If you haven’t already
seen it, I urge you to download Blueprint
for Balance: A Federal Budget for 2017, available at [link]. The Heritage
Foundation white paper is reportedly the game plan for draconian cuts in
federal funding. Among the programs being proposed for cuts are CPB, NEA and
NEH.
The 180-page list reads
like the “greatest hits” of right-wingers for the past twenty years. However,
this time things are different regarding CPB.
Past efforts to eliminate federal funding for CPB failed, in part,
because they were “free standing.” Issues. The new version is tied to a larger
narrative: These programs are no longer
essential to life in America.
Keep in mind that
the Heritage plan is a bargaining position and not everything scheduled for
demolition will be demolished. Some agencies and projects will be traded for
others. Our legislators will be faced with Sophies’
Choice dilemmas:
(A.) End Violence Against Women Act Grants ($480
million), versus (B.) eliminate CPB ($445million).
Or, (A.) delete
funding for NEA ($151 million, versus (B.) end Small Business Administration Disaster
Loans ($190 million).
Choices will need
to be made. Will CPB be traded away as part of a grand bargaining package? Stay
tuned because things are moving quickly in DC.
SIGN OF THE TIMES: U OF
VIRGINIA SELLS WUVA-FM TO ENDOW DIGITAL NEWS PLATFORM
On Tuesday (1/17)
the University of Virginia announced it is selling WUVA-FM, Charlottesville,
and is investing the proceeds in the online platform WUVANews.com [link]. The buyer
of 92.7 FM is commercial broadcaster Saga Communications. The sale amount was not announced. Saga
immediately put a Country music format on 92.7 via a LMA while awaiting FCC
approval of the sale.
The licensee is
WUVA, Inc., a corporation owned and operated by University of Virginia students.
WUVA began broadcasting on carrier-current AM in 1947 and acquired the
commercial frequency 92.7 FM in 1978. WUVA, Inc. also owns WUVANews.com, a
video and print news service that serves the University and Charlottesville
communities. It was launched in 2011.
Kailey Leinz, the
University student in charge of WUVA, said in a press release:
“It certainly is bittersweet to transition out of FM radio. But on behalf of WUVA’s student leadership, I’m very excited to focus on completing our transition to a digital-first news organization with expanded production capabilities – and now with an endowment to support our future. We will remain a strong, independent editorial voice at the University of Virginia.”
KEN SAYS: This sale is unique because WVGU-FM has a commercial license, which
is worth much more than a noncom license. Though it is sad to see is the UVA
will no longer have a broadcast station in their media portfolio, I agree with
the logic behind UVA’s decision.
NPR’s HIDDEN BRAIN LEADS PODCAST GAINERS
In the latest
Podtrac metrics, NPR’s acclaimed series Hidden
Brain moved up seven places on the Top 20 Podcast chart, comparing December
with September. Also showing gains in the thee month comparison were 99% Invisible, NPR’s Politics Podcast and StarTalk
Radio (my personal favorite.)
The top nine
podcasts remained in the same order as September. The newest entry on the chart
was Crimetown from Gimlet Media.
Poctrac [link]
typically releases two monthly charts: The Top 20 Podcasts and the Top 20 Podcast
Publishers. I find the Podcast Publishers chart to be more useful because it
contains usage data. Today’s chart
showing Top 20 podcasts has no metrics. So,
how much difference is there between #1 and #10? Podtrac doesn’t tell us.
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