Make Your Voice Count for Public Broadcasting
While local public television and radio stations have recorded numerous funding successes is this past few years, there are clear challenges confronting public broadcasting this year. The Administration’s FY 2006 budget continues its attack on federal funding of public broadcasting. The challenge that every station faces is clear: real cuts to Community Service Grants (CSGs) and other sources of funding exist today.
Reports received during and after Capitol Hill Day verify the significance of the threat to federal funding facing us. In addition to feedback from stations, APTS professionals have identified substantial developments in the House of Representatives that indicate a clear and present danger to federal funding for public broadcasting. This is the most serious threat that public broadcasting has seen in years.
To meet this challenge, APTS Action launched No Member Left Behind, an aggressive “Grasstops Lobbying Campaign” that is Public Television’s strongest mobilization since 1995. The campaign is energizing stations, boards and community partners in reaching out to Members of Congress to solidify congressional support for Public Television and our funding requests. Our success depends on every stakeholder playing their part.
Stations Answer the Call
Many stations have answered the call to action. Visit Stations Take Action to read some of their stories.
Outreach to Key Groups; CWA Support
APTS is working to complement station efforts by reaching out to other key groups. Because public broadcasting has a particular need this year to secure the support of Democrats on the House Appropriations Committee, we asked for assistance from the Communications Workers of America. CWA is one of the nation’s strongest unions and one whose members are employed by many public television and radio stations. CWA, and their NABET division in particular, prepared a strong letter of support from the president of CWA, Morton Bahr to Representative David Obey, the Ranking Member on the House Appropriations Committee.
Get the Grasstops Outreach Toolkit
Visit the Grasstops Outreach Toolkit page for resources for your modification and use in mobilizing your board members and other key supporters. Your toolkit includes: the Action Alert; an overview of public broadcasting’s appropriations requests and the Administration’s budget request; a set of PowerPoint slides providing an overview of appropriations issues affecting Public Television; sample letters for your board members and key supporters to use to communicate with your congressional delegation; sample letters for your Members of Congress to use to express their support for Public Television’s funding requests to their leadership on the Appropriations Committees; a list of contact information for members of your congressional delegation; and a station case sheet to provide your key supporters with your station’s recent federal grant information to enable them to see the connection between the national funding requests and local support for your station.
Additional Resources
