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Longtime GOP Fundraiser and NPR Critic Elected to Head CPB
Local Public Access TV Under Attack From Trio of Congressional
Bills
New Orleans Evacuees Blast Lack of Any Aid or Relief Weeks
After Katrina
Head of Small Relief Agency Blasts Red Cross "Money
Pit"
Longtime GOP Fundraiser and NPR Critic Elected to
Head CPB
Longtime Republican fundraiser Cheryl Halpern was elected
the new chair of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting earlier
this week. Halpern has overseen such government-funded media
projects as Voice of America, Radio Marti in Cuba and Radio
Free Iraq. She has also accused National Public Radio of anti-Israel
bias. We speak with Celia Wexler of Common Cause. [includes
rush
transcript]
Earlier this week, longtime Republican fundraiser Cheryl
Halpern was elected the new chair of the Corporation for Public
Broadcasting, replacing Kenneth Tomlinson whose two-year term
had ended. Before President Bush appointed Halpern to the
CPB in 2002 she served on the Broadcasting Board of Governors
overseeing such government-funded media projects as Voice
of America, Radio Marti in Cuba and Radio Free Iraq. Halpern
is also the former national chair of the Republican Jewish
Coalition and she has accused National Public Radio of being
biased against Israel. Like her predecessor, Kenneth Tomlinson,
Halpern has also criticized the journalism of Bill Moyers.
Two years ago she publicly agreed with Senator Trent Lott's
comment that Moyers is "the most partisan and nonobjective
person I know in media of any kind." Halpern has given
over $300,000 dollars in political contributions in recent
years almost all to Republicans. Recipients have included
President Bush, Senator Trent Lott of Mississippi and Sam
Brownback of Kansas. The group Common Cause warned Monday
that the selection of Halpern may "mean more politicizing
for public broadcasting."
The CPB also elected Gay Hart Gaines, a member of the Heritage
Foundation, as Vice Chair. Gaines has served as president
of the Palm Beach Republican Club and is a former chairwoman
of Newt Gingrich's GOPAC, the GOP political action committee
that raised millions of dollars for Republican candidates
across the country.
- Celia Wexler, Vice-President of advocacy at Common
Cause.
- Read Celia Wexler's statement
before the CPB Board
Local Public Access TV Under Attack From Trio of
Congressional Bills
Local public access television across the United States
is being threatened by legislation introduced in both the
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives. Critics say the
bills could eliminate the only source of funding public access
providers receive and would take away control from local governments.
We speak with Anthony Riddle of the Alliance for Community
Media and George Stoney, who many consider the father of public
access. [includes rush
transcript]
Local public access television across the United States
is being threatened by legislation introduced in both the
U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Proponents of the legislation claim that the bills will breakdown
monopolies in the cable industry and open the door to increased
competition. But critics say the trio of Congressional bills
will lead to the elimination of public access television in
this country.
Senate Bill 1504 - the Broadband Investment and Consumer
Choice Act - was introduced in July by Republican Senators
John Ensign of Nevada and John McCain of Arizona. According
to the bill, the act would "eliminate government managed
competition of existing communication service" and "provide
parity between functionally equivalent services."
Essentially, the legislation would eliminate a requirement
for telecommunications companies to pay franchise fees to
local municipalities. These fees are required as compensation
to the community for use of the public right of way through
which the companies route cables and utilities. By eliminating
the franchise fees, the bill will eliminate the only source
of funding that the public access provider receives.
The bills would also replace local cable franchises with
national franchises and the concern is that this will take
control and oversight away from local government as well as
cut channel capacity for public, educational and governmental
access channels or PEGs.
- George Stoney, longtime media activist. His career has
spanned more than half a century. He has produced, written
and directed more than 50 films and television series. Much
of his work has focused on issues of racial justice, social
responsibility, community, and freedom of speech. An early
advocate of video as a tool for social change, Stoney is
also the founder and administrator of public access programs
throughout the United States and Canada. He is currently
a professor of film and television at New York University's
Tisch School of the Arts.
New Orleans Evacuees Blast Lack of Any Aid or Relief
Weeks After Katrina
A month after hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, displaced
New Orleans residents at the Radisson Hotel in New York City
speak out about the lack of aid they have received and the
continued difficulty of receiving any type of relief from
the Red Cross. [includes rush
transcript]
New Orleans launched a "repopulation" campaign
on Thursday a month after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast.
New Orleans Mayor Ray Nagin invited business owners back into
the city, and prepared to allow most residents to return over
the next week.
But hundreds of thousand of the city's residents remain displaced
around the country. Some of those evacuees are here in New
York City at the Radisson Hotel, near John F Kennedy airport.
And some of them have been speaking out about the disaster
relief they have received.
- Displaced New Orleans residents speaking at the Radisson
Hotel.
Head of Small Relief Agency Blasts Red Cross "Money
Pit"
We speak with Richard Walden, president and founder of Operation
USA, a Los Angeles-based relief agency. In an Op-Ed in the
Los Angeles Times this week titled "The Red Cross money
pit," Walden writes that despite, "Giving so high
a percentage of all donations to one agency (The Red Cross)
that defines itself only as a first-responder and not a rebuilder
is not the wisest choice." [includes rush
transcript]
The American Red Cross is facing increasing complaints about
its response to the victims of Hurricane Katrina. The criticism
comes from many corners; African-American activists have charged
that in New Orleans, the organization provided better services
in white areas than black areas. Katrina survivors have complained
that they tried in vain for hours to get through to the Red
Cross telephone hot lines. And others have criticized the
Red Cross" policy of not sharing funds with groups focusing
on longer term recovery and re-building efforts. These charges
come amid reports that The Red Cross has so far raised almost
one billion dollars in private funds for Katrina victims which
is about 70% of all donations made since the hurricane hit,
devastating the Gulf Coast.
- Richard Walden, President and founder of Operation
USA, a Los Angeles-based nongovernmental organization
specializing in disaster relief as well as international
health and economic development projects.
- Read Richard Walden's Op-Ed
in the Los Angeles Times.
For a copy of today’s program, call 1 (800) 881 2359.
Our website is www.democracynow.org.
Our email address is mail@democracynow.org.
Democracy Now! is produced by Mike Burke, Sharif Abdel Kouddous,
Ana Nogueira, Elizabeth Press, Jeremy Scahill and Parvez Sharma.
Mike Di Filippo is our engineer.
Thanks also to Uri Galed, Angela Alston, Orlando Richards,
Simba Russeau, Johnny Sender, Rich Kim, Joe Murgio, John Randolph,
Chris Zucker, Karen Ranucci, Denis Moynihan, Eric Rweyemamu,
Jenny Filipazzo and Isis Phillips.
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