support for PBS and NPR,” Center for Digital Democracy, April 27, 2005
    http://www.moveon.org/r?r=746

  3. “Republican Chairman Exerts Pressure on PBS, Alleging Biases,” New York Times, May 2, 2005
    http://www.commondreams.org/headlines05/0502-01.htm

2

Isn’t this fairly blatant advertising (granted for a political cause)? I thought it was against the rules.

If there is an actual pit OP here, I suppose it: Damn I’m mad about NPR and PBS losing their funding! I have to say that I have mixed feelings myself. I’ve never been a big supporter of the government funding such things anyway. Basically if there is a market for NPR or PBS then they should be able to make it with just private (and corporate of course) contributions. Why should my tax dollars pay for this?

On the other hand I realize we aren’t talking about huge summs of money here, and it does fill a public need for decent educational broadcasting (well PBS does) for those folks who can’t afford cable or satelite TV. I’m unsure exactly how many folks who fit this bill (i.e. the poor) actually watch PBS (let alone listen to NPR) though…my guess would be that most folks who watch/listen CAN actually afford to pay for the service, but that there is a small enough need for it that its not commercially viable and so need to be subsidized.

Over all I have to say I’m not very worked up about this issue one way or the other. :stuck_out_tongue:

-XT

3

Screw Sesame Street.
Save Terry Gross!
I suspect letters to Congressfolks may be more effective.
They have an aide make marks with a crayon and look at the totals.

4

See I got a problem with this. I agree with the cause. I would like to save NPR I am a member and a long time listener but… Not to be a junior mod or anything, the OP seems like some PR campaign. I do not think it is alowed here. Apology in advance if it turns out that the OP is legit.

5

Had you mentioned Kermit, I would have proposed a small down payment to your cause. An undisclosed amount of (at least): $78 Million that should have went from Disney into the CPB coffers. Add up the Barney, Teletubby, Sesame Street, Arthur & Dragon Tales merchandising profits, then come back and tell us how much of our money you require.

Anyway, back to your, ‘it’s all for the children’ rant.

6

Fortytwois, we don’t allow posters to try to start email/letter/phone campaigns here. Feel free to discuss an issue and your feelings about it, but don’t start threads asking people to contact person(s) X on behalf of cause Y.

This moderator action was sponsored by the letters X and Y, and the number 7.