[Congressional Record Volume 141, Number 122 (Wednesday, July 26, 1995)]
[Extensions of Remarks]
[Page E1517]
From the Congressional Record Online through the Government Publishing Office [www.gpo.gov]


                          PUBLIC BROADCASTING

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                          HON. PAUL E. GILLMOR

                                of ohio

                    in the house of representatives

                        Wednesday, July 26, 1995
  Mr. GILLMOR. Mr. Speaker, the House of Representatives historic vote 
on the budget resolution sets the stage for congressional action to 
begin consideration of privatization of PBS. Far from spelling doom for 
Big Bird or the ``MacNeil-Lehrer Newshour,'' the vote presents public 
broadcasting with vast opportunities to establish its independence from 
the Federal Government while preserving its traditional educational 
mission.
  My good friend and colleague Mike Oxley--a member of the Commerce 
Committee--recently stated that it was time for public broadcasting to 
look beyond its traditional reliance on Federal support for 
opportunities and alliances in the private sector. By doing so, public 
broadcasting can insulate itself from politics while securing a 
reliable and steady source of funding.
  What are our options? Public broadcasting's value to viewers, and 
thus investors, is bound up in its noncommercial emotional identity. 
One of the most intriguing private sector solutions I have seen to date 
is the one suggested by our former colleague, Jack Kemp. In a recent 
Wall Street Journal article, Mr. Kemp called upon PBS to leverage the 
duplicate public broadcasting stations that exist in most major 
markets.
  According to Mr. Kemp, PBS has 345 stations with sometimes as many as 
4 or 5 serving the same market. By contrast, each of the 4 major 
commercial networks, ABC, NBC, CBS, and Fox have fewer than 225 apiece. 
By leveraging the commercial potential of its duplicate stations, Mr. 
Kemp suggests that public broadcasting could preserve the 
noncommercial, educational nature of the vast majority of its stations 
while creating a viable and secure source of private sector funding.
  With some creative, market-oriented thinking, public broadcasting 
could be part of a new excitement, finding ways of satisfying the 
legion of devoted fans and lessen the dependence on the Federal dole. I 
call upon PBS and its supporters to work with Congress in identifying 
and developing the kinds of creative and innovative solutions that the 
new telecommunications market can provide.
  Mr. Speaker, I want to see public broadcasting to do the things it 
does so well, especially the educational mission. But reliance on 
Federal funding will not keep the system viable. Public broadcasting 
needs new ideas and new alliances. The market is the place to find 
them.


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