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January 1995, Week 5

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Subject:
From:
hargrove edward b <[log in to unmask]>
Reply To:
Film and TV Studies Discussion List <[log in to unmask]>
Date:
Tue, 31 Jan 1995 11:59:39 CST
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----------------------------Original message----------------------------
 
 
On Mon, 30 Jan 1995 [log in to unmask] wrote:
 
> ----------------------------Original message----------------------------
> Again, Paul doesn't seem to be relating the matter to questions  of film and
> television. I assume there are other political activism listserv's available
> for cheerleading and so forth. The fact is $285 million in tax dollars are
> being spent. Is this subsidy truly necessary?
>
> Larry Jarvik
> Center for the Study of Popular Culture
>
 
Mr. Jarvik --
 
YES, thought should precede action.  So how about a little thought on the
part of Congress before ramming a bill through the legislature during the
first month which would significantly cut funding for public broadcasting??
Certainly there are those who will argue that the "public" in "public
broadcasting" ceases to be relevant, what with the influence of AT&T and
other corporate "underwriters."  Perhaps the need of NPR and PBS to turn
to corporations and foundations for additional support is symptomatic of
a larger problem with regard to how we, as a nation, through public (as
well as private) policy decision making, have tended to value the role of
culture, education and the arts.
In response to your question, "Is this subsidy truly necessary?" many
factors need to be considered.  The fact is, in the Big Picture, $285
million is not an exorbitant amount of tax revenue to allocate for public
broadcasting when you consider that it comes out to roughly one dollar
per citizen.  Add to that our total spending on the arts is about $14 per
person annually, compared with nations like Germany, Japan, France, or
Great Britian who spend anywhere from $25 to $70 per person annually, and it
becomes clear that we already spend SIGNIFICANTLY less than other nations on
various cultural forms.  What could possibly be the incentive for cutting
it more?
While I'll grant you that channels such as American Movie Classics, TNN,
Discovery, A&E, and so forth provide decent quality programming (despite
particular problems some of us might have with the level of corporate
interest involved), these channels appear on cable and/or satellite TV.
Approximately 24% of the communities in the United States proper (i.e. as
a geographical entity as opposed to a penetrating Market) are not yet
wired for cable.  These are mostly rural communities who depend on
"public" broadcasting to bring them anything which is even remotely
dissimilar from the commercial fare on traditional "broadcast"
television.  Secondly, and I think this point is crucial, cable and/or
satellite requires, by definition, capital outlay from its consumers in
order to participate at all.  Certain members of the public, because of
economic barriers, would be denied access to these forms of cultural
capital.  The best part of this arrangement, of course, is that we (read:
those of us who can afford it, or perhaps those of us who skimp on the
groceries so we can afford it) get to pay for the privelege of being
targeted as potential customers of the national and multi-national
conglomerates, who determine to a significant extent
both the types of cultural forms which will be made available for
consumption, as well as defining the limits or boundaries of "legitimate"
public discourse.
Lastly (although there is certainly PLENTY more to discuss), as
subscribers to these lists I can assume that we are all either scholars
of media forms, or at least individuals with something more than a
passing interest in the relation of mediated forms of cultural expression
to the larger social mileu.  We have a stake, whether we like it or not,
in the fate of public broadcasting.  Therefore, I would argue that it is
perfectly legitimate to post a call-to-action to this list, especially in
light of what I see as Congress' irresponsible knee-jerk reaction.
Forcing PBS and NPR to become even more accountable to private capital
interests than they already are by having to compete for market share will
mean the death of public broadcasting as we know it.
 
And I for one shall not have the blood of Big Bird on MY hands!
 
Edward B Hargrove
Department of Curriculum & Instruction
University of Illinois @ Urbana-Champaign
 
"Listen, I've said enough.  You do what you want with this thing.  There's
just one more thing, though.  This town needs this little measley
one-horse institution if only so that people can have some place to go
without crawlin' to Potter!"
        -James Stewart as George Bailey in "It's A Wonderful Life"
                [as though I really needed to cite that one]

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