Your Turn                                                        

Public broadcasting:
an Illinois resource threatened

By DONALD P. MULLALLY

In Washington there is a great debate raging concerning the funding of public broadcasting. U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich has said he would like to "zero-out-the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides funding to many Illinois public radio and TV stations.

Gingrich is now back-pedaling as this is written, and a torrent of mail from loyal listeners and viewers has descended on Washington (400-to-l for steady or increased funding). Some Republican insiders are shocked by a recent poll showing that 84 percent of Americans favor continued or increased funding for public broadcasting, with 80 percent of Republicans and 90 percent of Democrats coming out as strong supporters. But the threat to public broadcasting remains real, and Illinois citizens should know what is at stake.

It's easy to think of public broadcasting in terms of television programs such as Sesame Street, Barney, Nova and The Civil War. Public radio programs like Morning Edition, All Things Considered, classical music and jazz come to mind.

But public broadcasting in Illinois is much more than that. Thousands of adults take college courses by television. Hundreds of professionals maintain and upgrade their professional skills via TV courses offered by Illinois colleges and universities. Hundreds of elementary and secondary schools have access to the best teaching in specialized subjects via special educational services provided by Illinois' public TV stations. Illinois public radio provides the strongest in-depth coverage of events at the Capitol. At the end of every legislative session, Illinois public broadcasting provides in-depth coverage of the action in the legislature. Illinois public broadcasting stations offer free time to political candidates so voters will understand the issues and the candidates. In contrast to the 40-second sound bites that are so common on commercial stations, public broadcasting takes the time and commits the resources to cover Illinois issues in depth.

It's easy to see that public broadcasting stations in Illinois are focused on the needs of the people of this state, and that they are not afraid to cover controversial issues in depth. No national network (not even PBS and NPR), and certainly no national cable service can attend to Illinois issues in the way our public broadcasting stations do.

Unlike commercial stations, public broadcasting covers Illinois issues in depth

In a very real sense, public broadcasting has taken up major responsibilities of state government: It educates and it informs citizens of the issues facing this state and society at large — thus making possible informed participation in government by Illinois taxpayers. It begins by serving children and making them "ready to learn" when they enter Illinois schools, and it carries on that process of educating and informing as a life-long process for Illinois citizens.

But beyond direct teaching and informing, there is a subtle quality-of-life issue. In broadcasting classical music and jazz (which has been called "America's Classical Music"), dance and drama, Illinois' public broadcasting stations have become an important cultural resource for the state. Music and art nourish the spirit, just as information nourishes the mind; the opportunity to reflect on music, art, nature and ideas is essential to the quality of life in major cities and rural areas alike. We have known that for centuries, and we have learned that it is important for government to support museums and symphony orchestras and parks and forest preserves — and public broadcasting.

Public broadcasting is unique in bringing education and experiences of music and art right into one's home. That is fortunate, for there ought to be something positive to balance the violence, the sexuality, and the mind-numbing triviality so common on commercial broadcasting and cable. And public broadcasting is available to every Illinois family, whether or not that family is rich enough to afford the $386 average annual cost of cable TV and whether the family lives in a densely populated city with 50 channels of cable TV or in one of Illinois' numerous rural areas with no cable television service at all.

Does anyone use public broadcasting? Neilsen and Arbitron reports show that millions of Illinois citizens use public broadcasting each week. In central Illinois, for example, we know that more than half the population uses the services of WILL radio and television each week — in an 18,000-square-mile area including Champaign-Urbana, Springfield, Decatur, Danville, Effingham and hundreds of smaller communities.

Clearly, Illinois has much to lose if the state's public broadcasting service is diminished by insensitive politics in Washington, D.C.

Donald P. Mullally is director of broadcasting and associate dean in the College of Communications at the University of Illinois, Urbana-Champaign.

32/March 1995/Illinois Issues