KPBS is imbalanced, says city attorney

San Diego City Attorney Michael Aguirre concluded in an Oct. 3 report (PDF) that the city's KPBS-FM/TV is violating PBS's balance and objectivity standards after canceling Full Focus, a daily public affairs show. "The lack of balance and objectivity in KPBS-produced programming clearly contravenes PBS Editorial Standards and Policies," he wrote. Aguirre also took issue with the selection of hosts for Editors Roundtable, another public affairs show, but stopped short of proposing penalties for KPBS or asking the station to rectify the situation. KPBS News Director Michael Marcotte responds: "Taking Full Focus off the air was certainly a loss for our community –- because he’s right when he says it was one of the few sources of balanced, in-depth civic discourse on San Diego television. But it was removed for failing to draw viewers, which amounts to a responsible programming decision, not a dereliction of duty."