The elimination of state support would drain about $900,000 from WITF's budget and would have "an immediate and negative effect" on all the station's programs and services, according to WITF's President and CEO Kathleen Pavelko. Rendell's office argues that PPTN funding does not affect the health, safety and welfare of Pennsylvanians and that government must do all it can to support "core functions" during periods of economic distress.
Public television advocates counter that this funding cut would deliver a devastating blow to the continuation of the programs and services that more than 3 million Pennsylvanians - including about 600,000 children under the age of 12 who watch PBS each week - enjoy and upon which they rely.
President and CEO of the Public Broadcasting Service Paula Kerger issued the following statement about the fight for funding, which was read to rally attendees, "Public broadcasting plays a vital role in strengthening America's communities. PBS and its member stations provide news and public affairs content, taking the big stories of the day, putting them into context, and serving as a civil, independent voice in the national media cacophony.
"This is particularly true here in Pennsylvania, where your local PBS stations provide local news and programming that educates and engages you and your neighbors, helping you to become more involved in the communities in which you live.
"In addition, PBS and its local stations provide children's content that educates while it entertains, treating kids not as consumers, but as citizens in the making. PBS also provides its member stations with the kind of content citizens cannot find elsewhere - historical documentaries, science and nature shows, performing arts specials, and independent films. The bottom line is that PBS uses media to serve the public, not profit from them, and we are proud to stand with our member stations in Pennsylvania during these challenging times."
State representative Glenn Grell (R-Cumberland County) spoke in favor of restoring the funding and proposed taking $10 million from the Hollywood film tax credit and instead giving $8 million of it to the PPTN stations.
The moms' rally was just one of many protests staged at the Capitol as lawmakers face the final two month-countdown before they must adopt a new state spending plan. The Senate Republicans successfully pushed a budget through that chamber this week on a party-line vote (30-20) that would spend $27.3 billion next fiscal year. That figure is more than $1.3 billion less than Gov. Rendell and House Democrats have proposed and, if adopted, would mark the first time in decades that the state has spent less than the year before. Arts groups and even the Hospital and Healthsystem Association of Pennsylvania decried the austerity measures in both the Republican and Democratic budgets. They plan vigorous lobbying campaigns to reverse those spending decisions.
We'll discuss the latest developments on the state budget Friday night at 8:30 on Smart Talk with John Micek, State Government Reporter for the Allentown Morning Call, and Matt Paul, who covers the State Capitol for Radio Pennsylvania, WITF's statewide commercial radio network. Please share your thoughts on the budget -- email us at This e-mail address is being protected from spambots. You need JavaScript enabled to view it . We'd love to have you watch the show and join the conversation! (Plus we'll feature the latest information on Alzheimer's disease and what's happening with efforts to extend protections to gays, lesbians and transgendered Pennsylvanians.)
