Governor proposes eliminating funding for public broadcasting

December 16, 2010

Alas, it's the governor of Virginia. But Mary Fallin is going to need all the budget-cutting ideas she can get, and this is a good one.

"Virginia Gov. Bob McDonnell unveiled a number of budget cuts Wednesday, including eliminating state funding for public broadcasting," Washington Examiner staff writer David Sherfinski reports. Gov. McDonnell is quoted as saying: "Public broadcasting is a wonderful resource, providing quality programming that is cherished by many. However, in our modern media world there are thousands upon thousands of content providers operating in the free market. They compete with each other, and viewers and listeners have their choice as to what to tune into or turn on. Simply put, it doesn’t make sense to have some stations with the competitive advantage of being funded by taxpayer dollars. The decision to eliminate state funding of public broadcasting is driven by the fundamental need to reestablish the proper role of government, and budget accordingly."