Corporation for Public Broadcasting

From Free net encyclopedia

Image:Corporation for Public Broadcasting logo.png

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a private non-profit corporation which is chartered and funded by the United States Federal Government to promote public broadcasting. The CPB was created on November 7, 1967 when President Lyndon B. Johnson signed the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967. CPB initially collaborated with the pre-existing National Educational Television network, but in 1969 decided to start its own network, Public Broadcasting Service (PBS). The Corporation for Public Broadcasting provides some funding for the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio (NPR), but much more of its funding goes to public television and radio stations that are members of PBS or NPR, as well as to other broadcasters that are independent of those organizations. CPB also funds some Internet-based projects.

[edit]

Funding

In 2005, the agency received US$368.8 million in federal appropriations, about 90% of which is to be distributed to public broadcasters across the country, including both local and national organizations. In 2004, about US$38 million went to PBS itself, though many more public television stations received CPB funding, which many then used to pay fees to air PBS programs. Similarly, about US$2 million went to NPR itself, but the CPB funded many public radio stations, many of which used the CPB funds to pay fees to air NPR programs. The CPB has nine board members who serve six-year terms and are selected by the President of the United States and confirmed by the Senate.

Stations which receive CPB funds must meet certain certification requirements, such as to maintain or provide:

Open Meetings
Open Financial Records
Community Advisory Board
Equal Employment Opportunity
Donor List and Political Activities

[edit]

Political Composition of the CPB Board

Presently (February 2006) the CPB board contains three Republicans, two Democrats, and one independent.

According to the Public Broadcasting Act, the White House cannot appoint persons of the same political party to more than 5 of the 9 CPB board seats. Thus, of the three vacant seats, President George W. Bush may only appoint two Republicans.

[edit]

Conservative appointments

Under the administration of George W. Bush, the board has become Republican-dominated, and there have been complaints by people within PBS and NPR that the CPB is starting to push a conservative agenda, while board members counter that they are merely seeking balance. Polls of the PBS and NPR audiences in 2002 and 2003 indicated that few felt that the groups' news reports contained bias, and those that saw a slant were split as to which side they believed the reports favored. The President of the CPB, Patricia Harrison, is the former Co-Chair of the Republican National Committee; its chair is Cheryl Halpern, an activist Republican.

The charge of a conservative agenda reached a head in 2005. The point man of the controversy, Kenneth Y. Tomlinson, was the chair of the CPB board from September 2003 until September 2005. During his time as Chair, he drew the anger of PBS and NPR supporters by unilaterally commissioning a study of alleged bias of the PBS show, NOW with Bill Moyers, conducted by a conservative, and by appointing two conservatives as CPB Ombudsmen. On November 3, 2005, Tomlinson resigned from the board in the face of allegations of scandal. A report of his tenure by the CPB Inspector General, requested by House Democrats, prompted his resignation. On November 15, the report was made public.

[edit]

Board members

These six board members are in office as of February 2006 (three seats are vacant):

Cheryl Halpern (chair), Republican, appointed August 2002 by President George W. Bush
Gay Hart Gaines (vice chair), Republican, appointed December 2003 by President George W. Bush
Beth Courtney, Independent, appointed December 2003 by President George W. Bush
Frank H. Cruz, Democrat, appointed August 1994 by President Clinton
Claudia Puig, Republican, appointed December 2003 by President George W. Bush
Ernest J. Wilson III, Democrat, appointed September 2000 by President Clinton

[edit]