By Marilyn Odendahl, Truth Staff
modendahl@etruth.com
ELKHART -- In an economic catastrophe that has ripped away jobs, homes and peace of mind, how important is information?
Local public broadcasting advocates list news and analysis as a basic need along with food, clothing and shelter but they see a budget-cutting move by the governor as crippling their ability to provide information at the time when the need is greatest.
"Even though the state part is not a majority share, it's a critical part," said Mary Pruess, president and general manager of WNIT Public Television. "State funding for PBS keeps the public in public broadcasting. It helps us be noncommercial and editorially independent."
At the beginning of the current fiscal year, the state budget included a $3.5 million appropriation for Indiana Public Broadcasting to be spread across the eight public television stations and 19 public radio stations in the state. Unlike years past, this appropriation was doled out each quarter and while first- and second-quarter funding arrived in full, the third-quarter allocation was reduced and the fourth quarter cut completely.
"Pretty suddenly," explained Roger Rhodes, executive director of Indiana Public Broadcasting Stations, the remaining $1.15 million promised was not released.
Although other stations elsewhere in Indiana have already had to lay off personnel and curtail services, neither WNIT nor public radio station WVPE have been forced to take drastic measures. Still, the state cuts coupled with the drop in business donations are causing Pruess and Anthony Hunt, WVPE station manager, to look for ways to trim their respective expenses.
Most likely, the station heads say, the knife could fall hardest on information, specifically programming produced by the stations that focus on local issues and cater to local tastes.
The argument that public broadcasting provides programming not found anywhere else runs contrary to a common presumption, Hunt said. Many contend that people now have access to all the information they want because more media have become available over time. But, he countered, a quality organization that provides information "has a better intrinsic value."
Pruess pointed to the shows "Politically Speaking" and "Economic Outlook," which bring elected officials and professionals together to discuss what is happening in the area. These distinctive programs serve the local interest but depend on state dollars to do so, she said.
"I hope the state understands the importance of being able to support information to all our citizens," Pruess said.
However, the state and Gov. Mitch Daniels are struggling with a budget shortfall that, at last check, topped $1 billion. On a number of occasions, according to Jane Jankowski, spokeswoman for the governor, Daniels has said this difficult economy means difficult decisions have to be made. State agencies have taken an average cut in funding of 8 percent and state employees have had their pay frozen among other actions, she said.
The governor's priorities are protection of children, education and public safety, Jankowski said.
Still, Pruess is stunned the funding cut to public broadcasting was made in arrears.
"These were appropriated funds," she said. "They were in the state budget. We had no idea this decision was being considered, let alone taken."
Public broadcasters were willing to have a conversation with the state, Pruess said, and do their fair share but the governor's action took significantly more from public broadcasting than from the state agencies.
Requiring public television and radio stations to survive without taxpayer support is not feasible, IPBS's Rhodes said. The original federal initiative that created public broadcasting and mandated it provide non-commercial as well as unique programming placed restrictions on how the stations can raise revenue. Consequently the government realized it would have to help.
In an e-mail, Duane Stoltzfus, professor of communication at Goshen College, stated the "governor's budgetary strikes could not come at a worse time for the work of public broadcasting in the state. ..."
With advertising revenues and donations shrinking, all news organizations -- commercial and public -- are under "unprecedented pressure" to provide "free content" to a public that needs and wants the news as much as ever, Stoltzfus wrote.
"Public broadcasters have always provided an important alternative to commercial providers," Stoltzfus stated. "... they can provide content without feeling pressure from advertisers to include or exclude certain kinds of controversial information, and they can develop stories that are more indepth."
The impact of the drop in state funding will ripple beyond the initial pain stations are currently feeling, Rhodes said. In particular, reductions in funding from the federal government could follow since all Hoosier public broadcasters will have less money in their coffers to match.
Yet as bad as the unexpected decrease in state support has been, the future is more ominous.
In his budget proposal for the upcoming fiscal year, Daniels has made no appropriations to public broadcasting. Although taxpayer-supported broadcasting has always faced funding challenges, the governor's decision surprised Rhodes, who has more than 18 years experience in broadcasting.
"To the best of my knowledge," he said, "there has never been a proposal for zero funding."
Rhodes and Hunt noted public broadcasting has enjoyed support from Democrats and Republications in the Indiana Statehouse which could benefit public television and radio at this time.
"We are hopeful the Legislature will include something in the budget and the governor will sign it," Hunt said.
Daniels is not averse to changes in his budget but, Jankowski said, he has rules for any proposal that comes out of the approaching special session and that could have state politicians weighing the necessity of information.
"He's willing to be flexible but if the Legislature want to add a dollar in," she said, "they should be prepared to take a dollar out."