Florida Public Broadcasting Service

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Florida Public Broadcasting Service (FPBS) is a non-profit organization representing Florida's PBS television and NPR radio stations. FPBS works with PBS and NPR member stations, along with state and local groups, to deliver education based outreach projects and provide high quality programming. [1] " FPBS has a total of 14 member stations that covers 99% of Florida viewers, as well as some viewers in Georgia and Alabama.

Contents

History

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 established The Corporation for Public Broadcasting, defined its board and purpose, and appropriated funding. [2] This stemmed from a failed amendment of the Communications Act of 1934 that attempted to reserve 25% of the radio airwaves to educational nonprofit usage and a 1945 decision by the Federal Communications Commission to set aside 20 of 100 FM channels for noncommercial radio. [3]

Legislative Act

In 1973 the Legislature created the Florida Public Broadcasting Program System as described in 73–293, Laws of Florida. The system is administered by the Department of Education pursuant to rules adopted by the State Board of Education. The System’s purpose is to maintain high quality broadcasting capability for public television stations and public radio stations. The stations which compose the system are licensed by the Federal Communications Commission to local communities, school boards, community colleges, or the Board of Regents. State funding is provided to assist qualified public broadcasting stations with operations, equipment, production and program distribution, construction of station facilities and a statewide interconnection system. [3]

Today in the Legislature

In 1973, "Florida Public Broadcasting" (FPB), a joint venture between WJCT-TV (Jacksonville) and WFSU-TV (Tallahassee) began program coverage of the Florida Legislature, which was transmitted to and broadcast by the eight affiliated PBS television stations in Florida, from a mobile facility located on the grounds of the State Capitol. The program was called Today in the Legislature, and was the first of its kind in the United States, preceding Legislative programs in other states, and U.S. Congressional coverage by C-SPAN. [4]

Reaction to the first year of Today in the Legislature was positive. [5] [6] The state legislature dedicated funds to expand the program, managed exclusively by WJCT-TV. [7] Production facilities were moved inside the (old) Capitol building, with engineering and studio facilities constructed on the third floor. The first broadcast from the new facility was on April 2, 1974. Today In The Legislature became a 60-minute program produced Monday through Friday during the legislative session, with a one-hour Spanish language summary, Hoy en la Legislatura produced on Fridays. There was also a weekly sign language program. The first year, the program was anchored by Elizabeth "Bib" Willis, with George Meyer, a veteran newspaper writer. Beginning the second year, the on air talent was provided by veteran broadcaster Jim Lewis, with additional scripts and interviews by Elizabeth "Bib" Willis. [8] Research, engineering, and production crews were composed chiefly of recent graduates from the FSU department of communications, now Florida State University College of Motion Picture, Television and Recording Arts, nearly all under the age of 25, including Producer Elliott C. Mitchell, Director John P. Leu, and future Georgia Legislator Chesley V. Morton, as still photographer and cameraman. [9] [10] [11] Today in the Legislature was described as a "unique blend of television of record and more conventional news coverage. [4] [12] A research study concluded that Today in the Legislature generated more positive attitudes about the legislature and increased political knowledge in adolescents who viewed the broadcast, although only 12% found the programming to be "interesting". [13]

Controversy

The member stations of Florida Public Broadcasting receive national and state funding, as well as contributions from local businesses, viewers and listeners. This funding goes toward broadcasting local programming, as well as programming from PBS, NPR, CPB, BBC, ITV, and others.

In May 2011, Florida Governor Rick Scott vetoed $4.8 Million from Public Broadcasting, claiming that it is an unnecessary investment towards a special interest group. [14] The cut slashed funding from thirteen radio stations by an average amount of $61,715 and all Florida Public Television Stations by an average of $307,447. Some critics questioned Scott's use of "special interest" [14] for a medium that promotes arts, education, and news with the intention to "deliver education based outreach projects and provide high quality programming…[with the mission of] strengthen[ing the] community, empower[ing] families and…educat[ing] the public". [1]

These cuts emphasized the role of the executive branch in policy making and legislative advocacy. Despite a multitude of petitions against the decision (26,000 on at least one [15] ) and a State Senate Funding guarantee, the veto ultimately won. This also came as a shock to the public broadcasting stations [16] that saw the Senate approve a continuation of funding in 2010 and 2011, [17] [18] as well as perplexing to those curious as to how Public Broadcasting could be lumped into the same category as other special interest groups. [14]

The initial intention of creating a non-private sector of radio was to create an alternative to the corporate interests of the private radio sector. [3]

Related Research Articles

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Corporation for Public Broadcasting</span> Private corporation funded by the American people

The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB) is an American publicly funded non-profit corporation, created in 1967 to promote and help support public broadcasting. The corporation's mission is to ensure universal access to non-commercial, high-quality content and telecommunications services. It does so by distributing more than 70 percent of its funding to more than 1,400 locally owned public radio and television stations.

