[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 61 (Monday, April 3, 1995)]
[Senate]
[Page S5047]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]




                  CORPORATION FOR PUBLIC BROADCASTING

  Mrs. MURRAY. Mr. President, I thank the Chair.
  Mr. President, I must rise today to support a program that some in 
this body may argue is unnecessary, but that the American people 
wholeheartedly support.
  As we debate the very difficult question of eliminating funds to 
various agencies, it frustrates me that some of my colleagues blindly 
lump the Corporation for Public Broadcasting into a general pool of 
rescissions.
  The Corporation for Public Broadcasting is a true public service, 
owned by the American people. What other Government program can we 
claim reaches 99 percent of all Americans?
  Since 1967, CPB has developed public telecommunications services of 
the highest quality to serve the American people. All of us on this 
floor agonize over what serves the taxpayer most.
  Certainly, public broadcasting has proven itself as a national asset 
supporting television and radio stations in all 50 States, the District 
of Columbia, Puerto Rico, American Samoa, Guam, and the Virgin Islands.
  Last year, CPB funded 351 public television stations and 629 public 
radio stations. Each week NPR touches the lives of 16 million listeners 
and more than 100 million viewers tune in to PBS weekly.
  The numbers show that CPB is a Government program that works, and 
serves the people of this country. It is one program where the American 
taxpayer is actually seeing a return on their dollar.
  But is CPB a luxury? In these days of deficit reduction, can we 
afford this service? In thinking about this question, I have reflected 
back on my role as a mother and teacher.
  I am not independently wealthy and have been faced with balancing a 
checkbook my entire life. When times are tough, everyone suffers, but 
never have I sacrificed the education of my children.
  All parents worry about the uncertain future of their sons or 
daughters. Frankly, that is why I am so committed to continued funding 
for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
  Education is at the heart of what public broadcasting does. CPB 
reaches almost every home, school, and business in America to make 
important learning resources available.
  CPB is dedicated to helping and inspiring learners of all ages, in 
schools, at colleges and universities, at work, and at home.
  Public broadcasting is not subsidized television but rather 
accessible education. More than three-quarters of the country's public 
television stations offer for-credit adult courses at various levels.
  Since 1981, 2.8 million people have taken public broadcasting 
telecourses for college
 credit. Over 29 million students in over 70,000 schools receive public 
TV as an educational resource. Of the top 10 television programs used 
by teachers in the classroom, 6 are from public TV.

  Sure, some may classify public broadcasting as entertainment. I even 
admit that I became absorbed in ``The Civil War'' and rushed home to 
catch ``Baseball.'' But therein lies the secret of public broadcasting. 
Its ability to education while holding our attention.
  From ``The Electric Company'' to ``MacNeil-Lehrer,'' from ``Carmen 
Sandiego'' to ``Great Performances,'' CPB has captivated audiences and 
provided an educational alternative to network television.
  Children today need the same educational stimulation my children had 
access to, if not more so. Changing family structures and working 
parents mean more and more children are left home alone. These are the 
children dependent upon ``Sesame Street'' and ``Barney'' for guidance, 
education and solace. If there is no one at home to pull the kids away 
from the set, or to choose programming, can't the Government at least 
provide an accessible alternative which stimulates learning?
  The average public television station airs more than 5 hours of 
quality, noncommercial children's programming every single day and 22.4 
million children watch public television each week. The futures of 
these children can be dramatically shaped by the programs they watch 
each day.
  Remember that 1 year of programming from PBS and NPR, costs each U.S. 
citizen just $1.09. Less than a penny a day. In fact, CPB's entire 
annual budget equals what the networks make in just 15 minutes of Super 
Bowl commercials.
  More than 95 percent of CPB funds go back to communities nationwide 
as support for their broadcast operations. More importantly, for every 
$1 of Federal funding directed through CPB, stations raise more than $6 
from other sources.
  I urge my colleagues on their next visit home to tune in a publicly 
supported station within their State. Radio stations such as KPBX in 
Spokane and KFAE in Richland and television stations like KCTS in 
Seattle and KYVE in Yakima will prove to you how far a minimal Federal 
investment can be stretched.
  Mr. President, the question here is should there be public 
television. My answer is a solid, loud yes.
  Just as we have public schools, public libraries, public roads, and 
public parks, we should have public television.
  ``Public'' means we, you, and I, own it. We have a say. We have 
input. We have access.
  To only have private television means that those who can afford to 
own the airwaves will decide what we watch and who can watch. Someone 
else, someone with the wealth to afford it, will decide what opinions 
will be aired and whose words will be heard.
  I believe it is imperative that the public have access and input to 
the airwaves.
  Let us not be the Congress that is known as the one who took the 
public out of television.
  Let this Congress be remembered for turning the tide on the deficit, 
but let us do so without sacrificing our children, their education and 
their future.
  Mr. President, I yield the floor.
  The PRESIDING OFFICER. The Chair recognizes the majority leader.

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