Public broadcasting is on the chopping block: what that means for the arts

 Congress started debating today (2/16) on the discretionary funding portion of the 2011 budget, and unfortunately support for public broadcasting is on the table to be cut completely. If you're not one of the 170 million Americans that regularly tunes into a publically broadcasted channel, allow me to fill you in.

In San Diego alone, we have two radio stations and one TV station (Jazz on 88.3, NPR and classical music on 89.5, and KPBS on TV) that rely on government and public support to provide programming. If you’re a fan of non-smooth jazz or classical music, than these are you’re only options. And without touching on the news that NPR provides, these stations provide a public service by playing music that doesn’t pander to the lowest common denominator exposing new audiences to non-pop music every day.

KPBS (15 by antenna, 11 on most cable providers) presents the legacy that is Sesame Street along with Ken Burns’ documentaries. In the arts they bring us the longest-running music series in American television history: Austin City Limits. ACL has showcased hundreds of great musicians spanning all genres from Femi Kuti to Willie Nelson, Etta James to R.E.M. to Mos Def. You can also regularly find opera, ballet, and orchestral music on KPBS, something you’d be hard-pressed to find even on expanded cable. One of their newest programs, Musical Voyage, takes you on location to discover musical cultures; so far India and Jamaica.

In his 2011 budget which was presented to Congress this week, Obama asked to continue funding at near the same level as previous years: $451 million. Putting that into perspective, The National Endowment for the Arts assigns government support of the arts at approximately $0.54 per capita, less per person than nearly any other developed nation.

I urge you to support the arts by contacting your Congresspersons today, they’ve made it easy at http://www.170millionamericans.org/.