Steve Young

Steve Young's Public Television News of the Day:
PBS "FOX" Up!
by Steve Young

May 10, 2005 -- HOLLYWOOD (apj.us) -- WOW! What a week for the Lords of Loud.

It wasn't enough that they had to take time away from pimping their books to defend the President from his Social Security drop off the map popularity and Bill First's fight against the "never done before, except when it was" filibuster against judges.

It wasn't enough that because of the recent Republican implosion, Sean Hannity was forced into an opening diatribe describing how great the Republican agenda and the war(s) were going. Then, in the same harangue, Sean must have forgotten how great it was, as he lamented his listeners' tendency to get down over recent events.

I'll not even mention the Blowhard of Broadcast's two-step side-step dance around the US-Britain pre-Iraqi invasion "fix" discussions, because now the LOL task gets even more arduous.

Now they have to defend PBS...from the Left.

Holy Bill O'Reilly.

As Jon Stewart might query, "Wha... [look of incredulity]?"

PBS?

Got to be a misprint. What's next? Defending the ACLU?

Seems that Kenneth Tomlinson, the Republican-appointed head of the Corporation for Public Broadcasting, the entity that controls National Public Radio and PBS, has decided to turn the Public Broadcasting world into another right-wing talk show tundra.

In a New York Times article, Tomlinson said, "I frankly feel at PBS headquarters there is a tone-deafness to issues of tone and balance."

These words come from the guy who told a meeting of an Association of Public Television Stations told them to make sure their programming better reflected the Republican mandate.

Part of his balancing the network Tomlinson has brought us "The Wall Street Journal Editorial Report," a balanced pontification from The Wall Street Journal's Paul Gigot and the rest of his balanced editorial staff.

But wait -- how did Tomlinson discover the need for "balance?"

Well, he did what every Republican does when they want to instill balance upon the masses. He enlisted presidential adviser Karl Rove to help kill a legislative proposal that would have required the Corporation for Public Broadcasting's to fill half their board with experienced local radio and television people. The proposal was dropped after Rove and the White House noted their concerns.

Then he went to work putting together a balanced staff.

He created a new office of the "ombudsman" and filled it with the balanced pair of William Schulz and Ken Bode, one a profound conservative, the other a less profound conservative.

Tomlinson then hired Mary Catherine Andrews, the director of the Bush White House Office of Global Communications, as a senior staff member, and while she was still on the White House staff.

Finally, without the knowledge of his board, or Bill Moyers, Tomlinson paid an outside consultant to gauge the "political leanings" of guests on "Now With Bill Moyers."

Y'gotta hand it to the Right. They keep the Left hopping. They paint anything left of talk radio as liberal-biased and that becomes fact. Peter Jennings lifts an eyebrow in the midst of a half-hour broadcast and it necessitates the need for a 24/7 Fox News. Now PBS offers us the Wall Street Journal editorial staff as a counter point to "Now." No matter what you think of Bill Moyers, "Now" actually offered facts and let you hear both sides of an issue. "The Journal Editorial Report" offers you both sides of the WS opinion page; the Right and other Right.

I tellya, folks. They're creeping ever close, consuming everything in their path. Don't be surprised if one day the White House neoconservatives take possession of the Democratic Party. Then again... Joe Lieberman.

Ah-h-h-h-h!

Steve Young, can be heard 1-4PM every Saturday on L.A.'s Home of Progressive Talk, AM 1150, KTLK. Maybe even this Friday on Al Franken. This Saturday Steve pays homage to Tom DeLay's big Tribute Dinner, including an interview with special guest, Nick Lampson, the Hammer's Democratic opponent in next year's election. He is also author of "Great Failures of the Extremely Successful." He blogs at TheUnfilteredTruth.com and is political editor of National Lampoon. Talk about your overachiever!.