WGAE Statement on the House Appropriation Commitee’s proposal to eliminate all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting

The Writers Guild of America, East (WGAE) issued this statement today regarding the House Appropriation Committee’s proposal to eliminate all funding for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting (CPB):

“The Writers Guild of America, East opposes renewed efforts by members of the House Appropriations Committee to defund the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. Federal funding is critical to support quality programming like Sesame Street and Frontline and important institutions like PBS and NPR. Public broadcasting provides more than 21,000 jobs, including jobs for writers. No one wants to read the headline, “Congress to Big Bird: ‘Drop Dead.’”The WGAE continues to urge our members and others to tell Congress to save public broadcasting. Our voices, raised in an online campaign launched today, must be heard. Congress Must Save PBS.”   The Writers Guild of America, East is part of a broad coalition of organizations in this effort to save public broadcasting. The coalition includes AFTRA, IATSE, NABET-CWA, and Free Press.

The Writers Guild of America, East, AFL-CIO, is a labor union representing writers in motion pictures, television, cable, digital media, and broadcast news. The WGAE conducts programs, seminars, and events on issues of interest to, and on behalf of, writers. In addition, it represents writers’ interests on the legislative level.  For more information on the Writers Guild of America, East, visit www.wgaeast.org.