Two Viewpoints About Public Broadcasting Funding

Two weeks ago, House Republicans voted to cut $460 million for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. The move was part of a package of budget cuts totaling $61 billion in the current fiscal year. Here are two points of view about cutting off all federal funding for public broadcasting and what cuts could mean for the future of public television and radio on a local and national level, with Association of Public Television Stations President/CEO Patrick Butler, and Heritage Foundation Vice President of Communications Mike Gonzalez. Mike Gonzalez worked 20 years as a journalist, including 11 years for The Wall Street Journal. He left journalism to join the administration of President George W. Bush at the Securities and Exchange Commission and the State Department. Patrick Butler retired as Senior Vice President of the Washington Post Company in December 2008. He was founder and president of Newsweek Productions and was chairman of PCS Action, a consortium of companies that launched the $150 billion personal communications services industry of wireless digital technology. CPB Funding History, FY 2009 through FY 2014: http://www.cpb.org/aboutcpb/financials/