Florida Public Broadcasters Announce Reaction to Governor’s Veto of Public Broadcasting Appropriatio
May 27, 2011
(Jacksonville, FL, May 27, 2011); Supporters of local public broadcasting stations across the state are deeply dismayed by the Governor’s veto of the appropriation for Florida public television and radio.
WJCT President and CEO Michael Boylan says, “It is particularly frustrating for public broadcasting to be characterized by the Governor as a “special interest group” given that public broadcasting has had a 35 year partnership with Florida’s Department of Education for which ALL citizens of the state are beneficiaries.”
State funding for public broadcasting is popular, effective, efficient – and at 25 cents per Floridian, it’s a bargain. The Legislature supports it. Floridians treasure it. It is unfortunate that the Governor has unilaterally chosen to end the State’s investment in this public-private partnership that improves education and the quality of life for all Floridians.
• Florida’s public television stations serve as the pre-school classroom for children with over 60 hours a week of standards-based educational programs.
• Research studies consistently demonstrate that PBS children’s programs are effective educational tools, and a report for the Legislature recommended that:
1. “Public broadcasting appropriations should continue to be funded through the education budget”
2. “The Department of Education should explicitly incorporate educational television in the delivery of the Universal Prekindergarten program, as well as related teacher training activities designed to enhance and support such television programming, based on the Public Broadcasting Service model.”*
*Council for Education Policy, Research and Improvement, 2005
• Florida’s public television stations work together as the statewide delivery system for the Florida Channel – providing year-round coverage of the workings of state government.
• Florida’s public radio stations are a critical link in the state’s Emergency Management Network – providing critical public safety and hurricane evacuation updates to residents.
• Finally, public radio and television are acclaimed for high-quality, non-commercial educational and informative programming.
WJCT is the community-supported public broadcasting station for the First Coast. For more information on WJCT’s television and radio programming, log on to WJCT Online at wjct.org.