Pubcasters Hope CPB Regains Pre-Tomlinson State; Others Want Reform
With little known of the terms under which former CPB Chmn. Kenneth Tomlinson quit CPB’s board, a tone of cautious optimism about a return to pre-Tomlinson days prevailed among some public broadcasters. Some see Tomlinson’s era as an aberration from which CPB can rebound automatically. But other onlookers, like APTS Pres. John Lawson, said that with Tomlinson gone long-term fixes are required. “The whole episode underscores the need for long term reform of the governance of the CPB,” he said.
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The CPB managed to keep a lid on the proceedings at the 3-day closed meeting on Inspector Gen. Kenneth Konz’s report about Tomlinson’s alleged misdeeds. The meeting occurred at an undisclosed location and was leak-free thanks to a reported confidentiality agreement. The IG is expected to release his report Nov. 15, after incorporating board members’ views and including his own recommendations. According to information we obtained before the board meeting, the IG found ethical and other violations (CD Oct 31 p1).
CPB’s fate shouldn’t ride on an individual’s actions, said Lawson: “That’s why we need a strong board that provides effective oversight.” APTS has said it’s readying legislative language for CPB reform it expects to submit to Congress in Dec. Asked what short-term corrections he wants now that Tomlinson has gone, Lawson said he hopes the CPB leadership and board move expeditiously to implement any administrative or other changes the IG recommends.
Lawson called it “surprising and troubling” that the board would try to blame unnamed former “key” staff for not properly advising it and Tomlinson (CD Nov 4 p8). “The abuses uncovered were the actions of a rogue chairman,” he said. “I am reluctant to assume anything other than honorable and proper behavior on the part of the professional staff at CPB. That has never been an issue for us.”
An executive of a Washington public broadcasting entity said communications between CPB and other public broadcasting entities virtually ceased while Tomlinson chaired the board. Until then, CPB had had a “good, working relationship with other institutions irrespective of the administration, the board’s composition or the economic situation,” she said. Then Tomlinson “went out there and started trashing the industry that he was supposedly supporting.”
Many public broadcasting leaders had the impression that Pres. Pat Harrison “might actually be okay” and that she was hamstrung by Tomlinson’s presence on the board, this source said. With Tomlinson gone, is Harrison “actually going to take charge of that organization or is it going to continue the way it was?” she asked. Many public broadcasters want to know whether other board members were complicit in Tomlinson’s actions, whether the IG uncovered such complicity and what action will be taken against them, she added.
To illustrate the mistrust that characterized Tomlinson’s helmsmanship of the CPB board, she described how a panicked station manager contacted a national group. The source of the anxiety: a call from senior CPB official saying he wanted to visit the station with new staff to familiarize them with station operations. “Why should people be afraid if they get that phone call that they were coming over?” the source said. “That is what has to be repaired.”
“Harrison’s goal is to lead looking forward,"said CPB Vp Michael Levy: “We are moving forward on a broad front to emulate best practices throughout CPB.” The CPB will take the suggestions of the Inspector Gen. “very seriously and we will be responsive. Every organization can grow and improve, and CPB is no exception.”
One executive urged CPB to restore communications with colleagues. “We also want the collaborative spirit restored,” this executive said. “We don’t want personal interests and personal agendas to get in the way of what is the mandate at the CPB.” Public broadcasters want CPB to return to “where it has been so successfully for decades,” the executive said, which is serving as a “funder and firewall. They are not looking for something new, special or different.”
Media activists called for an immediate revamping of the CPB board. “They should reorganize the board immediately so neither the chair or the vice chair is a political activist,” said Jeff Chester of the Center for Digital Democracy. He called for an independent member to take over as chmn. to “restore trust.” Most importantly, Chester said, CPB should keep “totally away” from decisions about programming. “They have to go to Congress and say it’s not their role to ensure objectivity and balance,” he said.