As you know, the Republicans, using the excuse of the federal deficit, are suggesting that we defund PBS and NPR. Like me, you’ve probably signed petitions and written to your elected officials, telling them how much you value Sesame Street and Frontline in a world run rampant with the likes of Justin Bieber and Glenn Beck. What you may not have taken into account, however, is the impact that federal defunding would have locally. Most notably, at least for me, it would likely spell the end of my favorite radio program, WEMU’s The Sunday Best with Arwulf. The following quote, from WEMU’s general manger, appears today on AnnArbor.com:
“If we were to lose that, probably what would happen is we would have to wipe out all of our locally produced music programs on the weekends and in the evenings, because the majority of our listening is between 5 a.m. and 7 p.m. weekdays… We would lose a lot of our unique flavor because of it. We probably would have to reduce our news staff.”
– WEMU general manager Molly Motherwell, talking about possible federal cuts to public broadcasting funding
As much as I love Big Bird, this would be the bigger blow for me personally. If for no other reason than that, I ask you to please get involved and tell your legislators how you feel about NPR and PBS.
[note: Arwulf’s show is on Sundays, between 10:00 AM and 1:00 PM EST, and you can listen online at WEMU.org. If you’ve never experienced the joy of 1920’s jazz, I’d encourage you to check it out. It has the power to change your life.]
