2/1 FA rundown,"Save public b'casting",CPB LETTER-long list of Q's
WBFO 88.7 FM -- David Benders, Program Director
Re: TOTN, FA rundown
============================================================
(If you're reading this in a nonlocal e-bulletin board
you need to know when your area NPR station airs these
shows.)
=================================================================
TOTN
4pm
A look at innovative local government programs
GOVERNMENT AT THE GRASSROOTS
When government does what it's supposed to do, what makes it
work? Host Ray Suarez talks with winners and judges of the 1994
Innovations in State and Local Government Awards. Can their new
government practices lead to reforms around the nation?
Guests: Gayle Holubinka, director, New York State Partnership
for Long-Term Care;
Michael Lipsky, program officer for Governance and
Public Policy Programs, Ford Foundation;
Alan Althschuler, professor of urban policy and
planning, Harvard University
=================================================================
ATC
5pm
Wed.
There's long been worry about toxic chemicals in the environment -- killing
animals outright, or causing cancer in people.
Scientists are now wondering whether there's a more insidious threat --
mimicking or disrupting natural hormones. We'll visit a lake in Florida where
thngs have gone badly awry -- later today -- on N-P-R's ALL THINGS CONSIDERED.
ATC Rundown For All Things Considered, Wednesday 2/1/95
Host: Linda Wertheimer and Robert Siegel
News: Corey Flintoff and Anne Taylor
NEWS 1-A 2:59
NEWS 1-B 1:59
NEWS 1-C 1:59
1.FED HIKES RATES - NPR's John Ydstie reports the Federal Reserve raised
short-term interest rates by half a percentage point today. The Fed,
fearful of inflation, believes the economy is still expanding too rapidly.
The increase will be passed on to consumers in the form of higher interest
rates on credit cards and on home equity and car loans.(3:30)
2. MANDATES - The House overwhelmingly approved legislation today making
it very difficult for Congress to pass unfunded mandates. In most case,
Congress and the federal government will not be able to create new
responsibilities for state and local government without providing funding.
The bill is a major item in the Republiocans' Contract with America. The
Senate pased a similar bill last week. NPR's Peter Kenyon
reports.(3:30)****
3.RON BROWN...NPR'S Peter Overby reports..Republicans continue to raise
allegations against Commerce Secretary Ron Brown. They says he may have
mislead Congress about his private business dealings. This is not the first
time ethic and conflict of interest questions have been raised about
Brown.(6:00)**
4. LITTLE WOMEN - (5:30)
STATION BREAK
NEWS 2-A 2:59
NEWS 2-B 1:59
5.SUMMIT SETUP - Robert talks with Chris Hedges of the New York Times
about tomorrow's summit called by Egyptian president Hosni Mubarak, which
will bring together in Cairo the leaders of Egypt, Israel, Jordan, and the
Palestinian Liberation Organization. Hedges says the reason for the summit
is that Egypt feels the peace process is in serious danger of derailing....
they think, for example, that the Israelis have dragged their feet in
implementing the declaration of principles.(5:15)****
6. GATOR ENVY - NPR's Richard Harris reports that researchers are
studying whether pesticides and other chemicals may pose previously
unappreciated hazards to wildlife. Some research indicates such chemicals
may afffect the hormonal systems of various types of wildlife. Researchers
suspect that the chemicals mimic natural hormines, disrupting the
reproductive systems of animals. This could explain a variety of problems
that have been observed among animals, including deformed reproductive
organs, low birthrates and unusual behavior.(14:15)
STATION BREAK
NEWS 3-A 2:59
NEWS 3-B 1:59
NEWS 3-C 1:59
7.EUROFLOODS '93. Nearly a quarter of a million people have been
evacuated in the Netherlands....chased from their homes by the swollen
Rhine and Maas rivers which are threatening to break through the Dutch
dikes. NPR's Diedre Berger reports that the damage from the flooding was
caused not onlly from the melting snows and heavy rains of this winter's
storm, but from man-made changes to the Rhein river farther upstream in
Germany.(4:30)
8. EUROFLOODS '53: NPR senior news analyst Daniel Schorr remembers the
great Dutch flood of 1953.(3:00)**
9. DC's $ - Derek Ward of member station WAMU reports that, as the
finaicial crisis worsens, District of Columbia mayor Marion Berry released
results of audit outlining how grim the city's financial picture really is.
