Noncom religious broadcasters say, what about us?

The National Religious Broadcasters group "suggests that the government turn its attention to the needs of a huge, underappreciated resource: noncommercial religious broadcasters." The NRB released that statement today (Nov. 17) in reaction to the increasingly noisy debate over federal funding of CPB, PBS and NPR.

“These donor-driven broadcasters do not receive a dime of tax money, yet they serve the public interest,” said Greg Parshall, NRB v.p. and general counsel, by spreading news about homeless shelters, reading and school programs, anti-crime groups, crisis pregnancy centers and military support programs.

So noncom religious stations "should be give more latitude to raise funds on-air for other legitimate, nonprofit groups," Parshall said, and need "fewer constraints in seeking program sponsorship from corporate and business underwriters."

The statement also includes a link to download "a 60-second audio actuality" calling on Congress to make the changes — available with or without background music.