WASHINGTON, Jan. 5 (Xinhua) -- The Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB), created by the U.S. Congress to steward the federal government's investment in public broadcasting, announced Monday that its Board of Directors has voted to dissolve the organization after rescission of federal funding and "sustained political attacks."
"The decision follows Congress's rescission of all of CPB's federal funding and comes after sustained political attacks that made it impossible for CPB to continue operating as the Public Broadcasting Act intended," the private, nonprofit corporation wrote in a statement.
"When the Administration and Congress rescinded federal funding, our Board faced a profound responsibility: CPB's final act would be to protect the integrity of the public media system and the democratic values by dissolving, rather than allowing the organization to remain defunded and vulnerable to additional attacks," said Patricia Harrison, president and CEO of CPB.
"What has happened to public media is devastating," said Ruby Calvert, chair of CPB's Board of Directors. "After nearly six decades of innovative, educational public television and radio service, Congress eliminated all funding for CPB, leaving the Board with no way to continue the organization or support the public media system that depends on it."
First authorized by the U.S. Congress under the Public Broadcasting Act of 1967, CPB helped build and sustain a nationwide public media system of more than 1,500 locally owned and operated public radio and television stations, according to the statement. ■