In December, city officials slashed nearly $300 million dollars from the
city budget and borrowed $250 million to ease an immediate cash crunch, but
today Mayor Barryindicated that the deficit maybe twice as large as
originally thought and an additional $350 million dollars may need to be
cut to erase the deficit.(3:00)****
10.CPB LETTER - The controversy over proposals by some Republicans to cut
federal funds for public broadcasting heated up this week after Sen. Larry
Pressler, chairman of the Senate Commerce Committee, sent a long list of
questions to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Public broadcasting
officials said many of the questions were politically-charged. The
questionaire demanded detailed information on public broadcasting staff
members, including past political donations, ethnicity, salaries and
previous employment. NPR's Neal Conan reports.(3:30)**
11. BROADWAY MEMORIES - Broadway lost a legend last night . Producer
George Abbott died..NPR's Melissa block visited a favorite lunch stop of
Broadway directors and actors to share memories and stories of this
legend.(3:30)
**************************************************************************
ATTENTION STATIONS: ** = BUTTON AFTER PIECE, and **** = ZIPPER AFTER PIECE
****************************************************************************
END 2/1/95
===============================================================
FA
7pm
Wed.
HOST: TERRY GROSS
RUNDOWN FOR WEDNESDAY, FEBRUARY 1, 1995
INTERVIEW ONE SEGMENT**
Singer BETTY JOHNSON. She was a member of "The Johnson
Family," which sang gospel and country music for two decades.
President Franklin D. Roosevelt was a fan, and the group was
invited to sing at his memorial service. JOHNSON went solo in
the late 1950s and was a regular on Don McNeill's "Breakfast
Club," and Jack Paar's TV show. She also made many guest
appearances on TV shows. During that time she made over 150
records and a dozen albums. JOHNSON left show business to
raise a family and receivve a degree in drama at Dartmouth.
JOHNSON has since returned to her singing career, with a
cabaret act at The Oak Room at The Algonquin Hotel (June
1994). It also featured her daugher, Lydia Gray. She has a
new recording "A Family Affair," (Bliss-Tavern Music
Productions).
INTERVIEW TWO SEGMENT**
STEVEN LEVY is an expert on computer technology, a Fellow of
the Freedom Forum Media Studies Center in New York, and a
columnist for the magazine "Macworld." His new book is ,
"Insanely Great: The Life and Times of Macintosh, the
Computer that Changed Everything." (Penguin).
REVIEW SEGMENT **
Commentator GERALD EARLY reflects on the black middle class.
=================================================================
For Feb. 20th-
NPR SERIES AVAILABLE ON TAPE FOR PRESIDENTS' DAY
Start your own NPR Audio Library
TALK OF THE NATION's series on 20th-century American Presidents
is one of many NPR series available on cassette; it's the perfect
teaching tool for educators wondering how to create student
interest about Presidents' Day (February 20).
And if you're a U.S. history buff, you might want to own this
13-hour series, which explores the unique qualities of presidents
from McKinley to Johnson.
The series is available on cassette (entire 13-hour series
available for $89.95). Call NPR Audience Services at
202/414-3232, Monday-Friday, 10 a.m. - 5 p.m. ET, to order via
Visa or MasterCard. Orders accompanied by checks can be mailed
directly to NPR Audience Services, 635 Massachusetts Avenue, NW,
Washington, DC 20001.
=================================================================
WADE IN THE WATER
Wed.
8pm
(airs Feb. 1)
PUSHING THE BOUNDARIES: CONTEMPORARY GOSPEL COMPOSERS
The composers who pioneered the new era, with their
particular blend of traditional gospel music and European
compositional techniques.
(This is the final episode of Wade in the Water: African American
Sacred Music Traditions. For the last year WBFO has presented the
program series through twice.)
==============================================================
WADE IN THE WATER, VOL. I is available in music stores on
compact disc. Listeners can also contact Smithsonian/Folkways
Recordings at (301) 443-2314.
(or the PRMS, 1-800-75-MUSIC)
===============================================================
On the Wednesdays of February 8th, 15th and 22nd WBFO will
continue presenting programs focused on the African American
Music Traditions. Stay with us Wednesdays at 8 during February
for "Been Here and Gone."
A SPECIAL SERIES FOR BLACK HISTORY MONTH
"BEEN HERE AND GONE" - Black music in the South
Five half hour programs on Black music in the South explored
through interviews, songs, instrumental music and sounds recorded
by musicologist Frederic Ramsey Jr. during his travels to
Alabama, Mississippi and Louisiana in the mid-50's.
Frederic Ramsey is the author of "JAZZMEN," "BEEN HERE AND GONE"
and other books and the producer of more than 50 FOLKWAYS albums
on jazz, blues and poetry.
In this radio series, Ramsey tells the story of the musicians,
performers and people he recorded in his travels through the
south. Their music and the music of the times is what "Been Here
and Gone" is about.
(2/8/95)
Program one: GOING SOUTH
One year before his death, bluesman "Leadbelly" recorded 90
songs in Frederic Ramsey's apartment in New York City. The music
was released in a series of four Folkways albums as "Leadbelly's
Last Sessions" . For Ramsey it was the start of a series of
travels to the south to discover the old Black musicians who
still remembered the music and sounds of their youth.
In this program Ramsey shares the music and interviews he
recorded in Alabama in 1954 and tells the story of how he met the
musicians.
