BUILDING A CIPB CHAPTER: BETTER PBS (AND NPR) IN YOUR COMMUNITY

Nearly three-fourths of Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) funds are passed through to the individual stations in the form of "community service grants." The stations, in turn, use these grants to pay their dues for the PBS National Program Service (NPS). This service consists of about 2,500 to 3,000 hours of PBS Programs every year, distributed to PBS members via satellite.

Because it is so decentralized, however, the local PBS Station Manager and Program Director determine largely which programs people in their community will see. Station officials choose what they broadcast from this broader service. Many stations subscribe to less than the full PBS program service. In fact, PBS membership and use of logo only requires a ten- percent program commitment.

In order to attract external funding for program development and enhance promotion, PBS encourages member stations to adhere to a common national schedule for specified programs. However, PBS pledges that such common carriage program requests will not exceed 350 hours a year (roughly seven hours a week) and "normally" not more than two hours per night. The bottom line is that, despite some similarities, PBS stations around the country offer very divergent program schedules. This creates excellent opportunities to compensate for deficiencies in the national schedule by negotiating with local officials.

Precisely because the public broadcasting service is decentralized and emphasizes local accountability, there are many opportunities for CIPB Chapters to democratize the governance and programming of their local stations. First of all citizens are free to propose the production of a local program, either as a regular series or occasional special. Such program(s) can be designed to supplement and complement a nationally distributed program, bringing the general discussion down to the situation at home. For example, PBS documentaries on gangs, schools, drugs, domestic violence, labor policy or whatever lend themselves well to a local discussion of the problem(s) in your community.

While local TV production can be expensive, a half-hour studio discussion can be produced for only $4,000-6,000. Local foundations, philanthropists, churches, unions, public interest groups or even large numbers of small donors all might be willing to contribute to such an effort. If your station already provides a local news or public affairs program, then the question becomes a simpler one of negotiating the choice of topic(s) and/or guest(s) that are scheduled.

It is even simpler still to influence the acquisition of programs. Fully one-third of the average station's programming schedule consists of non-PBS acquisitions. Stations use their community service grants and other funds to purchase these programs from 300 or so syndicators. The American Programming Service and the Central Educational Service are major acquisition services that assist stations in buying products from syndicators.

The McLaughlin Group is not a PBS production, but it is carried by as many as 300 PBS stations. Does your station carry a progressive version of The McLaughlin Group? Does it carry programs on big business and Wall Street investing, but no programs on issues in the workplace, consumer affairs, environmental protection or human rights? As a citizen, resident, taxpayer and probably subscriber you have a right to ask for such programs

Promoting these programs to their local stations gives CIPB an issue to organize a coalition of groups around. Chapters can request public service announcements for their meetings and events as well.

Citizens for Independent Public Broadcasting will support local chapters by acting as a clearinghouse for information about Chapter actions in different communities, resources and action strategies, and PBS and alternative programs that are not being carried by their local stations.

Get involved with your local CIPB chapter, CLICK HERE to learn more.