[Vision2020] Governor Otter: Plans to Dump Public TV Funding by 2014, Believes Public TV Outside Scope of Government?

[Ted Moffett]

Statements in subject heading sourced from the news article at first website
below:

http://www.idahopress.com/news/local/government/article_7ee6a490-1b91-11df-b85f-001cc4c03286.html
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http://idptv.state.id.us/press/showStory.cfm?StoryID=44764

>From website above:
 Endangered: 'Outdoor Idaho'

Eric Barker
February 18, 2010
*Lewiston Morning Tribune*

"Outdoor Idaho," the show known for beautiful photography, eloquent writing
and profiles of the real people who live and play in the wilds of the Gem
State, will be harder to find if Gov. C.L. (Butch) Otter's proposal to
defund Idaho Public Television becomes a reality.

The half-hour show is one of the most popular produced at Idaho Public TV.
But without state funding for the station, fewer episodes per year will be
produced and fewer people will be able to watch them as the channel goes
dark in many of the rural sections of Idaho.

"Currently, 'Outdoor Idaho' produces nine new programs," said Peter Morrill,
general manager of Idaho Public TV. "We are estimating - based on what we
understand to be the economic model of the proposal - being able to sustain
hopefully four maybe five new episodes per year."

Those who don't live in the Treasure Valley or other semi-metropolitan areas
of the state like Lewiston might lose access to the show altogether. Morrill
explained if the state stops funding public television, a much smaller
budget will force a layoff of as many as a third of the station's employees
and curtailment of investment in equipment and maintenance.

As a result, some of the transmitters that beam the signal to surrounding
areas and the translators that pick up the signal and bump it around the
state will slip into disrepair. That means if you live in places like
Potlatch, Grangeville and perhaps even Moscow, you will likely lose the
Idaho Public Television signal.

Otter has proposed ramping down state funding for public television. After
four years the network would have to rely mostly on private funds from
viewers and corporate donors to stay on the air. Under a market-driven
model, markets will determine where public television will stay on the air.

Morrill said the staff of the station would be forced to spend most of its
time and energy maintaining and investing in equipment that sends the signal
to the most populated sections of the state, where most of the private money
comes from. Rural areas, where the population base is smaller, would lose
out.

"If this proposal is embraced, those areas absolutely will be impacted," he
said. "We operate 42 translators statewide and, under what we believe is a
market-driven television service, 41 of the 42, over time, would be allowed
to operate until they fail. Over the course of probably a year of no
maintenance, these systems are going to malfunction and stop operating and
we will not be able to repair them and return them to a functioning state."

Although the operating budget for the entire agency would be reduced,
Morrill and the show's host and executive producer, Bruce Reichert, hope
"Outdoor Idaho" would continue to produce the same quality of shows and
cover the state from north to south and east to west as it does now.

"Based on our modeling, we are assuming the program would be given resources
to continue to be 'Outdoor Idaho' as opposed to 'Outdoor Treasure Valley.'
We would endeavor to give it the resources to go where the stories are, as
opposed to saying we can't go farther than McCall," Morrill said.

It will be a shame if some people can't view the show or the station's other
offerings, Reichert said, adding they try to make Idaho a smaller place by
educating viewers about the state's diversity of terrain, people, economies
and issues.

"We joke that Idaho has three capitals: Boise, Spokane and Salt Lake City.
But it really does get at the challenges Idahoans face. We don't all think
alike, we sometimes don't even frame the issues the same way. By exploring
some of the state's big-ticket issues in depth, maybe we can help shed a
light on what it means to be an Idahoan," he said. "Our geology and
geography is so different. If Idaho were a small, square state I'm not sure
there would need to be an 'Outdoor Idaho.' But Idaho is a big, broad state
and because of that I think 'Outdoor Idaho' is an asset to this state."

With IDPTV dependent on raising donations under Otter's proposal, Morrill
said he is hopeful but not optimistic that there is enough additional money
out there to stay afloat.

"The idea that private contributions are suddenly going to be forthcoming
for the large maintenance bill for a lot of our rural systems, I don't
believe that is a realistic expectation. I think it's going to be very
challenging."

IDPTV already outperforms its peers - other rural statewide public
television stations - when it comes to private contributions, and Morrill
said the recession isn't making fundraising easier.

On a positive note, Morrill said viewers in the Lewiston-Clarkson Valley
will likely continue to receive a signal if the proposal is adopted.

"One translator we believe can continue to operate is the Lewiston
transmitter. Lewiston has the fifth-largest population. We feel comfortable
that is a sufficient population base that could voluntarily contribute
money."

He is less sure the transmitter in Moscow will pencil out.

"It's a pretty little population base and I'm not sure the private support
would be sufficient to allow it to be self-sustainable."

---

Barker may be contacted at ebarker at lmtribune.com or at (208) 848-2273.

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Vision2020 Post: Ted Moffett
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