Longtime GOP Fundraiser and NPR Critic Elected to Head CPB
Longtime Republican fundraiser Cheryl Halpern was elected the new chair
of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting earlier this week. Halpern has overseen
such government-funded media projects as Voice of America, Radio Marti in
Cuba
and Radio Free Iraq. She has also accused National Public Radio of anti-Israel
bias. We speak with Celia Wexler of Common Cause.
Local Public Access TV Under Attack From Trio of Congressional Bills
Local public access television across the United States is being threatened
by legislation introduced in both the U.S. Senate and House of Representatives.
Critics say the bills could eliminate the only source of funding public access
providers receive and would take away control from local governments. We speak
with Anthony Riddle of the Alliance for Community Media and George Stoney, who
many consider the father of public access. [includes rush transcript]
New Orleans Evacuees Blast Lack of Any Aid or Relief Weeks After Katrina
A month after hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast, displaced New Orleans
residents at the Radisson Hotel in New York City speak out about the lack
of aid they have received and the continued difficulty of receiving any type
of
relief from the Red Cross.
Head of Small Relief Agency Blasts Red Cross "Money Pit"
We
speak with Richard Walden, president and founder of Operation USA, a Los
Angeles-based relief agency. In an Op-Ed in the Los Angeles Times
this week
titled "The Red Cross money pit," Walden writes that despite, "Giving
so high a percentage of all donations to one agency (The Red Cross) that
defines itself only as a first-responder and not a rebuilder is not the wisest
choice." [includes
rush transcript]