Contact:
Tania Panczyk-Collins
202 654-4222
tpanczyk@apts.org


APTS President and CEO Larry Sidman's Address at Capitol Hill Day 2009

Good morning. It is a great pleasure to welcome you to Capitol Hill Day or what might be more accurately described as Capitol Hill week. One week ago, I became President and CEO of the Association of Public Television Stations. Thus, my speech this morning is part coming out party, part Inaugural Address and part State of Public Television. Casting these remarks in this modest fashion doesn’t put too much pressure on me, does it? Then, let’s add a dollop of messaging about what you might say when you sit down with Members of the House and Senate and their staffs later this week.

Permit me to start with a verbal, mini-biopic. That way, you can close your eyes and imagine somebody truly handsome and imposing in stature. Open your eyes only if you dare.

To begin, this is a new role in a familiar venue. For more than a decade, I had been privileged to represent APTS as outside counsel, engaged in legislative advocacy before the Congress and occasionally regulatory advocacy before the Federal Communications Commission. In that capacity, I came to know many of you assembled here today. My predecessor, John Lawson, allowed me to take the mic on occasion, usually to fire up the crowd as you prepared to meet with your elected representatives. It was a fun gig, and I always looked forward to it. Larry the Lawyer/Lobbyist had an alliterative ring to it although, in recent times, as lobbyists plummeted in public esteem; I began to feel more like a 21st century Hester Prynne with a giant, scarlet L emblazoned on my chest.

When the APTS Board Search Committee approached me about becoming President and CEO, I agreed to consider it. After all, change was the triumphant theme of the 2008 Presidential election. My portfolio had plunged by about one-third in the last six months. Why not see that cut and raise it with an even bigger cut in my annual salary? I had suffered a heart attack last September 11, intent on making that date a matter of personal as well as historic infamy. Why not take a new, low stress position as President and CEO of APTS? By now, you must be thinking to yourselves, “He’s either a masochist, deranged or a charming combination of both.” Indeed, when the Chairman of the APTS Board, John Hesse, offered me the position, it was the only time in our long professional friendship that I questioned his judgment.

What magic elixir impelled me to accept? Having come of age in the sixties, like so many in my generation, I was captivated by President John F. Kennedy’s memorable challenge in his Inaugural Address: “Ask not what your country can do for you, but ask rather what you can do for your country.” Those words have resonated with me in the 48 years since I first heard them. Throughout my life, I have acted upon them sporadically, through peaceful protests against unjust and wrongheaded wars, through political engagement in the electoral process and through service as Staff Director and Chief Counsel to a pair of House Energy and Commerce Subcommittees. The first was Energy Conservation and Power. The second was Telecommunications and Finance. It was by far the best job I ever held - - to date. Having recently celebrated a somewhat significant birthday -  think twice as old as the age above which my generation vowed that you could not trust anybody - - I concluded that the time had come to rededicate such talents as I might possess to the public good.

Enter public broadcasting, an institution created by Congress as part of President Johnson’s 1960’s Great Society agenda, expressly chartered to serve the public, an educational, non-commercial media oasis in a landscape that former FCC Chairman Newton Minnow had derided as a “vast wasteland” several years earlier. The purposes and mission of public broadcasting ring as true today as they did almost 42 years ago when the Public Broadcasting Act became law.

“It is in the public interest to encourage the development of programming that involves creative risks and that addresses the needs of unserved and underserved audiences, particularly children and minorities;” “Public television and radio stations and public telecommunications services constitute valuable local community resources for utilizing electronic media to address national concerns and solve local problems through community programs and outreach programs;” “It is in the public interest for the Federal Government to ensure that all citizens of the United States have access to public telecommunications services through all appropriate available telecommunications distribution technologies.”

This Act reiterates the core principles of the Communications Act of 1934: diversity, localism and the public interest. It inspires us, no; it commands us, to reach out to all Americans of all socio-economic, cultural, and ethnic backgrounds, of all colors and of all ages. Public Broadcasting has an obligation to serve all of our people. We don’t have the luxury of choosing among demographics nor appealing to the hot audience du jour. We are measured not by how amusingly we entertain but how well we educate in the broadest sense of the term - - equip our fellow citizens to live their lives wisely, with dignity and integrity, of sound body and soaring spirit, in times of plenty and times of shortage.

The unique strength of public broadcasting is its commitment to localism. Public Television stations are truly community institutions. We reach out in partnerships with schools, libraries and local emergency responders - - police, firemen, EMTs – to educate our children, train and re-train our work force, deal with economic adversity whether it be mortgage foreclosure or job loss and literally and figuratively save lives from these forces.

The challenge for every one of us in this room today is how we continue the work of perfecting public television so that its reality matches and perhaps even exceeds its promise.

In contemplating the state of public television today my mind was drawn to the enduring opening sentences of Charles Dickens great work, “A Tale of Two Cities, “It was the best of times. It was the worst of times.” How true of public broadcasting as we gather here at this time in this place.

