WILL POLITICIANS SAVE BIG BIRD FROM THEMSELVES?

If Republican politicians are successful in their efforts to eliminate funding for public television, the Big Bird broadcasters may be able to find alternative revenue — from the politicians themselves. In a scantly reported decision, a federal appeals court in San Francisco last month overturned the federal ban on political advertising on public broadcasting stations […]

GOVERNMENT CUTS CANADIAN NETWORK’S FUNDING

The Canadian Broadcasting Corporation is expected to be hit hard by the decision of the Stephen Harper government to cut funds for itself, Telefilm Canada, and the National Film Board of Canada. The cuts were announced Thursday and will take effect gradually over the next three years. Daily Variety quoted Ian Morrison, spokesman for Friends […]

EBERT’S AT THE MOVIES TO GO ON HIATUS THIS MONTH

Roger Ebert, who has been paying to produce Ebert Presents At the Movies on public television out of his own pocket and who warned early last month that he could no longer do so without additional support from underwriters, said on Wednesday that he will put the program “on hiatus” at the end of this […]