COMMONWEALTH OF PENNSYLVANIA H0U8B OF REPRESENTATIVES COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS • • ft In rei Budget Request - 1983 - 1984 PPTN Verbatim report of hearing held In Room 401, Main Capitol Building* Barriaburg, Pennsylvania, on Thursday, February 24, 1983 3i30 P.M. BON. MAX PIEVSKY, CHAIRMAN Bon. Kurt IwlXl, Vica-Chairman Bon. Joseph M. Hoeffel, III, Secretary Bon. H. William DeWeese, Chairman Subcommittee on Capital Budget Bon. James M. MoZntyre, Chairman Subcommittee Bealth and Welfare Bon. Ralph Pratt, Chairman Subcommittee on Bduoation MEMBERS OF COMMITTEE ON APPROPRIATIONS Bon. Mary Ann Arty Bon. Joseph C. Manmiller Bon. Gibson Armstrong Bon. Richard A. McClatchy Bon. Thomas R. Caltagirone Bon. Gerald F. MoMonagle Bon. Italo 8. Cappabianoa Bon. George Miscevich Bon. Brian D. Clark Bon. Nicholas B. Moehlmann Bon. Roy w. Cornell Bon. Howard F. Mowery, Jr. Bon. Ronald R. Cowell Bon. Frank Pistella Bon. Alphonso Deal Bon. George F. Pott, Jr. Bon* Dwlght Evans Bon. Carmel Siriannl Bon. Stephen Freind Bon. Nilliam J. Stewart Bon* Allen Kukoviob Bon. Tod Stuban Bon. Joseph Levi, III Bon. Edward A. Wiggins Bon. Stephen B. Levin Bon. Peter R« Vroon Reported byt Jerry Book one Rwgirtwtl Proftnonal Reporter 135 S LanJic St***t {-fumnialrtown, l-'ennrqlvania 17036 2 ALSO FMOTWi Bdwerd Solan - Staff Miohael Herahook - Executive Director Al Pergoson - Staff Leon Bndy * Staff Lou Groesaan - Staff £E& ££ Pago mmtammmm Shel Slagal 35 President ft General Manager, WLVT-TV 41 Andrew Bradley, Chairman Budget c Financa Committee Shal Parker, Ganaral Manager PPTN 33 37 Rick Jonas Assistant Ganaral Nanagar Mm, Hershay 41 lira. Pose LeFever oiraotor of Pisoal Affalra Larry Masaenger Oiraotor of Vaohnloal Operation* Mrs* Joan Aoflaro Director of Community Salatlons Philip T. Barmen^ Chairman Pennsylvania Public Television Network IPPWl ) r • 4 * r-t ' t* 3 (The Prepared Statement of Philip X. Bttiuf Chairman Pennsylvania Public Television Network is as follows)t Statement submitted by Philip I, Barman* Chairman Pennsylvania Publio Television Network (PPTN) for tho Bousa Appropriations Committee Searing February 24, 1993 - 3i30 P.M. "The Pannsylvania Publio Talavision Network Commission was created in 1968 with the passage of Aot 329. The act charges the Commission with making public television available to all people in Pennsylvania and encouraging the growth and development of a dynamic, free, and effective program service. The PPT" Commission governs the network, and a current list of its members is enclosed. The Commission performs statewide coordinating functions, including the operation of the statewide network and its operating center, and makes operating* equipment and facilities, affirmative action training, and programming grants to each of the seven stations. By 1969, network interconnection facilities were operational, and the seven member stations were linked 4 through a 1600-mile microwave system. "DM seven independent noncxwnierolal stations are located in the following communitiest Bethlehem, Brie, Harrisburg, Philadelphia, Pittsburgh, Pittston, and University Park, laeh station has its own board of diraotors and independently determines operational and programming policy. Baeh is individually responsible to the Federal Oossninioatlons Oossdssion for westing federal broadcast rules and regulations. In a period when government must be increasingly efficient and cost-effective, the Pennsylvania network's ability to receive and transmit programing on behalf of all seven stations has the potential to perform a task once on behalf of all seven stations, eliminating the .need of a seven-fold repetition of that same task. The consequent personnel and machine cost-savings translate into hundreds of thousands of dollars annually. "Hasn't the era of the emergence of new electronic media--video disc, cable TV, pay-cable, subscription TV—rendered public television obsolete? A number of juries are delivering their answers to these questions, and the verdicts are in publlo 5 television's favor. In Meant weeke, both TV Quito and 0.8. Wawa and World Resort have carried perceptive artiolaa and an aditorlal deacribing why public TV la vary much ellWand wall. Tha anolosad oopiaa of raprinta ara oonaended to your raadlng beoauae they answer sons pravalant misconceptions and provida an excellent suaaary of tha overall atata of public broadcasting. "Although public talevialon should never baoona a captive to ratings* daclslon amkara daaarva to know vhathar anyona la watching. Nationwide, public television viewerahip haa sore than doublad over tha paat fiva yaars. Statewide data compiled for tha atata'a seven public atationa indioata that tha paroantaga and numbar of Pennsylvania houaaholda watching publia talaviaion ara inoraasing