Morton J. Marcus is an economist formerly with the Kelley School of Business, Indiana University. His column appears in Indiana newspapers.
In Jasper last week a man asked me how that already successful southern Indiana city could improve its prospects. That attitude makes Jasper successful. Even though Dubois County has thrived for decades, a progressive spirit persists.
The question is not unique to Jasper. It is a statewide issue in towns that are doing well and those that are in trouble. In answer, many places seek to find a magic bullet, a project that will place them apart from their neighbors.
However, a statewide problem is best addressed by a statewide solution. How can we make all Indiana cities and towns more attractive? Let me propose a relatively inexpensive solution: create a significant statewide network of public radio and TV stations.
Driving from Indianapolis to Jasper, I listened to WFYI (Indianapolis), WFIU (Bloomington), and then WNIN (Evansville). Reception was mediocre to non-existent in many places between those major cities.
Aside from the lack of reception, there is the serious lack of Indiana content on most of our public radio and TV stations. We have few programs about local issues, but segments of those shows are rarely broadcast by other public radio or TV stations in the state. We are largely ignorant of what is going on elsewhere in Indiana.
Our local newspapers are increasingly focused on local news and carry very few stories about other places in Indiana.
Did your local paper carry any news about the proposed power plant in Logansport? It could be a major scam with questionable ethical issues involving a prominent state legislator. The Associated Press carried a story about this $800 million project yet I found only two papers, aside from the Logansport Pharos-Tribune, that had articles on the topic.
Why is the Logansport power plant important? Electricity rates and reliable service are very significant to many industries that might locate in Indiana. If Logansport cannot attract businesses, if Logansport and Cass County continue on a downward spiral, we will all have yet another poor neighbor, another struggling community that does not contribute to the well-being of the state.
Have you heard about the plan to dam the White River above Anderson? This proposal would have detrimental consequences for Mounds State Park in the name of providing future water supply for the ever-expanding Indianapolis metro area.
What did the interim legislative committee on taxes discuss at its meeting last week? These and other issues are important to all Hoosiers. Vigorous statewide public radio and TV networks could help close our information gaps.
Equally important, educated people interested in Indiana are likely to be National Public Radio (NPR) listeners and Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) viewers. Dozens of our towns would benefit if they had good, objective coverage from a statewide system.
Public radio and TV stations in Indiana need to expand their content and strengthen their existing, but tenuous linkage. If the Legislature wants a low cost means of improving the attractiveness of our state, this is a sensible opportunity.