It’s time to cut the cord on NPR and Public Television.
I guess I owe a lot to WBUR. After all, that’s where I got my start in this industry. In the bitter cold winter mornings of New England, I learned to force myself out of bed at 3:30 a.m. to make my way to the modest radio studios at Boston University.
I was a non-paid intern and worked under Lisa Mullins. She was a lady of great integrity and professionalism. However, I kept my political views a secret. I needed that internship to bust into media. Everyone there was more than nice to me, but I knew I didn’t fit in.
By chance, one morning at WBUR a fill-in host who worked full-time at WRKO in Boston suggested that I apply for a copywriting position there.
I thought it was news copy. Instead, it was commercial copy – for ads. That of course had never occurred to me and I had no experience. After spending most of the day interviewing at WRKO on a Friday, they ended up calling me to let me know I didn’t get the job, but that they wanted to offer me another position.
It was a sales opportunity. I had no experience. Yet I quickly discovered that it was my calling. We had a talented sales staff with a mix of personalities that somewhat reflected the show “The Office.”
Not a day went by when you wouldn’t laugh and have fun. However, it was not easy and highly competitive. You never knew who the next star would be. Often you would be surprised by the failure of someone you thought had so much potential.
Now it is time for NPR and Public Television to do the same. Take the leap I did more than 30 years ago. Let them stand – or fall – on their own two feet.
There is no need for taxpayers to fund public broadcasting to the tune of more than $100 million a year.
If they’re any good, companies will step up to the plate with funding for them. Philanthropists should line up too. Paging the Clinton Foundation — could you please contribute $10 million, Hillary?
Hello George Soros Foundation, could you spare 20 million? Pick up the phone and start dialing.