(2/8/95)
Program two: JAZZMEN
The New York of the late 30's and early 40's . Count Bassie and
Fletcher Henderson at Roseland, and the jazz evenings that would
lead to the publication of the first serious anthology on the
music of New Orleans, Chicago and New York. Frederic Ramsey Jr.
and Charles Edward Smith published "Jazzmen" and Ramsey remembers
how it came about. The book, originally published in 1939, was
reissued in 1987.
"BEEN HERE AND GONE" - Black music in the South
(2/15/95)
Program three: BEEN HERE
Through interviews, music and archival tapes of the times, Ramsey
takes us to the back roads of Mississippi, Alabama and Louisiana
where he discovered old bluesmen, storytellers and the country
brass bands that still existed in 1954.
(2/15/95)
Program four: JUST A LITTLE FAITH AND GRACE
Ramsey reveals the variety and richness of the roots of religious
music in the South. We hear young gospel singers who gather in
old wood churches to sing for small congregations and older
singer who recall the spirituals and songs of their youth.
"BEEN HERE AND GONE" - Black music in the South
Wed.
8pm
(2/22/95)
Program five: NEW ORLEANS AND OTHER REMEMBRANCES
In this program, Ramsey follows the music of established groups
like the Eureka Brass Band of the early Fifties. He talks to
street musicians and others, about the sounds of New Orleans
though the interviews and recordings he made between 1954 and
1957. He goes to Savannah to trace King Oliver's last days and
meets a performer who had worked with Ma Rainey.
==============================================================
Black History Month
February, 1995
Calendar items
Who: Buffalo Historical Society
What: Exhibit - Portraits from the Golden Age of Jazz
by William Gottlieb
When: February 3rd - opening
exhibit: 2/4 -- 3/5 '95
Where: Buffalo Historical Society
25 Nottingham Court
call 873-9644
February is going to be a hot month in Buffalo with a great
photography exhibit at the Historical Society - you'll get at the
heart of jazz when you take a look at the photographs of William
Gottlieb in the exhibit - "Portraits from the Golden Age of
Jazz."
If you love music and jazz you'll want to see this exhibit --- 75
jazz photographs are on display -- from Feb.4th thru March 5th.
Included are great pics with Armstrong, Sarah Vaughan, Count
Basie, Sidney Bechet, Nat King Cole, and Art Tatum and many more.
For more infomation on this celebration of music with jazz in
photography, call us at WBFO - 829-2555.
=================================================================
BPO musical celebration of Black History Month:
WHO: Buffalo Philharmonic Orchestra
Michael Morgan, conductor
choral ensemble under the direction of Alfred Jarrett
WHAT: Black History Month concert program
WHEN: Sunday, Feb. 5th
Time: 4pm
WHERE: McKinley High School (1500 Elmwood Avenue)
Music includes
Johnson's "Lift Every Voice and Sing"
Still's "Darker America"
& Ward's "America the Beautiful."
tickets available by phoning 885-5000,
or Ticketmaster 852-5000.
=====================================================
If you love jazz, music and the tunes of Jelly Roll Morton don't
miss -
WHO: Maurice Hines, Savion Glover &
Freda "Bring the Boys Home"/"Ban of Gold" Payne
WHAT: Jelly's Last Jam
WHEN: Feb. 10, 11, 12 (Fri. Sat.,Sunday)
Time: 8pm, 2pm (total of 5 performances)
WHERE: Shea's Performing Arts Center, Main St. Buffalo
tix = 852-5000 (Ticketmaster)
==============================================================
Also of interest for music lovers -
WHO: Dr. William H. Coles
WHAT: Lecture: Jazz, America's Unique Art Form
Part of the Lifelong Learning program at Buffalo State
WHEN: Tuesday, March 28th
WHERE: Buffalo State College
Lifelong Learning Center
Registration: deadline is March 22
Fee: $15
=================================================================
Jazz: America's Unique Art Form (1458)
This one-time/one-meeting course will explore the evolution of
jazz in America and how jazz artists have built upon their
musical heritage to make unique and creative music.
Aided by taped musical segments and computer-generated
audio/video demonstrations, the group will trace the history of
jazz from the early field songs and vaudeville, to New Orleans,
swing, blues, West Coast revival and contemporary jazz.
The course will enhance your understanding and appreciation of
jazz's different styles and idioms, commonly used jazz
instruments and the interaction of melody, harmony, rhythm and
tone.
Materials to be used in the class: handouts, discography,
bibliography
1 session
Tuesday, March 28th
7--10 p.m.
Fee: $15
Instructor: Dr. William H. Coles
Contact: Lifelong Learning Center
Twin Rise 100
Buffalo State College
1300 Elmwood Avenue
Buffalo, New York 14222-1095
(716) 878-5906
Fax 878-5930
=================================================================
Save public radio!
