First, they came for Voice of America (VOA), then they took away the funds for the Corporation of Public Broadcasting (CPB).
However, you may feel about the government putting up money for public assistance, or in this case entertainment and information, as media folks, we should stick our necks out a little more and find ways to entertain and inform the public for free. Voice of America ended last year, for all intents and purposes. There are still staffers there, but from the research I’ve done, it seems they are part of a one-sided network and not independent hires. Correct me if I’m wrong. The network would deliver news and content in nearly 50 languages to those outside the country and in countries without press freedom. The network was considered a foreign agent by Russia.
The CPB was created to entertain and inform with programming funded largely with donations and a good-sized infusion of capital from the US Government. That ended last year. So last week the board of the nonprofit voting to dissolve operations after nearly six decades. The board chair called the move devastating, but said since the government pulled funding, they couldn’t see any viable path forward.
The trade Radio-Online says when the nonprofit first started, they were credited with building a network of over 1,500 locally owned public radio and television stations. Many will be able to continue operations, but the umbrella holding the rain away since the late 1960’s will dissolve. The rest of the money distributed to the organization already will be given to the stations it was promised to and will continue preserving archival materials through cooperation with the University of Maryland.
The Board Chair also apparently said she hoped future leaders would reassess public media’s “work to ensure continued access to educational, community-focused, and independent media services”.
And so it goes… 📺 📻
