NEWS FLASH - NPR is LIBERAL >link<

I doubt many people (other than the tin foil hat brigades) would be surprised to hear someone say that the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, Public Broadcasting Services, and National Public Radio are very liberal. And, since the CPB, PBS, and NPR are publicly funded, no one should be surprised that Conservatives (and some Liberals) would like to see some balance added to public broadcasting.

Of course, the Dems in Congress would never let that happen. When Kenneth Tomlinson was board chairman of CPB, he tried to have a study conducted about the liberal bias at CPB, PBS, and NPR. That brought HOWLS of outrage from Congressional Democrats who immediately launched an investigation.

The results of that investigation will soon be released. One result...Tomlinson was coerced into resigning.

I am tired of my tax dollars going into a liberal propaganda machine. There was a time when public broadcasting made sense...when there were only a handful of broadcast options available. But now, with cable TV and satellite radio, there are hundreds of options. CPB does not provide programming aimed at people who cannot afford these private broadcasting options. CPB aims at upscale liberals who could easily afford to pay for their listening and viewing habits.

If public broadcasting were not so patently biased, I might be willing to tolerate their existence. NPR and its public broadcasting siblings often provide excellent programming. But that programming comes at a cost. CPB does not compete fairly when it comes to bidding on available programming...it can always go to the taxpayers or to its contributors for more money...there is NO incentive to be cost efficient.

I once read a report about how wasteful public broadcasting was. I do not remember all the details, but the story involved several cable TV networks bidding for the rights to broadcast a new BBC program for a year. Discovery Channel starts the bidding at $40,000; Animal Planet ups the bid to $45,000; A & E comes in at $50,000; Discovery puts in a new bid at $52,000...then PBS enters the fray and bids $250,000 and walks away with the prize. PBS does not try to bid competitively; it is not concerned about saving money. Like any publicly funded entity, it wants to spend its entire budget.

So, PBS gives you the same quality programming as other broadcast outlets, but at FIVE TIMES the cost. Programming aimed at liberal upper middle class and upper class listeners/viewers. Programming aimed at people who can AFFORD to pay for what they want. But remember, one reason the rich GOT rich was because they were good at making OTHER people pay for things they want.