House bill would cut public radio, TV funding

The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to vote this week on a bill that could cut $249 million next year from the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, a not-for-profit organization that provides funding for public radio and television stations nationwide.

The potential cuts could affect about 320 National Public Radio stations and 350 Public Broadcasting Service stations across the country, including Southeast Public Radio, KRCU in Cape Girardeau and the WSIU television station in Carbondale, Ill.

Monica Tichenor, coordinator of public information at WSIU, said the bill also proposes the elimination of PBS Ready to Learn educational programming for children and funding for digital conversion, which has been required for all television stations by 2008.

"It's really tying the hands of stations by requiring that they meet a federal mandate and then cutting the funding for it," she said.

Tichenor said the Bush administration had earlier proposed cuts of 25 percent to CPB, but the cutbacks the House will vote on this week are closer to 45 percent. She said there has been some speculation about the motivation behind the House proposal, especially after a recent controversy, in which PBS featured a lesbian couple on the children's show "Postcards from Buster."

"But instead of motives, what we should focus on is what these potential cuts could do to smaller stations like ours, who really work hard to provide local programming to meet the needs of viewers," she said.

Grant program

CPB money covers about 34 percent of WSIU's annual operating budget, Tichenor said. However, the cuts could have an even greater impact on WSIU's future because the station uses CPB funding to solicit local matching grants.

Dan Woods, general manager of KRCU, said the radio station received about $85,000 last year from a CPB community service grant. The money, which makes up about 18 percent of the station's total budget, pays for some of KRCU's operating and programming expenses.

Woods said no one knows yet how much the federal cuts will impact each individual station, but any kind of cutback to CPB could affect the grant program. If the bill passes, KRCU may have to make some changes to make ends meet, Woods said.

"Some programming might have to be eliminated in favor of something more reasonable in price," he said. "We would have to look at things really long and hard to see how to make up that difference."

In response to the proposed cuts, the station is working to increase listener donations, which cover a large portion of KRCU's overall expenses.

"That's one of the things we've been working on for a while now is trying to expand our listenership base, to make people aware that we're here and the programs we provide are made possible because of them," Woods said.

In a statement, U.S. Rep. Jo Ann Emerson said she expects CPB funding to be restored after another final House vote later this year.

wmcferron@semissourian.com