Public broadcasting involves radio, television and other electronic media outlets whose primary mission is public service. Public broadcasters receive funding from diverse sources including license fees, individual contributions, public financing and commercial financing.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJCT</span>

WJCT, Inc. is a non-profit public media organization in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It operates PBS member television station WJCT "Jax PBS" and NPR member radio station WJCT-FM 89.9, as well as their associated digital platforms. The company's studios and offices are located on Festival Park Avenue in the Stadium District in downtown Jacksonville.

WFSU-TV is a PBS member television station in Tallahassee, Florida, United States. It is owned by Florida State University alongside NPR members WFSU-FM (88.9) and WFSQ. The three stations share studios at the Public Broadcast Center on the Florida State campus; WFSU-TV's transmitter is located near Bloxham, Florida.

The Maine Public Broadcasting Network is a state network of public television and radio stations located in the U.S. state of Maine. It is operated by the Maine Public Broadcasting Corporation, which holds the licenses for all the PBS and NPR stations licensed in the state. MPBN has studios and offices in Portland, Lewiston and Bangor.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WILL-TV</span> Television station in Illinois, United States

WILL-TV is a PBS member television station licensed to Urbana, Illinois, United States, serving the Central Illinois region. Owned by the University of Illinois Urbana-Champaign as part of Illinois Public Media, it is sister to NPR member stations WILL and WILL-FM (90.9). The three stations share studios at Campbell Hall for Public Telecommunication on the university's campus; WILL-TV's transmitter is located on East 1700th Road North, five miles (8 km) west of Monticello.

The Oklahoma Educational Television Authority (OETA) is a state network of PBS member television stations serving the U.S. state of Oklahoma. The authority operates as a statutory corporation that holds the licenses for all of the PBS stations operating in the state; it is managed by an independent board of gubernatorial appointees, and university and education officials, which is linked to the executive branch of the Oklahoma state government through the Secretary of Education.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public Broadcasting Act of 1967</span> 1967 US law establishing the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB)

The Public Broadcasting Act of 1967 issued the congressional corporate charter for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), a private nonprofit corporation funded by taxpayers to disburse grants to public broadcasters in the United States, and eventually established the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) and National Public Radio (NPR).

WDSC-TV is an independent non-commercial educational television station licensed to New Smyrna Beach, Florida, United States. Owned by Daytona State College, the station maintains studios at the Center for Educational Telecommunications on the DSC campus in Daytona Beach, and its transmitter is located near Bithlo, Florida.

Nebraska Public Media, formerly Nebraska Educational Telecommunications (NET), is a state network of public radio and television stations in the U.S. state of Nebraska. It is operated by the Nebraska Educational Telecommunications Commission (NETC). The television stations are all members of the Public Broadcasting Service (PBS), while the radio stations are members of National Public Radio (NPR).

<span class="mw-page-title-main">The Florida Channel</span> Florida government-access TV network

The Florida Channel is a government-access television network operated by Florida State University's WFSU-TV and the Florida State Legislature. The channel is currently carried by 46 cable TV systems throughout the State of Florida either on a part-time or full-time basis as well as through up to 18 live Internet streams and via satellite. The station operates 24 hours a day though its normal broadcast schedule starts at 6:00 a.m. ET and ends at 6:00 p.m. ET with the day's programming repeated in a loop throughout the night. The Florida Channel also airs on the digital subchannels of most Florida PBS member stations and on some public independent and local cable-only stations.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJCT (TV)</span> PBS member station in Jacksonville, Florida

WJCT, branded on air as Jax PBS, is a PBS member television station in Jacksonville, Florida, United States. It is owned by WJCT, Inc., alongside NPR member WJCT-FM (89.9). The two outlets share studios on Festival Park Avenue in Downtown Jacksonville's Stadium District; the TV station's transmitter is located on Hogan Road in the city's Killarney Shores section.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WLRN-FM</span> Public radio station in Miami

WLRN-FM is a class C1 FM station on 91.3 and is the main public radio station for South Florida and the Keys based in Miami. The station is owned by the Miami-Dade County Public Schools and is the area's flagship NPR member station, therefore carries Morning Edition, All Things Considered, Weekend Edition, and Wait Wait...Don't Tell Me!. It is also affiliated with Public Radio International and carries The Takeaway and The World, among others. It airs its own locally-produced music programs Evenin' Jazz with Tracy Fields on weeknights, and Night Train on Sundays, before being taken over by the BBC World Service during the overnights.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WFSU-FM</span> Radio station in Thomasville, Georgia

