News

June 13, 2009

WVIA may not receive state funds

Local public TV station vows to remain on the air despite loss of funds.

By Andrew M. Seder aseder@timesleader.com
Times Leader Staff Writer

The economic crisis that has struck Wall Street and Main Street is now impacting the Public Broadcast Stations that bring you “Sesame Street.”

Not one cent for station operations is found among the thousands of pages that comprise Gov. Ed Rendell’s $28 billion budget for the 2009-2010 fiscal year. It’s the first time since 1968 the state budget hasn’t included operating funds for PBS stations.

With the state, like most across the country, feeling the devastating effects of the economy, there’s a $3.2 billion shortfall that must be made up somehow. Among the ways Rendell has proposed doing it is to slash funding from groups across the state. Most are slashed by a percentage, but PBS will see its funds totally eliminated.

In the 2008-09 fiscal budget, $7.995 million was allocated for those stations with WVIA receiving about $860,000. The stations are urging Rendell to restore at least some of the $7.995 million the stations would see cut and are imploring viewers to write their legislators to fight for the funds.

Without a budget plan calling for a tax increase, something some local legislators say is “highly unlikely,” all the letters and calls from PBS viewers like you won’t lead to restored funding next fiscal year.

“How do I tell grandma in the nursing home that we’re going to cut her funding so we can fund public television?” asked state Rep. Phyllis Mundy, D-Kingston. She said PBS isn’t a “core function” and while it’s beloved by many residents it isn’t a necessity to receive state funding in these trying economic times.

For WVIA, that loss represents about 18 percent of its budget. Factor in the loss of nearly $100,000 in federal funds, that are awarded based on how much state funding is received, and viewers may tune in to WVIA in the near future and see its landscape has changed.

WVIA President and Chief Executive Officer Bill Kelly said, as of right now, only one thing is clear: “We will not go off the air.”

But the WVIA that viewers and listeners – the station also operates a radio station – have come to know over the past four decades could look quite different.

“The station will change. Some people will be disappointed. Some programs will disappear,” Kelly said, trying to remain optimistic that these possibilities will never come to fruition. For that to happen, at least some of the state funding would need to be restored.

There is still time, but not much. Pennsylvania’s 2009-10 budget, which is still being debated in Harrisburg, is legally required to take effect July 1.

Kelly said in all his years as president, he can never recall a time the threat of state funding cuts has never made it this deep into budget negotiations.

Chuck Ardo, the spokesman for Gov. Ed Rendell, said he has seen no indication the funding will be restored.

“The simple reality is the Commonwealth is facing an unprecedented budget deficit (of about $3.2 million) and the prospects for an economic upturn are in the distant future. Difficult budget decisions had to be made,” Ardo said.

The administration, Ardo said, needed to protect “programs that served the health, safety and public welfare of its citizens. And this isn’t any of those.”

He said he does not see any indication that funding will be restored, even a little bit.

That’s not stopping Kelly from some wishful thinking.

With the WVIA Board of Directors set to meet Thursday to adopt the station’s 2009-10 budget, Kelly said he is bringing three separate budgets before them. One is based on no funding being restored, one showing a 50-percent reduction in state funding and a third based on a 20-percent cut in funding. Anything short of the restoration of full funding, something Kelly said is doubtful at this point, would cause the station to dip into its reserve savings that totals just over $1 million.

The more funding that is restored, the fewer changes would need to be made, Kelly said. He said the loss of funding in anyway would lead to cutbacks, including personnel and possibly programming.

The station already laid off 4.5 full-time equivalents in December when it saw the direction the economy was headed. It cut 20-percent of its nearly $6 million budget at the time. There are 42 full-time equivalents working at the non-profit company now.

Kelly said he struggled with asking viewers to get involved and ask their elected officials to restore the funding.

While other PBS stations in the state started public awareness campaigns earlier this year, Kelly said he held off until the past two weeks when “it became clear the threat was very real.”

On the heels of a successful $2 million capital campaign, Kelly said he felt awkward taking to the airwaves personally pleading to viewers who have been so supportive and responsive in the past to do more.

He said the response has been remarkable and elected officials have been inundated with personal pleas from WVIA supporters detailing the importance of the station in their lives. Mundy and others said they have received a large amount of letters and calls.

Ardo said the governor’s office has received 7,000 communications from people asking for PBS funding to be restored.

“That’s certainly among the top 2 or 3 largest numbers of people contacting us about any given issue,” Ardo said.

Brett Marcy, spokesman for state Rep. Todd Eachus, D-Butler Township, said that while his boss believes in PBS and its importance, it may have to go without a state grant this year.

“This is probably the most financially challenging budget year we’ve seen in decades . . . The fact it’s being cut so severely is an indication of just how bad,” Marcy said. He added that once the economy turns around, Eachus would push for the restoration of funds.

Besides WVIA in Jenkins Township, the other PBS stations in the state are: WHYY in Philadelphia; WQED in Pittsburgh; WITF in Harrisburg; WLVT in Bethlehem; WQLN in Erie; and WPSU in State College. Also losing funding would be WYBE in Philadelphia. Though it’s not a PBS affiliate, it qualifies as a non-commercial public service television station as it has received funds in past years.

Andrew M. Seder, a Times Leader staff writer, may be reached at 570-829-7269.

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