Save public broadcasting
House Budget Committee
FR: NPRs National Affairs Staff
DT: February 1, 1995
RE: Update on Budget Field Hearings
Two regional meetings of the House Budget Committee,
one in Columbus, Ohio and one in Prescott, Arizona have
been held. Upcoming hearings are scheduled for: February
4, in Columbia, SC at 2 p.m. in the Airport High School
gym; February 11, in Manville, NJ at 1 p.m. at the VFW
Post 2290 Meeting Hall; February 18, in Billings, MT at 2
p.m. at the Rocky Mountain College gym. Dale Ouzts and
Carl Matthusen attended these meetings. We want to share
their observations with you.
At the Ohio hearing, the Mayor of Columbus and
representatives from the Governors office were in
attendance. At the Arizona hearing, held on January 28,
there was an audience of about 600 people, with
approximately another 300 people outside who did not get
in. Seven committee members (Democrats and Republicans)
attended the Prescott hearing.
The hearings lasted a little over 3 hours. Staffers
running the show reiterated that the committee only wanted
to hear about which programs to cut, not which to protect,
and that no lobbyists, heads of organizations, or paid
testifiers would be allowed. A 4-page flier showing
various federal budget figures was also handed out by
staff prior to entering. Those who wanted a chance to
speak filled out a 3x5 card with basic information on
themselves and what they wanted to talk about. In
Arizona, only about 20 people were selected to speak. The
House Budget Chairman, John Kasich, leafed through the
cards and made the selections. There was a roving
microphone and each speaker was allowed about 3 minutes
each, with an opportunity to respond to committee
questions following.
Public broadcasting didnt get much attention at
either hearing. In Arizona, only 2 people mentioned it,
but neither expressed strong opposition. The main topics
for discussion were: elimination of the National
Endowments and the Department of Education, changes to
Social Security and cuts in defense spending. Following
the hearing, a reception was held nearby. Most of the
Budget Committee members attended. Carl attended and
thought this was a useful way to network. He recommends
that others do the same at future hearings.
=============================================================
FROM: KCRW
DATE: JAN. 30, 1995
RE: CPB CRISIS/LA Times Article Reprint
THIS OPINION PIECE APPEARED IN the LOS ANGELES TIMES. THE
AUTHOR, LARS-ERIK NELSON, IS A SYNDICATED COLUMNIST. A SIMILAR
STORY APPEARED LAST WEEK IN NEWSDAY; HOWEVER, THIS IS MORE
SPECIFIC AND IS THE MOST RECENT PIECE ON THIS SUBJECT.
"THERE'S MONEY TO BE MADE ON BIG BIRD"
Rupert Murdoch could be the biggest winner in the GOP's bid to
privatize public TV.
By Lars-Erik Nelson
Big Bird and Barney have a multibillion-dollar price on
their heads. They are wanted dead or alive by a combination of
conservative Republicans and gimlet-eyed businessmen eager to
privatize the nation's public broadcasting system.
It's presented as simply a conservative desire to slim down
a bloated federal government. But behind the scenes there are
billions of dollars at stake -- and in the center of it all, that
incomparable global media mogul, Rupert Murdoch.
If public television is privatized, Murdoch is poised to
reap billions in profits and vastly enlarge his empire.
Among his properties, Murdoch owns the fabled 20th Century
Fox film library and has been interestted in selling it to raise
cash. Last year, Murdoch executives tried to put together a deal
with Bell Atlantic, the cash-rich East Coast telephone company,
which is eager to acquire programming for its planned venture
into home entertainment.
It would have been a perfect deal for both sides: cash for
Murdoch, and instant reservoir of TV programming for Bell
Atlantic. The Fox library was worth $4 billion, including a
nifty $200 million in agents' fees. But the deal fell apart,
according to an industry source, when Bell Atlantic realized that
it did not have sufficient broadcast outlets to warrant such a
massive purchase.
In search of TV outlets, Bell Atlantic executives met Sen.
Larry Pressler (R-S.D.), the new chairman of the Senate Commerce
Committee. They explained their interest in purchasing the
Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which funnels money to the
public radio and TV stations.
Pressler then announced he wanted to sell off public TV and
announced that Bell Atlantic was one of the potential bidders.
If Bell Atlantic acquires public TV stations, that deal with
Fox is still out there. "Murdoch would get between $4 billion
and $6 billion to expand his empire," says a broadcasting source.
The phone company, with its traditional sense of civic
responsibility, would be one of the more desirable owners. You
could probably count on the survival of "Barney," "Sesame
Street," "Masterpiece Theater," and "Mystery." But if public TV
goes into purely commercial hands, educational broadcasting as we
know it is dead. The nation will survive, but it will be a
poorer, coarser place.
Murdoch stands to benefit in a second way from the
threatened privatization of public television.
If Republicans cut off federal funding to public TV, as they
now threaten many smaller stations would go bankrupt and Murdoch
could pick up their broadcasting licenses at fire-sale prices.
With new compression technology that Murdoch has developed for
his satellite TV operations, he could split each TV signal eight
or 10 times, reaping an unprecedented windfall.
