OFFICIALS LEGISLATION INTEREST GROUPS PUBLIC STATEMENTS COMMITTEES VETOES

Prohibiting Federal Funding of National Public Radio

Floor Speech

Date: March 17, 2011
Location: Washington, DC
Issues: Technology and Communication Arts, Entertainment, and History

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT

Ms. BALDWIN. I thank the gentlewoman.

Mr. Speaker, I rise today in strong opposition to this bill which prohibits Federal funding of National Public Radio and the use of Federal funds to acquire radio content.

I am incredibly disappointed in my Republican colleagues for this needless attempt to cripple NPR and threaten thousands of jobs in the public broadcasting community. Without so much as a single hearing on this subject, this bill dissolves a vital public radio system depended upon by millions of Americans across the country.

Twenty-seven million Americans listen to NPR each week, and back home in Wisconsin nearly 450,000 people listen to Wisconsin Public Radio weekly over three statewide networks. In addition, 2.3 million visitors visited the Wisconsin Public Radio Web site in 2010.

Those who listen to Wisconsin Public Radio know how much there is to love. Wisconsin Public Radio provides over 9 hours each weekday of interactive radio programming, engaging Wisconsin residents and experts from around the world in public policy, culture, arts, and educational discussions. And because Wisconsin is largely a rural State, our citizens rely on over-the-air broadcasting more than almost any other State. This means that Wisconsin audiences significantly rely on public radio.

Not only would this horrible bill, rushed before us today, cripple local radio stations and programming that we enjoy in Wisconsin; it severely harms listeners' access to national shows, like "Morning Edition," "All Things Considered," "This American Life," "A Prairie Home Companion," and one of my personal favorites, "Whad'ya Know," among many others.

Mr. Speaker, the Republican majority is clearly not interested in creating jobs or dealing seriously with this deficit. Despite all of the talk, we are here today considering legislation that attacks public radio. I strongly oppose this bill, and I strongly urge all of my colleagues to do so, too.

BREAK IN TRANSCRIPT


Source
arrow_upward