Another war against PBS/NPR

From this morning's NOW newsletter...

President Trump again proposes to zero out funding for public radio and TV. The White House will likely run into the same phalanx of defenders that have guarded the Corporation for Public Broadcasting since the Newt Gingrich attacks of the 1990s. (Gingrich used to say that “public broadcasting” meant what the public likes. Therefore “Rush Limbaugh is public broadcasting.”) The Trump budget argues that “Services such as PBS and NPR, which receive funding from CPB, could make up the shortfall by increasing revenues from corporate sponsors, foundations and members.” It estimates that CPB funding makes up “about 15% of the total amount spent on public broadcasting” – but for many smaller pubradio stations, that percentage is much higher. They’d be threatened by a pullback of federal funds with which to create their own programming or buy “Morning Edition” from NPR, the “Classical 24” service from APM, etc. Variety reports the White House budget plan, which would eliminate the $445 million that’s flowed to CPB each of the last several years.