National Fiscal Commission Seeks Cuts In NPR, PBS

National Public Radio and the Public Broadcasting System are getting too much money from the taxpayers, according the National Commission on Fiscal Responsibility and Reform.

A draft report by the commission released on Wednesday calls for cutting federal funding to the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), which provides funding to National Public Radio (NPR).

“The Corporation for Public Broadcasting’s primary job is to fund NPR and its member stations (and other public radio stations) and PBS and its member stations,” the draft report says. “The current CPB funding level is the highest it has ever been. This option would eliminate funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, saving just under $500 million in 2015.”

“Additionally, Congress should end two duplicative public broadcasting programs on President Obama’s termination list: The Public Telecom Facilities Grant Program (PTFP) and USDA’s Public Broadcasting Grants program,” states the report.  “In recent years, PTFP has primarily provided funding to help broadcasters transition to digital broadcasts. In FY2010, PTFP received $20 million in appropriations. The President has twice recommended terminating USDA’s Public Broadcast Grants program for the same reason. This program received $5 million in FY10 to provide funding to public broadcast companies to convert to digital transmission as well – an obsolete task.”      More here