NPR NATIONAL PUBLIC RADIO- FUNDING CUTTS!

[acidrock]

NPR may loose funding, there is an email circulating trying to save NPR. Did anyone hear this?

On NPR's Morning Edition last week, Nina Tottenberg said that if the
Supreme Court supports Congress, it is in effect the end of the National
Public Radio (NPR), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) & the Public
Broadcasting System (PBS). PBS, NPR and the arts are facing major
cutbacks in funding. In spite of the efforts of each station to reduce
spending costs and streamline their services, some government officials
believe that the funding currently going to these programs is too large
a portion of funding for something which is seen as not worthwhile.

The only way that our representatives can be aware of the base of
support for PBS and funding for these types of programs is by making our
voices heard.

[Datazoid]

NPR may loose funding, there is an email circulating trying to save NPR. Did anyone hear this?

On NPR's Morning Edition last week, Nina Tottenberg said that if the
Supreme Court supports Congress, it is in effect the end of the National
Public Radio (NPR), National Endowment for the Arts (NEA) & the Public
Broadcasting System (PBS). PBS, NPR and the arts are facing major
cutbacks in funding. In spite of the efforts of each station to reduce
spending costs and streamline their services, some government officials
believe that the funding currently going to these programs is too large
a portion of funding for something which is seen as not worthwhile.

The only way that our representatives can be aware of the base of
support for PBS and funding for these types of programs is by making our
voices heard.

Hoax... (http://www.npr.org/about/urbanmyth.html)

[acidrock]

Hoax... (http://www.npr.org/about/urbanmyth.html)

thanks thought it was but wasn't sure -n

[wdlove]

I rarely listen to NPR. We should not be forced to contribute though. If it produces such great stories it should be commercially viable. I do contribute to our local PBS of my own free will, they have great programs of interest.

[MacRumorSkeptic]

Too bad its not true. Not that anyone cares these days, but can anyone site for me the constitutional mandate that allows the federal government to fund the arts.

[MongoTheGeek]

Too bad its not true. Not that anyone cares these days, but can anyone site for me the constitutional mandate that allows the federal government to fund the arts.

Let me dig it up...

Hmm... I couldn't find it. I think its done under the auspices of the #&*#% elastic clause.

Honestly though I was listening to NPR over the weekend and changed it to mainstream radio because I was tired of all the ads. :(

[pseudobrit]

Too bad its not true. Not that anyone cares these days, but can anyone site for me the constitutional mandate that allows the federal government to fund the arts.

Where's the mandate for the Air Force?

[pinto32]

How could you say that NPR is irrelevant/not have any good shows? Have you never listened to "Fresh Air"??

[Lyle]

How could you say that NPR is irrelevant/not have any good shows? Have you never listened to "Fresh Air"??It's the internet, so I can't tell if you're being sarcastic or not. ;)

None of the previous posters said that NPR is "irrelevant" or that it "[doesn't] have any good shows". Personally, I like several of the shows on public radio, such as "Car Talk", "Wait, wait..." and "Prairie Home Companion". The question was whether it's the government's role to fund the arts (including public television and radio). If my local public radio station were "commercial", if it did rely solely on advertising dollars from sponsors, then I would do my best to let those sponsors know that I appreciated them and that I wanted them to continue to sponsor that station.

[G4scott]

Where's the mandate for the Air Force?

Well, I believe it's mentioned in the preamble...

We the people of the United States, in order to form a more perfect union, establish justice, ensure domestic tranquility, provide for the common defense, promote the general welfare, and secure the blessings of liberty to ourselves and our posterity, do ordain and establish this Constitution for the United States of America.

And Congress has the power to declare war, and allocate funds for defense, which basically means, if Congress says there should be an air force for national defense, then there will be one.

The "promote the general welfare" part has to deal with the government's ability and responsible to keep the economy strong.

Defense is a part of our constitution. NPR is not. There's a big difference between the military that protects us, and public radio...

[Ugg]

The "promote the general welfare" part has to deal with the government's ability and responsible to keep the economy strong.

Defense is a part of our constitution. NPR is not. There's a big difference between the military that protects us, and public radio...

