The Virginian-Pilot
©
NORFOLK
WHRO, the local public broadcasting company, stands to lose $650,000 in state funding if the House budget plan is approved this week, its chief executive said Wednesday.
Bert Schmidt, WHRO's president and chief executive officer, said that could lead to layoffs and programming reductions. It also could cut into WHRO's community services.
"We don't know at this point the impact it will have, but it will have an impact," he said.
Schmidt said some members of the General Assembly have told him they're targeting the state's five public broadcasting companies because of concern that some shows are too liberal.
"There's no bias," Schmidt said.
In Richmond, legislative conferees have been working this week to reconcile budget proposals from the House and Senate before the General Assembly's scheduled adjournment Saturday. They need to cut $2.7 billion in spending.
The budget blueprint from the House would eliminate WHRO's TV and Radio Community Service Grants, which total nearly $650,000, or slightly more than half of its total state allocation of $1.26 million a year, said Bobbie Fisher, a spokeswoman for WHRO. The Senate's proposal would cut $110,050.
Of the state aid that wouldn't be touched in the House version, nearly all is "pass-through money," Schmidt said, which flows to the 18 local school systems that own WHRO.
"We certainly have expected cuts, but we don't know of any other organization that has been zeroed out," he said.
"We feel like we're being targeted."
Philip Walzer, (757) 222-3864, phil.walzer@pilotonline.com
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Just more corporate welfare.
Using tax dollars to support any form of television is just one more version of corporate welfare. Sell more Barney or Elmo dolls, but get off the public dole.
If you enjoy these stations and their programing, then when they have fund raising marathon, ante up!!
Give me a break
No quality programming? When is the last time you actually watched PBS? I guess that shows like 'American Idol' and 'WWE' constitute "quality" in your book. What other station provides quality television for children? How about as much educational programming? As for Foxnews being 'fair and balanced', I'm sorry that is just a slogan. But then again, if you think Foxnews is unbaised then you probably do not have the critical thinking skills necessary to determine what constitutes objective journalism. Chances are, those who attack PBS for 'tilting to the left' never watch the station.
Stereotyping? - Pot calling the kettle ......
I suppose that you have never used stereotypes on this forum. Like you, I spend a lot of time reading this newspaper and I HAVE seen your postings. Nonetheless, the educational state of the commonwealth and the country is in a bad state already, maybe rather than seek to improve or supplement, we should take away government (taxpayer) funding of education too. Yes I might be arrogant, and yes might kids might turn out to be, but that does not make my previous statements any less true. Besides, I would prefer to be arrogant than ignorant.
a sign of the times
government funding of television stations needs to stop, plain and simple. Let's see some of that "change".....pull the taxpayer life support
Nice personal attack
Good personal attack calling everyone irresponsible parents because of what TV channels you think they watch. Is that the kind of arrogance and stereotyping your children are learning too?
Where are the responsible parents?
Seeing the attitude that most of you have towards PBS, it is no wonder that so many people in this region are under informed and narrow minded. WHRO and UNC is the only television stations that I will let my kids watch, and they are well ahead educationally than their peers. Some of you talk about PBS being too "liberal" yet your are comfortable with your kids watching garbage like Spongebob Squarepants, Hannah Montana, American Idol and the Simpsons, and all the crappy advertising that come with them.
"There's no bias," Schmidt said.
I've got to calm down to write this after reading this absurd comment! Public TV/Radio is full of left wing rantings. I hope they pull ALL the funding for both; they're commercial enterprises that are stealing my tax dollars while insulting everything I believe EVERY SINGLE DAY!! They should pull it all, if for no other reason that they let the traitor, Bill Moyers have a show.....get rid of them both.
Easy
That assumes WHRO has unbiased news and quality television. They have little of either. It seems like the only time they have reasonably decent stuff on is when it comes to money beg time.
The times have changed and over the airways is no longer the primary delivery method. You can just stop Walmart and pick up tons of education DVDs for a couple bucks or just get them from the library.
its just another liberal outlet
seems to me that pbs is just another outlet that is forcing taxpayers and browbeating corporations into supporting the propaganda of the left. they should be more responsible to those that support them. sure many of them are left leaning. there are also conservative perspectives and values that play a major role in keeping it all glued together. there are many liberal concepts that i support. i do not however support many of their ideas regarding behavior. conservative values dictate tolerance but, it also means that i have made a choice to do the right thing because it is the right, not easy thing to do. tolerance is not indulgence. i would happily support them if they actually were tolerant and expressed that there are many valid points of view and, not demonizing some because it conflicts with their world view. they are supposed to be public television not the television of the people's republic.
Unbiased News?
That's an easy one
FOXNEWS! the ONLY fair and BALANCED news reporting on TV and radio.