Congressional Hearing on PBS Funding

U.S. House Representative Tim Wirth (D-CO) speaking at U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance: "Thank you all very much for the very eloquent testimony. Let me, if I might, start by quoting Mrs. Bailey's quote of 'public broadcasting being too beautiful to have happened by accident.' What this suggests is, among other things, that public broadcasting reaches to Americans of all kinds, which Mrs. Bailey referred to the carrier deck of the Forrestal, the small children across the country, our senior citizens. We've heard a broad range of testimony related to not only you as producers, or people who are presenting public broadcasting, but about the recipients of public broadcasting. That suggests that the argument that has been made that public broadcasting is an elitist phenomena is an argument that holds no water whatsoever? Anybody like to comment on that? People have suggested that public broadcasting is only for a few people at the top end of an income scale, and there really is not broad support for public broadcasting. I get a different impression from you all this morning. Mrs. Long?" Mrs. Long responds: "Maybe at one point that might have been true, but with expanded programming, because of funds, sitting at this table, you see the wide spectrum of programming. And because of that, our demographics go from 18 months to-- what's your viewership (asking middle-aged adult Caucasian man sitting next to her)? I mean, we go clear across the board. And as Mr. Wattenberg said, all denominations and political bends are represented. That's no longer true, if it ever was. I did not watch a lot of public television when I first came to New York. I didn't watch a lot of television. I was too busy trying to be in this business." Predominately Caucasian adult men and women seated in audience.
U.S. House Representative Tim Wirth (D-CO) speaking at U.S. House Subcommittee on Telecommunications, Consumer Protection, and Finance: "Thank you all very much for the very eloquent testimony. Let me, if I might, start by quoting Mrs. Bailey's quote of 'public broadcasting being too beautiful to have happened by accident.' What this suggests is, among other things, that public broadcasting reaches to Americans of all kinds, which Mrs. Bailey referred to the carrier deck of the Forrestal, the small children across the country, our senior citizens. We've heard a broad range of testimony related to not only you as producers, or people who are presenting public broadcasting, but about the recipients of public broadcasting. That suggests that the argument that has been made that public broadcasting is an elitist phenomena is an argument that holds no water whatsoever? Anybody like to comment on that? People have suggested that public broadcasting is only for a few people at the top end of an income scale, and there really is not broad support for public broadcasting. I get a different impression from you all this morning. Mrs. Long?" Mrs. Long responds: "Maybe at one point that might have been true, but with expanded programming, because of funds, sitting at this table, you see the wide spectrum of programming. And because of that, our demographics go from 18 months to-- what's your viewership (asking middle-aged adult Caucasian man sitting next to her)? I mean, we go clear across the board. And as Mr. Wattenberg said, all denominations and political bends are represented. That's no longer true, if it ever was. I did not watch a lot of public television when I first came to New York. I didn't watch a lot of television. I was too busy trying to be in this business." Predominately Caucasian adult men and women seated in audience.
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Editorial #:
1221872849
Collection:
Archive Films: Editorial
Date created:
March 11, 1982
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Rights-ready
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Not released. More information
Clip length:
00:02:01:03
Location:
United States
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QuickTime 8-bit Photo-JPEG SD 720x576 25p
Source:
Archive Films Editorial
Object name:
545957_1_4.mov