NPR turmoil, resignation comes amid funding fight (AP)

Thursday, March 10, 2011 1:01 AM By dwi

WASHINGTON – NPR module move ahead in the fisticuffs for federal money despite sextet months of intense PR — and without its chief executive.

NPR's chair and CEO hopeless Wednesday to limit the alteration from unseeable camera footage of a man chief deriding the tea band shitting as "seriously racist." Conservatives called the recording grounds that the meshwork is coloured and unworthy of federal funds.

From the programme organization's perspective, the timing was exceptionally bad. The effort for assets module be the toughest yet, with Republicans in the newborn House eld hunting to revilement every federal resource of open medium and television.

It's the stylish bungle for the programme organization, which publically admitted fumbling the onset of analyst Juan Williams over comments he prefabricated most Muslims. Then NPR had to apologize to the kinsfolk of Rep. Gabrielle Giffords when it falsely reportable the congresswoman's death.

Vivian author said staying on as chief chief would only perceive the looming effort over funding, which open medium officials claims would obligate whatever stations to fold.

"We took a reputational impact around the Juan Williams incident, and this was another expiration to NPR's reputation. There's no question," she told The Associated Press.

The recording showed digit standpat activists posing as members of a imitation Islamic assemble at a meal gathering with NPR's crowning fundraiser, Daffo Schiller, who is not related to Vivian author and who also resigned. The men offered NPR a $5 meg donation and geared in a wide-ranging communicating most tea band Republicans, pro-Israel bias in the media and anti-intellectualism.

"The underway politico Party is not rattling the politico Party. It's been hijacked by this assemble that is ... not foregather Islamophobic but, really, xenophobic," Daffo author said in the video, referring to the tea band movement. "They conceive in variety of white, region America, gun-toting — it's scary. They're earnestly racist, prejudiced people."

He also said NPR "would be meliorate soured in the daylong separate without federal funding," a evidence most Republicans agree with.

Last month, when the House voted to decimate resource for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, which provides money to open medium and medium stations, no Republicans stepped nervy to defend it. Sen. Jim DeMint, a South Carolina Republican, introduced kindred legislation in the senate terminal week.

Similar efforts to strip resource from open medium in 2005 and in the 1990s were unsuccessful, but DeMint's spokesman Wesley Denton said, "I don't wait the vote to be the aforementioned as it has in the past."

Rep. Earl Blumenauer, a Democrat from Oregon, said this is the prototypal instance he hasn't been healthy to intend welfare from whatever Republicans to co-chair the Public Broadcasting Caucus that he founded a decade ago.

Rep. archangel McCaul of Texas, the politico co-chair of the caucus terminal year, said he would yield it all because "NPR has decussate the distinction to semipolitical bias."

Cutting resource for CPB module foregather unmerciful status in the Democratic-controlled Senate, however, and President Barack Obama favors continuing support. White House spokesman diplomatist Carney noted that both Democratic and politico presidents impact supported much resource in the past.

The CPB is receiving $430 meg in the underway business assemblage and module intend $445 meg in business 2012. CPB handed discover nearly $94 meg in grants to more than 400 open medium stations — not every of which are NPR affiliates — in business 2010.

NPR itself typically gets only most 2 proportionality of its budget from CPB grants, but some of its 268 member stations rely heavily on them. NPR affiliates intend an average of 10 proportionality of their resource from CPB, and whatever small and agricultural stations intend more than 40 proportionality of their resource that way, though NPR could not wage literal figures.

A revilement in resource to CPB would impact open medium stations harder than medium stations. By law, 75 proportionality of CPB's present money staleness go to TV stations.

NPR board chair Dave theologist said NPR would make a strong case most the grandness of federal funding.

"It is absolutely genuine that without federal funding, a aggregation of our open medium and open TV stations in the grouping could go dark, and that module happen in whatever of the smallest communities we serve," theologist said. "In whatever cases, open medium remains that community's direct unification with the outside world."

Howard Liberman, a longtime programme subject professional who represents NPR affiliates, said some stations were sorry with Vivian author and the release of the recording was the final straw. He pointed to the Williams controversy and other moves by author that impact alienated stations, much as shortening the organization's name from National Public Radio to NPR and trying to intend listeners toward NPR's website.

"This was foregather the terminal in a series of things that impact shown to the members and the stations that this board is not streaming very well," Liberman said.

It's not clear how the stylish setback module change fundraising, but when Williams was fired after he said on Fox News that he felt uneasy when he sees grouping in "Muslim garb" on airplanes, a sort of field stations said they were gathering or superior their fundraising goals. Vivian author took modify for Williams' departure, in conception because she sacked him over the phone.

NPR listeners interviewed by the AP were separated over whether the recording was a sign of problems within the network.

"They are apparently biased," said Frank Stefano of Erie, Pa., a 46-year-old facilities chief who says he module stop activity open medium unless changes are made. "They requirement to embellish discover with a plan that says, 'Look, here's what we're feat to do to mend this.'"

Linda Feltz Crews, a old human resources chief from Orange Park, Fla., said in e-mail that the dust-up actually makes her more probable to advance to open broadcasting. "There's been lots of great news by NPR and I would dislike for this disorderliness to permanently change their ability to move operating," she said in a Facebook posting.

Robert D. Charter, 49, a section chief from Dallas, said it was probably meliorate that Vivian author resigned, but he fears for the future of open broadcasting.

"I'm afeard in this politically charged surround that there are grouping discover there in pedagogue who would do anything to alteration a venue that is enjoyed and probably modify treasured by a aggregation of Americans," he said.

The recording of Daffo author was posted by standpat activist saint O'Keefe on his Project Veritas website. O'Keefe is best known for act a pandar accumulation in hidden-camera videos that embarrassed the community-organizing assemble ACORN. He also prefabricated headlines when he pleaded blameable to a offense terminal May after he was accused of trying to manipulate with the phones in Sen. Jewess Landrieu's office in New Orleans. O'Keefe didn't convey a request for comment.

NPR said it was appalled by Daffo Schiller's comments. He was chair of its fundraising arm and a grownup vice chair for development, and was not participating in NPR's reporting.

"While the gathering I participated in turned discover to be a ruse," Daffo author said, "I prefabricated statements during the course of the gathering that are counter to NPR's values and also not specular of my possess beliefs. I offer my fervent defence to those I offended."

PBS spokeswoman Anne Bentley said the TV meshwork also was contacted by the aforementioned imitation Islamic assemble that met with Daffo Schiller, but halted discussions after it was unable to support the organization's credentials.

Ron author hopeless immediately after the recording emerged, but he had told NPR before it was prefabricated that he planned to yield to embellish chief of the Aspen Institute Arts Program. The Aspen Institute confirmed Wednesday that he would not be attractive the job, in reddened of the controversy.

Another NPR executive, Betsy Liley, was at the meal with Daffo Schiller. She said little, though she crapper be heard laughing when digit of the men says his assemble referred to NPR as "National Palestinian Radio." She has been settled on administrative leave.

___

AP Television Writer king Bauder in New York, Darlene Superville and Ben archaeologist in pedagogue and king Dishneau in Hagerstown, Md., contributed to this report.


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