It is the best of times from a political perspective. It is not hyperbole to state that the new Administration and the new Congress are more favorably disposed to public television and more appreciative and understanding of how public television can help remake America than at any time since the Corporation for Public Broadcasting was created in 1967. The primacy that President Obama places on education fits perfectly with public television’s statutorily mandated mission - - to serve as an educational medium. On Capitol Hill, in both the House and the Senate, we have Committee and Subcommittee Chairmen of both the authorizing and appropriations committees who have been strong supporters and in some cases, champions of public broadcasting. They are backed up by intelligent, thoughtful Members of these committees who have time and again stepped forward to address the needs of public television. The Democratic leadership in both the House and Senate are there for public broadcasting. While we must recognize that public broadcasting has not been the most popular cause within the Republican caucus, we must be hopeful that Republicans will look to the 87 Republican House members who voted against drastic funding cuts in 2005, to the leadership provided by former Senator Stevens, Senate Appropriations Committee Ranking member Cochran, HHS Appropriations Subcommittee Ranking Member Specter and many others as they cast their votes. Partisanship should stop not only at our shores but also at the doorway to public television facilities. It is your responsibility to persuade each and every Member of Congress with whom you meet that the road to making America a better educated, more engaged, more civil society runs through public television. 

Unfortunately, these are the worst of times from an economic perspective. You all know that our Nation is being buffeted by the harshest economic winds we have experienced in decades and perhaps since the Great Depression. Public Television is not immune. Data compiled from a public television station survey conducted by APTS staff within the last month tell a scary tale. Based upon this early and incomplete sampling, stations are projecting, on average, a decline in state funding, corporate underwriting and individual contributions of fifteen percent in 2009. The estimates for 2010 are even bleaker. These projected decreases do not reflect a waning of enthusiasm for public television. Rather, they underscore the plight of public television caught up in the cross-currents of economic contraction.
The consequences of these diminished revenues are already being felt by many public TV stations around the country from the largest to the smallest. Stations are laying off employees, cutting programming and other services and putting exciting, new initiatives on hold.

Thus, public television finds itself in a supremely ironic situation. At a moment when the political environment has never been better to grow public television into a truly multi-platform digital public service medium we are facing contraction and, in the case of some stations, a fight for their very survival. The choice is clear. We can hunker down in a bunker, passively waiting for economic revival, at some indeterminate time and accept the need for retrenchment as a reality. Or, we can stare the economic hard times in the eye and vow not to bow to them. We can cut costs through innovation, building upon and strengthening our broadcast foundation using digital distribution, content replication and manipulation to expand our reach to a more Internet-centric demographic. We can take advantage of the wretched job market to bring into our system the best of multiple generations of now unemployed journalists from this year’s college graduates to seasoned veterans who were bought out or laid off, creating a team that will be the platinum standard for quality. We can reach boldly into communities of color, of different ethnicities and socio-economic backgrounds, to create desperately needed jobs which also will automatically enhance diversity and give concrete embodiment to our commitment to localism. We can share assets, both human and physical, with other non-commercial educational stations and enter into partnerships with other traditional and new media players to enhance quality while conserving resources. Each and every one of us should take to heart Rahm Emmauel’s immortal words, “a crisis is a dreadful thing to waste.”

This exhortation brings me directly to the mission of our Capitol Hill Day: to persuade members of Congress not only that our programs are worthy of continued funding, but also that our programs merit increased support.

I am reminded of the story of the husband and wife who always spent at least the first 15 minutes of their time together at home following a long day’s work telling each other about the day’s experiences. One night, the woman walked through the door, looking particularly distraught. “How was your day?” asked her husband. “Absolutely horrible,” replied the wife. “My Board dressed me down for failing to clear a new initiative. The press took my quote out of context and made me sound like an idiot. To top it all off, the nurse at Johnny’s school called me at lunch time to pick him up because he was sick.” The husband looked at her empathetically. “I’m so sorry that you had such a bad day. But my day was worse.” The wife became completely exasperated. “How could your day be worse? I thought you played golf today.” “I did,” said the husband. “I played with Leo. Everything was going great. I birdied the first hole. I was pumped. Then on the second hole, Leo keeled over and dropped dead. For the next 17 holes, it was hit the ball, drag Leo; hit the ball, drag Leo.”

Hopefully, our Capitol Hill visits won’t be as stressful as our friends’ day in my little story, but let’s not fool ourselves. We have our work cut out for us.
In the short term, translated now and in the FY 2010 Appropriations, public broadcasting faces a projected shortfall of somewhere between $200 and $300 million dollars. As I already have noted, every major source of historic funding will take a hit. We do not seek a federal bailout. Rather, we seek an offsetting emergency federal contribution to ensure that our system can continue to fulfill its vital role in American life. Just as the President declares a federal emergency freeing federal money to sustain communities ravaged by natural disasters, we need Congress to provide emergency funding as public broadcasting is ravaged by economic disaster. There is no more appropriate time to reinvest in public broadcasting.