That technology is still five or 10 years away, and could
eventually be a windfall for public TV stations, too -- if they
can survive that long. But if Congress cuts off the funding and
stations go belly-up , the public doesn't get the financial
benefit; private entrepreneurs like Murdoch will.
As he maneuvers through the corridors of the new Congress,
Murdoch appears to be turning the Republican Party into another
one of his global subsidiaries.
He bid an unprecedented $4.5 million for the rights to
publish two books by House Speaker Newt Gingrich, a deal that may
now be worth $10 million, according to Murdoch's publishing
house, HarperCollins. Last fall, when House Republicans wanted
to advertise their "contract with America, "they published it in
TV Guide, owned by ...Rupert Murdoch.
Since November, Murdoch has met with both Gingrich and
Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole to argue that, even though his
News Corp. is registered in Australia, he is not violating the
law against foreign ownership of broadcast stations.
He has held two closed-door meetings with Republican members
of the House Commerce Committee to discuss broadcasting issues
and met the Senate Commerce Committee Republican staff for a
private lunch to pursue his agenda.
The Republicans are the party, mind you, that promised an
ethical revolution as soon as they won control of Congress. They
would open the windows and air the place out. They would put
proposed legislation out into the information superhighway,
forbid revisions in the Congressional Record, televise hearings
whenever and wherever possible.
Instead, they have concealed from public view a vital part
of the nation's business. Power corrupts, as Lord Actor said.
He never dreamed it only took three weeks.
=================================================================Lars-Erik
Nelson is a syndicated columnist in Washington.
===============================================================
FROM: KCRW
DATE: Jan. 30, 1995
RE: CPB CRISIS; Newsday article re: Murdoch
HERE IS AN EARLIER STORY FROM NEWSDAY THAT RAN ON THURSDAY,
JANUARY 26. THIS IS A FOLLOW UP TO A LOS ANGELES TIME OPINION
PIECE THAT WE SENT ON THE DACS EARLIER TODAY BY THE SAME WRITER.
HEADLINE: GOP Broadcasts Their Intentions
BYLINE: Lars-Erik Nelson
Washington - A day after the House erupted in catcalls over
Speaker Newt gngrich's multimillion-dollar book deal with Rupert
Murdoch, Murdoch himself walked into an unprecedented closed-door
meeting with House Republicans.
Dumb, you think? Not at all. With his book deal, Murdoch had
sent a vivid message to every one of the Republican members
involved in telecommunications policy: "This man can do many
wonderful things for me."
And the Republicans, in turn, can do many wonderful things for
Murdoch. They can force the privatization of public broadcasting,
for example. They can dump public television's lucrative
broadcast licenses on the market where a far-sighted entrepreneur
like Murdoch could snap them up at fire-sale prices and
enlarge his U.S. broadcast empire in unprecedented ways.
For it's not Big Bird, Barney, Bert or Ernie that Gingrich and
his business allies are after in their assault on public TV. It's
not even PBS's supposedly liberal agenda. It's cash. Here are the
hidden economic stakes in the clash over public TV:
America's telecommunications companies, software developers,
home-shopping entrepreneurs and media magnates are desperate for
over-the-air broadcast outlets. Products are being developed
every day: Interactive games, shopping ideas, pay-per-view movies
and sports events.
But the broadcast band is full. Anyone with a new TV product
has to negotiate with a cable company or a satellite provider or
pay top dollar for an existing broadcast frequency.
With 500 TV licenses, public television is sitting on a gold
mine. Thus, when Sen. Larry Pressler (R-S.D.) proposed selling
off public television to private interests, Bell Atlantic and
Jones Intercable instantly expressed interest.
Problem: The government does not own the TV licenses. They are
held by local non-profit corporations, local governments,
universities and the like. Pressler has no TV licenses to sell.
But, aha! If the government can cut off $ 200 million in
federal funding to public television, the smaller stations could
be forced off the air. Their licenses would go on the private
market.
Even larger stations that could survive on volunteer funding -
like New York's WNET, Channel 13 - might come under pressure to
sell off a highly desirable VHF license or trade it in for a UHF
license plus cash. How much is a VHF license worth? A couple of
years ago, the Tampa public TV station was offered a UHF channel
plus $ 30 million for its VHF license. Public TV now holds
150 VHF licenses. Multiply it out: That's a lot of coffee mugs.
But what makes the TV licenses more valuable than ever is the
prospect of digital broadcasting and compression technology,
which would llet an existing TV signal be split up into a dozen
or
so different channels.
"With compression, a broadcaster could take one existing
channel and divide it up, doing inter-active TV plus
home-shopping, plus broadcast, plus whatever he wanted," says a
broadcasting source. "It could be enormously profitable.
Whoever got in early would make an enormous amount of money."
And who is the world's leading pioneer of digital broadcasting
and compression technology?
Rupert Murdoch. This is where it all comes together. Murdoch's
News Corp., which owns the BSkyB satellite system, sponsored a
demonstration of an 8-to-1 compression of TV signals in Amsterdam
last September. So far, compression has been used for satellite
TV, but it would be far more valuable to compress over-the-air TV
signals that require no expensive satellites.