Sez who? The general welfare clause is so broad that there is no way to define it. The founding fathers left it that way because they knew that there was no way they could enumerate all the possible aspects of future governments that should be supported by government. The most obvious of these is education. 200 years ago our economy was largely agrarian and beyond basic instruction in the 3 Rs there was little need for widespread publicly funded instruction.

General welfare could be and has been construed to mean support for education, the arts and a myriad other government funded programs. It's a little late to start crying foul now after a couple hundred years of funding such programs.

[IJ Reilly]

Personally, I like several of the shows on public radio, such as "Car Talk", "Wait, wait..." and "Prairie Home Companion".

I've never heard of "Wait, wait" but FWIW the other two shows you mention, though they may run on some of the NPR affiliate stations, are not produced by NPR. Also, FWIW, the vast majority of the funding for NPR comes from private sources, not taxes. Joan Kroc left a $100 million endowment to NPR last year, so thankfully, their future is secure.

[zimv20]

I rarely listen to NPR. We should not be forced to contribute though. If it produces such great stories it should be commercially viable.
NPR is an amazing news outlet. unlike most other outlets, they do in-depth analysis. i can go anywhere for headlines, but there are few choices for in-depth (non-print) coverage.

regard commercial viability, you've got the horse/cart thing going on. NPR is a not-for-profit designed to be free of pressure from advertisers. this was a conscious decision made to provide a fair analysis.

and EVERYONE SHOULD KNOW: NPR RECEIVES NO DIRECT FEDERAL FUNDING!!!


NPR (National Public Radio) is a private, self-supporting nonprofit media company with hundreds of independent radio stations as members. NPR receives no direct federal funding for general support. NPR supports its operations through a combination of membership dues and programming fees from stations, contributions from private foundations and corporations, and revenue from the sales of transcripts, books, CDs, and merchandise. A very small percentage - between 1-2 percent of NPR's annual budget - comes from competitive grants sought by NPR from federally funded organizations, such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts. At present, NPR's annual operating budget is approximately $100 million a year (2002 NPR Annual Report).


http://www.npr.org/about/privatesupport.html

disclosure: i've done contract work for NPR and produced a piece for WBEZ, my local NPR affiliate

[G4scott]

I do occasionally enjoy NPR, because some of their programs are funny, or worth listening to. I don't like it as a news source, though. I do like listening to some of the music they play.

[zimv20]

The question was whether it's the government's role to fund the arts (including public television and radio).
survey any of the nightly newscasts by CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox and compare them to the Jim Lehrer News Hour. (have you watched it?) without rendering a judgement on the quality, would you say that News Hour is the most different?

take any of the network's "in-depth" news magazines. compare their quality (starting w/ choice of story) to Front Line or Bill Moyers' NOW.

if you get hooked on this stuff, you'll realize
1) what crap network tv "news" is
2) how bloody important these publically-funded news outlets are

[Lyle]

I've never heard of "Wait, wait" but FWIW the other two shows you mention, though they may run on some of the NPR affiliate stations, are not produced by NPR.My bad (about PHC and Car Talk). Also, FYI, "Wait Wait... Don't Tell Me!" (http://www.npr.org/programs/waitwait) is a co-production of NPR and WBEZ (Chicago), according to their home page. It's sort of a quiz show on the week's events, stuff like that. I like it. ;)

Also, FWIW, the vast majority of the funding for NPR comes from private sources, not taxes. Joan Kroc left a $100 million endowment to NPR last year, so thankfully, their future is secure.Thanks for the corrections

[acidrock]

I've never heard of "Wait, wait" but FWIW the other two shows you mention, though they may run on some of the NPR affiliate stations, are not produced by NPR. Also, FWIW, the vast majority of the funding for NPR comes from private sources, not taxes. Joan Kroc left a $100 million endowment to NPR last year, so thankfully, their future is secure.

lol it' s "Wait Wait Don't Tell Me"!
edit: saw the correction by lyle two min ago! ha

Well surprisingly not a lot of big NPR fans here, what do you think of what just happened with Bob Edwards?

[Frohickey]

Where's the mandate for the Air Force?

