RI PBS blindsided by Chafee proposal to cut off state funding
February 1st, 2012 at 9:23 am by Ted Nesi under Nesi's Notes, On the Main Site
Rhode Island PBS’s chief says he was shocked to learn of Governor Chafee’s proposal to cut off Channel 36′s state funding, which makes up about a third of its $3 million budget.
“If this is a policy plan that the governor wants to put forth then I think we should probably put together a policy plan rather than just cutting us off at the knees and telling us to go do it,” David Piccerelli, president and CEO of RI PBS, told WPRI.com. He plans to urge lawmakers to protect state funding for WSBE-TV.
“We’re bare bones as it is right now,” Piccerelli said. “I mean, we’d look at doing things differently, possibly laying off individuals. I’m not exactly sure how it would all model out, but it’s obviously something I’m going to have to look at and prepare for.”
Chafee spokeswoman Christine Hunsinger defended the governor’s proposal, telling WPRI.com “tough times require touch choices.” Rhode Island PBS is running a $90,000 operating deficit for this fiscal year.
Chafee’s proposed budget would slash RI PBS’s share of state tax revenue from $932,562 in 2011-12 to $425,286 in 2012-13, and end it altogether the following year. The rest of the station’s budget is made up of roughly $1.25 million in private fundraising and $750,000 from the federal Corporation for Public Broadcasting.
“The original intent of public television was to provide educational programming for poor communities that didn’t have access,” Hunsinger said. “Times and needs have changed and most people, regardless of income, have access to hundreds of channels and different mechanisms. … Everyone still has access to WGBH Channel 2 in Boston.”
WSBE-TV first went on the air in June 1967, when Chafee’s father John was governor, and its license is owned by the R.I. Public Telecommunications Authority, a state agency. The station currently broadcasts 111 hours per week over the air and 168 hours on cable. Its television operations employ 33 of its 50 workers, Piccerelli said.
An attempt by Governor Sundlun to cut off the station’s funding in 1991 was stopped after Susan Farmer, then WSBE’s general manager, famously pleaded her case with him in a deli parking lot. The Providence Journal editorialized then hat it would be “embarrassing” if Rhode Island became the only state with no public TV station.
The Chafee administration says the nonprofit Rhode Island PBS Foundation should step in and find more private support. Piccerelli questioned whether that money would be available in light of the state’s economic climate. Corporate underwriting for RI PBS has fallen from $450,000 to $170,000 over the last five years, he said.
“Fundraising has been down like you can’t believe,” Piccerelli said, adding: “All the decisions that are made at the State House affect fundraising, as well,” notably tax rates.
[Disclosure: WPRI employees, including this reporter, have appeared on Rhode Island PBS.]
Tags: broadcasting, chafee administration, media, rhode island PBS, television
Nesi's Notes covers politics and the economy in and around Rhode Island for WPRI.com. (Twitter: 
With all of the right wing garbage put out on Lively Experiment it is great to see this move. I’d care more about Channel 36 if they were not so biased against state workers. It’s worse than Faux News.
Maria, stop using Mr. Fish’s name, it’s not nice.
[...] compensate their members (personnel appeal, board of elections and labor relations). Cuts such as the $430,000 from RI PBS could be [...]
I read your potsnig and was jealous
Does RI even need a PBS station?
I for one think this proposal is way out of line and that Chafee should be looking at the government waste that’s right under his nose. Regardless of the reason the station was established in 1967, it’s evolved into something special that transcends its original intent. And I disagree with Ms. Hunsinger. Clearly, given our state’s unemployment rate, the average Rhode Islander doesn’t have access to “hundreds of channels.” I know lots of people who cut back their cable service, even some returning to antenna! And I know for a fact that people are watching the station on a regular basis and look forward to its local programming. I’m one of those people with “access to hundreds of channels and different mechanisms” yet I continue to watch and enjoy the programming that WSBE Rhode Island PBS provides. Are you listening Ms. Hunsinger? Rhode Island without its own PBS station? We used to be “The State of Corruption.” We’d then be known as “The State of Desperation.” There are other ways to cut state expenses and Mr. Chafee wouldn’t have to go beyond the state house to find them.
I don’t agree with the Governor on this one, it is a small amount of money with a big impact. No public TV is way staion to third world status, it says non-commercial programming is not welcome in RI.
Better to cut Capitol TV which largely serves to promote the interests of incumbent legislators.
[...] over in Rhode Island Gov. Lincoln Chafee has proposed cutting all state funding to PBS affiliate Channel 36. “We’re bare bones as it is right now,” said David Piccerelli, [...]
Contribution to learning, culture and arts is unparalleled value for dollars from Rhode Island PBS and throughout PBS member stations of the entire nation. The quality of content continues … especially in our media and “consumer driven” … society RIPBS and PBS in general need preservation and deserve ongoing funding at the state and national level.
What do you mean “…the FORMER WSBE-TV”? Those are still the call letters assigned to them today by the FCC! Also I’m pretty certain that not every resident of RI has access to the hundreds of channels you refer to. I, myself, only have limited basic cable at my CT home. Besides channel 24 of Hartford, my only other PBS outlet is already controlled by WGBH: in this case, it’s WGBY-TV channel 57 of Springfield (I don’t get WGBY-TV with an antenna either).
I believe the call letters are now “WSBE-DT” rather than “WSBE-TV” because of the digital transition, right?
“DT” was to show the difference from when the analog and digital were on at the same time until the 2009 transition. I believe the FCC dropped that requirement once the full-power analog stations were off the air. I think the “-TV” parts depends on a TV station being co-owned with a radio station. I’m fairly certain that LIN-owned WPRI-TV and WNAC-TV aren’t. I know that the LIN stations in New Haven (WTNH-TV/WCTX-TV) and Springfield, MA (WWLP-TV) aren’t. I personally add the “-TV” to better differentiate TV from radio stations.
Kevin, I’m glad you pointed that out. I misinterpreted (or misremembered) the rule in my AP Stylebook – I can still use “WSBE-TV” so I’ve changed it above. Thanks.
Several years ago the RI PBS Foundation gained control of approximately 3 million dollars to maintain and run RI’s public access TV stations. I am sure not all of that money is going to RI public access. Studions have been closed and consolidated. I think this whole relationship needs to be looked at.
The Rhode Island Public Telecommunications Authority should sell the license for WSBE 36. Since the change over to Digital Television we no longer receive the over the air signal. The signal is of such low power about 98% of the state can not receive it’s signal.
If we can’t get the broadcast sell the station. I never thought I would agree with Chafee, cut the budget.
Well RI PBS–Time to start showing Nasty-gansett beer commercials
This is an outrage. It makes me want to throw a chair.