In the mid-and long-term, specifically the advance appropriation for FY 2012, we need increased federal funding to ensure that public television will be all that it can be. If public television is to realize its statutory goals in the 21st century, it must embrace new digital technology and media, not just the Internet but the next generation Internet and the one after that. That requires agility and imagination. It also requires resources. Public broadcasting’s vision is defined as educational by statute. Our nation’s educational system is in tatters, leaving us disadvantaged to compete in the global economy of the 21st century. Just as the Obama Administration is wisely investing in infrastructure to both stimulate the economy and achieve enduring improvements in our nation’s life, public broadcasting should view itself and be perceived as an integral part of the informational and educational infrastructure of America. Our system can and does dramatically enhance education both inside and outside the classroom through its Ready To Learn and Ready to Teach programs. But so much more can be done. Just as public broadcasting is the most trusted source of news and information in America, as reflected in six consecutive years of Roper polls, so should it be a beacon for students doing their homework or writing research papers. The local public broadcast station’s web site, or, PBS.org should be the first place they go. They should continue to exciting linked sites, rich in content accessible across multiple platforms.

Nor does education stop at the schoolhouse door. Never before has adult education been so important in enabling people to navigate life’s challenges. Two examples -  our nation is enduring tremendous economic dislocation most notably caused by the decline of our manufacturing sector. Long before the current economic downdraft, millions of manufacturing jobs were being lost, especially in the Midwest. Public Television can and should be a powerful medium for job retraining, focused on the local communities it serves. Let’s turn to health care – a broken system suffering from out-of-control costs. The most effective mechanism fostering both wellness and cost control is preventive health care. Is there a better, more trusted medium anywhere in America than a reinvigorated public broadcast system capable of distributing broadcast and on-line content over multiple platforms to help Americans help themselves to better health?

It is the very reputation for quality and trust that makes our public broadcasting system such a fitting instrument of education. We should be a magnet for federal dollars as, in President Obama’s words, we remake America.

Let me get a bit more specific regarding your approach when you visit your Congressman or Senator or their staffs this week. Don’t think of yourselves as one of those tainted lobbyists. Leave that role to me and the APTS staff. Think of yourselves literally and figuratively as the voices of the people who work and dare to dream in their districts and states. Tell a story – the story of how the current economic downturn is affecting you and your community, what you are doing to mitigate its effects and how it is hampering what you need to do to ensure public broadcasting remains as important to America in the next forty years as it has been in the last forty years. Reach your Members through their hearts. Be straight with them on facts. If you don’t know the answers off the top of your head to questions they ask, tell them you will get back to them. Opening up the lines for follow-up communication and dialogue is a plus, not a minus. As I tell all aspiring public policy advocates (my euphemism for lobbyists), at the end of the day, the only real asset you have is your integrity and reputation for honesty.

I look forward to serving as your agent here in Washington in the months and years ahead. I invite your insights and contributions. I will be open to constructive criticism. I will be appreciative of an occasional kind word. The APTS staff is here to serve you. Let us know how we can do so with energy, enthusiasm and wisdom.
Let me close by asking each of the members of the APTS team to stand as they are introduced. They are outstanding, dedicated and public interest minded professionals who have the added benefit of being delightful to work with. Indeed the quality of the APTS staff was one of the major factors in my decision to assume my new role.
LaKesha Jones, Receptionist and Staff Assistant;
Tammye Heatley, Legal Assistant and Human Resources Generalist;
Joyce Burgess Horton, Manager, Facilities and Events;
Danielle Dunbar, Research and Policy Associate;
Kenneth Blunt, Manager of Networks and Technology;
Tania Panczyk-Collins, Communications Manager;
Ilona Piaskowy, Legislative Assistant;
Will Glasscock, Congressional Liaison;
Rishi Hingoraney, Congressional Liaison;
Jennifer Kieley, Congressional Liaison;
Tela Hansom-Pitt, Senior Executive Assistant to the President;
Malena Barzilai, Senior Counsel;
Jeffrey Davis, Vice President, Communications;
Debra Sanchez, Vice President, Government Relations; and last but not least
Lonna Thompson, Acting COO, Senior Vice President and General Counsel.

Lonna deserves a special word of praise and has earned our gratitude. In the nearly one year since John Lawson left APTS, she has assumed the responsibilities, first of Acting COO and in the last few months, following Mark Erstling’s departure, Acting CEO. She has performed skillfully and indefatigably, all the while maintaining her cheery disposition.
Please join me in acknowledging their great work.

We also are grateful for the fine work performed by Mark Erstling as Acting CEO of APTS before he left for CPB. Never has it been more important for public broadcasting to speak with one, united effective voice in our Nation’s Capitol. I am blessed to have Paula Kerger at PBS, Pat Harrison at CPB and Vivian Schiller at NPR as partners in that wonderful and challenging mission.

In closing, let say that I am thankful for the trust that you have placed in me to lead this organization. APTS has been a part of my professional life for more than a decade, and I am honored to be able to devote my full energy and efforts to preserving, and growing, the great educational and cultural treasure that is American public television.

Thank you.

I would now like to invite Deb and her excellent legislative staff to come up here and brief you on our legislative agenda.

Larry Sidman
Capitol Hill Day 2009
Presidential Address
Monday, February 9