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Some individuals may not realize the fact that there is federal funding available for public radio stations. Those in the business are aware of these resources, but these resources may be eliminated in the future. We as a country have come to expect and enjoy the benefits of public radio as it is today. This however may be changing if current legislation in Congress is enacted into law. Today, part of the financial support for public radio stations is provided through federal funding. Typically it is not a large percentage but it would have an impact if funding were either eliminated or reduced. This would not only impact jobs on radio stations but the availability of certain public radio stations.
The target of the current legislation which is HR 68 and HR 69 and Senate Bill S492 would impact non-commercial radio stations. Non-commercial radio stations are those that are owned or operated by a municipality and which transmit only noncommercial programs for educational purposes. These stations are owned and operated by public agencies or private nonprofit foundations, corporations, or associations.
Under current legislation being proposed, federal funding for the type of radio stations identified in the previous paragraph would be prohibited. The types of federal funds identified in HR 69 include grants, loans, property, cooperative agreements or direct appropriations. Embedded in the body of HR 69 is a provision to transfer the funds saved to an account for reducing the public debt.
Based on the legislation, funding for public radio is not going to be discontinued but reduced or eliminated strictly for noncommercial radio stations as defined earlier. Granted the federal government needs to look at evaluating activities where government tax dollars are involved, but historically there is a distinct reason why government funding is involved in public radio.
Funds are provided to public radio stations through the corporation for public broadcasting. One of the objectives of this organization is to make sure there is objectivity and balance in all programs. This requirement is stipulated in the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. Eliminating the funding for noncommercial radio stations may have an impact on this requirement. Cutting federal funding for noncommercial radio stations will not affect the funding for commercial radio stations. The legislation currently written will prohibit the Corporation for Public Broadcasting from utilizing the funds for noncommercial radio stations only.
Funding restrictions for public radio should be implemented evenly across all types of programming options that are now available. Reducing funding for one segment is not being fair to noncommercial public radio stations. The Corporation for public broadcasting was created to be private and free from government control. The action of reducing funding however small will impact the types of programs that will be available in the future simply by the fact that funds are restricted for one segment of the radio community.
It is important that all types of public radio stations be available to have a balance in the content that the public has a right to choose. It is understandable that anything funded by the government is going to be reviewed and evaluated given our current economic conditions, but one segment of society should not be treated any different than another, in this case the public radio community. The objective of the language in the legislation is to reduce government cost and apply the savings to the national debt. This is an admirable objective. The bills cited in this article may become law, but before they do, they should be examined by all senators and representatives.
Public radio stations and the choices we make each day are important. Changing the funding for public radio as now written cannot help to impact the principle of having balance programming choices available to the public. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is entrusted to make sure this principle is accomplished. Restricting the use of funds for all types of public radio stations whether they are commercial or noncommercial prevents them from accomplishing their responsibilities.
It is hoped that the right decisions will be made before the legislation discussed in this article becomes final. It is up to the public who reads this article and feels that funding for public radio stations should be provided evenly across all segments of the radio community to communicate with their elected senators and representatives. It is not fully known whether these legislative acts will have a consensus between the Senate and House of Representatives, but this issue is something that will impact us all. We need to voice our opinion on this issue and be involved in the workings of our government. The more we are informed about an issue the more we are better in a position to impact the decisions made in Congress or at any government level. Our elected officials should listen to those whom they represent but they also need to make the hard decisions that need to be made. We may not always agree but we have a right to make our opinion known.
