Latest news with #KenBurns
Yahoo
4 days ago
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
What's next for PBS and NPR after Republicans strip funding?
Ken Burns has made more than 30 documentaries and won multiple Emmys. But without funding from public television, his educational programming such as "The Civil War" and "Baseball" might never have existed, he told "PBS News Hour" in an interview Thursday. Even today, the acclaimed filmmaker whose works — including his upcoming project "The American Revolution" — are broadcast on PBS, said his films get around 20% of their budgets from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting, the body Congress recently voted to defund. Projects that receive a higher percentage of their funding through public media "just won't be able to be made," Burns said. "And so there'll be less representation by all the different kinds of filmmakers. People coming up will have an impossible time getting started." The U.S. Senate this week passed the Trump administration's proposal to cancel $9 billion in federal funding previously allocated for foreign aid and public broadcasting, and the House of Representatives approved the package after midnight Friday, sending it to President Trump's desk. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting, which administers the funds for NPR radio stations and PBS TV affiliates, is on track to lose $1.1 billion that had previously been budgeted for the next two years. The impact of those cuts will be deeply felt across both NPR and PBS, leaders of both organizations told The Times. Layoffs and reduced programming are expected, and the blows will disproportionately strike smaller markets that rely more heavily on federal funding. "This is going to hit hardest in the places that need it the most," said Gabriel Kahn, a professor at the USC Annenberg School for Communication and Journalism. Read more: The Senate voted to defund NPR and PBS. How will local stations cope? Stations in smaller markets are staffed significantly less than stations in larger cities, often because of the disparity in funding. The Corp. for Public Broadcasting acted as "the great equalizer," Kahn said, padding the budgets of smaller stations so they could continue operating. "It's just going to be increasingly lonely out there as these voices, who were of the community and generally very well trusted, are going to disappear," Kahn said. "Because within a year, you're not going to be able to hear these things on the radio anymore in a lot of places." Media leaders react The cuts fulfill a longtime dream of conservatives and libertarians, who bristle at the notion of public funds supporting media organizations, especially ones they view as left-leaning. Republicans have for decades called for cuts to public broadcasting because of their perceived liberal slant of its programming. Trump has called NPR and PBS government-funded 'left-wing propaganda.' But several prominent voices in media and politics were quick to call attention to the harm the cuts will have, especially on communities where the local stations rely heavily on federal funding. "A PBS station is really like the public library. It's one of those important institutions that may be the only place where people have access to local news," Burns said. "There's a kind of sense of local accountability, and as news becomes nationalized and even internationalized, there's a loss there." PBS President Paula Kerger expressed similar concerns. 'Many of our stations which provide access to free unique local programming and emergency alerts will now be forced to make hard decisions in the weeks and months ahead,' Kerger said in a statement Thursday. Read more: NPR stations targeted for cuts by Trump have provided lifelines to listeners during disasters Alaska Sen. Lisa Murkowski, one of two Senate Republicans to vote against the package, said she strongly opposes the cuts to public media in a statement after the vote. She referenced a 7.3 magnitude earthquake in Alaska this week that triggered a tsunami warning as an example of the public service stations provide. "My colleagues are targeting NPR but will wind up hurting — and, over time, closing down — local radio stations that provide essential news, alerts and educational programming in Alaska and across the country." A devastating blow to SoCal stations Public media outlets in Southern California's urban areas, which can turn to wealthy locals for donations, are less dependent on federal funding than stations in smaller markets. But they will still feel an immediate loss. Washington, D.C.