Corporation for Public Broadcasting

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The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is a private, non-profit corporation that was created by Congress in 1967. CPB awards grants to create programming for public broadcasting stations and "helps support the operations of more than 1000 locally owned and operated public television and radio stations nationwide, and is the largest single source of funding for research, technology, and program development for public radio, television, and related on-line services." [1] CPB oversaw a budget of $411 million in 2004.

In 2003, President George W. Bush appointed to the CPB board Cheryl Halpern and Gay Hart Gaines, two prominent GOP fundraisers with limited experience in broadcasting or media. These political appointees have raised considerable concern that members of the CPB board were readying a charge across the line of neutrality to promote programming that better suits the White House's political agenda.

In mid-June 2005, the U.S. House of Representatives voted to cut CPB funding by 25 percent, or $100 million. The cut is seen by many as a conservative-driven attempt to curb what it perceives as the "liberal bias" of NPR and PBS, both funded in part by the CPB.

In an interview with Wisconsin Public Radio on June 13, 2005, Tim Graham, director of Media Analysis at the right-wing Media Research Center, harshly criticized what he called the "explicitly political" nature of CPB. He called it a "fat, happy establishment" of liberal bias that is "clearly solicitous of the enemy" in its reporting on such issues as the regime of Saddam Hussein.

Increased criticism and funding cuts were augmented by CPB chairman Kenneth Tomlinson's support of assistant secretary of state and a former co-chairwoman of the Republican National Committee Patricia Harrison's appointment for the position of CEO. Tomlinson claims he was attempting to "restore balance" in CPB-supported reporting, or, more appropriately, renewed and enforced conservativism.[2]

Board of Directors

As of September 2009: [1]

Former personnel

Contact details

Corporation for Public Broadcasting
401 Ninth Street, NW
Washington, DC 20004-2129
Phone: 202-879-9600
Web: http://www.cpb.org/

Articles and resources

Related SourceWatch articles

References

  1. "CPB Board of Directors," Corporation for Public Broadcasting website, accessed September 2009.
  2. Press release, "Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board Elects Chair, Vice-Chair," Corporation for Public Broadcasting, September 23, 2008.
  3. "Board of Directors," Corporation for Public Broadcasting website, accessed September 25, 2008.

External resources

External articles