Air Force grew out of the Army. It used to be called the Army Air Force.

Art1 Sect 8 Clause 12:
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

[Frohickey]

Sez who? The general welfare clause is so broad that there is no way to define it. The founding fathers left it that way because they knew that there was no way they could enumerate all the possible aspects of future governments that should be supported by government. The most obvious of these is education. 200 years ago our economy was largely agrarian and beyond basic instruction in the 3 Rs there was little need for widespread publicly funded instruction.

General welfare could be and has been construed to mean support for education, the arts and a myriad other government funded programs. It's a little late to start crying foul now after a couple hundred years of funding such programs.

"With respect to the words general welfare, I have always regarded them as qualified by the detail of powers connected with them. To take them in a literal and unlimited sense would be a metamorphosis of the Constitution into a character which there is a host of proofs was not contemplated by its creators." - James Madison, principal author of the US Constitution

[Frohickey]

survey any of the nightly newscasts by CBS, NBC, ABC, or Fox and compare them to the Jim Lehrer News Hour. (have you watched it?) without rendering a judgement on the quality, would you say that News Hour is the most different?

take any of the network's "in-depth" news magazines. compare their quality (starting w/ choice of story) to Front Line or Bill Moyers' NOW.

if you get hooked on this stuff, you'll realize
1) what crap network tv "news" is
2) how bloody important these publically-funded news outlets are

You are missing the point. If NPR, or the various federal boondoggles are appealing to people, then it would find a way to fund itself and make a healthy profit for its investors.

[zimv20]

what do you think of what just happened with Bob Edwards?
what happened to Mr Edwards is a symptom of something going wrong w/ NPR, starting at least 5 years ago.

there is a high-level movement at NPR (resisted by many, if not all, of the correspondents) to make NPR more like the mainstream media. i.e. more headline oriented.

there's a joke at NPR that they can't compete at that level, so the saying goes, "we run it a day late and call it analysis". the thing is -- it's really good analysis.

anyway, this movement is driven by the perceived need for a greater listening base. NPR's base is growing older and they want to attract a younger generation. i agree w/ that, but i don't think it should be done at the expense of quality.

bob edwards doesn't want to leave morning edition, but it wasn't his decision. management decided that, in order to attract younger listeners, they needed a younger (or younger sounding?) person. not only will i miss bob, but i fear the ultimate replacement (the temporary stand-in, renee montaine (sp?), is someone i like) will come part and parcel with an "updated", read as "inferior", news product.

so while NPR's funding is as secure as it gets, the real destruction of NPR is happening from within.

[zimv20]

You are missing the point.
no, i think i've got the point exactly


If NPR, or the various federal boondoggles are appealing to people, then it would find a way to fund itself and make a healthy profit for its investors.
this profit will come from either advertiser revenue (which i've discussed above) or subscription. and guess what -- NPR is already run on a subscription basis, but there's no profit 'cuz they're a not-for-profit.

what does that status gain them? first, it's tax-preferable for people and institutions making donations. second, it allows them to get all sorts of things and favors. one example is: NPR has an agreement w/ BMI/ASCAP which allows NPR to use all music royalty-free. this includes music leading in to pieces, underscore, dead roll, in-piece examples, etc.

any profit a for-profit NPR would make would quickly be sunk into royalties. or they'd have to stop using music, which would, imo, degrade the product.

[Frohickey]

what does that status gain them? first, it's tax-preferable for people and institutions making donations. second, it allows them to get all sorts of things and favors. one example is: NPR has an agreement w/ BMI/ASCAP which allows NPR to use all music royalty-free. this includes music leading in to pieces, underscore, dead roll, in-piece examples, etc.


Maybe BMI/ASCAP would like to get in on the ground floor of a for-profit NPR. That ought to give them an incentive to continue with allowing the use of music royalty-free, for a piece of the action.