Murdoch is not alone, of course, in circling over public
broadcasting. The Republicans also invited other coommercial
broadcasters and wannabes to their closed-door meeting. Several
of them - Turner Broadcasting, Cox Cable Communications and
others - are sponsors of the Gingrich-backing Progress and
Freedom Foundation.
But Murdoch has the combination of money, vision and
technology to make the biggest kill if Congress succeeds in
starving public broadcasting. And Murdoch, as we have seen,
enjoys that special entree with Congress that gets him a
private 20-minute tete-a-tete with Gingrich and a similar one
with Senate Majority Leader Bob Dole, just for the asking.
Is there a wicked deal in the works? We have no way of
knowing. The Republicans have chosen to do their deals behind
closed doors.
But don't be deluded that the assault on public TV is just an
ideological debate over whether "Sesame Street" reflects American
values. This is a money grab in the making. And this is another
reason why Gingrich's book deal with Murdoch still stinks.
"You don't have conflict-of-interest laws to stop bribery,"
says Rep. Barney Frank (D-Mass.) "You have conflict-of-interest
laws so that there's a hands-off relationship, so that you don't
have to worry about the possibility of bribery."
=================================================================
=================================================================
Save public radio!
Save public broadcasting
FR: NPR
DT: January 30, 1995
RE: Legislative Update
LEGISLATIVE UPDATE
WHERE IS THE RESCISSION PACKAGE?
The House Appropriations Subcommittees will not begin putting
together their rescission packages until after President
Clinton submits his rescission recommendations to the Congress
on February 6. At the moment, a rescission of FY '95 CPB
dollars does not appear to be included in the package.
However, the subcommittee is actively considering cuts to
already-appropriated FY 96 and 97 funds. They have asked CPB
for an analysis of the Chairman's suggestion of a "graduated"
scheme for funding stations. Renewed discussion of elimination
of station overlap is also occurring.
While PTFP has had wide support in Congress, we understand that
the President may recommend a large rescission in FY'95 funding
for the Public Telecommunicaations Facilities Program (PTFP).
It remains to be seen if Congress will go along with it.
WHAT IS THE SCHEDULE FOR THE FY'96 APPROPRIATIONS BILL?
(Includes CPB FY'98 Funding)
Hearings have begun on FY'96 budget requests. On Friday of
last week, Jim Berg, an unpaid volunteer board member of Texas
Public Radio, the umbrella organization of KPAC-FM and KSTX-FM,
testified on behalf of NPR and our 520 member stations. Mr.
Berg requested $315 million in funding for CPB for fiscal year
1998, which represents a hard freeze from the FY'97 funding
level. Mr. Berg was a wonderfully articulate and passionate
witness. His entire testimony will be transmitted at the end
of this dacs. We thank Joe Gwathmey for lending us his board
member.
WHAT YOU CAN DO NOW TO AFFECT THE OUTCOME OF THE APPROPRIATION BILL
Ask your members of congress to write Representative John
Porter, Chairman of the Labor, HHS, Subcommittee, to express
their support for continued funding for public radio.
Everyone should participate in this activity. Your member
does not have to be on any specific committee to be
effective. All letters coount. Letters of support from
members of congress are very effective. We have seen them
make a real difference in past years.
ARGUMENTS THAT WORK
Many members of Congress have been surprised by several of
the key truths about public radio. In addition to letting
them know about the valuable services that CPB funds allow
your station to provide to the local community, be sure to
let your members of Congress know that:
--93% of public radio's share of CPB funds go DIRECTLY
to local stations;
--Reductions in CPB funding hit local stations hardest,
not national programming entities;
--Public radio is a good investment. The federal
contribution is 29 cents per American. Public radio raises
$5 for every $1 of federal support, a very successful
public/private partnership; and,
--There is no alternative to the services provided by
public radio. There are no Arts and Entertainment,
Nickelodeon, or Discovery Channels for radio. There is no
cable to the car, jogger, or individual walking down the
street -- and there is no cable to nearly 40% of the American
population.
WHERE DO WE GO NOW?
Take a step back and look at what you have (or have not)
already done. If you have not yet involved your listeners,
board members, and underwriters, it is time to get cracking.
Contact them as soon as possible through personal letters,
program guides, or direct phone calls.
If your core supporters are already involved, it is time to
plan your next steps.
--TARGET YOUR EFFORTS. Target your efforts to business
leaders who have connections with members of Congress,
individuals and groups who are uniquely served by public
radio, officials of your licensee, state and local elected
officials, and other key community leaders. Work closely
with your board members, underwriters, and community outreach
partners. Find community voices that garner attention or add
a unique or unexpected dimension to your story. Have them
contact members of Congress directly. If they are visiting
elected officials on other business, ask them to add the CPB
funding issue to their agenda. Have one of them join you
when you meeting with a member of Congress. Encourage them
to tell a few friends.