-based NPR has two major affiliates serving the Los Angeles area: LAist, or KPCC-FM (89.3), and KCRW-FM (89.9). LAist, based in Pasadena, was set to receive $1.7 million, about 4% of its annual budget. Alejandra Santamaria, president and chief executive of LAist, said the money is equivalent to 13 journalist positions at the local news operation. KCRW in Santa Monica was expecting $264,000 from the Corp. for Public Broadcasting. PBS SoCal, which operates member stations KOCE and KCET in Orange and Los Angeles counties, respectively, is facing a loss of $4.3 million in federal funding, according to Andy Russell, president and chief executive of the stations. Connie Leyva, executive director of KVCR Public Media in San Bernardino, which operates PBS and NPR affiliates, said earlier this week that the Senate action will mean losing $540,000, about 6% of its operating budget. Thus, she has to consider cutting five positions on an already lean staff. Kahn, the USC professor who is also the publisher and editor of Crosstown L.A., a nonprofit newsroom focused on local reporting and data journalism, said the cuts could have unintended consequences for Trump's own voters. "The irony, of course, is that these are areas that generally support Trump with high margins, and they're are also areas that have the greatest allegiance to their local public radio station," he said. Sign up for our Wide Shot newsletter to get the latest entertainment business news, analysis and insights. This story originally appeared in Los Angeles Times. Solve the daily Crossword
New York Post
4 days ago
- Politics
- New York Post
Hooray! Taxpayers will no longer have to pay for NPR, PBS's lefty propaganda
Congress is finally defunding public broadcasting, and it's about time. Taxpayers will no longer have to pay for the toxic, biased propaganda that federally funded media have been poisoning America with for the last 60 years. The argument for government-run media has always been dubious at best; it's what dictators use to control and discipline the public. The news media is supposed to scrutinize and reveal what our leaders are doing. How does that work when the government — of any sort — is picking up the bill? Imagine if the government paid for newspapers. Would you trust the news it reported? Ken Burns, who made the Civil War and baseball documentaries that aired on PBS, says that without public broadcasting, farmers won't hear the weather forecast. Their crops will be ruined. Somebody tell Ken this isn't the Dust Bowl-era. Farmers today use GPS and AI to optimize irrigation and improve yields per acre. They aren't huddled around the wireless waiting for the crop report from a publicly funded broadcaster. Liberal supporters of PBS love to say that conservatives are trying to kill Big Bird. But 'Sesame Street' long ago partnered with HBO, and now Netflix. The Muppets brand is owned by Disney. Market-driven programming ensures that quality content — for kids and adults — will reach its audience. There's no lack of outlets. Cable and satellite television offer hundreds of channels, not to mention the Internet. There is more content out there than could be watched in a lifetime. Perhaps there's an argument to be made for non-profit media. But that's why public television calls itself 'viewer supported' and runs fundraisers all the time. The people who like it send in a few bucks every year to keep it going. You didn't think all those tote bags were free, did you? Anyway, public broadcasting still has corporate 'sponsorship.' The companies just run their commercials at the beginning and end of the shows instead of the middle. On top of everything, though, PBS and NPR had became overtly identified with lefty viewpoints. Liberal to far-left opinions ran through all public media-sponsored news, documentaries, commentary and even featured programming. NPR CEO Katherine Maher called Donald Trump a a 'deranged, racist sociopath.' She viewed 'reverence for truth' a 'distraction' that 'prevents us from getting things done.' Maybe that's why NPR buried The Post's Hunter Biden laptop story, saying it was 'not really a story' and a 'distraction.' The PBS NewsHour also dismissed the story as 'Russian disinformation.' NPR ran stories defending looting. PBS featured a boy drag queen called 'Lil Miss Hot Mess' on a show for small children. We live in a free country. People can produce and consume all kinds of programming for their enjoyment. And if it's good, it will find a paying audience. But there's simply no reason for our taxes to support it. Audiences that want that programming can fund it themselves.