[zimv20]

Maybe BMI/ASCAP would like to get in on the ground floor of a for-profit NPR. That ought to give them an incentive to continue with allowing the use of music royalty-free, for a piece of the action.
well, that's one of many benefits of them operating as they do. the structure they have basically works, why make such a radical change? they'd lose most of their correspondents, in my estimation.

but this isn't even my main point. here it is:

1. public news is higher-quality (more in-depth and informative) than for-profit news
2. i maintain that changing PBS/NPR to for-profit will lower the quality

[pseudobrit]

Maybe BMI/ASCAP would like to get in on the ground floor of a for-profit NPR. That ought to give them an incentive to continue with allowing the use of music royalty-free, for a piece of the action.

If they got a "piece of the action," they'd be getting royalties.

[pseudobrit]

Air Force grew out of the Army. It used to be called the Army Air Force.

Art1 Sect 8 Clause 12:
To raise and support Armies, but no Appropriation of Money to that Use shall be for a longer Term than two Years;

Whoa! Hold the bus Mr. Strict Constructionist! You're saying that it's okay that a branch of the military not specifically called for in the Constitution is formed and for it and the Army to be way past its standing limit of two years?

So maybe since you condone the "unconstitutional" evolution of military services with the changing times, you would condone the evolution of the general welfare and Sec 8, Clause 8 to include things such as PBS?

Or do you get to cherrypick where you indignantly insist that we follow the Constitution to the letter?

[mactastic]

So where did the NRO grow out of, and where does the Constitution say we need one of those?

[Frohickey]

If they got a "piece of the action," they'd be getting royalties.

Or, they could be getting profits instead of royalties.

[pseudobrit]

Or, they could be getting profits instead of royalties.

Six of one and a half dozen of the other. What's the difference? (oh, yeah, the artists wouldn't be compensated if they were royalty free)

[zimv20]

Or, they could be getting profits instead of royalties.
as long as you're changing npr's whole base of operations, may as well change those of BMI/ASCAP, eh?

a purely market-driven system can never work because the system can always be gamed. oversight adds a level of control, but that always fails the "big gov't" test. your position is untenable.

[Frohickey]

Whoa! Hold the bus Mr. Strict Constructionist! You're saying that it's okay that a branch of the military not specifically called for in the Constitution is formed and for it and the Army to be way past its standing limit of two years?

So maybe since you condone the "unconstitutional" evolution of military services with the changing times, you would condone the evolution of the general welfare and Sec 8, Clause 8 to include things such as PBS?

Or do you get to cherrypick where you indignantly insist that we follow the Constitution to the letter?

Nope. Air Force came from the Army, look up the history of it. And as to the funding of the Army, its always renewed every 2 years, that is why there is the biannual defense appropriations.

[Frohickey]

as long as you're changing npr's whole base of operations, may as well change those of BMI/ASCAP, eh?

a purely market-driven system can never work because the system can always be gamed. oversight adds a level of control, but that always fails the "big gov't" test. your position is untenable.

I'm the one that is against governmental subsidies. That what the government support of NPR is, a government subsidy.

[zimv20]

I'm the one that is against governmental subsidies. That what the government support of NPR is, a government subsidy.
NPR doesn't receive federal funding. PBS does.

[IJ Reilly]

NPR doesn't receive federal funding. PBS does.

According to NPR, "A very small percentage - between 1-2 percent of NPR's annual budget - comes from competitive grants sought by NPR from federally funded organizations, such as the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, National Science Foundation and the National Endowment for the Arts."

No matter. Some people will automatically have a bias against any organization that isn't in it strictly for the bucks. The reasons why this the case might be interesting to explore.

[zimv20]

ack! i forgot to put in "direct".

[krimson]

i've been listening to "NPR" since 9am :)
and yes, i do support my local station.

[zimv20]

and yes, i do support my local station.
kcrw?

[wwworry]

There was a recent study that showed that regular listeners of NPR and McNeil News hour were more informed as compared to other media outlets. Surprisingly, Fox News consumers were the least informed and had the most erroneous ideas about what was going on in the world.

Fox News fans misinformed, study finds (http://www.twincities.com/mld/twincities/entertainment/columnists/brian_lambert/7031578.htm?1c)

[krimson]

^
i'd say NPR listeners at least get more sides of an issue, there are many shows that are dedicated to pointing out the many sides. instead of just one.



kcrw?


correct, and kpcc because i dont get kcrw inside my home.