--WORK CLOSELY WITH THE MEDIA. Work with the media to
tell the local public radio story. Write a letter to the
editor or op-ed piece for your local paper. Suggest that the
paper write an editorial in support of public broadcasting.
Pitch public radio's issues to the local press. Help a
reporter to tell the local public radio story by explaining
the effects severe cuts in CPB funding would have on the
services your station is able to provide to the local
community.
--MAINTAIN A CONSTANT FLOW OF CONSTITUENT CONTACTS. It
is important that constituent letters and phone calls
continue. Keep listeners informed and involved. Reserve
space in your program guides. Ask volunteers to write during
shifts at the station. Provide advocacy information at
station-sponsored events. Include information in your
membership mailings.
--CONTINUE TO SIGNAL VALUE. Visit your members of
Congress and maintain constant communications with them and
their staffs. Continue to stress what makes your station a
valuable community asset. Innvite them to community events
and let them know about any awards or grants you have won.
PLEASE KEEP US INFORMED
Please send us copies of any correspondence to or from your
elected officials and let us know who you have contacted.
This allows us to better target our legislative efforts.
======================================================================
January 30, 1995
Prepared remarks of Jim Berg, President of Jim Berg
Publications, Inc. of San Antonio, TX.
Mr. Berg is an unpaid volunteer board member of Texas Public
Radio, the umbrella organization of KPAC-FM: a 100,000 watt
24 hour classical music broadcasting radio station; and
KSTX-FM, a 100,000 watt 24 hour public radio station which
rebroadcasts National Public Radio and Public Radio
International Programs.
My name is Jim Berg. I am from San Antonio, Texas and am
an unpaid volunteer board member of Texas Public Radio, the
umbrella organization of KPAC-FM: a 100,000 watt 24 hour
classical music broadcasting radio station; and KSTX-FM, a
100,000 watt 24 hour public radio station which rebroadcasts
National Public Radio and Public Radio International
programs.
I am here today on behalf of NPR and Texas Public Radio
requesting an appropriation of $315 million for FY 1998 which
represents a hard freeze from the 1997 funding level.
Permit me a few more introductions as well. I'm a former
US Marine helicopter pilot from the 1969 Viet Nam era who
left honorably in 1972 to enter business. I founded my own
small newspaper publishing business in 1975 with no employees
and few assets. My first deposit was $80. Twenty years later,
the small business thrives and employs 20 persons.
I have 4 children, one wonderful wife, one dog, lots of
fish, one hamster and one gerbil. I am a serious Christian
and a registered Republican. I voted in the past election and
am simply delighted with the results. I am also happy this
discussion is occurring so that the question of the
independence and modest funding of PUBLIC RADIO can be
established and sustained.
Obviously, nothing said on NPR has affected my politics.
But because of NPR, I'm a more informed citizen. I'm what
Richard Nixon spoke of "...that vast silent majority."
Except today, I choose not to be silent.
Therefore, thank you for the opportunity to discuss
funding for PUBLIC RADIO with you. I have been on the Board
of the Texas Public Radio since it was founded in 1989, and
its predecessor organization, the Classical Broadcasting
Society of San Antonio since its founding in 1982. During
those years I have actively solicited funds from the
community in support of the stations, asking for cash and
gifts in kind - both on the air and in person. Our Board of
Directors is filled with volunteers who share our mission:
preservation of publicc radio. Having said this, why am I
here? To answer the following question:
Should the Federal Government or the American taxpayer
fund public radio?
I am here to argue: yes.
Over the span of the past 13 years, I have had the
opportunity to see the birth and maturation of two public
radio stations. Corporation for Public Brooadcasting funding
was crucial in establishing Texas Public Radio and is
important for continued operations. Where there was a
classical musical and public affairs void on the radio
horizon in South Texas, now there is no void. There is wide
consensus in San Antonio that our city is better served
because of Texas Public Radio and NPR. We hear that support
from our 8,000 members and 100,000 listeners. We read it in
editorials in our local daily newspaper: the San Antonio
Express News. But, before I argue why our community likes and
needs public radio, let's agree on some elementary points:
I'm not here to discuss radio programs or personalities from
NPR. We should all agree that they are well prepared,
reported by professional journalists, some of whom carry a
bias one way or the other. What print or broadcast
organization lacks any bias one way or the other? In fact, I
recall fondly the lady from an Arkansaas public television
station who testified before this panel last week. She, like
me, detests some of the stories reported on her station. But
she stood ready to resist any attempt to discard the baby
with the bath water. And, yes, I heard her on NPR while
driving in the Texas hill country, far from a TV or CSPAN.
So to repeat: Should the Federal Government or the
American taxpayer fund public radio?
Last week I debated this very point on public television
with this answer.
