RECENTLY PBS premiered a documentary about WIlliam F. Buckley for their American Masters series. As a great admirer of the late founder of National Review I was excited to see what the treatment of Buckley would be. Spoiler alert: it was fair in some respects, not in others, but on the whole, well done.
Other than this specific episode of American Masters, I cannot fathom the last time I bothered to tune into the Public Broadcasting System. Oh, and I didn’t tune in. I watched it on YouTube. Do you know where you can watch the episode in full now? That’s a sincere question. The full episode is no longer on YouTube. Apparently if you’d like to watch it you have to go to the American Masters website and get behind a paywall. A paywall for public broadcasting.
This strategy for viewership may be indicative of troubles that have beset the larger public broadcasting landscape.
The news of financial difficulties hitting Boston’s two (one is also a TV network) public radio stations sent local media into a tizzy discussing the internal machinations of both broadcasting entities. What would they do? How many layoffs would there be? Is this sustainable?
Before NPR listeners could put down their proverbial tote bag to catch a breath, they were dealt another blow when Uri Berlinner unleashed a scathing – and rather obvious to those of us on the right – piece that accurately outlined how NPR was hopelessly and hilariously left wing.
Days later Berliner was suspended and eventually resigned from NPR.
All of this occurred on the heels of controversy surrounding NPR appointing Katherine Maher as CEO earlier this year. Maher had been heavily criticized for remarks that demonstrated a severe left leaning bias, with comedian Bill Maher likening her to a “Portlandia character” (a nod to the fictional depiction of uber progressive life in the Pacific northwest).
For WBUR and WGBH the problems are fundamental. Expenses are up, the number of listeners is down, as is advertising dollars – who knew they had advertising income? – culminating in operational deficits.
Left on its present course, public broadcasting will continue to decline.
Reversing the decline requires an obvious solution. Merge, purge, and diverge.
First, a merger of WBUR and WGBH is plain to see. A significant number of shows are already broadcast across both radio stations. There is no need to maintain separate infrastructure, associated back office staff, and executive payroll for two entities that share identical content. Continuing to do so is pure stupidity.
Second, combining resources as a cost savings measure would lead to the clear next step. Purging duplicated functions for the new organization. WBUR’s newsroom is staffed by 130 people. WGBH’s newsroom is staffed by 100. Both cover the exact same local and national stories with each producing unique programming. A news staff of 230, in the midst of a 30 percent decline in listeners, of FM radio, is wholly unnecessary. Ask the staff – under age 40 – to survey their friends for how much they listen to terrestrial radio. The answers will elicit the conclusion everyone knows to be true. The current model is unsustainable.
Lastly, diverge. Diverge from the ideological course public broadcasting has consciously and unconsciously chosen for decades. The mission of WBUR “is to produce high-quality journalism and enriching experiences that foster understanding, connection, and community for an expanding circle of people.”
WGBH’s mission “enriches people’s lives through programs and services that educate, inspire, and entertain, fostering citizenship and culture, the joy of learning, and the power of diverse perspectives.”
No one can seriously contend public broadcasting is offering “diverse perspectives” to an “expanding circle of people.” The bias evident in WBUR and WGBH content is antithetical to what is a noble mission as stated. Yet, Uri Berlinner’s assessment of the reality that exists in public broadcasting cannot be ignored.
Half the country does not possess the political ideology of those who work for WBUR and WGBH. This is a problem born of arrogance that diminishes public trust in an institution many on the right would agree needs to be restored, not left to deteriorate.
A true and genuine effort to find conservative views in reporting, commentary, and dedicated programming would re-establish trust and expand listenership to the wider public. Perhaps the desire to see intellectual conservatism return to public broadcasting is clouded by a nostalgic recollection of William F. Buckley’s Firing Line, but it exists nonetheless.
Public broadcasting is an institution worth preserving. Accomplishing this requires some decisions that are difficult, others that are easy. Regardless, the long term sustainability of a newly merged organization, as well as the public’s interest, will be better served.
Jeff Semon is a former Republican candidate for Congress, local political analyst, technology project manager, Logistics COO, and host of the RINO podcast.
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