The Alabama Educational Television Commission should conduct a public survey and review before disaffiliating from PBS programming, according to Governor Kay Ivey.
The commission oversees the programming and finances of Alabama Public Television. They're scheduled to meet on Tuesday.
Alabama Public Television (APT) officials are considering cutting ties with PBS. The Republican-controlled Congress and President Donald Trump recently cut federal funding to NPR and PBS. Some conservatives have long advocated for NPR and PBS to lose their federal funding due to the outlets' perceived left-wing biases.
Ivey said in a letter to the commission and APT officials, "I am writing about the prospect of APT disaffiliating with PBS. While I am sympathetic to the concerns that may be prompting this proposal, such a sweeping, immediate action, especially if taken unilaterally by the executive branch, should be undertaken only after a thorough planning process and only with a thorough understanding of public opinion."
"As Governor, I have worked hard to promote and defend Alabama values–from standing up for the sanctity of human life and our rights to religious liberty to standing against DEI, CRT, and boys playing girls' sports. For the sake of our people, it is imperative that APT's programming align with Alabama values," she added.
Ivey asked the commission to prepare a disaffiliation plan for public review and "thoroughly survey Alabama voters to ensure their voices are heard" before voting to remove or alter their relationship with PBS.
"I am aware of, and even sympathetic to, the belief that maintaining a public television network is not a proper function of government. But whether the state should or should not operate public television is a question for our Legislature, and current law makes clear the Commission's function. Until the Legislature decides otherwise, it is our duty to faithfully implement the law as I have outlined above," Ivey said.
Alabama Educational Television Commission chairman Ferris Stephens told 1819 News in an interview on Monday.
Stephens said the annual price tag for a PBS subscription for APT after the federal funding cut had been reduced slightly from $2.7 million to $2.2 million.
"PBS has always been paid for through the federal government," Stephens said. "PBS didn't come down very much on their price."
Stephens continued, "We're proceeding with the utmost care and the purpose of the meeting is to gather information."
"There was a bill due, and we were trying to figure out how to pay it, and we've had to lay off eleven people," Stephens added. "We take this seriously, and we all have the same goals, I believe to make sure we represent the interests of the people of Alabama. That's our primary goal, and to benefit our educational system, we're the Educational Television Commission. Also, fairness in media. That's our goals and we're also trying to figure out, we hope that the prices will change. There's a big bill out there that the federal government isn't covering anymore. Again, we had to lay off people. My decision, with those goals in mind, is to make sure that the people of Alabama are served in a way that they should be to their benefit."
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