Killing Big Bird: GOP budget would end PBS / NPR
funding

By John Tomasic
The Colorado Independent
Feburary 11, 2011

http://coloradoindependent.com/75026/killing-big-bird-gop-budget-would-end-pbs-npr-funding

The Republican House majority put out a shocker of a
budget Thursday that would slash spending by $32
billion in the next seven months. Among the glaringly
ideological Republican targets are environmental
protection programs and public broadcasting. The "war
on Big Bird," as some fans of PBS have called it, has a
strong backer in Colorado Congressman Doug Lamborn, who
this session has introduced two bills to zero out funds
for public TV and radio.

Lamborn's HR 68 would amend the Communications Act of
1934 to prohibit federal funding for public
broadcasting after fiscal year 2013. His H.R. 69
separately targets National Public Radio funding.

Lamborn introduced a bill to cut NPR funding last year
but it was shot down by the Democratic-controlled
House.

After Fox News launched a campaign to "defund" NPR in
the fall, Lamborn appeared on the network several times
and ratcheted up his rhetoric around the bill.

"You may have heard about the recent firing of NPR News
Analyst Juan Williams and the $1.8 million donation by
liberal activist George Soros to hire 100 NPR
reporters," Lamborn wrote to supporters in an October
release. "These two actions make it clear that public
broadcasting is a friend and protector of liberal
issues and political correctness, at the expense of
free speech and balanced news reporting."

At a time when the news media industry outside of cable
TV is struggling and when aggressive partisan punditry
dominates that sector, cuts to PBS seem especially
short- sighted, say some industry observers.

Media reform nonprofit Free Press put out a call in
wake of the news of the proposals.

    Political extremists in Congress have introduced
    six - yes, six - bills that would cut all funding
    for NPR, PBS and other public media. As early as
    next week, they could vote to pull the plug on the
    news, arts and educational programming on which
    more than a hundred million Americans rely...

    For some communities, local NPR and PBS stations
    are the only source of serious reporting. They also
    employ thousands of journalists - at a time when
    commercial newsrooms are shedding jobs.

In addition to Lamborn's bills, U.S. lawmakers have
introduced HR 235, the "Cut Unsustainable and Top-Heavy
Spending Act," by Rep. Kevin Brady (R-Texas); HR 408,
"Spending Reduction Act," by Rep. Jim Jordan (R-Ohio);
S 178, the Senate version of the "Spending Reduction
Act," sponsored by Sen. Jim DeMint (R-S.C.); and S.
162, the "Cut Federal Spending Act," by Sen. Rand Paul
(R-Ky.).

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