PBS and NPR are leaning right

The tumultuous managerial shake-up at National Public Radio headquarters for trivial verbal miscues once again has highlighted the ludicrous corporatist right-wing charge that public radio and public TV are replete with left-leaning or leftist programming.Ludicrous, that is, unless this criticism’s yardstick is the propaganda regularly exuded by the extreme right-wing Rush Limbaugh and Sean Hannity. These “capitalists” use the public’s airwaves free of charge to make big money.The truth is that the frightened executives at public TV and radio have long been more hospitable to interviews with right-of- center or extreme right-wing and corporatist talking heads than liberal or progressive guests.PBS’s Charlie Rose has had war-loving William Kristol on 31 times, Henry Kissinger, 55 times, Richard Perle, 10 times, the global corporatist cheerleader Tom Friedman, 70. Compare that guest list with Rose’s interviews of widely published left-of-center guests — Noam Chomsky, two times, William Grieder, two times, Jim Hightower, two times, Charlie Peters, two times, Lewis Lapham, three times, Bob Herbert, six times, Paul Krugman, 21 times, Victor Navasky, one time and Mark Green, five times. Sy Hersh, once a frequent guest, has not been on since January 2005.Dr. Sidney Wolfe, the widely quoted super-accurate drug industry critic, who is often featured on the commercial TV network shows, has never been on Rose’s show. Nor has the longtime head of Citizens for Tax Justice and widely respected progressive tax analyst, Robert McIntyre.Far more corporate executives, not known for their leftist inclinations, appear on Rose’s show than do leaders of environmental, consumer, labor and poverty organizations.In case you are wondering, I’ve appeared four times, but not since August 2005, and not once on the Terry Gross radio show.The unabashedly progressive Bill Moyers show is off the air and has not been replaced. No one can charge PBS’s “News Hour” with Jim Lehrer with anything other than very straightforward news delivery, bland opinion exchanges and a troubling inclination to avoid much reporting that upsets the power structures in Congress, the White House, the Pentagon or Wall Street.The longest running show on PBS was hard-line conservative William F. Buckley’s show — “Firing Line” — which came on the air in 1966 and ended in 1999.Sponsorship by large corporations, such as Coca Cola and AT&T, have abounded — a largesse not likely to be continued year after year for a leftist media organization.None of this deters the Far Right that presently has a majority in the House of Representatives to defund the $422 million annual appropriation to the umbrella entity — the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB). About 15 percent of all revenues for all public broadcasting stations comes from this congressional contribution.Though he admits to liking National Public Radio, conservative columnist David Harsanyi said there is no “practical argument” left “in the defense of federal funding … in an era of nearly unlimited choices.”Really? Do commercial radio stations give you much news between the Niagara of advertisements and music? Even the frenetic news, sports, traffic and weather flashes, garnished by ads, are either redundant or made up of soundbytes (apart from the merely two minutes of CBS radio news every half-hour). If you want serious news, features and interviews on the radio, you go to public radio or the few community and Pacifica radio stations.Harsanyi continues: “Something, though, seems awfully wrong with continuing to force taxpayers who disagree with the mission — even if their perceptions are false — to keep giving.”Public radio’s popular “Morning Edition” and “All Things Considered” are the most listened to radio shows after Rush Limbaugh’s, and any taxpayer can turn them off. Compare the relatively small public radio and TV budget allocations with the tens of billions of dollars each year — not counting the Wall Street bailout — to subsidize greedy, mismanaged, corrupt or polluting corporations either directly in handouts, giveaways and guarantees or indirectly in tax escapes, bloated contracts and grants. Can the taxpayer turn them off?Here is a solution that will avoid any need for congressional contributions to CPB. The people own the public airwaves. They are the landlords. The commercial radio and TV stations are the tenants that pay nothing for their 24-hour use of this public property. You pay more for your auto license than the largest television station in New York pays the Federal Communications Commission for its broadcasting license — which is nothing. It has been that way since the 1927 and 1934 communication laws.Why not charge these profitable businesses rent for use of the public airwaves and direct some of the ample proceeds to nonprofit public radio and public TV as well as an assortment of audience controlled TV and radio channels that could broadcast what is going on in our country locally, regionally, nationally and internationally?Now that would be a worthy program for public broadcasting. Get Limbaugh’s and Hannity’s companies off welfare. (Want to guess what their listeners think about corporate welfare?) Consumer advocate and former presidential candidate Ralph Nader grew up in Winsted and is a graduate of The Gilbert School.

Latest News

Wake Robin public hearing closes

Aradev LLC’s plans to redevelop Wake Robin Inn include four 2,000-square-foot cabins, an event space, a sit-down restaurant and fast-casual counter, a spa, library, lounge, gym and seasonal pool. If approved, guest room numbers would increase from 38 to 57.

Provided

LAKEVILLE — The public hearing for the redevelopment of Wake Robin Inn is over. Salisbury Planning and Zoning Commission now has two months to make a decision.

The hearing closed on Tuesday, Sept. 9, after its seventh session.

Keep ReadingShow less
Judith Marie Drury

COPAKE — Judith Marie “Judy” Drury, 76, a four-year resident of Copake, New York, formerly of Millerton, New York, died peacefully on Tuesday, Sept. 2, 2025, at Vassar Bros. Medical Center in Poughkeepsie, New York, surrounded by her loving family and her Lord and savior Jesus Christ. Judy worked as a therapy aide for Taconic DDSO in Wassaic, New York, prior to her retirement on Feb. 1, 2004. She then went on to work in the Housekeeping Department at Vassar Bros. Medical Center for several years.

Born Jan. 2, 1949, in Richford, Vermont, she was the daughter of the late Leo J. and Marie A. (Bean) Martel. She attended Roeliff Jansen Central School in Columbia County, New York, in her early years. Judy was an avid sports fan and she was particularly fond of the New England Patriots football team and the New York Rangers hockey team. She enjoyed spending time with her family and traveling to Florida, Myrtle Beach, South Carolina, and Pennsylvania for many years. She was a longtime parishioner of Faith Bible Chapel of Shekomeko on Silver Mountain in Millerton as well.

Keep ReadingShow less
Jeremy Dakin

AMESVILLE — Jeremy Dakin, 78, passed away Aug. 31, 2025, at Vassar Brothers Medical Center after a long battle with COPD and other ailments.

Jeremy was a dear friend to many, and a fixture of the Amesville community. There will be a service in his memory at Trinity Lime Rock Episcopal Church on Sept. 27 at 11 a.m.

Keep ReadingShow less