WFSU is the callsign for public radio stations operated by Florida State University in Tallahassee, Florida.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WRUF-LD</span> Independent TV station in Gainesville, Florida

WRUF-LD, virtual channel 10, is a low-power independent television station licensed to Gainesville, Florida, United States. Owned by the University of Florida, it is sister to Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) member WUFT, National Public Radio (NPR) member WUFT-FM (89.1), and commercial radio stations WRUF and WRUF-FM (103.7). The five stations share studios at Weimer Hall on the University's campus; WRUF-LD's transmitter is located on Northwest 53rd Avenue in Gainesville.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WJCT-FM</span> Public radio station in Jacksonville, Florida

WJCT-FM is a public radio station in Jacksonville, Florida. Owned by WJCT, Inc., it is an NPR member station. It shares studios with its sister PBS station WJCT on Festival Park Avenue, near TIAA Bank Field in Downtown Jacksonville's Stadium District. Its transmitter facilities are located on Hogan Road in the city's Killarney Shores area.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">WKGC-FM</span> Radio station in Panama City, Florida

WKGC-FM is a radio station licensed to Panama City, Florida, United States. The station is currently owned by Gulf Coast State College.

Jacksonville, Florida is served by local media, as well as regional and national media. As of 2017, Jacksonville is ranked as the 42nd largest television media market in the United States, with 700,890 homes. Radio and television broadcasts are governed by the FCC.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">PBS</span> American public television network

The Public Broadcasting Service (PBS) is an American public broadcaster and non-commercial, free-to-air television network based in Arlington, Virginia. PBS is a publicly funded nonprofit organization and the most prominent provider of educational programming to public television stations in the United States, distributing shows such as Frontline, Nova, PBS NewsHour, Sesame Street, and This Old House.

<span class="mw-page-title-main">Public broadcasting in the United States</span>

In the United States, other than a few direct services, public broadcasting is almost entirely decentralized and is not operated by the government, but does receive some government support.

References

  1. 1 2 "Florida Public Media | the Association of Public Media in Florida".
  2. ↑ "PBPB | Public Broadcasting PolicyBase". Archived from the original on 2011-09-30. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  3. 1 2 3 "Archived copy" (PDF). Archived from the original (PDF) on 2010-12-05. Retrieved 2011-07-16.{{cite web}}: CS1 maint: archived copy as title (link)
  4. 1 2 David J. LeRoy; C. Edward Wotring; Jack Lyle (September 1974). ""Today in the Legislature" A Florida Story - Journal of Communication. Volume 24, Issue 3". Wiley Online Library: 92–98. doi:10.1111/j.1460-2466.1974.tb00395.x.{{cite journal}}: Cite journal requires |journal= (help)
  5. ↑ David C. LeRoy; C. Edward Wotring (1974). "Reaction and Evaluation of "Today in the Legislature" by Legislators, Capital Press and the Public". National Library of Australia. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  6. ↑ American Bar Association (December 1974). ABA Journal. American Bar Association. p. 1585.
  7. ↑ http://www.americanradiohistory.com/Archive-BC-IDX/74-OCR/1974-08-19-BC-0068.pdf [ dead link ]
  8. ↑ "Sarasota Herald-Tribune – Google News Archive Search".
  9. ↑ "(Obituary) John Patrick Leu". Tallahassee Democrat . February 18, 2008. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  10. ↑ "(Obituary) Elliott C. Mitchell III". The Tennessean . February 2, 2012. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  11. ↑ "House Resolution 1285" (PDF). Georgia House of Representatives. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  12. ↑ "Today in the Legislature Keeps Viewers Informed of Happenings in Tallahassee". March 31, 1974. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  13. ↑ Charles K. Atkin; Bradley S. Greenberg (March 1974). Public Television and Political Socialization; A Field Experiment on the Impact of a Public Television Series on the Political Knowledge, Attitudes and Communication Behaviors of Adolescents. ERIC. Retrieved June 19, 2019.
  14. 1 2 3 "Calling PBS a "Special Interest," Rick Scott Vetoes $4.8 Million in Public Broadcasting Dollars". 2011-05-30.
  15. ↑ "SignOn.org Beta - Keep Public Broadcasting Funded in Florida!". Archived from the original on 2012-03-27. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  16. ↑ "Scott brings down hammer on public broadcasting – Central Florida Political Pulse – Orlando Sentinel". Archived from the original on 2011-06-04. Retrieved 2011-07-16.
  17. ↑ "Chapter 1001 Section 26 – 2010 Florida Statutes – the Florida Senate".
  18. ↑ http://www.flsenate.gov/Session/Bill/2011/0164/BillText/Filed/PDF [ bare URL PDF ]
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