Resolution of the Board of Directors of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting
May 24, 1988
Opposition to Amendments to the Public Broadcasting Act
Unanimously
WHEREAS,
The Board has learned that the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications is considering amendments to the Public Broadcasting Act that would destroy CPB's ability to respond to the changing needs of the American people through public broadcasting by severely restricting CPB's independence and discretion over programming funds for public television and radio, and that would undermine the integrity of the balanced structure Congress put in place, after careful study, to administer its support for public broadcasting; and
WHEREAS,
the proposed amendments would dramatically reduce the capacity to provide the American people with new, innovative and creative programming they expect from public broadcasting, and would prevent CPB from marshaling the resources to initiate new areas of program services, as it did with community outreach programming, children's programming, American drama, public affairs and documentaries, and other programming that could not have been started if CPB had not reallocated discretionary funds to meet those needs; and
WHEREAS,
the proposed amendments would virtually eliminate the largest single source of public broadcasting programming funds for use by minority, ethnic, women and independent producers to bring their significant work and diverse perspectives to American audiences; and
WHEREAS,
if it had not been for the existence of one organization, CPB, with total discretion over a large pool of program money, which was used to take the initiative to stimulate matching funds from the public broadcasting system, most of the mainstays of the public broadcasting program schedule, which are so important to the American people, would not exist today; and
WHEREAS,
the proposed amendments would force unnecessarily the dispersal of scarce national program production dollars in the hope that they will be reaggregated in other institutions, raising serious uncertainty as to whether that reaggregation will take place and requiring that programming dollars be diverted to meet the administrative costs of such reaggregation, when the CPB administrative structure is already in place and operating efficiently; and
WHEREAS,
the proposed amendments would make it impossible for CPB to exercise all it s obligations under the Act to facilitate the full development of public telecommunications and to do so in a way that will most effectively assure the maximum freedom of the public telecommunications entities and systems from interference with, or control of, program content or other activities; and
WHEREAS,
the proposed amendments would place CPB in the intolerable position of being fully accountable to Congress and the American people for the prudent and financially responsible expenditure of funds appropriated to it, but without the necessary authority and discretion to execute that responsibility; and
WHEREAS,
despite the fact that the current CPB structure and mandate can adequately address all of the matters of apparent concern to the Subcommittee, it did not consult with CPB before proposing these amendments to CPB's authorizing statute.
NOW, THEREFORE, BE IT RESOLVED THAT:
the Board expresses it s serious and unalterable opposition to the amendments to the Public Broadcasting Act being proposed by the Senate Commerce Subcommittee on Communications and calls on the Subcommittee to withdraw these amendments and to consult with CPB and all affected parts of the public broadcasting community on how to address any problems the Subcommittee perceives in the administration of the federal appropriation to public broadcasting; and
BE IT FURTHER RESOLVED THAT:
the Board intends to take all necessary and appropriate steps to defend against this attack on CPB's mandate and charter and calls on all those who support and believe in public broadcasting to join in its vigorous opposition to this proposal.
