CPB Happy With Senate Funding
By John Eggerton -- Broadcasting & Cable, 6/20/2007 3:47:00 PM
What a difference an election makes.
While public broadcasters under Republican majorities had constant battles to maintain funding levels and preserve forward funding, a Senate Appropriations Subcommittee Tuesday funded a number of Corporation for Public Broadcasting programs at about the same funding level as a similar House bill.
"We appreciate the subcommittee's support for public service media in this country," said Patricia Harrison, CPB president and CEO.
Under the appropriation, CPB would get $420 million for 2010, the money t is forward funded in an effort to insulate it from politics. In 2008, the organization would get an additional $29.7 million for the digital conversion; $26.75 million for public radio interconnection, and $25.255 million for Ready To Learn (RTL)--which is a million more than the House appropriated-- and $10.9 million for Ready To Teach.
RTL was the program Republicans tried to phase out after the Postcards From Buster series featured lesbian parents. RTL no longer funds Buster and has been re-tooled to focus on early education.
CPB hands out the approximately 15% of public broadcasting's annual budget that is underwritten by the goverment.
