The Unintended Consequences for cutting the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will be noticed sooner than later.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
(Copenhagen Minibrick) 19 May 2025
The Minibrick State Association of Broadcasters wants to warn the public that the cuts to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting will have dire consequences sooner than later.
The CPB founded in 1967 was part of the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, a couple years later the Public Broadcasting Service was founded; aired more than a year after; and National Public Radio was founded in 1971. This was in reaction to the unraveling of the National Educational Television network or NET that was due to the severe cuts by the Ford Foundation. While the CPB is accused for funding so called “woke” TV shows like Sesame Street or Arthur or Frontline and many more; while CPB is considered to be “PBS’ and NPR’s ATM”, this type of funding should be seen as “seed” money rather than a government handout.
In recent years, following the infamous 2011 National Emergency Alert System Test, the Federal Emergency Management Agency partnered with the CPB to develop an improvement using IP based networking and Web delivered emergency messages on top of the traditional automated, but analog delivery of the EAS messages. Known as IPAWS, this device again listens to broadcast signals and an Internet connection to in case of real failure. Where was the corporate broadcasters to help develop a system to keep the public informed of an actual emergency?
The CPB funds many NPR and PBS “member stations” in many underserved and rural markets, that are inhabited by poor Caucasian people. Are they sure they want this funding to disappear?One may want to consider the abuse of power of the President of the United States intervening in the powers of CPB, that is supposed to be hands-off by the President, that goes back to the embroiled Richard Nixon during the Watergate scandal of 1973.
Our public media is not funded by the CPB, but as broadcasters, we strongly encourage as a trade group to show our solidarity to public media.
Media Relations Point of Contact: Steven
email: steven.clickford at-misab.org
telephone: 603.713.8010 ext 1025
socials: @stevenc.misab