San Francisco Chronicle
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- San Francisco Chronicle
During S.F. visit, Ken Burns calls PBS cuts ‘a shame,' says Donald Trump faces a reckoning
Ken Burns had a busy day in San Francisco, but he wasn't taking in the sights. In the hours before taking the stage at the Palace of Fine Arts to present clips and discuss his upcoming PBS documentary, he was working the phones, calling U.S. senators and lobbyists in hopes of safeguarding the future of public media. By the time he addressed the sold-out crowd on Wednesday, July 16, he seemed resigned to the passing of a $9 billion rescissions package that would end all federal funding for public media. The bill passed on Thursday. It now goes to the House, which is expected to approve the measure, which would slash $1.1 billion from the Public Broadcasting Service and National Public Radio, later Thursday or Friday. But in promoting 'The American Revolution,' a 12-hour limited series that traces the very beginnings of the United States, he had plenty to say about the current state of the country. He believes the American system is up against 'an existential threat,' and that President Donald Trump will eventually face a reckoning because 'the dog has caught the school bus, and the school bus, eventually, always wins.' Calling the cuts 'a shame,' Burns noted the package, which also slashes foreign aid, amounts to 'pennies' in comparison to the $6.75 trillion the U.S. government spent in 2024. 'The entire budget (public media) is less than one bomber,' Burns said. 'I know that public broadcasting has nothing to do with the defense of the country. They just help make the country worth defending.' The evening was hosted by KQED, which announced Tuesday, July 15, it was laying off 15% of its workforce as it contends with a projected $12 million budget deficit in 2025. During his lengthy introduction of Burns, KQED President and Chief Executive Officer Michael Isip said public media as well as the country is 'in a state of division and trauma.' 'Our social fabric feels like it's being torn apart,' Isip said. 'Independent, non-commercial public media is more essential than ever. … In many of our communities, especially our smaller ones, the local public television, public radio station is the only source of information. 'This is truly one of the most difficult and distressing times in the nearly 60-year history of public broadcasting and the 71-year history of KQED. But here is what I want you to know: No matter what happens with federal funding, public media, KQED, will reemerge. We will endure.' Burns introduced a 51-minute clip reel from 'The American Revolution,' which airs on PBS in November, before engaging in a 40-minute discussion with co-director Sarah Botstein, historian Christopher Brown and moderator Jeffrey Goldberg, the editor in chief of the Atlantic magazine. Bay Area actor Peter Coyote, who narrates the series, also was present, but did not participate in the discussion. Burns noted that he, Botstein and another co-director, David Schmidt, began work on 'The American Revolution' before Trump's first term. But by the time the documentary airs nearly a year into Trump's second term, viewers might notice some uncanny parallels and contrasts. America's failed invasion of Canada, which Americans had hoped to make the 14th colony, mirrors Trump's desire to make Canada the 51st state. And, of course, there is the contentious path to the creation of the U.S. Constitution and its staunch belief in the separation of powers and the momentous choice by George Washington, the first president, to step aside after two terms to discourage authoritarianism. '(The founders) were reverse engineering every possible bad scenario to try to design a system that will prevent that,' Burns said. 'In fact, Jefferson writes to Madison, when he's stuck in Paris while they're writing the Constitution, and he says, 'What if someone should lose an election and pretend false votes and reap the world? '' Citing a quote from 18th-century revolutionary Thomas Paine, paraphrased as 'in order to be free you must will it,' Burns ended by suggesting that as Trump advances his agenda and simple policies become complex actions, Americans might rediscover their freedom gene. 'There's this real moment where you see, all of a sudden, these arguments about British rights are coming down to natural rights,' Burns said of the Founding Fathers' debates in the documentary. 'The evolution of that is the very same thing that will get us out of this predicament.'
Buzz Feed
6 days ago
- Entertainment
- Buzz Feed
11 Shocking Documentaries And Where To Find Them
Recently, u/iamAkaza asked r/MovieSuggestions, "What's a documentary that completely blew your mind and left you shocked?" So we thought we'd share some of the best recommendations. Paradise Lost: The Child Murders at Robin Hood Hills "It's about the West Memphis child murders. I was shocked at the lack of intelligence and the level of incompetence throughout the legal system."–babybird87Where to watch: NOW TV, Prime Video The Act of Killing "It is a combination of investigative journalism, a real life confession, and an examination of the power of film. It is, in my mind, unquestionably the greatest documentary ever made. The final scene is one of the most powerful things ever captured on film."–welkoverWhere to watch: Prime Video, Apple TV Tell Me Who I Am "A documentary about twin boys – one with amnesia, and a family secret."