This blog printed on 100% recycled electrons.
On a 357-72 vote, the House of Representatives yesterday "overwhelmingly rejected President Bush's plan to eliminate the $420 million federal subsidy for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting" [Andrew Taylor, AP writer, "House Retains Public Broadcasting Funds," posted at Yahoo News, 2007.07.18]. Representative Doug Lamborn (R-CO) carried the White House's water on this one, proposing his amendment to HR 3043, a big spending bill for Labor, HHS, Education, and whatever else Congress manages to throw on the pile.
South Dakotans should be particularly glad that our gal Herseth-Sandlin stood with the majority to defend public broadcasting. In a state where media outlets are being snapped up by outside corporate interests, we have very few reliable independent voices left. Jon Hunter's mighty Madison Daily Leader remains one of the few locally owned dailies in the state. Our broadcast media are dominated by out-of-state owners (see The Center for Public Integrity for a really cool media ownership database). The only locally owned TV station left in Sioux Falls appears to be KTTW (reportedly owned by Independent Communications, Inc., 2817 W 11th St, Sioux Falls, SD 57104-2540).
In the face of the growing corporatization of the media, the Madville Times will certainly do what it can to publish what might prompt censorship by shareholders elsewhere. But even MT cannot provide the broad scope of vital cultural services that South Dakota Public Broadcasting does. South Dakota Public Radio and Television are among the last bastions of independent, truly local media content available. For most of South Dakota, SDPR is the only source of classical music (Uncle Owen is powering this blog right now), jazz (shout out to Uncle Jimmo!), and even diverse adult alternative music. With Statehouse, SDPTV is the only media outlet in South Dakota that gives us daily, detailed coverage of the legislature, plus live streaming audio and archives of committee hearings. Our public TV and radio give us more (and better) daily and weekly local content than all of the corporate broadcasters in the state combined. All those services, not subject to the ratings- and profit-cravings of corporate shareholders, are worth every penny of the tax dollars and private donations we give to public broadcasting.
(Hey, maybe Shawn Cable is going to jump to public broadcasting to bring them a local weather program, one thing that SDPB has sorely lacked for years!)
RIP Quincy Jones
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Probably one of the greatest music producers EVER! I have to tell you, I
have been beside myself, I get it, he was old, but everything you listened
to deca...
7 hours ago
I must disagree with your comment, "South Dakota Public Radio and Television are among the last bastions of independent, truly local media content available". What you're referring to as "independent" is truly Government Sponsored, funded and controlled, that's why the resolution was so soundly defeated. Our Government uses tax dollars to promote itself via its own network. Case in point...South Dakota Public Broadcasting televises messages, debate, etc., by the Governor and Legislature which ensures continued State Funding. I'm not saying SDPTV and SDPR are "bad", but they are certainly not "independent" and they lack any amount of innovation. I think Shawn Cable is working for www.mysiouxfalls.com, taking the same path as Chuck Harmer of KJAM, another out-of-state corporate-owned formerly-locally-owned media outlet. How long before Hunter sells to a congolomerate?
ReplyDeleteI'll need someone to explain to me why, if public broadcasting is government controlled, President Bush and SD legislators have tried to get rid of an obviously great tool for their propaganda.
ReplyDeleteI don't mind tax dollars supplementing private donations to broadcast messages from the governor, legislative debates, etc. The Statehouse program, along with its extensive Internet archives, gives us more raw info from our elected officials than any of the commercial stations. That's not government-promoting propaganda; that's public service.
There is some merit to the claim the SPDB isn't wholly independent: it is subject to the dictates of its owners, just like the other media. The difference: SDPB's owners are us. KELO, MySiouxFalls.com, the Argus, et al. must answer to shareholders and advertisers. SDPB answers to all of us, and we don't have to have money to have a voice.
When will Jon Hunter sell out? We hope never... or at least not until the Madville Times has the capital to buy him out! (Jon, if you're reading, would you care to add your perspective?)