Public TV Advocate: GOP Will Help Protect Funding

The chief executive of the Association of Public Television Stations (APTS) believes Republicans are likely to support federal funding for public media, according to Sara Jerome at thehill.com.

Patrick Butler said private discussions with GOP members have revealed that it's not just the Democrats who want to maintain taxpayer funding for radio and television stations.

"Republicans in both the House and the Senate want to stand with us and give us a good result in the end," Butler said in an interview with The Hill, declining to name specific lawmakers.

"It's not going to be a unanimous vote, but I do think if there ever comes an up-or-down vote on public broadcasting itself, we'll wind up with a bipartisan majority in favor of continuing our funding," he said.
He added: "I'm not sure at what level."

Though Butler says he is "optimistic," spending taxpayer money on NPR and PBS has not exactly attracted a lineup of vocal Republican advocates in the 112th.

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