–_AuthenticHappiness_Where to watch: Netflix The Vietnam War by Ken Burns "It's really well made overall, but in particular I was shocked by some of the taped recordings of phone calls made by presidents at the time. It demonstrates how dishonest and corrupt the government can be."–DI-TryWhere to watch: NOW TV, Prime Video Capturing the Friedmans "It just came on one night, so I had no idea what I was watching. It is so strange and unsettling. It was a few years ago and I'm still shocked and creeped out!"–Dry_Mind_3653About the doc: A 'normal' American family is torn apart as an investigation uncovers disturbing truths about two of its to watch: NOW TV Dear Zachery: A letter to a Son About His Father "Absolutely will stay with you forever. I want to cry just typing this out."–Leading-Feature5818About the doc: After Dr. Andrew Bagby was shot by his ex-girlfriend, still pregnant with his child, we folloe the parents' of Andrew, and their mission to gain custody and convict their son's killer. Where to watch: Apple TV The Bridge "They spent a year filming the Golden Gate Bridge and caught dozens of suicides on film. The filmmakers also interviewed family and friends of some of these individuals. If I remember correctly, they caught some criticism later for not telling these folks that they had footage of their loved ones last moments alive. Still a very powerful film about the allure of the GG bridge to those looking to end their lives but also the effects of suicide on those left behind."–GlumChildhood8546Where to watch: Apple TV+ Blackfish "After seeing Blackfish I refuse to ever go to a zoo or large aquarium again, very inhumane to treat an intelligent creature like that, just for entertainment."–Lifeisshort6565Where to watch: Apple TV Abducted in Plain Sight "I thought I knew how stupid people could be, but it just made me realise that no, people's stupidity is boundless."–RiffRafe2About the doc: This documentary tells the story of kidnappings of Jan Broberg, an Idaho child who was abducted by her neighbour... twice. Where to watch: Netflix, Apple TV Enron: The Smartest Guys in the Room "The fall of Enron because of greed and corruption. It was pretty upsetting to me that the guys at the top had no morals and people suffered because of it."–stevvandyWhere to watch: Apple TV Evil Genius "I thought I knew the story of the bank robber with the collar bomb. Then I saw the Netflix doc. Surprise reveal at the end of the last episode."–WishboneHot8050Where to watch: Netflix H/T to u/iamAkaza and r/MovieSuggestions for having the discussion! Have any of your own recommendations? Let us know in the comments below!
Yahoo
06-07-2025
- Entertainment
- Yahoo
Ken Burns Condemns Republican Plan to Defund PBS: ‘I Couldn't Do Any of My Films Without Them'
With the 250th anniversary of the Declaration of Independence, Ken Burns is set to release a six-part series on the American Revolution this November. But it could be premiering on a PBS deprived of federal funding by Donald Trump and Republicans. In an interview with 'CBS Sunday Morning' set to air this weekend and taped at Thomas Jefferson's home Monticello, Burns praised PBS as essential to both his filmmaking career and America as a whole after the GOP-controlled House of Representatives voted to strip the Corporation for Public Broadcasting of $1.1 billion over the next two years after the funds were approved by a previous Congress. More from TheWrap Jensen Ackles Still Has a Surprising Connection to 'Supernatural' Costar Jared Padalecki Kelly Clarkson Postpones Vegas Residency Opening to Prevent 'Serious Damage' to Her Voice 'My Life With the Walter Boys' Sets Season 2 Premiere Date, Teases First Look Images 'Reasonable Doubt' Season 3 Sets September Premiere on Hulu 'I couldn't do any of the films I've done without them being on PBS. I could go into a streaming service or a premium cable tomorrow and get every one of the millions of dollars it took to do this in one pitch, but they wouldn't give me 10 years. They want it in a year or a year and a half, and that's the deal. I can't do that,' he told CBS' John Dickerson. Burns pointed out that the majority of PBS' 330 affiliates serve largely rural areas, some of which could be at risk without federal funding. PBS and National Public Radio have been longtime targets of conservative derision for their perceived liberal bias even though, as Burns pointed out, conservative icon William F. Buckley hosted the show 'Firing Line' on PBS from 1966 to 1999. 'They also have not only our good children's and prime time stuff, they have classroom on the air continuing education, homeland security, crop reports, weather emergency information. That we're going to take away?' he said. In a wide-ranging interview in which Burns reflected on the American Revolution, his relationship with the history of the United States, and Donald Trump's plans for America's 250th anniversary, Burns also discussed what he believes the Founding Fathers meant when they wrote in the Declaration of Independence that the 'pursuit of happiness' is one of humanity's 'unalienable rights.' 'The Pursuit of Happiness is not the acquisition of things in a marketplace of objects, but lifelong learning in a marketplace of ideas. That's what the founders said, to be virtuous, to live a virtuous life, to continually educate yourself, is what was required to sustain this republic and I think that's what we've gotten away from. Everything is sort of all individualized. We're all free agents. We don't realize that freedom, the thing that we tout, is not just what I want, but also that's intention with what we need,' he said. The post Ken Burns Condemns Republican Plan to Defund PBS: 'I Couldn't Do Any of My Films Without Them' appeared first on TheWrap.