1. For the same reason that the Federal Government has chosen
to set aside certain pristine lands as National Parks and to
preserve them for future generations, so too the Federal
Government must preserve its governance over certain public
frequencies on the radio dial. A USA Today poll from last
week indicated that 70% of America of all political
persuasions agreed on this important point.
2. Second, for the same reason that I pay taxes knowing that
it funds Federal Interstate roads on which I will not travel,
so too the Federal Government must protect and help to fund
this common heritage as important as roads, our airwaves,
which helps to inform and bind the nation. I'm happy to pay
taxes for the public infrastructure, and that's what PUBLIC
RADIO is... public airwave infrastructure.
Gosh, you say. Another constituent here to argue for a
program of his liking at the federal trough. No. I'm another
constituent here to plead for Congress to do its
job...facilitating the education of America on Americas
public air waves. I'm here for all Americans who value
information delivered in a timely fashion. Information and
music delivered by a source that is not a commercially viable
product. Information for those who Washington might consider
is outside the loop. CSPAN, CNN, and public radio have done
more to keep the nation focused on national agendas than any
other forums I can think of.
But here's the catch with public radio. It's useful,
it's handy to have nearby, it's conveniently located on the
radio dial in the same manner across the nation, but it's not
commercially viable. In Austin, Texas and in many
communities, NPR is a feature on a University campus. In
other communities it is carrying information carried no where
else on radio.
I sell advertising for a living. Advertising is
becoming increasingly harder to sell for any media. There are
lots of choices and to some media buyers, public radio
doesn't carry the numbers that a commercial station can
offer. But our demographics show us that our listeners vote
and are the hard working Americans of which this country can
be proud.
I know a commercially viable product when I see one.
Texas Public Radio and most NPR affiliates would be ill
suited as commercial stations. Without some level of federal
support the result would be predictable: the demise of the
small stations which are the heart of the public radio
network. Larger stations which provide the lions share for
the funding for national programming would also be affected.
And with that demise would go the programs which no one
would broadcast; programs which we run because it's the
right thing to do: Desert Storm news conferences only covered
on PUBLIC RADIO (this was very popular in San Antonio,
military city USA) , important confirmation hearings, state
of the union addresses and responses. The list is long. And
without cable or a TV in the car, you missed it.
Let me emphasize in the strongest terms: any decision to
abandon public radio to the private domain would be short
sighted and doomed to diminish the size and impact of NPR in
particular and PUBLIC RADIO in general. Without the network
of private stations such as Texas Public Radio, NPR is
emasculated and denuded of its informative impact. It is a
decision which can t be reversed. The frequencies and this
network are a prized quantity. Remove them from the public
domain, and they re gone for all time. Other broadcasters are
licking their radio chops over these limited frequencies.
The political impact of NPR in the country is not what
one so close to the seat of power in the nation s capital
thinks. NPR stories may provoke debate, NPR stories may
inform and infuriate, NPR stories may enlighten those seeking
enlightenment, but NPR stories change few minds. I don't
listen to NPR to have my mind changed. I listen so as to
learn.
And what can I recall learning: I recall hearing for the
first time what life was really like in Romania from Andre
Codrescu as he walked around his country after the fall of
the dictator, Ceausescu. Andre is now a professor in
Louisiana. I recall waking to the sound of Dawn Upshaw's
lovely voice, unknown then in Texas, singing Barber's
Knoxville, Summer of 1912. The CD subsequently won a Grammy
that year. I remember delighting my children with a ghost
story told on NPR during the Halloween season 3--4 years ago
of the ASWAAN. The story was poetic and real. Every strange
noise they hear today they humorously ascribe to the ASWAAN.
Then there is Garrison Keilor, a twentieth century Mark
Twain.
In short, if my kids and I don't hear these stories from
NPR, who's going to provide them? Remember, Congressmen and
women, these are not commercially viable stories because of
their length or subject matter. If the Federal Government
chooses to abandon Public Radio, the decision sets adrift the
nation's commuters and normal road traffic to more of the
same talk radio or Howard Stern, God forbid.
I know there is a lot of talk about restructuring public
broadcasting, phasing out funding, of privatizing it. Mr.
Chairman, I am here to suggest to you that San Antonians are
concerned about this proposal. We have come too far to roll
the dice on this yet unproven theory.
The American voter is smart and pretty adept at
identifying phonies and false prophets. NPR's supposed
politically left wing bias didn t seem to have an effect on
November 8th. In fact some of our dead listeners in
Maryland's governor's race had more effect on the ballot
booth than Daniel Schorr. But Dan told it aas he saw it.
Speaker Gingrich is a historian and disciple of the
importance of telling the American experience and teaching
other Americans of the value of their culture. Only NPR can
relate our history and tell of our American experience.
Ladies and gentlemen, to remove funding muzzles the only
nationwide radio voice able to relate instantaneously, coast
to coast, and in depth our great national agenda and
experience.
Therefore, I urge you to fund Public Radio and fund it
knowing that it is money well spent in the national interest.
Thank you for your time and attention.
end
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