Former GOP Official Harrison to Head CPB

Three board members voted against Harrison, Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson’s first choice, sources said. A 3- member search committee, including Tomlinson, reviewed 23 prospects, a CPB press release said. The entire CPB board interviewed 4 finalists Mon., it added. Sources said the search process wasn’t the “sham” critics derided. “There were a lot of good people that believed in public broadcasting” in the list of candidates, a board member told us. Among those interviewed by the board was CPB Acting Pres. Ken Ferree, former FCC Media Bureau chief.

Tomlinson said search firm Spencer Stuart had “reached out” to 200 people and had “extensive discussions” with more than 80 “contacts.” More than 50 diversity profiles were developed, and 11 “diversity candidates” were reviewed by the board’s search committee, he added.

A CPB spokesman said Harrison will start July 5 and will be “conferring” with public broadcasting leaders before taking over. Harrison vowed to join other public broadcasting leaders in efforts to restore funds cut from CPB in Congress. “The CPB needs to be in the forefront of support for public broadcasting and we look forward to supporting Pat Harrison in this important effort,” the CPB board said in a statement.

Board member Beth Courtney said although she couldn’t support Harrison, “now that she has been selected I will do everything to assist her in gathering support for public broadcasting.” Courtney said her first charge for Harrison will be “I would like to see a lot Republican votes to restore or even increase our funding.” Courtney said the proof of Harrison’s performance will be “bringing Republican support” for public broadcasting.

Board member Earnest Wilson, who had expressed serious reservations about the search process, said “we could have picked Mahatma Gandhi and he was going to come in and still have to deal with declining market shares, rising costs for television, with demographic changes and technological challenges.” Saying public broadcasters need to move on, he said they have to restore “trust” ruptured in the past 2 months. “If we don’t do it, we will be in serious trouble.” Katherine Anderson, chmn. of the board’s search committee, said Harrison has demonstrated “great strength” in coalition building: “She knows Capitol Hill and is devoted to public broadcasting and the mission.”

PBS Pres. Pat Mitchell said PBS has concerns about appointing a former political party chair to head the CPB, “which must be nonpartisan in both appearance and execution.” However, she said it’s “our hope and expectation” that Harrison will function with “nonpartisan integrity.” PBS will work with Harrison to ensure the “independence of public broadcasting will be protected and enhanced” and stations remain financially viable, Mitchell said.

Saying it would make “every good faith effort” to work with Harrison, the Assn. of Public TV Stations (APTS) called on Tomlinson to “respect the limited role of chairman of CPB and let Ms. Harrison do her job.” APTS said it will work with stations and members of Congress from both parties to develop legislation to “reform” CPB’s governance and functioning. “We must define a new framework that gets Washington politics out” of the CPB, it added.

NPR is disappointed the CPB Board “ignored the public broadcasting community’s unanimous desire for a new president with demonstrated broadcasting and nonpartisan credentials,” a spokeswoman said. However, NPR expects Harrison to provide “strong, impartial leadership” in fulfilling CPB’s role as a funding agency and supporter of the independence of public radio and TV, she added.

Public interest groups, which launched a signature campaign to stall Harrison’s selection, denounced the move. Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy called for disclosure of the alleged White House role in Harrison’s appointment. Referring to press reports about communications between the White House and Tomlinson on Harrison’s appointment, he said “it’s time to demand that the White House make public all the e-mail and other communications with Mr Tomlinson and CPB.” Calling Harrison’s appointment a “drive-by hiring,” Common Cause Pres. Chellie Pingree said Harrison is the “wrong person named under the wrong process with the wrong skill sets for the job.” She said Harrison is the “quintessential partisan” without any experience in public broadcasting. Calling Harrison’s selection an “outrage,” Free Press Exec. Dir. Josh Silver said her lack of experience in public broadcasting and “close ties” to the GOP “represent a new low in public broadcasting history.”