Some of the more conspiratorial critics of Gov. Paul LePage’s sudden proposal to cut the entirety of state spending for the Maine Public Broadcasting Network argue the move is payback for a series of high-profile run-ins LePage had with MPBN reporters during last year’s campaign.
It is more likely, however, that the reasons behind the proposal, which would save the state $3.9 million in the next two-year budget, are more ideological and budgetary, and less personal.
In moving against MPBN, which would see almost 20 percent of its funding cut under the proposal, LePage is simply following in the footsteps of Republicans in the U.S. House of Representatives who earlier this year tried unsuccessfully to eliminate all federal funding for public broadcasting. Conservative lawmakers have for a while now argued that taxpayer money should not be used to support media they feel, evidence aside, push a liberal agenda.
Officially, the governor’s office is selling the funding cut as the best way to close a gap in LePage’s budget proposal, with the alternative being further cuts to social services and other valuable programs already facing spending decreases.
The governor is wrong on both accounts. Public broadcasting, here in Maine and across the country, is an invaluable service that should not be so quickly cut down because it seems like a convenient way to shed $3.9 million from a $6.1 billion budget.
The fact is, MPBN is a tremendous deal. For less than $2 a year for every Maine resident, MPBN provides a remarkable variety of programming: educational children’s shows, high school sports, programs profiling local people and businesses, and long-form journalism on the kinds of national and international subjects not often covered.
Public broadcasting is particularly important in Maine’s rural areas, where public radio is sometimes the only constant local source of news and programming. This is especially true since the switch to digital television signals made the purchase of a digital antenna necessary to watch broadcast television, setting up a cost barrier for some of Maine’s poorest residents. It is these rural areas that would likely feel the brunt of the spending cuts to MPBN, which would be forced to consider eliminating some of its transmission sites.
The governor is right, however, that the next two years pose significant budgetary challenges, and that all spending needs to be reviewed. This proposal came much too abruptly to allow for the kind of conversation that should take place before such drastic measures are taken.
It may be that in the age of the Internet and an ever-growing number of sources for information, the model for public broadcasting needs fixing. Maybe, with some creativity, more funding from private and nonprofit sources can be obtained. Maybe some changes should be made to the mission and focus of public broadcasting so that they align with the new informational and budgetary realities.
It is a conversation that should take place, but not now and not under the threat of severe budget cuts. The Legislature should restore in the budget MPBN’s funding, then help push public broadcasting to consider a new future.
Ben Bragdon is the managing editor of Current Publishing. He can be reached at bbragdon@keepmecurrent.com or followed on Twitter.
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