CPB Governance Reforms Applauded by APTS, PBS
Public broadcasters lauded changes adopted last week by the CPB board to the corporation’s governance and operations (CD May 2 p3). “We applaud them for their continued steps to increase transparency and reform their operations,” said Assn. of Public TV Stations Pres. John Lawson: “It appears they are really committed to correcting some of the inappropriate actions of the past.” Commending board efforts to “ensure greater transparency and implement best practices,” PBS Vp Lea Sloan praised Pres. Pat Harrison’s “call for clarity and accountability in all aspects of the organization.”
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Saying APTS hasn’t done a “complete analysis” of the board actions, Lawson said the CPB inspector gen. still has to weigh them. The board was responding to IG recommendations made last year after the Tomlinson episode. APTS will work with other public broadcast bodies and public interest groups to revise CPB governance once Congress takes up a long overdue reauthorization of the Public Bcstg. Act, Lawson said.
Lawson said he expects reauthorization to come during the next Congress. APTS will press for more local station representation on the CPB board when Congress takes up the measure, he added. In light of media consolidation, he said, “the focus on localism is even more important today than it was 2 years ago” when Sen. McCain (R-Ariz.) introduced a reauthorization bill. There’s a need to push up CPB funding levels set in 1992, he said, and “there may be some other changes we would consider if a bill is actually introduced.”
The CPB IG’s investigation of stations’ alleged use of federal funds to lobby Congress won’t deter their exercise of First Amendment rights, Lawson said. Stations took to the air last year to mobilize grassroots support to reverse more than $100 million in cuts proposed in the House, leading some Republicans led by Rep. Brown-Waite (R-Fla.) to call for the IG investigation. “If necessary, we will again ask our stations to go on the air to alert their communities to dangerous developments in Congress,” said Lawson.
He denied a website launched jointly by NPR, PBS and APTS to lobby Congress (CD April 25 p15) was swayed by criticism on the Hill of stations’ use of airwaves to lobby. “The attempt by congresswoman… Brown-Waite to shut us up… had really no effect on our thinking,” Lawson said. The site represents an “evolution of our techniques” that uses the “true power” of the Web, he said: “We are investing in technology-based approaches to supplement our traditional methods of mobilizing our supporters.” Asked if the site is effective, Lawson said it’s very early to gauge its efficacy. But, he said, “we are not relying on it as some sort of silver bullet.” It’s just one more tool that can create sustained “grassroots input” to Congress, he added.
On carriage negotiations, Lawson said he hopes APTS and PBS will reach agreements with the American Cable Assn. and Verizon. He can’t “predict” a date for agreements, he said, because he hasn’t got a “near final version” of the contracts yet. APTS signed an agreement with NCTA and MSOs guaranteeing carriage of up to 4 multicast channels of public TV stations. Lawson refused to compare the Verizon carriage terms with the NCTA’s. But, he said, “our basic objective of ensuring carriage of our multiple signals is really at the core of anything we would agree to.”
APTS is awaiting release of Dept. of Homeland Security funds to deploy public TV’s digital emergency alert system (DEAS). With DHS funding, APTS ran 2 DEAS pilots involving public TV stations, wireless operators, NCTA, FCC, Federal Emergency Management Agency and others (CD April 7 p8). “The next step would be actual deployment of the basic transmission infrastructure on a regional and eventually nationwide basis,” he said. The system can’t be deployed by the June start of hurricane season, he said, but the basic infrastructure for sending messages from the President can be done in months.