Title: Ongoing Threats to Public Media Funding

[MUSIC]

[00:00:10] Brian Lehrer: It's The Brian Lehrer Show on WNYC. Good morning again, everyone. Coming up in a little while, this hour, we will have our latest Citizenship Quiz. Many of you know, during our membership drives, we tend to break up all the serious stuff by having a 10-question quiz each day, and they include prizes if you get two in a row right. Today, you'll be able to choose between a Brian Lehrer Show baseball cap and that new WNYC Mini Tote that we've been talking about. That's coming up a little bit later this hour.

Just like yesterday, it's going to be questions from the actual naturalization test, and it was interesting to see how easy some of them were and how hard some of them were, even for people who were born here and grew up here, so Citizenship Quiz, 10-question quiz, Number 2, drawn from the actual citizenship test study guide, coming up a little bit later this hour.

Since this membership drive is somewhat about what the president and Congress are doing with respect to public radio and television, we thought we would have our President and CEO, LaFontaine Oliver, on for a few minutes today to explain some of it and what he and other station managers are doing. Hi, La Fontaine. Always good to have you on the show.

[00:01:29] LaFontaine Oliver: Hi, Brian. Always great to be with you and the listeners.

[00:01:32] Brian Lehrer: The way the President's executive order would directly affect us is tell me, if I understand this correctly, that local stations like WNYC would not be able to use federal funding that we get to help pay for the national NPR programming like Morning Edition and All Things Considered. Could you explain to the listeners how that works, how we pay or help to pay for those bedrock national shows?

[00:01:57] LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, absolutely, Brian. What's important to understand is that NPR only gets about 1% of its funding directly from CPB. The lion's share of their support is coming from local member stations like WNYC and WQXR through our programming fees and our carriage fees to run programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered, and some of the other shows that NPR may not produce but distribute, so Fresh Air, Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!

We receive, through the federal appropriation, our community service grants. That's the federal money that, if the executive order stands, we would no longer be able to use that money in order to purchase programming or to pay dues and fees back to NPR, so that's essentially how that would work, and that's why when we talk about public radio being an ecosystem, we talk about how intricately connected we all are in that way.

[00:03:05] Brian Lehrer: Is this kind of a bank shot trying to kill or weaken NPR's ability to report by eliminating the local station's ability to contribute to the mothership?

[00:03:15] LaFontaine Oliver: Well, Brian, in short, yes. I don't think there's any doubt about that. The executive order essentially would halt the direct funding and then also the indirect funding, so it essentially puts us in a situation where it's an attack not only on NPR, but on the local stations as well, and this could really hobble the entire public radio system, especially when you think about the fact that programs like Morning Edition and All Things Considered during drive times are where local stations are essentially bringing in their largest audience. I would say, yes, this is, in short, an attempt, I think, to really cripple the entire system.

[00:04:04] Brian Lehrer: That's why we talk in the membership drive portion of these shows about building a financial firewall so that there's other money that we can use to support NPR as well as do other things. The President has also tried to fire three members of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting Board. The board is challenging that because the Corporation for Public Broadcasting is not actually a government agency. Can you explain how that works and why? I'm sure many public radio listeners don't understand that.

[00:04:35] LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, Brian. The Corporation for Public Broadcasting was founded as an independent agency separate from the United States government, and this goes all the way back to the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, and that language was very, very specific, and it talked about the fact that no departments or agencies or employees of the government were allowed to have any direct supervision or control over the corporation or its grantees.

This was established in order to afford protection from political interference and control. It's important to note CPB also has two-year advance funding, which was also put in place to sort of insulate it from some of these political swings. Just yesterday, CPB went before court to sue over these attempted firings, noting that, as you said, CPB is not a government agency, but rather an independent nonprofit, and we are waiting. The judge has indicated that a decision will come before the next CPB board meeting in June.

[00:05:49] Brian Lehrer: We also have the President's budget proposal for the next fiscal year now, the federal fiscal year, which begins in October. That would affect us and other local stations more directly if it goes through as proposed, yes?

[00:06:05] LaFontaine Oliver: Yes. In the President's initial budget proposal, they call it the 'skinny budget.' The president shared that there's essentially a zeroing out of funding for all of public broadcasting in that initial budget proposal. The way that this works, Brian, is that now we get into the budget reconciliation process, where essentially Congress has to now write a bill in order to reinstate that funding for public broadcasting, and we hope that this will happen, but the next steps really surround Congress and the various congressional committees working on their various spending proposals as a part of the budget reconciliation process.

[00:06:57] Brian Lehrer: You've said that WNYC is working with other public stations around the country to thwart this most serious threat that public broadcasting has faced in its existence. What's an example of what that group effort involves?

[00:07:11] LaFontaine Oliver: Yes, the best example, I would say, is Protect My Public Media, and we encourage folks to visit protectmypublicmedia.org. This is probably the most important way that stations are working together and collaborating. It's a system-wide resource, and it is able to connect listeners and communities directly with their lawmakers to help urge their support for public broadcasting, so for those who are listening, we would love for you to visit protectmymedia.org.

[00:07:47] Brian Lehrer: As we wrap this up, LaFontaine, you know we're asking our listeners in the membership drive to stand with WNYC in part so we can stand with NPR right now. I think you'd look good in a nice, loose-fitting, size-large "I Stand With WNYC" T-shirt. Want to do a 30-second membership drive message directly from you to wrap this up?

[00:08:09] LaFontaine Oliver: Well, if that's going to get me that T-shirt, absolutely. I would say during this very, very important spring pledge drive, we are asking everyone who is able to stand with us right now, either by donating for the first time or increasing your support. The best way that you can help us is by becoming a monthly sustaining member so that we have that steady and predictable income stream coming in in order to help us during these unpredictable times.

Brian, I think it was you I first heard talk about building a financial firewall to help us defend against these threats, and that has really stuck with me. I say that the work that you do and the work that Alison Stewart does, the work that our fabulous newsroom does, it is a lifeline and not a luxury. We need folks to support us right now.

[00:09:06] Brian Lehrer: LaFontaine Oliver, and it's not Oliver LaFontaine, as some people seem to think. It's LaFontaine Oliver. You and all the station managers have a tough job right now, navigating all this, so thanks for coming on and explaining some things.

[00:09:19] LaFontaine Oliver: Thank you, Brian.

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