daspita tha prolifaration of competition tram cable, disc, and tape. In just one year* according to A.c. Mielsen data, Pennsylvania's public talaviaion atationa enjoyed a 12 percent etatowide inoreaaa in viewing houaaholda in November 1982, over November,1981. This paroantaga increase tranalataa into 1,638,000 Pennsylvania viewing houaaholda and 2,112,000 in- and 6 oot-of-atata housaholds. in addition to public TV attracting graatar audlancas, viawars ara toning to public stations mora hours par vaak. "Katloawida audlance raaaareh studias also provlda halpful danographio lnfoxnatlon about nonccanercial TV audiancas. Tha dlvarsa programming offarad pradiotably attracts a dlvarsa audianca. Tha public talavision audianca, in aggragata, la vary moh lika tha population of tha Onitad States. Whan ona awwinaa tha aducatlonal lavals, tha occupational classifications, iaoona lavals, and minority populations, tha publia talavision audianca vary naarly mirrors tha danographio aukaap of tha nation aa a vhola. Tha oharga of alitisa, tha allagation that public 9V ia only for tha salact fair, ia ansvarad by audianca raaaareh findings* Micbaal ftica of tha Aspan Instituta diaaissas than out of hand. Ba aays that public talavision's broadcasts ara a "braaking opan of what vara anoa^tha prasarvas of tha rich and powarful— a braaking opan so radical, so insistently daaocratia, that anyona, anyvbara, by tha siapla act of toning to a particular atatlon, can hava and anjoy things that r only 20 yaars ago vara tha narks of privllaga." 7 "Any discussion about public broadcasting properly focuses on ths product or the programming which is made available to 95 percent of too people of ths Commonwealth through »PTH. Public TV is enjoying ons of ths bsst years svsr—with programming which receives high critical acclaim, some of ths industry's most prestigious awards* and ths praiss of an increasing number sad percentage of viswsrs. k more detailed look at PPTN'S programming is attached under ths heading of "WW Programming in Perspective," "Because of ths critical importance of solving the state's economic woes and because of the national leadership which WQBD/Pittsburgh is taking in producing programs on the subject of teenage drug and alcohol abuse, this statement will highlight only these two subject areas. The Pennsylvania network recognises the important role it can play through programs dealing with unemployment end the state's economy. Later this month, WHYY/Fhiladelphia will air a special on unemployment which will feature a telephone hot line and a panel of community resource people who will give advice on such topics as prevention of mortgage foreclosures, where to go for 8 personal counseling, how to keep yourself busy while you're looking for work, and job alternatives you may not have been aware of. In April, the network will be carrying WPSX/University Perk's High Tech, High Stakes end a live interconnected broadcast which will take a comprehensive look at the unemployment situation in the Crmmnnwealth*—both programs ere PPm-funded. On April 19, 1983, »T» is playing e key role in a "Conference on Pennsylvania's Economic Future" end will carry the highlights to ell four corners of the Commonwealth at a later date. Also to be broadcast later with network financial support is WITF/Harria- burg's "Hhen A Factory doses." The mention of specific Pennsylvania programs should not diminish the importance of the enhanced economic understanding which national series such as The MaoMail/Lohror Report, Enterprise, end nightly Business Report, along with the network's The People's Business and Fro-Con, bring to the state's TV viewers. "The growing number of the long-term unemployed in the Commonwealth has made us aware of another way that public television is proving helpful. A phone call and letter to Philadelphia's WHYY-TV gave that t 9 station credit for litorally preserving an unemployed steelworker's sanity. Tha usual daytime oommarolal programming far* lad him to become a regular watcher of Channal 12. Ha showed his appraolatlon for his continued food mental health whan ha was again gainfully ••ployed by mailing tha station a contribution. "Last year the Bouse Appropriations Committee heard how a $23,000 PPTN production grant helped leverage eleven times that amount to enable WQED/ Pittsburgh to produce Tha Chemical People. This community dialogue on teenage drug and alcohol abuse is designed to arouse concerned interest and motivate positive action. Effective drug and alcohol abuse information and prevention information depends on people who understand the problem and want to do something to solve it* In November* The Chemical People will go statewide and nationwide via PPTW and the Public Broadcasting service (PBS). -"''"PPT* hits.talked repeatedly