On 16 June, the US House Appropriations Committee approved a bill that would cut funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting by 82 million, or 25%, starting in October.
Ralph Regula, an Ohio Republican who crafted the legislation, said 49 federal programmes were being eliminated and other funding reduced because of tight spending limits.
Regula’s original bill would have eliminated funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting in 2008, but a Democratic amendment earmarked $330 million so that public broadcasting could use the money in the future.
US media watchdog Accuracy in Media hailed the proposed cuts as a step in the right direction. Cliff Kincaid, editor of AIM, said: “But Congress must go further and completely de-fund public TV and radio. All $400 million a year should be terminated.”